Arsene Wenger believes his young Arsenal team is maturing at just the right time after watching them brush Charlton aside 3-0 at Highbury.
Goals from Robert Pires, Emmanuel Adebayor and Alexander Hleb kept up the pressure for fourth spot in the Premiership which would guarantee them Champions League football when the club moves to their new Emirates stadium next season.
But with rivals Bolton, Blackburn and Tottenham all also winning on Saturday, Wenger accepts that dropping any more points could end their hopes of securing a top four finish.
”The young players are showing their stature now,” said Wenger, whose side have now won three Premiership matches in a row for the first time since November.
”The team is growing and we have hit good form, but we have to keep it going until the end of the season. The passing and movement was very pleasing and we’re getting better and better but we know we can’t drop any more points.
”We missed a few good chances but Charlton never had a period where they looked like coming back and the game was never in doubt.”
On another day, Adebayor could have had two goals in the first five minutes but a fine save from Thomas Myhre and then a last ditch tackle from Jonathan Spector denied him.
The £7-million signing from Monaco got the third goal of his Arsenal career half an hour into the game and by then Arsenal were already ahead courtesy of a Robert Pires tap-in from Thierry Henry’s inviting cross after 14 minutes.
But Wenger refused to condemn the Togo international, who he admitted has already surpassed expectations at this stage of his career.
”There was room to score more goals today,” added Wenger. ”But he gives something more to the team: He is good in the air, he has physical presence and he is improving.
”He is obsessed with scoring goals but he is a little bit in advance of what we were expecting of him at this stage.”
Arsenal wrapped up victory four minutes into the second half when Hleb carried the ball from the halfway line and blasted in after Adebayor’s effort had been blocked.
Despite introducing Robin Van Persie and Dennis Bergkamp, the home side could not add to their tally.
Charlton only registered one effort on target and even that hardly tested goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, but manager Alan Curbishley believes this could be Arsenal’s year in Europe.
”They are playing a brand of football reminiscent of when they were winning things and we couldn’t get near them,” said Curbishley.
”They always seem to be in every competition at this stage of the season but this has been a transitional year for them and perhaps it’s their year in the Champions League.
”They seem to have got their away form right in Europe and don’t have the distraction of going for other trophies.”
Charlton face Middlesbrough next week in the FA Cup and Curbishley wanted to take the positives out of Saturday’s drubbing.
”The first ten minutes set the tone for the game,” he said. ”By the time their second goal went in, it was panic stations and when you’re on the rack like that, I was just pleased to keep the score down.” – Sapa-AFP