Can Arsenal Maintain Momentum after International Break?

There are three stages to a season, mostly concerning the Premiership that does not have that Winter Break. There's the start of the season, the Christmas Period, then the final run-in. We are now in that Christmas break, with the final playoffs of the World Cup played and THIS is where Arsenal can screw things up and just fall from grace. So the question is whether Arsenal can maintain their very good start in the thugged out hectic nature of the Christmas period.

For Arsenal to make it through this period unscathed, they will need to remain composed and professional. That means the star players MUST show up on those cold nights away from home. So Mesut, I think you need to show why Ancelotti was wrong to let you go and be the DRIVING force during these hectic fixtures.
  It's something Mesut has not experienced, having so many fixtures close together. So Wenger will need to prepare him for that. If Arsenal are to win the league, Ozil will NEED to be prominent. If he's not, the team will fall apart without any real individual I see being able to take up the mantle. Remember, Thierry left a looooooong time ago.

Arsenal need a response, and must recover. Liverpool are hot on their heels and United may have been rejuvenated. Again, for some inexplicable reason, Arsenal allowed their old boy to come back and haunt them. If the Gunners don't get back to winning and playing well, that result may ruin their season. It's like deja vu all over again, with United being the team that ended their run on 49, and bringing the title back to United.
   I fear for this Arsenal team. I don't see a leader or spine to their team. Maybe Mertesacker to a degree, but he is no Vieira. That I feel, could be the reason why they fail to have some balls and character and react well to the way they limped to a loss against United.



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