Talk about stealing one. As soon as I saw the lineup I instantly thought of last year and our ineptitude in games that we should have won. Watching this one instantly had me thinking of previous games we gave away during our last campaign… we almost did in this one too. And yet, we pulled it out. That is what championship caliber teams do. They win games ugly and by any means possible. It feels great to pull this one out going into a bit of league break (although I would like nothing more than to kick the shit out of tater totts this weekend). Anyways, we really looked short handed in this one even though we have midfield and, to some extent, back line depth. The injury bug has crept up and we find ourselves seriously shorthanded in terms of strikers now. This game sees us through with one less holding goal scorer. But we got the win and in some ways that is all that matters.

We came into this one missing Gibbs, Ozil, Rambo and Giroud. Given that all four of those guys play a huge role in our attacking scheme you had to have some sense that this one could prove tight. Thankfully, Cardiff looked equally inept and the lack of quality in their side kept them mostly at bay. They never gave us too much a scare and the stats showed that this was a game more about missed chances then scared tactics. That said, Cardiff came in not having a single thing to lose and ready to give us a fight. Hell, playing at the Emirates isn’t what playing at Highbury used to be like. You can get away with wins these days much more easily as the corporate stadium doesn’t quite give the home field advantage that we used to enjoy (or so I am told given that I am a Yank, have never graced the grounds of either Arsenal venue and have only read about both experiences by die hard, long time supporters-but I’m not too far off here given the difference in watching games elsewhere).

All things aside, there were some positives to take from this one. First, Jack played much, much better. He had better movement and set up some great bursts of attacking opportunities that just didn’t quite end in the back of the net. Poldi started, and played, a large chunk of minutes (nice to see given he apparently has never been able to play a full 90 minutes in his life eh Wenger?). Our defense (Nacho Libre played extremely well) held tough to seal off another shutout. Our “major” loss was Bendtner after he contributed the ice-breaker goal (I swear, only that guy could get injured on a goal scoring play but damn if I wasn’t happy with the top knot idiot). Walcott sealed the victory off tight as can be and I don’t care how, when, or by what means, it is always good when Theo is scoring.

Here is the thing, I really like Poldi in our lineup. He has an awesome leg and plays great off others. But the guy is not an out and out striker for Arsene’s system. Poldi plays best off a guy like Giroud or Bendtner. He makes his magic when they occupy the mid and he unabashedly crashes through with a Thor-ish bolt of goal scoring lightning. Poldi doesn’t hold up well and he generally isn’t known for his creative impact or dribbling skills. Putting him up top without the right service is only going to see him frustrated and absent. I argued last season that he was best used up top with/alongside Giroud; not in place of him. I don’t believe this year is any different but now we find ourselves incredibly thin up top and he really is the only serviceable replacement if Giroud needs a rest (January window anyone?).

It seems like each week I end up telling my wife: “Arsenal game today. Really important game. Have to win.” She always responds with, “Aren’t they all important and don’t they have to win all of them?” Seems like that is truly turning out to be the case here. Arsenal sit atop the leader board but when 5 points separate us from first to fourth every game really does end up being important and a must win. Not exactly the best feeling given that the pressure will continue to mount as the season trucks on. However, given what this crew has gone through the last few years and fighting for each and every spot… well, you have to like our chances. And games like this show me we have what it takes to pull this one out in the long run.

Until next time Gooners.