Arsenal’s Form MUST Continue After International Break

I admit that I’m not the biggest fan of the English national team (Terry, Cole, Rooney… do I need to go on?), but yesterday’s win over Spain was stunning. The performance was far from beautiful but at the end of the day, Fabio Capello and his side, which was missing many stars, were able to get the job done, beating the world champions at Wembley Stadium.

Despite fielding a side without the likes of Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and er, Rio Ferdinand, England were able to overcome a very strong Spanish side and win after a, let’s say, professional performance. On a weekend that will be remembered for something much more important than football, it was genuinely heart-warming to see our country achieve victory, especially after The FA’s absolutely ridiculous poppy row with the morons at FIFA.

So, moving on to the sport we all love. Well, the club side aspect of the game anyway…

It’s a shame that the international break came at a time when things were going so perfectly for us. After such a devastating start to the season, it’s been sensational to see us return to our typical form, picking up impressive wins against the likes of Chelsea and Stoke City.

After a string of superb wins, it seemed that we were finally getting back into the title race, didn’t it?

With Manchester City spending ridiculous amounts of money on world class talent, and with that trend set to continue once again in January, it’s hard to think that City won’t buy win the league this year – the demolition at Old Trafford is a clear suggestion of how the league places will be decided this year.

Some Arsenal fans may slate me for being unambitious, giving up the title already. But at the end of the day, I think everyone should appreciate how hard it is to compete against Manchester City Football Financial-advantage Club.

Even if Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez (ha!), Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli were all ruled out for the rest of the season with serious injuries, it still wouldn’t be too much of a problem. If they needed to, they could resolve all their problems within a couple of weeks, by spending ‘just’ another £150m and importing a few more of the world’s best.

Ultimately, everyone in the game needs to be realistic. That includes fans, as well as the actual players themselves.

It’s sad to accept, but no Arsenal fan should really expect us to compete for the title this year. Clearly, things have changed. Unless something absolutely spectacular happens, if you expect us to win the league this year, you’re only going to be spending the next 6 months wishing for a miracle – that’s never going to come.

But just like we experienced a few months ago, things could be worse – much worse.

With results like Manchester City’s 6-1 win at the Old Trafford demolition, as well as our own 5-3 victory at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea are all equal at the moment.

With an ageing squad, Manchester United will probably have to spend again in January. Also, with an out-of-favour Rio Ferdinand and a very clumsy Nemanja Vidic at the back, in-front of the ever-settling David De Gea, their defence is going to face problems.

Chelsea are still a good side, with an array of quality talent. Despite their “embarrassing” loss against us, they have enough quality to turn things around. There’s no doubt that Chelsea needed this international break – although I’m certain Fernando Torres will continue to flop, with his ludicrous £50m price tag still in mind.

So we’re half way through the break and none of our squad have picked up any injuries. I just pray we will be able to say this at the end of the week, so we’re all ready for next Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off against Norwich.

It’s vital that our side continues the impressive run we were on, before this international break. If we avoid injuries, we will achieve. After a rushed end to the summer transfer window, it seems that our side has finally gelled.

by MIKE HARVEY | Follow me on Twitter @my_karvey