As any football fan knows, “It’s the hope that kills you.”
But with 22 games down and Arsenal still top of the league, a position we’ve had a stranglehold on since 12 September, it’s time to believe. So says Jack Wilshere.
Speaking after the Gunners latest win, the 2-0 victory over Fulham at the Emirates, the midfielder stressed that his teammates will only win the title if they start thinking like champions: “We must believe. If we don’t have belief, we have no chance.
“We take each game as it comes, but in the back of our head we are top of the league and we want to stay top of the league.
Casting an eye on the challenge presented by the huddle of teams tucked in behind Arsenal, the 22-year-old continued:
“It is there for four or five teams to take, it is that tight, if anyone drops points it can change.
“Manchester City are very strong at home and their away form has got a lot better as well. They will be one of our main rivals, but we have to play them here still.
“As long as we keep going, take it game by game we have a chance.”
Elsewhere Lukas Podolski sent a message to fans via Facebook echoing Wilshere’s desire to stay top of the table while reiterating that he’s won his fitness battle.
“Five victories in a row – we’re on a good way! I was out for 4 months. But I worked hard and now I’m fit again!
“To be a Gunner is a fantastic feeling. Our aim is to stay in the top!”
Perhaps the German was buoyed by Arsene Wenger’s positive post-match comments about his status in the squad, in which he made clear the attacker will feature more regularly.
“Every player who is on the bench is frustrated,” the boss told his post-match press conference.
“Lukas has a fantastic spirit and attitude and he showed that when he came on. He will play. he has been out for four-and-a-half months and it takes time, but he looks sharp.
“When he comes in he gives us something. First of all his occupies the flank well, his left foot is intelligent and dangerous. He is now physically ready.”
http://instagram.com/p/jWj3YzuJym/
Poldi overflowing with love for the club these days
he seems like a really loyal guy, still loves (and is beloved) in his old club in Germany. seems like a great person all around.
I thought he had forgotton the aha hashtag for a moment. Luckily he didn’t forget, I had started to feel unwell
“his left foot is intelligent and dangerous” – I like the idea of Poldi’s left foot being a self aware autonomous being.
If only his right foot had paid as much attention at school…
In anime cartoons, it would probably be pretty close.
http://i2.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/000/056/over9000.jpg
In the shield.
Where there’s Wilshere there’s a way.
Wilshere bonus, pax in domus
what does this even mean?
We believe! How can we not believe after all these fine team performances. It’s a very fun and exciting time for our supporters and the club. COYG!!
His left foot went to Harvard
Thunderbasterd
We’ve got very winnable games till the first week in Feb. After that come City, Chelsea, United, Liverpool, Spurs, Everton and Bayern (twice). I don’t see us beating City or Bayern, but if we win all the others, none of which should be beyond us, injuries permitting, we ought to be fine. Our run-in in late April-May is relatively easy.
Way to have confidence in us. As a Gooner, you should always back your team to win.
No wonder the bookies get rich from football supporters. But I disagree, it’s not a requirement for fans of any club to take leave of their brains. And anyway what they choose to believe won’t make an iota of difference to the scoreline. Players of course need to think they can win; fans can just hope to. Sure, I hope we’ll beat a side who put six past our reliable defence earlier in the season, but it’s not something anyone with half a brain would put money on. Fans who boo – now they really do make a difference to… Read more »
No team in this league z taking 4 or six points off us this season. dont care how many they score at home.
Oh my word agree. its one thing to support but its another to support blindly.
I differ with you as i think we can beat city at home but get no points at the bridge. out of these 6 point if we are to have a chance for the title we should get atleast 3 points.
To be honest, I can’t see us beating Bayern over two legs either; but I’m not too bothered: a long CL run could drain the squad and cost as the PL title. And we’re not good enough to win it, anyway.
As Miranda says, we are now approaching crunch time. If we are going to win the title then we must start doing what we haven’t recently and beat the best: the head-to-head games are now massively important considering that ourselves, City and Chelsea are now routinely beating the bad sides.
