a écrit le 19 août 2009 à 16h13 Arsenal driven by duo's desire
All eyes have been on how new signing Thomas Vermaelen settled into the side and the Belgian centre-back has been in fine form to cement his place in the first team. Strong and quick, Vermaelen's pace helped the Gunners out of a few sticky situations against Tony Mowbray's men - most notably when he charged back to thwart Scott Brown's effort on goal when all had looked lost.
The 23-year-old looks to have all the attributes of a top class defender, and Wenger has admitted his own surprise at how quickly the defender has adapted to the English game. It helps that veteran Frenchman William Gallas is also in ''the form of his life'' alongside him, but it is not only the Gunners' defence that is playing out of their skin.
Alex Song, in particular, has impressed at the heart of a midfield that has struggled to cope with the physical side of the game in recent years. The Cameroon midfielder showed at the African Cup of Nations that he has the potential to play as an imposing shield in front of the back four, but he has been unable to make the same mark on the Premier League thus far.
Until now. A dominating display against Everton was backed up by an incredible performance against Celtic - a side which will always test out the physical attributes of a player. Song was everywhere at Parkhead and his continual breaking up of possession, while also avoiding making a foul, made it easy for the Arsenal attack to function.
While the established forces of Robin van Persie and Andrei Arshavin may not be hitting the heights of what they are capable of, Wenger has been boosted by the displays of his lesser-known stars. Further tests await but, without taking anything for granted, one feels that the Gunners have enough to take back to the Emirates in order to secure that most lucrative of spots in the Champions League group stage.
All eyes have been on how new signing Thomas Vermaelen settled into the side and the Belgian centre-back has been in fine form to cement his place in the first team. Strong and quick, Vermaelen's pace helped the Gunners out of a few sticky situations against Tony Mowbray's men - most notably when he charged back to thwart Scott Brown's effort on goal when all had looked lost.
The 23-year-old looks to have all the attributes of a top class defender, and Wenger has admitted his own surprise at how quickly the defender has adapted to the English game. It helps that veteran Frenchman William Gallas is also in ''the form of his life'' alongside him, but it is not only the Gunners' defence that is playing out of their skin.
Alex Song, in particular, has impressed at the heart of a midfield that has struggled to cope with the physical side of the game in recent years. The Cameroon midfielder showed at the African Cup of Nations that he has the potential to play as an imposing shield in front of the back four, but he has been unable to make the same mark on the Premier League thus far.
Until now. A dominating display against Everton was backed up by an incredible performance against Celtic - a side which will always test out the physical attributes of a player. Song was everywhere at Parkhead and his continual breaking up of possession, while also avoiding making a foul, made it easy for the Arsenal attack to function.
While the established forces of Robin van Persie and Andrei Arshavin may not be hitting the heights of what they are capable of, Wenger has been boosted by the displays of his lesser-known stars. Further tests await but, without taking anything for granted, one feels that the Gunners have enough to take back to the Emirates in order to secure that most lucrative of spots in the Champions League group stage.
