So a solid away win yesterday means that Arsenal are in second place, five points behind Chelsea. While it is true that a win against ten men is not a solid basis for predicting Arsenal's standing at year's end, the truth is that not much really is at the moment, it being October. Those people complaining about the red card muddying up the picture for them miss the point--the picture is not an amalgam of what one sees on the screen any given day, but a compliation of the results at season's end. A red card offense is as much an event in a match as a goal or a pass or a header is. It is not an aberration that ruins football; it is football.
That being said, it's time for some links:
Arsène Wenger says that Samir Nasri is becoming much more efficient--seven goals in nine games, now.
He also says that the Lukasz Fabianski that has played lately is closer to the way Fabianski performs in training.
7 AM Kickoff offers an in-depth review of yesterday's match, complete with his thoughts about the disciplinary "problems" facing Arsenal so far this year.
Zonal Marking examines the match, acknowledging the red card, but also Arsenal's strong execution of their tactics, yesterday.
Daniel Taylor of the Guardian argues that Manchester City will still be a force (and is one of those complaining about the red card "distort[ing] the true picture". Sorry, Mr. Taylor; the picture will have to wait another week while actual football gets played.
Richard Jolly reports on the match for ESPN, although he seems to have missed the fact that Wenger is one of the most statistically informed managers of all time.
The Mirror is asking for Fabianski's forgiveness.
They are also reporting one of the more hilarious stories of the past few days. "Anglo-Saxon bias"...yep.
Have a good afternoon, everyone.