And where’s our new signings?
Our new signings? Wenger’s waiting for the sales. Real might have 70 percent off in the final couple of days.
It’s honestly expressions like “we’re not good enough to win it anyway” that are truly inane, in my opinion. So you’re saying, since clearly everyone at our club has less established reputations, smaller paychecks, etc. that we should just give up on the tournament? No goddamn self-respecting title side would do that, nor would they ever justify – “oh well, don’t worry, I left behind the CL so I could get the EPL title.” These title’s aren’t tennis sets – you don’t give up one just because the odds are against you. You take those odds, shove them up some… Read more »
And if it doesn’t go that way, you go down trying as hard as you can. That’s what competition is all about.
Agree with everything you say.. the fact is the champions league is a step to far imo last season we was at our very weakest only just scraping top 4 but we have reversed that and to be stop at this stage of the season compared to last season is unbelievable its unheard of and for me just premier league and FA cup games will give us a huge advantage especially if City want to be all they can be and try to win all 4 competitions that will work to our advantage if we have less games to play..… Read more »
If only the good enough guys won things Chelsea wouldn’t have been CL champions 🙂
Still loving the fact people are talking us down and tipping Chelsea or City to do us. Plays right into our hands as it takes the pressure off our boys and heaps it on our rivals. Long may the idiotic, short sighted, stubborn punditry continue.
Sorry, thumbed you down by mistake.
Arseblog, there really has to be a way around this.
Take better care
Fine line between being stubborn and sarcasm in this case ..hope these are not signs of decline…take care now arseblob
But you really have to add the WTF (?) button!
I heard tonight that Chelsea have ‘closed the gap on Man City’. Are they aiming to finish second?!
Jack is getting back to his best. It’s a bloody shame that some fans are so fucking quick to give him stick and completely dismiss his talent and passion when he was going through the rough patch recently. Same people who were giving ramsey a hard time last season. It so unbelievable how quickly these people can form and change their opinion on players. I was at the emirates for the everton game(my first live match) and I was really shocked by some of the supporters. They spent the whole game cursing and moaning at every bad touch by jack… Read more »
All clubs have them kind of fans.
I remember being in the Chelsea home stand a few years back & the abuse to their players & towards their own fans is a lot worse than Arsenal.
One guy keep shouting “your all one ticket wonders”, two friends got into a real fight & had to be dragged away & one guy made Brian Moore leave at half time because he kept at him.
hahaha figures it would be worse at chelsea
“He is now physically ready.”
I almost had to change pants thinking of Poldi with more play time. There’s a reason that my newly aquired third kit has the number 9 on it. #aha
The ref in the Chel$ki Manure match is poor again. Luiz should of had two yellows in the 1st half, the first for running into Jones when Oscar had the ball, instead the foul was given against Jones! And Welbeck should of had a penalty. Shoddy! I’m glad to see Manure go down, but I hate Chel$ki much more. Anyway, I’m itching to see Poldi play more. Nice words from Wenger. However, the way he’s used Poldi this season and last…well, let’s wait and see. One poor game at CF and he seems to be in Wenger’s bad books, that’s… Read more »
what do you expect it’s Phil Dowd, who is the worst of a bad bunch.
It looks that way to the fans because we don’t actually see the players day in day out, but only on match day. And so many people have gone through this but Giroud’s form isn’t really bad in my opinion. Positionally, he puts himself directly into defenders, with his back against goal. It’s honestly a very self-sacrificing and difficult position to bag in more goals. On the other hand, undeniably he could be more clinical, but sprinting back for the defense, sprinting forward for holding up the play, or going for the break as against AVFC, Giroud has to be… Read more »
You can observe that there was no painting of words by Wenger. He was as honest as a dog. That said, it’s good news. Was a little worried about him.
Divine, u smug rascal…
If that ain’t the smuggiest retard in the whole wide world then am a white dwarf that’s a monk. I really have to change my avatar.
