Wigan A Win – The League

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That’s right, say it fast enough and you never know what might happen.

Well, apart from being a cracking end-to-end game, yesterday was particularly noticeable as the first time we’d done something since Monday 2nd May – won away in the league. It also means we’ve collected 10 points from 12 since our last defeat, which is pretty good.

As a game, it was a bit mental, really. We could have scored about six, but then again, we could have conceded more than we did too, and in the end, the arms-aloft salute from Henry said it all – we had been in a right old ding-dong battle against one of the most underrated sides of the last few years, and came out of it smiling.

Henry and van Persie were excellent yesterday, a real menace the pair of them, and their partnership looks more and more promising as the games go by. Two great performances from them coincided, perhaps not coincidentally, with some great attacking moves, the best of which culminated in van Persie missing the far post by a ball’s width. Fabregas, too, was extremely good.

So no real complaints, though predictably, sadly, our Achilles heel – left back – was exposed on cue. Without Clichy and Cole, we lacked mobility in that position, and game though he was, Pascal Cygan is not the man. He never has been the man in his favoured role, let alone at left back, and as for mobility, forget it. He has the turning circle of a Routemaster.

Perhaps we will yet see Toure there, though I suspect the Cyganman will be back on Tuesday. The more games under his belt at left-back the better, at least that’s how the story goes.

So yes, anyway, we’re off to Switzerland with everything in the bag already, except first place in the group. Do we need that? I’ve never been convinced coming first makes any difference. It hasn’t for us, let’s be fair; and anyway, if you want to win the competition, you’ll need to beat the big guns at some point anyway. Personally, I want Real Madrid. We’ve never played them in the CL, and given our penchant for departing prior to the quarter finals, I’m all for getting them at the first hurdle.

Jim

Arsenal since about 1979. Thick, thin and all that.