Arsenal News 24/7Writer: Rocky7 
Date:Tuesday January 19 2010
Time: 9:54AM
UK time is: 04:43:30
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Fabregas - Let's See What Happens
The sense of belief that has materialised around Arsenal Football Club over the past few weeks is palpable, with players and fans alike suddenly coming to the realisation that, despite the crippling injuries we've suffered, we're still actually in with a shot of winning the title.
As a species, the football fan is generally over-optimistic, believing that all is possible when it sometimes clearly isn't (see Spurs fans for reference), but we Gooners have suffered so many set backs and situations where we've appeared to have 'bottled it' that we've become a pessimistic bunch by nature, but we're just now starting to believe again.
Central to Wenger's push for the title is one Cesc Fabregas, midfield magician, leader of the club, talker of sense, and now, grounder of feet.
Whilst we're all getting pant wettingly excited at the thought of getting our trophy back, Fabregas, rather sensibly is thinking about the next game, and nothing more, refusing to get ahead of himself. And with a run of Villa, Chelsea, Man United and Liverpool coming up after the Bolton game this Wednesday, you'd have to say he's right.
'I'm sure other teams will think the same as us, that they can win the league, but there will be no team that wants it more, that's for sure,' said Fabregas.
'Let's not get carried away. There are many, many games where you can lose or win points. So we have to go game by game, that is what we have done until now and we must carry on like that, then we will see what happens at the end.'
It seems like such a long time since we were in a position to really challenge for the title that it's difficult not to get excited, but the players have to remain focused and the fans have to stay behind the team.
But if we can come away from that important four match run with nine points ..... then I'm going to really struggle to heed Cesc's words
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Your Comments
If we come out of that spell five points behind, we've still got a great chance with the run in we've got. AW appears to have looked at United's blueprint of last season of beating the bottom 10 home and away and you're most of the way there. I think that explains why we've been a bit more gun-ho with the 4-3-3, we know we can approach the vast majority of our games with a "if you score two we'll score five" kind of approach. It's come unstuck against the better sides, but most of the Premiership won't be able to live with us when we play to our strengths and attack. Given our form against the bottom ten or so clubs thus far, the run in is good to us even if THAT four game spell isn't.
Little Dutch
It's very tight and none of us look unbeatable - but we are competing which is more than many would give us credit for at the beginning of the season. Every title winner has needed that little bit of good fortune at key points. There doesn't seem to have been too much of that going for us this season but Cesc is right that we need just to play each game as it comes and see where that takes us.
Amos.
After Bolton the games against Liverpool & Man United at home and Chelsea & Villa away what is a realistic target or what would we be happy with. If we can exit those games with no more than 1 defeat i would be happy. 7 points maybe?
paul_ownz
7 points would be doable ... though I think we'd need to beat Chelsea amongst that lot.
Rocky7
To add to that, i would like to think we could win our two home games and a draw or win at Villa possibly. Chelsea away depends on who plays for me. Will we have song, will they have Drgoba etc.
paul_ownz
Personally I think these games are coming at the perfect time for Arsenal. Villa and Liverpool are both stuttering. With Gerhard and Torres missing and Villa not able to buy a goal these days its the perfect set up. United are not the United of old and you can see it on the pitch as well. If you stop Rooney from being involved they fall apart. Chelsea for me would be the only game I would say OK we could lose this one. The way we are playing am I crazy to think we could come through those 4 games with 10 to 12 points?
Trennon
What a player is Cesc, hes special. I think the next few games we have coming up will really see if were in with true title winning chance, I hope to god we can win them games and finally win a trophy! Tbh, the way we are playing at the minute and if we can keep our good players fit then i think we have a brilliant chance.
bear.imp
If Ivory Coast get to the Final of the ACN, Drogba will be suspended for the game against us. Though on the downside it would mean we won't have Eboue!
Little Dutch
GOONERS UNITE BEHIND TUNISIA!!!!!!!!!!!!! If they beat Cameroon then Song will be back for the FA Cup game against Stoke.
Trennon
God dam it LD you got my hopes up there ... Arsenal facing Chelsea without Eboue? Forget it.
Rocky7
I will be Trennon juts like i was behind Zambia, although with the fixture being Thursday i think Villa will be more of a likely return than Stoke
paul_ownz
Agreed. My God Paul, how bad was Zambias keeper?
Trennon
Shocking, although have you ever seen a good black african Keeper. Not trying to be racist either, i just cant think of any. Cameroon keeper was rubbish too. See the penalty he gave away by two footing someone?
paul_ownz
Carlos Idris Kameni - he's a decent black African goalie Paul. :)
herobeard
Was he not the keeper i mentioned above who gave an outrageous penalty away by diving in two footed? Seen here http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/4502058/ at 3:35?
paul_ownz
Herobeard, right...and long before him, Thomas Nkono, who was the Cameroon keeper at the '90 WC. Africa does produce some decent ones too (Bruce Groebellar is Zimbabwean), with Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria) being named Footballer of the year '08/09 season in Israel (not that their league is great).
Naijagunner
On the subject, I agree with LD, that we don't need to win the games against our top 4 rivals to take the title and we seem to have adopted that approach; to beat the smaller teams and get what we can from our rivals. I think 7 points from the 4 games will do, for me: beat Chelsea (A), Man U(H); draw Liverpool; take what comes with Villa. Chelsea because it will determine who rules London plus remove their game in hand advantage over us. ManU to put them in their place and we just must beat them to avenge their win, early on. Liverpool, well, I feel they need the point. One game at a time is the way to do it. Fab is right, as always. I only hope we come away from these games unscathed, especially Fab, what with the treatment he got at Bolton.
Naijagunner
Hopefully then Drogba wont be back for the game at SB, thats going to be our toughest test.
bear.imp
Even if Drogba were to play against us, it would mean Ivory Coast lost out (he would have been well battered by the games in Africa) and he will be battle weary; trust me, he won't be the same until after 3 weeks. Not that he can do us in, twice, under TV's watch.
Naijagunner
Cesc is critical in those games. This team looks more and more like his team, he commands it more, he screams, motivates, pulls the team more. He is the creative spark and the other players look one notch better with him in the side. Let's see how we pull through that spell, but this team puts together a decent run which gives us hope and then quashes it with a performance like the one against Everton. So, I still have mixed feelings about any title chances.
prits
Derek Robson of the BBC's prediction of the EPL at the start of the season:" Chelsea to win it with Liverpool , United and Spurs behind them". Make of it what you want.
gronedrone
I make it that Derek Robson is a know nothing spud tw*t grone
nikolaijns
Whatever this season brings (please let it be a trophy), I'm well proud of our players, with the number of injuries we've had and the often lack of support from the home fans, for us to have done this well is fantastic. It's just a shame that pundits rather than focusing on our strengths, choose to focus on the weaknesses of others.
DBerg
I think we'll need a minimum of 7 points to stay in the title race. ManU will drop more points somewhere along the line (they've still got to play Liverpool :P) I hope Ivory Coast make it to the final. I'd rather face Chelsea with us with no Eboue and them with no Drogba then both players being availible. Oh and as for the talk of Keepers, completely unrelated but did anyone see Myhill's performance against Spuds the other day? I don't like Hull but my lord that was the best performance from a keeper i've seen all year.
FuiKaka
We are bound to have a poor result in one of those games. How we deal with losing points closer to the finish line will be the difference between first and second place for us this season. This season is the most competitive premier league season ever so a few more defeats shouldn't destroy our self-belief and team spirit like it did the last time we mounted a challenge at the top.
gronedrone
Myhill was a 'Monster' vs Spurs.
Naijagunner
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