We were mature and organised Dear Arsenal supporter, We had to grind out a win on Saturday and we did that by showing efficiency and patience. In games like that its vital not to make a mistake and we did that well. The pitch was a bit slow and maybe we werent as fluent as we can be - at times our passing lacked sharpness - but we stayed focused and determined. I was not surprised by Crystal Palaces resistance because I was quite impressed by them against Fulham last Monday. They lost that game because Fulham scored four outstanding goals but generally they were organised and strong in the challenge. It was important for us to respond to our Champions League defeat in the right manner and it feels good to stay top of the Premier League. We had an opportunity to put pressure on our rivals and we did our job. The downside to Saturdays game was the groin injury that Mathieu Flamini suffered. Mikel Arteta was sent off - harshly, in my opinion - but although I think we have grounds to appeal I wont do that because I wasnt going to use Mikel in the Capital One Cup game on Tuesday. Mikel was dismissed for denying a clear scoring opportunity but I think he was too far from goal to be completely sure about that. Going down to 10 men made it tougher of course but Wojciech Szczesny made two good saves and we were mature and organised. We have played nine league games now and we know we have tough challenges ahead. We always had a high level of aspiration but the only thing we can do is win our games. Every win makes you a bit stronger and strengthens the belief, and we need that for the difficult games ahead of us. Fatigue starts to play a part when the games come in quick succession but you mustnt worry about that too much. Sometimes when you play every three days you look tired and then in three days you are flying again. It goes a bit in cycles. Next up for us is Chelsea in the Capital One Cup. I will rotate my squad for that game but I will field a team that has a good chance to qualify. That is our target. Thanks for your support. David.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 06:04:32 +0000
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