Podolski and Cazorla secure impressive win

I don’t think I’ve ever been quite as chuffed with an Arsenal performance as I was today. We might not have been at our blistering best, but overall we were pretty damn good.

The national media had been hammering us for our goalless start, claiming we’d struggle to get into top 4, saying we didn’t have enough quality in the squad. It was incredibly frustrating as anyone who’d watched the first 2 games would have seen the signs that we would not be having any problems going forward. Santi Cazorla looked like he’d been here all his life and once again he was at the centre of everything Arsenal did going forward.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 02: Santi Cazorla of Arsenal celebrates after scoring the second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield on September 2, 2012 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

It must be said that most of the Arsenal blogs going around were not jumping the gun. All the knowledgeable, considered fans could see the the quality was there and it was just going to take a bit of time.

Well, thankfully, it didn’t take too long. Away at Liverpool is one of the last fixtures you want after 2 goalless draws. Anfield is always a tough place to go, regardless of the shape Liverpool are in (just ask Man City), so to come out of there with 3 points and our pristine defensive record in tact is a fantastic result.

It was always going to be a tough battle for possession but it was a battle I felt we had the better of. Our play was much more threatening than Liverpool’s, Diaby in particular ensured we never became stale in possession. It was hard not to compare him to Vieira in his performance today and his MOTM award was fully deserved. This was a display most Arsenal fans have been waiting some time for. I’ve always been a big fan of his and if he can stay fit it will be a massive boost for us. He gives us an extra dimension with his mixture of power and guile. The flicks and turns were sumptuous, add to that his powerful runs and eye for a pass and you have yourself one hell of a player.

It’s going to be hard to praise all the areas I’d like to as I was so pleased with nearly every aspect but I’ll give it a crack. The sale of Song looks a better piece of business with every minute Arteta plays in that deep midfield role. The carelessness of Song is nowhere to be seen in the Spaniard’s game, he is as professional as they come. With Diaby playing well and Wilshere still to return, it looks like that will be Arteta’s position for the rest of the season. Whilst he probably does have more to offer further up the pitch, he suits that deep role perfectly. His defensive positioning is superb and he rarely leaves the defence exposed (something Song never quite mastered, and when I say ‘never quite mastered’, I mean, ‘totally disregarded’).

Arteta made 92 passes today with a 95% success rate. Xavi-esque in terms of keeping the ball, he was a vital link between the defence and Cazorla. His new role also frees up Cazorla to, basically, do whatever he wants which is what Fabregas used to do and it should get the best out of him. The clamour for a central midfielder on deadline day from pretty much every single corner of the globe (including this corner) seems rather silly now in the wake of this performance, so fingers crossed that they can keep it going through to the end of the season.

With Arteta in front of them, the defence once again looked very solid. I’m always a bag of nerves whenever an opposition team gets anywhere near our box thanks to our long standing defensive ineptitude, but, if we can keep this going, that shouldn’t last much longer. Admittedly, there were some decidedly dodgy moments. Sterling caused us quite a few problems in and around the box and I thought Mertesacker had given away a penalty on a couple of occasions. The Verminator was immense at the back again and totally justified Wenger’s decision to give him the armband. His desire to keep the clean sheet was there for all to see, especially when pouncing on a ball Mannone had spilled. His attitude really is an inspiration for all the others around him and I think he is key to keeping up this defensive renaissance.

There’s been a lot of criticism of Giroud which I think is really harsh. He missed another good opportunity today but his movement to create the opportunity was great and I think he will come good. Let’s remember Chamakh had a storming start so maybe the key to a good Arsenal career is a slow beginning. Given enough time, I think we could have a quality player on our hands. It must also be said that the crosses that came into him were dreadful, pretty much every one went sailing over his head and it’s definitely something we need to improve on.

As I’ve been writing, SOMEONE has annoyingly grabbed United 3 points single handedly. But rather than focussing on the mouthwatering prospect of him and Cazorla linking up, I’m going with the fact that United are now clearly a one man team and will desperately struggle whenever he’s not on fire.

We go into the international break now, so let’s pray for no injuries before we welcome Southampton to the Emirates.