The Arsenal game was an extra satisfying game for me. Other than James Milner’s last game with Kevin MacDonald at the helm, the opening fixture have not usually gone well for the claret and blue. When a team wins a game it isn’t ‘supposed” to win, it is always a nice surprise. Only for me this wasn’t a surprise. When I predicted an 8th place finish with the club in contention to get back into Europe that was exactly the kind of performance I knew the team was capable of. For me it was a mix of joy and satisfaction.

The game against Chelsea was even more affirmation I what the team is capable of. With the time difference all I got to see was 10-15 minutes of the second half, which included the should’ve been red card, the soft free kick, and the offside winning goal. Even in defeat the only thing that was special about The Special One and his team was the special treatment they got from the referee.

Mourhino’s post-match comments were quite interesting. What will grab the headlines is that he called Paul Lambert a moaner who needs to mature and that Villa are a route one team. I am sure the Holte will greet him with a warm response on the return fixture. Watching the video he did couch his comments slightly and I am still not convinced whether he was taking a swipe at Lambert or praising him. That he would engage in mind games at all means one of two things: Lambert really got under his skin on the touchline, or he views him as a threat. On yesterday’s evidence, Chelsea will need every edge they can get when the sides meet again.

This Saturday’s game against Liverpool has sold out and Villa Park should be electric as the club finally play their first official home match of the season. Last Saturday Liverpool looked ordinary for long stretches against Stoke. Hopefully two big, intense matches hasn’t taken too much of a toll on the lads. I wonder if the manager rotates in some of the new arrivals with fatigue in mind. Helenius and Bacuna, as well as Sylla haven’t seen the pitch yet, while Tonev has only made a brief cameo.

The past two games reminded me a bit of the best of the O’Neil era where we could stand toe-to-toe with the best clubs in the league. The entire season won’t go exactly like this, there will be bumps in the road, but we are as close to that level as we have been since Martin walked off in 2009.

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