Arsenal: Positives from the North London Derby

Olivier Giroud celebrates victory after the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on September 01, 2013 in London, England. (Getty Images)

A completely open, fast-paced game – with the trademark ‘about-to-have-a-stroke’ tense Arsenal moments in injury time – wrapped up the entire North London Derby deliciously. Even though Tottenham Hotspur threw the kitchen sink towards the end and pushed Arsenal back, there were loads of other things to be happy about.

1. Rambo is back:

After the spectacular two goal display at Fenerbahce, the fans can finally stop doubting Aaron Ramsey. After that horrific injury in 2010, that left most people wondering if he would make a full recovery, his current performances says otherwise.

Ramsey’s second against the Turkish giants was an absolute beauty; an intelligent run capped off by a smart finish. The Welshman was sharp in last night’s game as well and the cause for concern over his form has evaporated. Oh and no one died on the 29^th.

2. The emergence of a consistent goal scorer:

After Robin van Persi’s departure and Olivier Giroud being constantly criticised – and compared to the Dutchman – we can finally say that he has found his footing in the team. The Frenchman has managed to score in every Premier League game so far. Giroud is finally starting to play the game his way, without being put up against someone whose standards are shockingly high.

3. Maintaining the lead:

This is one of the most difficult aspects for Arsenal, as an early goal is a cause for joy as well as worry. It has often been noted that we end up conceding more than once and the exuberance lasts only for the first quarter of the game. We maintained the lead last night with good defending, to say the least. A hat-tip to Wojciech Szczesny as his perfect saves kept us in the game.

4. Arsene Wenger still knows:

As a compulsive shopper, one can’t understand why someone with a reserve of money is so hesitant to go out and splurge it on shiny new players. With Spurs transfer spending crossing 100 million and Arsenal’s only two new players coming in for free, it was quite the ironical situation.

However we emerged on top of the spending debate with the result. A nice little treat came in the way as Wenger’s press conference as well, where he stated that there might be a ‘surprise’ in the form of a new signing before the transfer window shuts.

5. Gareth Bale free:

No more Gareth Bale! No more celebratory heart sign or animal cries. As of now, Arsenal seems pretty united and ready to move forward. A few additions would, however, only help strengthen the squad even more, especially when a few key players are injured.