Ah, February. The month where title challengers become contenders, also-rans become outsiders and trophy dreams become closer - or disappear altogether. Very often, it turns out to be a month of destiny. And for Arsenal, this has never rang more true.
Rallying calls have echoed throughout the squad in the build-up to what is a truly hellish looking few weeks for The Gunners. It shows the togetherness and spirit that is required to get through this testing period, though the key element - the performance - will begin to unfold before us all tomorrow afternoon.
And, with the understatement of the year - this month will make or break Arsenal's season.
Perhaps a lot more has been made of it than it has really merited. Fans complaining that this galling combination of fixtures is "unfair" is a load of rubbish - we all have to play each other twice at some point. And to some degree, our shortcomings in the Champions League may only leave ourselves to blame for making this particular phase that little bit trickier.
Since Arsenal have not won a trophy for so long, it is hard to determine what would represent a satisfactory return in results. My guess is that it is purely down to personal preference.
Right now, I would not be happy to sacrifice one competition for the sake of another, but after coming this far, the league would be my priority. I would, at this stage, happily take three defeats from Bayern Munich (x2) and Liverpool in the Cup if that meant taking maximum league points out of February.
And whereas I would love a trip to Wembley (or Portugal, mind you), nothing tops winning the league. Nothing.
But that does not mean to say success in the other competitions would make the season a failure, of course. After all, a Champions League triumph would be the perfect tonic following league misery, while an FA Cup success alongside a valiant championship fight would see the club at least heading back in the right direction - and with that elusive silverware.
The hardest games to win are against Bayern, without a doubt. They are flooring every single team in the Bundesliga and they are still to add Robert Lewandowski to their ranks. If there was ever a team most equipped to retain the Champions League, it is them. I would be just staggered if we beat them. In fact, if we do, there is no reason why we cannot go all the way.
The FA Cup, on the other hand, is a whole new kettle of fish. Deciding the match on the day could be crucial - we could do without another trip to Anfield (despite the happy Cup memories there). But we can beat them. Man for man, we are a much better team, even with injuries. We can beat them tomorrow lunchtime, and next week, too. I reckon all we need to do is turn up.
But the Premier League, at least for myself, is the big one. 10 years on from the Invincibles, we finally have a group of players that can rival the fight, the spirit and the professionalism of that side. We have played 'professionally' over the last few weeks, if not particularly fantastic, but we are going to have step it up in order to keep City and Chelsea at bay until May - and these guys are capable.
We have been dreaming about winning the league after topping it for most of the season and after reclaiming top spot last week, we are going to - as Arsene Wenger often puts it - "fight like mad" to hold on to it.
But dreams have to become a possibility before they become a reality, and these upcoming weeks and months will determine whether our dreams are at all achievable. It is time to really get behind the team, Gooners.
Come On You Reds!
Rallying calls have echoed throughout the squad in the build-up to what is a truly hellish looking few weeks for The Gunners. It shows the togetherness and spirit that is required to get through this testing period, though the key element - the performance - will begin to unfold before us all tomorrow afternoon.
And, with the understatement of the year - this month will make or break Arsenal's season.
Perhaps a lot more has been made of it than it has really merited. Fans complaining that this galling combination of fixtures is "unfair" is a load of rubbish - we all have to play each other twice at some point. And to some degree, our shortcomings in the Champions League may only leave ourselves to blame for making this particular phase that little bit trickier.
Since Arsenal have not won a trophy for so long, it is hard to determine what would represent a satisfactory return in results. My guess is that it is purely down to personal preference.
Right now, I would not be happy to sacrifice one competition for the sake of another, but after coming this far, the league would be my priority. I would, at this stage, happily take three defeats from Bayern Munich (x2) and Liverpool in the Cup if that meant taking maximum league points out of February.
And whereas I would love a trip to Wembley (or Portugal, mind you), nothing tops winning the league. Nothing.
But that does not mean to say success in the other competitions would make the season a failure, of course. After all, a Champions League triumph would be the perfect tonic following league misery, while an FA Cup success alongside a valiant championship fight would see the club at least heading back in the right direction - and with that elusive silverware.
The hardest games to win are against Bayern, without a doubt. They are flooring every single team in the Bundesliga and they are still to add Robert Lewandowski to their ranks. If there was ever a team most equipped to retain the Champions League, it is them. I would be just staggered if we beat them. In fact, if we do, there is no reason why we cannot go all the way.
The FA Cup, on the other hand, is a whole new kettle of fish. Deciding the match on the day could be crucial - we could do without another trip to Anfield (despite the happy Cup memories there). But we can beat them. Man for man, we are a much better team, even with injuries. We can beat them tomorrow lunchtime, and next week, too. I reckon all we need to do is turn up.
But the Premier League, at least for myself, is the big one. 10 years on from the Invincibles, we finally have a group of players that can rival the fight, the spirit and the professionalism of that side. We have played 'professionally' over the last few weeks, if not particularly fantastic, but we are going to have step it up in order to keep City and Chelsea at bay until May - and these guys are capable.
We have been dreaming about winning the league after topping it for most of the season and after reclaiming top spot last week, we are going to - as Arsene Wenger often puts it - "fight like mad" to hold on to it.
But dreams have to become a possibility before they become a reality, and these upcoming weeks and months will determine whether our dreams are at all achievable. It is time to really get behind the team, Gooners.
Come On You Reds!
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