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Arsenal on Top!

Can Arsenal Win the English League?

Arsenal have taken the top spot in the English Premier League in the most dramatic of fashions. After their 2-0 victory at the Reebok Stadium against Bolton Wanderers on Sunday, Arsenal knew a two goal victory at home over the same team would take them to the top of the league. The amount of points that Chelsea and Manchester United have dropped recently has allowed Arsenal to get back into serious title contention but their passage to the top was not easy.

Tremendous comeback at the Emirates
Arsenal found themselves 2-0 down at home to Bolton within half an hour. Owen Coyle was only in his second match in charge of the club but it looked as though he may have worked some immediate magic. As is so often the case, a goal on the stroke of half-time changed the perspective of the match and at 2-1, Arsenal knew they were back in the game. A fortuitous equaliser saw Arsenal take further confidence and it was eventually Andrei Arshavin that got Arsenal’s fourth goal to give them the two goal lead they needed to take the top spot.

Getting to the top of the league is hard but staying there is going to be even harder for Arsenal.

This weekend sees Arsenal taking part in the FA Cup but it is not as if they will have an easier time this weekend. The Britannia Stadium is a tough place for any team to go and a place where Arsenal have struggled over the years. Given that 2009/10 offers Arsenal their best opportunity of winning the league, Arsene Wenger may not be too upset if they were to be knocked out of the FA Cup.

Villa Won Amazing Semi-Final

After this though, Arsenal have a run of league games that would put a level of fear into any side. Next Wednesday night, Arsenal travel to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa. Villa fans are in a great mood at the moment as the club has just booked a trip to Wembley. An outstanding and frankly unbelievable second leg against Blackburn Rovers saw Villa triumph 6-4. Yes, semi finals can usually be nervous occasions but this match went against all expectations.

When you consider that Blackburn went 2-0 up, the turn around from Villa was phenomenal even though Blackburn were reduced to ten men before half-time.

Even if Arsenal get past this test, things do not get any easier. In fact, they don’t get any tougher than Manchester United.

United travel to the Emirates for a match that could easily define Arsenal’s title push.

Arsenal met United at Old Trafford earlier in the season and were worth their 1-0 lead. Arshavin scored an outstanding goal to give the London club the edge but it was a game where Arsenal lacked any luck. An own goal saw them go down 2-1 and led many to write off the Gunner’s title chances.

Ronaldo Still Missed in Manchester
If Arsenal can take all three points against Manchester United, they will have equalled out that loss and could be putting some space between themselves and their Northern rivals. There is no doubt that United are a weaker team than they have been in recent years. The loss of Cristiano Ronaldo has been extremely tough on them with only Wayne Rooney living up to expectations.

If the England striker got an injury, United could see their title challenge crumble, which stands apart from Arsenal’s. When Robin van Persie got injured, it seemed as though Arsenal would fall away and their quest to finish in the top four was under threat. The first couple of games saw Arsenal struggle but in recent weeks, Cesc Fabregas has been the inspiration and if the Spaniard remains fit, the Gunners may taste title glory in May.

Stamford Bridge Awaits United

And the amazing thing about Arsenal’s fixture run is that the hard games do not stop there. After the match against United, Arsenal travel across London to take on Chelsea. With serious doubts about Mikael Essien, Chelsea may be without one of their key players. However, Didier Drogba should have returned from the African Cup of Nations and he could be the man to derail the Arsenal bandwagon.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Arsenal then take on Liverpool at the Emirates. The match between the two teams last time around was quite possibly the game that turned around Arsenal’s season. Liverpool took a half-time lead and looked to have turned their own corner but Arsenal bounced back in the second half, turning in a level of performance that was completely different from their first half showing.

Psychological Importance of These Games
These games are more than just about the 12 points up for grabs, the psychological boost that will come to the teams who walk away with most points could set up them very well for the run in. Arsenal have the momentum at the moment and this may just be the thing that sees them sneak ahead of the chasing pack.

After the Liverpool game, Arsenal have a break from the English Premier League race where they travel to Portugal to play in the Champions League. A match against Porto will provide a test but it should not be an insurmountable one for Arsenal to overcome. Porto are definitely not the team they were in previous years and even though Arsenal have a tough run of fixtures, they should progress from the last 16 of Europe’s top football tournament.

So, Arsenal are currently at the top of the English Premier League but their fixture list is doing them no favours at the moment. Fans all over the world want to see the big four clash and there is going to be big game after big game for fans in the up coming weeks.

There have been a great number of points dropped by the big teams this season so a few more will not be a surprise but if any team can show a level of consistency, they may just be able to steal a march and take the title.

by Andrew Reilly

for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk

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