It's about time that certain players in this Arsenal side get singled out for top-drawer performances, game after game. No, it is not Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere or Olivier Giroud. I am talking about - if you read the title - the defenders, of course.
Well, the centre-backs, to be precise. The central defensive zone has been a much-maligned area in the recent past but at last, two particular defenders are rekindling the old spirit of Campbell & Toure and Adams & Bould.
Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny have transformed the fragile, nerve-jangling Arsenal defence of yesteryears gone by into the concrete warrior machine we saw in action once more last night.
Any other centre-back pairing would have seen us falter against the ferocious waves of Aston Villa pressure attempting to break through, but it is this special combination that forms a near-impenetrable barricade in front of Wojciech Szczesny - and he's having his best season in goal this year.
I trace the birth of this "machine" back to a game at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea. It was our first match following our valiant exit in the Champions League at the Allianz Arena. Most Gooners would recall that as the turning point of our season which saw us pip Spurs to fourth - again. And that, if anything, was down to the solidity in defence.
That afternoon, we got lucky a few times, but there was a notable and significant change in attitude and communication. The defence was starting to become a much more efficient contraption.
Fast-forward 304 days after that 2-0 success in South Wales and Arsenal are showing the consistency of champions, thanks not least to these two. Last night's latest shut-out against Villa highlighted the vast improvement the entire squad has undergone over the past nine months.
It gives me the hope and comfort that days sweating over a potential late defensive error, week in, week out may become something of a rarity, and now an actual confidence the boys can now see out a result with ease is appearing increasingly apparent.
This became even more clear to myself, personally, after a superb defensive header in the dying moments by Mertesacker caused me to leap up from my seat and call him by his more, shall we say, crude nickname. And when the title is on the line, it is even more satisfying.
And it is the 'Big German' that has impressed me the most. He is calmness personified on that pitch, no matter how high the stakes. He's taken to the captain's armband like a fish to water and is absolutely running the show at the back.
In fact, I'd go as far as saying he is my player of the season. Should we win anything, he will get my biggest cheer.
There is a long way to go, but if you want to become champions, you need a sturdy back-line, and Arsenal have got a pair of absolute beauties to make that possible.
And after they ensured we finish another week top of the pile, it's only right that they at the very least get the recognition they deserve.
Come On You Reds!
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