Unstoppable? Not yet Cesc, but the new Arsenal ARE getting there



Cesc Fabregas said on Sunday that Arsenal's confidence in their attacking ability is so high that they would have beaten Manchester City even if they had been facing 15 men. With praise coming from all sides for Arsene Wenger’s team, and captain Fabregas saying they were ‘unstoppable’, Sportsmail’s Martin Keown examines whether all the title talk about his old club is premature.

Everyone is going to be talking about Arsenal's impressive 3-0 win at Manchester City coinciding with Cesc Fabregas's return to the side last week but what has pleased me more has been Marouane Chamakh's form.

He came in during the summer and has had a really positive effect on the team. You can trust him in possession. Arsenal's system means they have midfielders arriving from deep but that relies on having someone up front who can hold up the ball and bring others into play.

Chamakh's pace and strength in the air give the side other options going forward but it is his composure on the ball that is most impressive.

In fine form: Arsenal's Marouane Chamakh (right) battles with Nigel De Jong at Eastlands on Sunday

Arsenal don't wait for their front man to get control of the ball before they break forward from midfield and in the past they have been punished because of that when Robin van Persie has been injured.

The runners can trust him to get the ball to them. It is not something you get with Nicklas Bendtner, whose decision-making is not at the level it should be. Chamakh's form means that Andrey Arshavin is probably the player most under threat once Van Persie is fit.

You get the sense that people are playing for their places because they know how much quality there is in the squad now. Look at Samir Nasri. He is playing with a real urgency and is becoming the jinking, probing, free-spirited player Arsene Wenger thought he had signed. He is working hard for his team when they lose possession but he will need to maintain that if Arsenal are going to win anything.

And don't forget Jack Wilshere has to come back into the team. He has everything you need in the modern-day midfielder and he has to play.

Pure delight: Arsenal players celebrate with Alex Song after he scored Arsenal's second goal against Manchester City

What also worked well against Manchester City was that Denilson took it upon himself to do the defensive duties in midfield and just sit. That meant Alex Song could bomb forward a lot more than normal. But when Wilshere comes back into the side - for Denilson, I assume - Song will need the discipline to sit back so Arsenal don't get caught with no protection for the back four because they can be vulnerable to that at times.

Wenger has said before that he doesn't restrict his players, so Song will need to take the decision himself. I remember playing in that system and trying to hold people back to do a job for the defence for a few minutes. It is too early to get over-excited about winning something.

Back in the big time: Cesc Fabregas i action against Manchester City on Sunday

They need to play in a manner which suggests they are not going to stop until they win something. The pats on the back that are coming now are good for the confidence but they need to dismiss them as a group.

It would be nicer for them to hear that they are league champions. They are a work in progress and need belief and hunger if they are going to land a trophy.

The defenders are a bit worrying too. At times Arsenal play a very high defensive line and Manchester City managed to get in behind them too often and too easily. My defensive instinct tells me that the way they can deal with that is by individuals assessing the danger and dropping off to cover the runner if necessary.

For example, if someone gets in behind Arsenal's right back and right centre half, the left centre half of left back should drop off and cover. They didn't do that on Sunday and, instead, City midfielders and attackers were getting on to the ball on the wrong side of Arsenal's defence.

There will be teams looking at them and realising that they can get midfield runners in behind them, especially if they have pace. If someone fast gets in behind you, you cannot recover. But players such as Gael Clichy are experienced and he should be able to read the situation better.

On top of that it was worrying to see some poor decision-making. Johan Djourou did well but went to ground too easily a couple of times and Clichy dithered on the ball and got into trouble when he should have booted it into the stands.

Wenger will be working on that in training so we should see an improvement soon.





