With a full week off from football for those Arsenal players, this week must feel like quite the blessing, it has to be said. If you want to understand the importance of finishing in the top eight of the Champions League, it’s this moment of time we’re in right now, and you could see why Arsenal and Arteta would have been very appreciative of the form in the European Cup. It affords him the opportunity to give his players some rest, but also for some of them to recover from the inevitable fatigue that had crept in, in recent weeks.

We’ve all seen the stats about Timber and Zubimendi, as the first two cases in point, and both of them haven’t quite been their imperious selves as of late. Indeed, for the NLD, we learned afterwards that Timber was carrying something, hence being taen off during that second half. He had been clearly on ‘the edge’ in the Wolves game, with perhaps the adrenaline of the NLD getting him through it, and I will admit to having some very real concerns that a trigger-card happy Peter Banks would show him marching orders at some stage after he picked up his yellow in the first half. In fact, I breathed a sigh of relief for that reason when Mosquera came on; we have seen enough red cards and penalties in that fixture for a lifetime, so we didn’t need it that day.

It would have also have let Tottenham off the hook for what was, let’s be honest, a one-sided show. We pretty much battered them from start to finish and I can’t remember a North London Derby away from home being so one-sided. I didn’t mention it yesterday, but it was talked about in the build up, and Arsenal have now won away at The Scum four times in a row for the first time since the middle of last century.

That seems mad to me. I remember us basically going something like 10 years without a win before that first one we got four season’s ago. During that time The Scum were a regular in the top four, whereas we had to contend with the end of the Wenger era and the Emery reign, which hardly bore us too much fruit when going away from home to our arch rivals. But Arteta has made winning at the old enemies gaff a bit of a habit. Long may that continue.

And long may the good vibes from this win continue too. I will confess to you, whilst I fully intend on embracing the glorious glow of a North London Derby win away from home, I can’t help but admit to having a slight pang of nerves as I thought about our game at home to Chelsea next weekend, then Brighton away in midweek. Two really tough games for which Arsenal are going to have to absolutely bring their ‘A Game’ to win both and collect all six points.

Before the game on Sunday Arteta said there was no game better to play, and whilst I appreciated his bullish nature at the time, my mind immediately went to the metaphorical carcass that would be picked at unless we won. But he was right. Not only did we win, but we won so well, that I think that bad juju that may have been hanging around London Colney on Thursday morning and potentially Friday morning, has hopefully been completely replaced by good vibes after Sunday’s win. Imagine those players going into training today. I know this because I have spoken to a person or two in the back office before at The Arsenal (nothing to do with the team, just other functions), and they have told me that everyone (almost) who works for The Arsenal is an Arsenal fan. So whether you’re at Highbury House or London Colney, every man, woman and child will be smiling and saying pleasant things to you today. Imagine how positive that will make those players feel. Imagine being able to do a full week of training, get yourselves refreshed, whilst also having so much good vibes transmitted to you whilst you make your way along the corridors for some lunch. You can’t tell me that isn’t a good thing.

And perversely, although we didn’t know it at the time, perhaps the Wolves result also plays its part too. Imagine you’re Mikel Arteta this week and you’re in the briefing room having a chat to the lads. What are you saying to them? I know what my rhetoric would be:

“That feeling against Wolves. Wasn’t nice, eh? That feeling against Tottenham. Very nice, eh? Take that good feeling into every game this season from now on. Because if it allows you to play with more freedom, more joy, less stress and tension, then we are halfway there to achieving our aims”

The good news is that there are also plenty of games for which those players can feed off of those good vibes if they win. Those games are, of course, more difficult. Chelsea, Brighton, City in the League Cup, City in the Premier League – all really tough matches that we will have to be at our absolute best for. But if this Arsenal team overcome those, then do their jobs for the others, then we may just get over the line.

I am still not 100% there in feeling that yet though. We’ve been so good all season, but we still need to get properly out of the stuttering form funk of 2026, but my hope – as I said yesterday – is that this game last Sunday represents our Anfield moment that City had. If it kicks this team up a gear, then happy days, because if we continue to play like we did on Sunday then we may well be happy bunnies come May.

Too much football to be played to really think too far ahead though. But we’re back in a good place and so are those players. And that’s all we can ask for at this stage.

Back tomorrow with more thoughts.