Written by Brett Bregman on Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Results

Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
09 Mar	7:45 PM	CL	Fc Porto (H)	5	0	Win

I work for my family business, which means I report to my older brother and father. Working for the two of them is something like the beginning of a Dickens novel. It is the best of times, it is the worst of times... If any of you work for a family business you will know what I am talking about. I have been busy the last couple of weeks and I was out having a drink with my father after a long day at the office.

I started bitching about how I no longer even have time to write in my life, because I am a slave to his enterprise. To which he responded, "For what they pay you to write, you can afford to miss a few days". My father is not a writer, but damn he chooses his words perfectly. Fantasy is what people want, reality is what they need. The reality is I am a salesman, not a football writer. Today, I finally found some "me" time.

Arsenal seems to have righted the ship in the Premier League. Four consecutive wins puts them on the heels of United and Chelsea once again. There is no doubt in my mind the top two will drop more points. I watched Rooney-less United this weekend and was hardly impressed (Wolves honestly had the better chances). If United have to go any part of the run in without him they will definitely drop points, and those old legs at Chelsea are starting to look exactly that: old and heavy. Not to mention the circus going on at the Bridge these days. There are 9 games left in the league and the Gunners are still right there. As Wenger likes to say, "We are in an interesting position".

Three weeks ago, Gooners thought our only chance at a trophy this campaign was the Champions League. My how quickly things change, I read an article today calling for Arsène to actually rest players tomorrow to keep an eye on the remaining Premiership fixtures, because now some see The League as our best chance of lifting silverware. Let's not get carried away here, this is the Champions League.

This is the one trophy the Arsenal Cabinet of History is devoid of. This is the one Wenger really wants. Two blunders from Fabianksi almost derailed Arsenal's chances, but an away goal from Sol and home field in the second leg means we are far from finished. Now is the time to get back on track in Europe. Oh those European nights, they are truly special. I expect us to turn this thing around and it will be a memorable one at The Grove.

Señor Arsenal will miss this game. I know no player is bigger than the club, but Fabregas is approaching irreplaceable status. The gifted Spaniard has given his heart and soul to The Arsenal this term. Let's go through the checklist: Captain the Squad. Check. Score goals. Check. Set up goals. Check. Defend all over the pitch. Check. Start moves and finish them. Check. Check. Take penalties. Check. Make everyone better. Check. Win games. Check. Kiss the badge. Check. The list goes on and on... Of course, not having him in the squad is a big blow. In the biggest games you want your best players available. Our best player is Fabregas. Arsenal can still get the job done without him. A certain away game at Roma last year comes to mind.

Roll call, front and center: Samir Nasri. All of a sudden, Sammy finds himself in the middle of the park, and instead of Fabregas's partner he is Fabregas's replacement. Nasri will be asked to orchestrate Arsenal's moves Tuesday night. His performance against Burnley demonstrates that he is more than capable. The ball over the defenders to Cesc for the goal was filthy. He looked much more comfortable and confident playing in the center, and defensively he tracked back nicely for the whole 90 minutes.

Wenger spoke about Nasri ahead of the #8 most important start in an Arsenal shirt, "He is a very intelligent boy, a quiet boy. He analyses what is happening on the pitch very quickly. He has good technical potential. If you ask any player where he wants to play, they will say in the middle, he is happy to play there but I believe with the pace he has he can play on the flanks as well." I for one was never convinced he was a winger. I almost feel Wenger really did not know where to put him, he just knew he was too good to sit on the bench so he put him on the flank. Its obvious Nasri prefers to be in the middle, and against Porto he will play in his desired role. Nobody needs him to be the next Zidane, but if he could be Fabregas for one night that would be nice.

With the away goal recorded at Porto the need for a clean sheet is paramount. This is the one thing that is making me a little nervy. I think we will score goals tonight, but we must keep a clean sheet. Arsenal simply cannot afford to shut off defensively for one second. No defensive lapses. No mistakes by the Goalkeeper. Arsenal are an attacking team, but tonight we must be solid at the back. The goals will come. I expect Bendtner to be highly motivated to show he is capable of finishing. We also saw on Saturday that Arshavin is still capable of scoring at any moment. The Russian should be fresh for this match. The return of Song will free Diaby to get forward. We will score more than one, and I do not see us giving up any goals of the sort we did when we were at Porto.

In boxing it is called a "good chin". When a boxer takes numerous blows and continues to plow forward, that's a good chin. If he gets knocked down, a boxer with a good chin gets right back up on his feet ready to fight again. I like a Boxer with a good chin. Once in a while, a boxer with a good chin will beat an opponent of superior skill with sheer toughness. This Arsenal squad is really starting to win a special place in my heart. Not because I feel my team is better than all the teams in the land, but because my team has a good chin... Every time they get knocked down (Robin van Persie's injury, Man Utd and Chelsea defeats, Ramsey Tackle, etc. etc.) they get up looking to get back in the fight, and that is something we should all appreciate and admire.

I leave you with a quote from Le Prof about his team's chin this year, "When you have gone through what we have gone through this year, this season, and stand where we are, you need to be mentally strong, because everybody buried us 10 times and we are still there. So we rely on that. We have belief. We have hunger, and we have quality. So we'll fight." Amen Arsène.

Come on you Gunners!!!

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