Will we win the league?

[Master Splinter]

We've probably pubbed more results than Chelsea, so it is quite funny hearing that Arsenal "have played out of their skin" and "Chelsea will get better when Mourinho finds his best team". Or the usual "City/Chelsea/United are in transition". These are three of the most expensive squads ever assembled. Ready-made, super-expensive players who've played for top teams and nations and many who have won domestic and European trophies in recent seasons. They're in transition?!

Arsenal in terms of playing staff and playing style, are probably in transition the most. We've become a more patient, defensive side who often let the opposition have the ball and look to play on the counter when possible. And important players like Mertesacker, Monreal, Arteta, Cazorla, Ozil, Podolski and Giroud haven't been here that long. The fact that the rest of our team is composed of young/previously unheralded players who have been successfully moulded into effective Premier League players tells you who was really in transition. And makes our current standing all the more remarkable in the face of infinite cheat code clubs. It would be a bit of a miracle if we did win the League.

[Niall_Quinn]

While it's true that Chelsea and Man City have a big advantage, I think our current team can go up a couple of gears too. At the moment, one or two different players each game are stepping up but we're yet to see a lot of players hit top form. Only Ramsey, (possibly Giroud) and the defence have played to their potential. If, say, Ozil can find some consistency or Podolski gets a chance and starts finding the net we'll be a lot more dangerous.

Agreed, this is surely why we bought Ozil, to make a difference when the pressure is really on. Time for Ramsey to come back in and show he's stepped up a level, rather than had a purple patch. Podolski too, he looked hungry as hell when he came on against Fulham. And Ox has a chance to make an impact. Just as much can go right for us as wrong. Besides, if we really want to kick on and start competing in tournaments like the CL we will always be up against big money opponents. So far we've slugged it out with the gypos, the chavs, Dortmund, Napoli, and we're just about still standing. Still top of our league and still in with a shout of giving Bayern a couple of good games (no negativity please Wenger - let's go for it all guns blazing).

And injury to Merts or Kos though and I'll be changing my tune to something more melancholy. We have got to keep the defence together to stand a chance. I don't think the striker situation is nearly as critical as holding the defence together.

[Niall_Quinn]

We've probably pubbed more results than Chelsea, so it is quite funny hearing that Arsenal "have played out of their skin" and "Chelsea will get better when Mourinho finds his best team". Or the usual "City/Chelsea/United are in transition". These are three of the most expensive squads ever assembled. Ready-made, super-expensive players who've played for top teams and nations and many who have won domestic and European trophies in recent seasons. They're in transition?!

Arsenal in terms of playing staff and playing style, are probably in transition the most. We've become a more patient, defensive side who often let the opposition have the ball and look to play on the counter when possible. And important players like Mertesacker, Monreal, Arteta, Cazorla, Ozil, Podolski and Giroud haven't been here that long. The fact that the rest of our team is composed of young/previously unheralded players who have been successfully moulded into effective Premier League players tells you who was really in transition. And makes our current standing all the more remarkable in the face of infinite cheat code clubs. It would be a bit of a miracle if we did win the League.

Yeah, I laughed at that. The moneybags are in transition because they got new monkeys in to pull a billion quids worth of players off the shelf. It's so tough on them. Meanwhile we spend all the money we've saved up over ten years and now apparently we're big spenders too. Fact is, we've gone with what we had bar one addition and some of Wenger's signings and his patience with the longer term projects are bearing the results he said would happen. That in itself is a miracle, that we've managed to hold most of the team together and knit them into a system that even competes with the moneybags. We're punching well above our weight, can it continue? Yes, don't see why not.

If only Judas had shown an ounce of respect for this club and opted to pay back some of the huge debt he owed us for our perseverance. How would the gypos do if they lost Aguero and Negredo this window? Or if the chavs lost... Hmm, I don't see why we shouldn't be able to beat them. We've coped with that sort of loss and we're still leading the pack. All we have to do is avoid getting Mike Dean in the big games.