Stoke Victory Just the Start for Gunners

Arsenal's comprehensive 3-0 victory over Stoke City at the weekend helped to erase the memory of their 3-2 defeat to the Potters before Christmas and reassured their fans following the inexplicable 2-0 defeat at Southampton in their previous Premier League outing. Despite the return to winning ways, however, there is still a sense of underachievement at the Emirates and a sense that Wenger's men have yet to fulfil their potential this season.

Plenty to Play For

With much still to play for in the second half of the season, and a Champions League round of 16 tie against Monaco to come next month, there is every chance that 2014/15 could be a memorable one for the Gunners. The victory over Stoke could, and should, prove to be a turning point. The next four fixtures will now give us a good indication of just how far Arsenal have come and what they could achieve this season.

Tough Schedule

First up is a visit to champions Manchester City, followed by an FA Cup fourth round trip to Brighton and Hove Albion, a home league meeting with Aston Villa and then a trip to Spurs. According to the betfair odds, the trip to Brighton, who are struggling in the Championship after a recent change in manager, and the home tie against goal-shy Villa should be formalities. But with both teams fighting for their lives and desperate to take a big scalp in order to boost morale, they could be real banana skins. The trip to the Etihad looks by far the hardest of the four fixtures, particularly given City's draw at the weekend and their slide beneath Chelsea in the table. As for Spurs, they always raise their game for the derby and, as they showed when they secured a 1-1 draw at the Emirates in September, they are no mugs and will fight to stay in the hunt for the top four.

Alexis on Fire

Despite the tough look of the next few weeks, there are several reasons to think that Arsenal can continue their unbeaten run and start to push Manchester United and Southampton for the Champions League spots. The first, and most obvious reason, is the form of Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean's two goals against Stoke City took him to 12 in the Premier League this season, just three behind Chelsea's Diego Costa. It is not just his goalscoring that sets him apart, however, he has also been credited with the fourth highest number of assists (seven) in the league this season, as well as the third most completed dribbles. Sanchez is a hard-working, versatile player who gives everything for the team and puts the best interests of the team ahead of his own. One example of that was his decision to pass to the better-placed Walcott, rather than taking a shot at completing his hat-trick against Stoke City. For all the players that Wenger has missed out on in recent transfer windows, the £31m he spent to sign Sanchez from Barcelona represents one of his shrewdest ever investments.

Is Alexis Sanchez (right) one of Arsenal’s best signings?

Transfer Options

With the January transfer window now firmly open, Arsenal have been linked with a number of players. Of these, there is one man that could, if Wenger managed to prise him away from Newcastle United, make a huge difference to the Gunners’ chances over the rest of the season. Moussa Sissoko, who recently described Arsenal as the 'club of my heart', would be the ideal fit for Wenger. A tough tackling, strong, box-to-box midfielder with pace and the ability to pick a pass, Sissoko could be the missing link in the middle of the park and could finally fill the void left when Gilberto Silva departed in 2008. If Wenger could strengthen in midfield, and potentially defence, it would increase his options and could reduce the pressure placed on the likes of Callum Chambers and Jack Wilshere who have both played through injuries this season.

Giroud's Return

Olivier Giroud's return to the starting line-up against Stoke is also a cause for optimism at Arsenal and, after enjoying an enforced three-game rest following his dismissal against QPR, he will be desperate to make amends and to get back amongst the goals. A hungry Giroud will strike fear into the hearts of opposing defences and will draw attention away from Sanchez. Another man making a welcome return to form and fitness is Walcott. After playing 75 minutes in the FA Cup win over Hull City before coming off the bench against Stoke, he is nearing full fitness and will give Wenger additional options going forward. If Walcott can keep himself out of the treatment room for the rest of the season then he will make a significant contribution. If past seasons are anything to go by then we should expect to see at least five or six goals from the England man.

Defensive Solidity

Another reason for optimism is Arsenal's defence. The 2-0 win over Hull in the cup, followed by the victory at the weekend represented Arsenal's first consecutive clean sheets since early December. The dislocated shoulder suffered by Mathieu Debuchy against Stoke will cause some disruption but Wenger should be able to shift Chambers across to cover. With Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny, who scored against Stoke, re-establishing the central defensive partnership that has served so well in recent seasons, Arsenal are becoming hard to beat again and they seem to have stopped conceding the kind of sloppy goals that cost them earlier in the season.

Springboard

The next few weeks will provide a stern test for Wenger's side. But if they can come through unscathed, then they will show that they have the steel and credentials to challenge in the second half of the season. The win over Stoke was impressive but it will count for little if the Gunners are not able to back it up with another solid performance next weekend at the Etihad. With the form of the Arsenal defence, the return of Giroud and Walcott, and Sanchez's incredible scoring and work rate, there is every reason to think that the Stoke victory could be a springboard to take Arsenal back into the Champions League places by the end of the season.

Image  Ronnie Macdonald This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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