Apologies, the day-after thoughts again become late thoughts as I didn’t find time to write on Wednesday but anyway, Tuesday’s game will surely go down as one of the best games of the season and clearly, it sent a strong signal on what Arsenal’s intentions will be from now until the end of the season: the double. Many archived this 5-0 win by saying it came against a very weak Porto side, which is true, but those who followed the Gunners closely this season like you and I know that it was more than just that.

Because without going much back in time, Sunderland was a game where we created a lot of goal opportunities but converted very little. On Tuesday this was not the case as whenever we made our way into Porto’s half, the outcome was almost always a positive one and this is what really impressed me as in a way, that was what was missing lately in this Arsenal side: taking chances.

After Stoke, this team looks different, transformed and I know it’s sad to say it but it was Aaron’s injury which injected something in the squad, making all players more hungry and more determined for success, reason why it’s no surprise everybody’s voice was raised as one single choir after the injury: “Do it for Aaron”.

To conclude this introduction, make no mistake, there were some lack of concentration moments in the game like being exposed to counter attacks which Porto didn’t take advantage of, but as I always say, this Arsenal team should focus on scoring one more goal than the opposition and based on what we’ve seen against Porto, this is now more than possible.

Nicklas Bendtner

Three days. That is all Nicklas needed to reflect on the Burnley missed chances, recompose himself and show that Saturday was just a bad day at the office. Seriously, you’ve got to admire the tenacity of the kid who is not shy to say he wants to become Arsenal’s number one striker and not shy to put behind him a shocking performance in front of goal and hit a hat-trick immediately after.

Whether Nick can produce more Porto-like performances and less Burnley-like ones from now until the end of the season is all to be seen but in the mean time, the Dane joins the likes of Thierry Henry and Alan Smith in the table of players who found the net three times in the same game in Europe for the Gunners. Easy tap-ins or not, it’s quite impressive.

Waiting For The Draw

There’s been some discussion going on about whether Arsene Wenger really meant what he said when he declared it would be good for us to face Manchester United or Chelsea. Well first of all, Chelsea are yet to qualify and I believe Jose Mourinho will cause a major upset when he goes back to Stamford Bridge next week.

Two, regardless of what Wenger meant, I personally would love an all-English tie. What I believe is missing this season is indeed a win against the other top teams in England and having learned from past mistakes, I firmly believe that if we are to face the Red Devils or the Blues in the next round, the outcome will not be the same as the one in the Premiership.

To see Arsenal ease past Porto without Robin, Cesc and Theo – who let’s face it, was on fire against Burnley – means that one, the squad is capable of putting excellent performances without Cesc and two, of course, it means that when these players will be back – some sooner than others – we’ll have incredible depth and plenty of options to choose from so whoever we will face next is warned.

Some Individual Performances

Of all the players on the pitch, Andrey Arshavin is the one who impressed me the most. I wasn’t fully convinced with the Russian before his break for injury but Porto was exactly what I expect from him. I accused him of selfishness in more than one occasion this season but on Tuesday he worked for the team, setting Nicklas Bendtner first and Emmanuel Eboue then to show how important he can be as a team player.

Alex Song and Abou Diaby also did incredibly well but Samir Nasri is the one who stole the show in midfield. Clearly, one of the major “problems” Arsene is facing and will face next season is the traffic jam building up in midfield when players are to be chosen and this sometimes means that players are not used in their natural position. Now I’m not saying that Samir is officially a central midfielder but it seems he enjoys it more than the wing. Let’s just say it’s a nice traffic jam to be stuck into.

Looking Forward

Watching Real Madrid crash out of the Champions League was a joy to see. They signed half of Europe and are out. We only signed two defenders and still fighting for it. But this is history now, we should focus back on the Premiership and Hull City.

That’s a Saturday late kick off so we will know Chelsea’s result against West Ham before the game. As always, I will provide a preview for that one on Friday and starting Saturday, the other usual articles will follow.

So until Friday, take care friends and let’s go for the double!