Motivate Me

After seeing it a few days ago, this Nike promo video had me really excited for the start of Arsenal's season. Even though European soccer seems to have the shortest off-season of any professional sport, it has been a long summer of never ending transfer rumors and few actual transfers. The Gunners have sold a couple want-away players and only brought in former Ajax defender Thomas Vermaelan but the squad remains strong and hopefully hungry. There are still a few weeks left to add some strength or depth to the team but new signings or not, I'm really looking forward to watching Arsenal play again.

In Arsenal's EPL season opener on Saturday, the Gunners didn't disappoint. They cruised past Everton by a whopping 6-1. This is the same Everton that finished a close 5th to Arsenal last season, and who many consider are a strong contender to knock the Gunners out of the top 4 this campaign. Although it's only one game, this Week 1 victory sent a message to the league and left me feeling somewhat reassured. Despite what most writers and fans think, I'm optimistic about the Gunners this year and what doubts I had about the team were put to rest during the game, if not permanently. I realize the weaknesses I thought Arsenal had a few days ago are still there but it goes without saying that laying the groundwork for a strong start to the season is ideal. Now, I just hope this momentum can be carried into Tuesday's Champions League Qualifier (Celtic United) and into the next several EPL games (which include ManU and ManC).