block6gooner

Last night saw our 19th game of a 38 game season. Compare our points tally to where Utd and Chelsea were on 19 games and we are second in the league. Many had written us off both before and during this season. But the fight has been there, most of the time, and Arsene has never lost faith in his young squad of players, even when the going has been tough.

Last night the fight showed. We arrived at Portsmouth to face a team who have an uncertain future, I’m not convinced they will finish the season if the reports of their financial troubles are so accurate, they had defeated Liverpool and given Chelsea a good game. It wasn’t going to be easy for us. We were also without Cesc to help inspire the team to victory, Cesc will be out for around 10 days it was said last night. But not to worry, we had Song, Diaby and Ramsey in midfield. The young trio played with conviction and muscled against a strong middle 5 from Portsmouth and came out of the game on top.

Our opening half hour saw some good play from us but Portsmouth had a few early chances, they would be able to trouble us. Eduardo had an early oppurtunity, but as is his form and to be fair the difficulty in getting a shot away it was a chance spurned. However Eduardo was to get his second goal in two games, a free kick outside the area took a deflection of Kaboul and was in the back of the net. That is now 3 in 3 from set pieces as well. We continued to press Portsmouth and their heads began to drop, they stopped trying. The was epitomised when our second of the game came, we had loads of time for Eduardo on the left of their box to create a pass, via Ramsey, which gave Narsi plenty of time to fire home. 2-0 at half time and all was looking rosy.

Richard Keys and former gunner Paul Merson were not convinced in their half time analysis. “Remember they were two up at West Ham” was one quote, yeah we were but I think a LOT has been learnt since that game.

Our third was to come from Ramsey, he won the ball back about 40 yards from their goal. Turned one player then rifled a shot home, a fantasic goal that any one of our top players would have been proud of. Who says we are short in midfield when we have players like that to come in? Portsmouth got a conciliation goal but we added a fourth via the continually impressive Song with a header at the back post, he is in fine form at the moment and we will miss him during the ACN.

So the season is half over, if I am honest I didn’t expect us to be this close at this point. A couple of transfers in January and, well who knows. Arsene said last night something all gooners should hear;

“If we don’t believe, nobody will”