Arsenal have the "spirit" and "belief" needed to succeed back in the dressing room thanks to their thrilling win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday according to the manager, Arsene Wenger. Scoring five goals away from home is an achievement against any side, but away to Chelsea, who conceded only 13 goals at home throughout the whole of last season is a fantastic confidence and morale booster for Wenger's team. The Frenchman said:
"If you have gone through what we have gone through since the start of the season, it's reassuring for me. The players have suffered, but that shows the belief and spirit is back."
"The spirit is great and all this together explains why the players reacted like that (after the final whistle). The spirit is strong and you feel that in the dressing room."
"The players are determined together and they want to play like we did against Chelsea. That encourages us to believe that we have the quality."
The Arsenal manager was also quick to praise his captain Robin van Persie for yet another superb display, scoring his 10th, 11th and 12th goals of the season at Chelsea to secure the win.
"He has exceptional class. He has scored 28 goals in 27 games in 2011. There are many factors why he is in such good form. He has experience, he is top quality and he's at the right age as well."
The side play Marseille on Tuesday in the Champions League group stages, and Wenger will be hoping to see the newly discovered spirit and belief on display again to secure a place in the later stages of the European competition.
A player whom Wenger may look to use in those later stages is FC Köln striker, Lukas Podolski. The German media are reporting that Arsenal have sent representatives to watch the former Bayern Munich attacker with the potential of a January swoop.
The 26 year-old, like van Persie is in top goalscoring form, having scored eight goals in 11 Bundesliga games for his club. Köln are not in the Champions League, so Podolski would not be cup-tied and would be eligible to contribute to Arsenal's European campaign if signed in the January transfer window.
The acquisition of an attacking player such as Podolski may seem strange considering the competition for places up front, with van Persie, Gervinho, Park and Chamakh all vying for places, however, the German international has becomes accustomed to playing out on the left wing for his country. Podolski's club have made it a priority to begin talks to extend his contract before Christmas of this year, with the players current deal expiring at the end of next season.
It is an interesting rumour, and with many others soon to follow as the January transfer window approaches, it looks like it could possibly be another busy transfer window for Arsenal. Then again, these kinds of rumours pop up every year...
