Arsenal are 5 points clear of Spurs.
With the pressure off, the team that can’t win anything is playing well.
Arsenal have beaten Spurs and City and won at Liverpool and have taken 27 out of 30 points.
Since the team lost Fabregas and Wilshere, it’s become more workmanlike.
The Fabregas-Arsenal was multi-dimensional and fun to watch, while the Arteta-Arsenal had to become functional and efficient.
Right now, Arsenal look strong enough to beat Chelsea again.
Wolves were doomed before last night and a red card for centreback Bassong, who brought down Walcott to concede an early penalty, left them with little hope.
Van Persie converted and Walcott made it 2-0 in 11 minutes. Game over. Walcott’s better inside the box than outside it. Against Wolves anyway. He\’s playing for a new contract, like the much-improved Rosicky, and he wants more than the 80K per week offered.
Benayoun made it 3-0 when Song cut the ball back to him from the left side of the box in 69 minutes.
MAN CITY changed their team and won easily last night.
Without Mad Mario, with Carlos Tevez . Micah Richards and David Silva all starting, City stuffed West Brom 4-0.
Against Arsenal on Sunday, City were playing with 10 men before Balotelli was sent off and after he was sent off.
Football is about players, always has been, always will be.
But it’s also about resources.
You can punch above your resource-base for a season or two, if you have a good manager and a good club, but then you slip back.
Arsenal have been punching below their resource-base for seven long years. Maybe they will buy some good players and compete next season. With third place looking nailed-on, Wenger can buy early for a change and he\’s doing that.
WIGAN beat Manchester United 1-0 last night.
Outplayed them as well.
I watched the QPR game on Sky, then switched to the Athletico-Real Madrid derby.
Joey Barton has been crap all season. A disgrace to his club and his profession. Then he was booed and dropped. Since Barton came back, he’s been playing well and scoring goals. He scored the first against Swansea last night and Mackie and Buszaky made it 3-0 in the second half.
Big night for owner Tony Fernandes: QPR have climbed out of the bottom three.
Bolton, Blackburn and Wolves are below QPR and Wigan, who each have 31 points from 33 games.
In Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo scored with a high-velocity free-kick from 35 yards.
Then Falcao, one of my favourite strikers, made it 1-1 with a beautifully placed power-header. Cristiano scored another thunderbolt in open play, slotted a penalty, played in little sub Calejon for 4-1.
When he was sold by Manchester United for £80 million, Cristiano said, “I like being the most expensive player in the world.”
Real Madrid are now four points above Barcelona.
Breaking good news: Chamakh is going back to Bordeaux.
Best header of the ball in Phrench football? Maybe be was. In the EPL, he was rubbish. A few decent games, then pathetic.
Chamakh’s started one Premier League game this season.
The manager waited 18 months to get this star striker on a free transfer.
Have you ever seen, in your entire life, a footballer who was as happy to be taken off as Chamakh?