Quote Originally Posted by IBK View Post
Agree with this. We need to be so careful not to upset the squad togetherness that we have built and paying over the odds in transfers/wages has huge knock on effects. I'm torn though, because I am starting to think that we could be in with a shot at the title. But on balance if we sign someone it has to be a player who fits into our long term plans.

I disagree with you that our current position is an anomaly however. The stats don't lie. This is our best league start (half) ever. To say that we are here only because everyone else has been indifferent is a bit nuts. As far as title hopes are concerned you are basically suggesting that everyone else is going to have a massive upswing in the second half of the season. Why would that be?
It is by its very definition an anomaly because it deviates from what normally has been produced by Arsenal in recent years, and my point is that it’s simply too soon to categorise it definitively as being anything more.

If you’re asking have we been the best team in the league so far this season, the objective answer going by the league table as well as from deriving an opinion from watching us play is yes.

The Germans refer to the team that is top of the table at the half way point as the Autumnmeister, in the last ten years I think Dortmund have been Autumnmeister on more than one occasion but have ended up falling considerably short of Bayern in the end of season table.

We have to go to Liverpool, we have to go to Newcastle, we have to play City twice. All games we could comfortably lose and then our eight point advantage is potentially a four point deficit. And with Newcastle and United closer to City than they are to us, it wouldn’t take an epic disaster to see us tumble out of the top four.

And will City pick up points on a continual basis from January to May?, I don’t know…but historical precedence shows they are more than capable of it, as are Liverpool, as are Spurs…the only teams untested in that regard is Newcastle and Man United under Ten Haag.

We’ve enjoyed a good start to the season, but yes it’s not a reflection on us that we are where we are because a lot of teams have suffered indifferent form (Chelsea nowhere, Liverpool inconsistent, Spurs in a funk and City by their ridiculously high standards and a freak of nature goalscorer have been below par)