Gunners desperate for a response

To lose 8-2 against one of your fiercest rivals is bad enough but to force to wait two weeks to try and put it right must have been torture for Arsenal and their fans.

Players will tell you that after a defeat they want to play the next game quickly in order to get the loss out of their system. So the international period has allowed the memories of that Old Trafford mauling to fester. Only time will tell whether that will be a positive or negative thing for Arsene Wenger’s men and whether their lowly position in the premier league betting stakes will improve.

One undoubted positive though is the presence of new signings. Flush with cash from the sales of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, Wenger was busy on deadline day, completing deals for Mikel Arteta, Yossi Benayoun, Per Mertesacker ,Park Chu-Young, Andre Santos.

Fresh faces at anytime will re-invigorate a club and Arsenal will be no different, especially after a difficult summer. The fans will also be boosted and many will hope the enforced break can act as a clean slate, a chance to start the season again.

Arteta and Mertesacker in particular are crucial to Arsenal’s success this season and if you want to bet on the Champions League heading to the Emirates they both need to have excellent seasons and surpass most expectations. The German brings welcome leadership and experience to a back four too prone to lapses in concentration. Arteta meanwhile has big boots to fill in the absence of both Fabregas and Nasri. He hasn’t been in the best of form in recent seasons but Arsenal’s style of play suits him down to the ground and the chance of a fresh start and a new club could be just what he needs to get back to his best.

Swansea City are the next opponents for the Gunners, a team who like to play a similar brand of football. After losing to two newly promoted sides at home last season no one will be taking the game for granted. 

But with new players on board and a 8-2 defeat to exorcise, the fans must be confident of a morale boosting victory to kick-start their stuttering season.