Premier League Nonsense

Well, yes, seven in eight does look good. Until you get up close and personal with those numbers. Six of the eight were home games! Two were Carling Cup against Shrewsbury and Bolton. One was Champions League. EPL victories against Sunderland and Stoke City were less than convincing.

Throw in that defeat at that place up the Seven Sisters and suddenly the seven in eight don't look too rosy.

Arsene Wenger will probably say that you can only play what's in front of you and he'd be right. But I can't believe confidence is suddenly bursting out round the London Colney among players who have croaked time and time again in big games over the years and still show deficiencies at the back; witness Stoke's goal last weekend when they had three free touches in the penalty area before Crouch scored.

It's too early to assess the impact of new signings like Mikel Arteta, Per Mertasacker and Andre Santos but this afternoon away to Chelsea would be a good a time as any. Arsenal have been woefully short of big time players in recent seasons and despite their defeat at QPR last weekend Chelsea still remain a potent threat to any team with ambitions of Champions League football next season.

Victory today for the Arsenal and Arsene Wenger can look forward to a bit more of that trust he called for at the Annual General Meeting. But a defeat, no matter how convincingly Arsenal play, will be just be seen as same old, same old by the faithful and those seven in eight will count for jackshit.