Arsenal's win over Southampton proves they are the real deal

The Gunners' 2-0 win over Saints now puts Arsenal in a very nice position heading into the Christmas period.

What a difference a couple of months has made. When Arsenal slumped to a 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa on the first day of the season, the Internet was awash with fans criticising Arsene Wenger for his lack of transfer dealings. "Wenger Out" had been plastered across thousands of chat forums, and then the Frenchman pulled off what has to be one of the biggest transfer coups of all time in signing Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for a club record fee. Since then, everything has looked up.


The Gunners have slowly but surely produced the kind of form that can be compared with title challengers of years gone by. Arsenal look to be the real deal and the 2-0 win over Southampton could well prove that they mean business. Prior to the game, not much had been mentioned about the significance of the Southampton match. This would see 1st place in the league battle 3rd, but there seemed to be a distinct lack of coverage from the press and for some strange reason, a general lack of interest. Why that is, it's hard to understand. Southampton and Arsenal have been playing some of the most excellent attacking football in the league this year, whilst both teams have been impeccable at the back in defence, as they enjoyed the best defensive record in the league prior to the game.


How ironic it would be that a goalkeeping blunder would open the goalscoring. Artur Boruc made a meal of what should have been an easy clearance, allowing French striker Olivier Giroud to sneak in with the opener. A couple more chances came and went for the Gunners, as Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere both hit the woodwork with their chances; but it would require a late penalty from Giroud to ensure the 3 points belonged to Arsenal.


Why this victory is significant is that, having a look at Arsenal's next run of games, this could leave a very nice cushion between Wenger's side and the Gunners' title rivals. Consider that Arsenal have an important game against Marseille on Tuesday, from there onwards they will then have a trip to Cardiff next Saturday and then as we head into December, what look to be two excellent opportunities for six points with home games against Arsenal and Everton. Arsenal fans will have their eye on the full 9 points from those three league games. For their rivals, Chelsea have to take on Southampton and then have two tricky visits to Sunderland and Stoke; whilst Manchester United face a difficult visit to Tottenham and then home games against Everton and Newcastle. Finally, Man City face Swansea at home and then a difficult couple of trips to play WBA and Southampton. Many might expect Arsenal's rivals to all drop at least 3 points each, this could really open up a nice buffer for the Christmas period and as everyone knows, a lead at the top of the table at Christmas is a very nice indicator of a season's success; historically at least.


So, is the win over Southampton more important than many realise? It could well be and these next couple of weeks will be crucial for Arsenal in their hunt to win the Premier League title.