Arsenal - A Club in Poles Position

The club notched another nice win as Arsenal shut out Newcastle yesterday 4 - 0 and made it to the quarter finals of the Carling Cup.  We gained another clean sheet thanks in large part to our Number Three goalie Wojciech Szczesny who actually put his money where his mouth is.  After starting with a rash rush at a shot  by Nile Ranger (luckily, saved by Koz), Arsenal's youngest Pole went on to make some great saves and command his area.  I don't think I've seen an Arsenal keeper yell at a wall quite so vigorously since Mad Jens left.  He also showed bravery as he grabbed for a second half attempt by Newcastle by going for the ball at an opponent's feet nearly getting kicked in the face to do it.  And I have to say, his last save on a corner in injury time was a punch that landed the ball nearly at midfield.  This display was his first as a first team member so we cannot judge him by this one big performance, but it does beg the question - can Arsenal win the trophies it so desperately covets with our Polish Tag Team between the sticks?

January is fast approaching which means transfer news and speculation.  After a summer filled with the on- again, off-again rumors of the Schwarzer signing, Almunia started the season with the pressure of performing to keep one's job. Providentially, he became injured, and his backup stepped in.  Since that time, Fabianski has been solid - sometimes making spectacular saves, and accumulating confidence.  And although Almunia is listed officially as Arsenal's Numero Uno, I think we all know that his time at our club could be coming to a close.  Which brings me back to the transfer window.  Do we look to sign a keeper as I'm sure Schwarzer will be entering his hat into the ring again?  And Pepe Reina of Liverpool is rumored to be looking to leave  the crumbling club (Roy is trying to put a kabosh on any move of course).  Should we look into him?

I can't believe I'm going to write this, but no.  I don't think we should look at bringing in a new keeper in January.  I think we should stay with who we have and here are my reasons why:

1)  Fabianski has been instrumental in the momentum we are building.  To even start getting linked with other keepers could undermine his somewhat delicate confidence.  The better he gets, the better Arsenal is going to be.  Summer keeper rumors unsettled Almunia.  Let's not have that happen to Lukasz.

2) Bringing in another keeper would push Chezzers down the selection ladder and his contract is up for renewal this summer.  He was unhappy at not getting picked for the last Carling Cup match, another perceived slight could send this potentially world class keeper to another club.

3)  Lukasz and Wojo are countrymen who trained with the same famed Polish keeper coach Krzysztof Dowhań.  These  commonalities have probably built a camaraderie and chemistry that could be instrumental in pushing each other to top rate performances.

4)  Wenger, after taking flack for three years about his goalies' ability, has been shown to be right.  At least in the short term.  Now that both keepers have justified his faith, I can't see him doing anything to disrupt that.

5) I'm just plain ol' curious to see how far these goalies can excel.  I, for one, was screaming for a new goalie this summer and am happy to have been shown the error of my ways.  There are those that say these performances could be a fluke - especially Fabianski's.  I am of the opinion that we should see how long the fluke lasts.  Clean sheets could transform from chance to likelihood. 

Overall, I say we don't rock the boat.  We're right behind Chelsea with a possible - no - a likely three points on Saturday.  Chelsea play Blackburn who could possibly challenge them for some points.  Needless to say, we are definitely in Pole(s) Position.  Let's keep it that way.