Vick Akers needs to ease off the pies. Noticed this yesterday when I said, “why is Phil Dowd wearing an Arsenal trainer?”
Lol teddy salad, the irony if your name and that observation of Vic, made my day.
Lol the bbc are reporting that Chelsea’s victory dents manures title chances – seriously you couldn’t make it up – manure will be lucky to get forth!!! Yet top of the table arsenal, according to these cretins, don’t have a chance!!! What planet are these Muppets on?
Like I stated on another thread, the media are bunch of idiots. They claimed the scums were going to wipe the floor with us because of the money spent on their post monkey boy squad, well we know how that went. Arsenal bashing seems to make them a lot of money. I’m sure once we win the league, they’ll try to spin it in a way that will spare them some blushes.
They are a bunch of cunts.
Planet Manchester Stevie boy!
Easy Jack, focus on the next match, and beat them fuckers. That’s where your belief needs to be. Keep on keeping on…
I love podo and I love that fact the team are finally beliving we could drag this over the line. When I think back to RVP when he stated Arsenal have no ambition plus his inner child told him to join manu the boss has shown people like him and in some cases our own fans we have the team but now we have the belief.
Serious question, would we be half the team we are now, or in the position we are now if we had RvP instead of Giroud ? I think not.
Rvp is a grade a Muppet and deserves to fade in football history as he no doubt do – he won jack at arsenal and then sold his soul to the devil (red devils) when he could have stayed and now be on his way to something special!!!
Two more games (Soton and Palace) to bank maximum points. I have a feeling we can register a big win with one and make up the goal differential to City, Thereafter a very tricky patch including the CL games with Bayern. We will need Jack, Santi, Ozil on top form, the defenders fully available and Podolski to start firing alongside Giroud. Ramsey and Ox should return into the fold and add depth. Maybe we will get an additional striker on loan (in addition to Bendtner) to add capability. By this stage 24 games in, we will be in the business… Read more »
I believe……
(….the children are our future, let them dance and let them lead the way…..)
I really, really hope you’re quoting from Sexual Chocolate’s improved version of that song, because the original was bloody dreadful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzANAr1V82c
I really like Wilshere yes he has a attitude problem, yes he can cause problems in his social life and causes problems on the pitch but hes young and more importantly hes passionate and loyal.. theres a reason he does the press conferences hes not as dull as he makes out he knows what to say he is a future leader if not already and what i like most about his is hes loyal i remember last season when we was really struggling and he was coming out defending the Manager to the media and taking the blame off the… Read more »
Props to you Jason, i’m a returned to the roots Aussie who spent twenty years living in England, one parent from each country, so any kind of national bias I may have had went out the window around the time Milli Vanilli got busted.
Not only that, but these days we get sold the lie of what an intelligent ambassador Frank Lampard Present has been for the English game, conveniently glossing over any gang – sex misdemeanors of Lampard Past.
Then again, we’re all smart enough to recognise the hypocrisy of the press.
Well said!
Wilshere’s statement: “Believe”
Gibbs’ reply: “Yeah, innit doe”
And dont forget the other goalscorers:santi, ramsey, giroud, wilshire, chamberlain, Ozil, BFG ETC. And I still believe we havnt hit our best form yet. Only when we have TOTAL belief (coming soon) will that form arrive! !!
Don´t really like this talk of believe and have faith. Makes me feel that I´m in a cheesy American family flick where a bunch of ugly kids beat the cool team. Mighty Ducks or whatever..
Think about that for a second, those shitty films teaches kids that it doesen´t matter how much you train and prepare for games, it´s all about “believing in yourself”, utter, utter bullshit.
Let´s just fucking hammer every team that comes our way, it´s not about believing, it´s about doing!
Hows that for a inspiring motivational speak at the final part of a crap movie, eh?!?!
I love the lack of faith we get in the media. Everyone saying Arsenal won’t win it gives the team an extra incentive to prove themselves.