I tell you what, after the shocking January we had on and off the pitch, I was glad to get a bit of respite from The Arsenal in early February. My frustration was palpable in my house on 1st Feb and so having a bit of time away from football – apart from blog every morning – was good for me. But after the win against Wolves that addiction has come flooding back in to my veins and I just cannot wait until Saturday. I’m even trying to figure out ways in which I can get off out the house earlier so I can meet some mates for lunch before the game. And it’s a 3pm kick off too, those rarest of things these days that, as a result, kind of feel a little bit holier than other matches in the season. I’ve got to do some exercise and some shopping but I’m even thinking about setting my alarm so I can wake up earlier to meet some lads. That’s what my addiction does to me. Makes me want more.

I hope those Arsenal players are feeling the same and with Tomiyasu pictures and videos released by the official site it has got me all the more excited. All being well and Martinelli aside, we will have a full strength, full rested, team against Brentford. As I said on last night’s ‘Same Old Arsenal‘ show we SHOULD be feeling positive and we SHOULD be hopeful of a win, without being too overly optimistic. Brentford have already done us once and they’ll be fancying a gift from a club who can be very generous at times – see Everton in December as a classic example of such charity from those Arsenal players – but there is a good feeling about this crop of guys and with over a week to prepare and get their bodies in tip top shape, I am expecting a performance of intensity and drive in just over three days time. We need some revenge over Brentford and I’d prefer it came this coming weekend, thank you very much.

We’ll be without Martinelli but I don’t think I’ve seen many Arsenal fans fear what lies before us in his absence. He has been a very good player for us since December; he’s contributed goals, he’s pressed, harried and looks every bit the Arsenal starter. But in Emile Smith Rowe we have a guy who shone in that wide left position at times last season and who looked pretty ace against The Scum when we played them at home early in 2021. His link up play is something I’ll be looking at with Tierney and if the two of those players can connect well then that left hand side can bear fruit for us in an attacking sense.

But it does feel like those partnerships are being forged over the pitch right now, doesn’t it? Gabriel and White, Partey and Xhaka, Odegaard drifting across to connect with Saka a little more, Tierney and Smith Rowe is one I think could work, plus you have Tomiyasu and Partey often finding themselves with those passes on the slant that can open up teams. These are the initial signs of a good crop of players coming together and as fans we’re buying in to that too.

It’s amazing what a difference a year/18 months can make. After seeing Arsenal make mistakes in the market, buying up journeymen players on big wages, on seeing a team of players that we don’t really connect with, it suddenly feels like we have a core that we all seem to, well, like. It’s nice. And I’ve been trying to figure out why we all like them so much. Home grown/British? Maybe. Because they are all young and we can project linear development? I think certainly.

If Gabriel is this good now, how good will he be in three years time? Saka and Smith Rowe are in their early 20s, so surely in their mid 20s they’ll be super elite, right?

These are the kinds of things that go through my head. As fans we want success. We want the trophies and we want them sooner rather than later, preferably right now. But we are also realistic and whilst we can all see that we simply aren’t able to lay a glove on Liverpool and City at the moment, if by having a young crop of lads who show steady improvement, we can project success a couple of years down the line, then we’re all a little more tolerant when those mistakes by young players inevitably happen. If I see Ramsdale chuck one in his own net them I’m thinking about the times he’s saved us and the fact he’ll use this as a learning piece, such is his personality. But also I’m thinking “the lad is 23. With a bit more experience at the top in a couple of years this won’t happen in the slightest”.

Of course the reality is that progression in football isn’t linear. A 20-year-old wide forward doesn’t increase his goal and assist output by five goals every season in a uniformed manner until he hits 30. There will be seasons in which it feels like there is stasis. But the important thing is that we see the right behaviours and the right signs from these players that they are willing to learn and develop. They have to be likeable.

And I think nearly all of our players are. We have a good crop who all look like they have decent personalities. That is the foundations for which Arteta has built this team. But now he needs to turn them in to winners and that is why this Top Four race feels like a massive development piece if this team is to kick on and compete at the top of the league. Get Top Four this season and they will all feel another few inches taller. They’ll all have even more belief that they belong there and it means next season we’ll see them grow a little more. It feels like we need this to see the rise of this collective and I’m just praying that this next collection of matches can get us going on a run, because April will 100% involve some slip ups so we need as many points now as possible.

Just some food for thought for you on a Wednesday morn. Have a good one and I’ll catch you in the morrow.