Arsenal’s magic against Wolves can be sprinkled in March

While Arsenal will face the floundering Watford in what should be a fun and relatively simple three points, what the Gunners did against Wolves for a second time in the month of February still deserves a bit of attention.

The poise from the entire team after the early match blunder from the normally reliable Gabriel was fantastic to witness; the determination from one Nicolas Pepe was quite heartening to observe too, and will only make this side so much stronger moving forward.

The match seemed out of reach, even with the sheer persistence of Arsenal over 90 plus minutes. Eddie Nketiah’s drive and his beautiful pass to Pepe set up the first goal in the 82nd minuted, and Pepe himself set up Lacazette (sort of) for the match-winning goal at the very death of the game. For Arsenal, it was the sheerest of ecstasies, and for Wolves, it could have been nothing short of absolutely gutting.

The Gunners hold many of the proverbial cards moving forward regarding how the Premier League shakes out, and matches against the likes of Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and West Ham will determine all that more than anything else. Mikel Arteta has created a direct, young and formidable squad from what some analysts thought was a project still years in the making. The match against Wolves showed that this team is here to play and will not quit no matter the odds or cost. That fight can be brought into this month, and beyond.

Arsenal are here and they mean business, and they will demonstrate that magic in the coming months

Watford, Leicester, Liverpool and Aston Villa are good tests for March, and should any more of those postponed matches be added to it, there will be a real cause for concentration and focus. While Watford have been appalling this year, they are not going to lie down for the Gunners either, and this team will have to be prepared as though it were a team higher up the Premier League table.

Leicester, a team that has also struggled this season, especially off of their form over the last seasons, will also give Arsenal a fight, and likely a tougher one than the Hornets. Brendan Rogers is a formidable boss, and even with injuries to the squad the Foxes are never ones to back down. For the Gunners, these matches must be warm-ups for the next match against the Reds.

No matter how good Arsenal have become this season, they have yet to score against Liverpool. The drought so far encompasses three 90 minute sessions, and the Gunners would do well to break it before it stretches to four. Arsenal have been working towards that level all season, and a victory here, hard-fought and gritty as it will undoubtedly be, will mean so much to the team and coaches alike.

Furthermore, it would send a real warning message out, clearer than ever before, that The Arsenal have returned and that there will be no easy affair with this team inside or outside of north London anytime soon. Now, it will be no easy task to send this message, or even to come into that match on a five-match winning streak since the Burnley draw, but it is certainly possible.

A North London Derby might be snuck in there, or a London derby versus Chelsea, yet should neither be, Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa side will be the final opponent before what would look to be a truly brutal April emerges. While Villa will be a force in years to come, they are not truly there yet, and the Gunners can take advantage of this without question.

That bit of magic that has followed Arsenal recently – and was fully on show against Wolves just days ago – might very well follow this team through March and leave the Gunners in a very fortunate and positive position in the Premier League table come the final two months of the season.

With only the Premier League and next year’s hopeful European competitions to focus on, Arteta and company appear in a really solid position to, with a little sprinkle of gold dust, put a serious stamp on this campaign over the coming months.