Is Arsenal’s forgotten man facing something of a renaissance?

I hope Arsenal fans can see through the cloud of negativity, back to a more peaceful time: the 07-08 season, when a certain Tomas Rosicky was a valuable asset to the club. ‘Little Mozart’ as he has been called (funny that that name doesn’t seem to have stuck in recent times) called the shots down Arsenal’s flanks and looked mighty good in doing so. His passing was as good as his vision and he wasn’t afraid to get stuck in with a tackle or two.

Thanks to injuries and a number of other factors (lack of impetus? Lack of confidence?) he hasn’t had the most productive couple of seasons. Though contributions elsewhere have also been negligible his goal-scoring form has been nothing short of shocking. Rosicky used to be known for the ‘icing-on-the-cake goal’, ‘cos he’d always score when the Gunners were already 2-3 goals up. Nowadays he’s known for not scoring at all.

Yet I thought Rosicky had his best game for quite some time against Sunderland on Sunday. He made a lot of good runs with the ball at his feet and was always looking to move the ball forward into danger areas. Too often a Tomas Rosicky play would lead Arsenal towards a dead-end, but that wasn’t the case against the Black Cats.

Yet this change of form hasn’t come out of nowhere. I’d argue that during pre-season Rosicky was one of Arsenal’s best players.

The signs are there that he’s slowly but surely recovering his confidence.  He showed pace that I’d all but forgotten he had. His flicks and turns were all working for once. He played like a man possessed and Arsenal fans will surely take this partial return to form as a massive positive. Now it’s a matter of replicating this form on a weekly basis – something that’s bound to be difficult.

And once he’s found his feet in the League once more, there’ll be a hope that he can add goals to his game and lessen the burden that is currently being placed on Van Persie’s back.

Let’s not forget Arshavin too, who looked a lot more lively today than what we’ve become accustomed too as of late. If these two players can add consistency to their game then the Gunners will have a lot more going forward than the naysayers dare to believe.

But wouldn’t it be just wonderful to have ‘Little Mozart’ back with us again?

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