Five Unresolved Questions From Arsenal's 2-1 Victory Over Blackburn

Arsenal secured an important 2-1 win over Blackburn courtesy of goals from Walcott and Arshavin.

The Gunners have begun their search for a first Premier League crown since 2004 and an away win has seen them claim second place for the time being.

However, the game has left many questions unanswered. So here's a look at five of the questions still hanging over Arsenal.

If you've got an opinion, make sure you chip in.

Has Theo Walcott Arrived?

After being omitted from England's World Cup squad, Walcott must have been fairly unhappy. He may not be so angry now. England's dismal failure has made Walcott more popular with the public, and the break seems to have done him good.

This weekend he followed up his hat trick from last week with another goal, an angled drive right into the bottom corner of the goal. Despite going for placement rather than power, the little man still managed to break the net.

Walcott contributed more than just a goal. He was a constant threat down the right flank, forcing Givet to foul him and pick up the only yellow card of the match. Walcott went close again with a long-range shot and had a goal disallowed as well.

The match showed that last week wasn't just a mirage, Walcott is beginning to put together a run of good form. He needs to keep performing as he has been, if he wants to win a regular place in Fabio Capello's squads.

Whether he can keep it up or not is a question that will vex Wenger. Walcott doesn't seem to be running around aimlessly any more and is more decisive in the final third of the field. However, will one bad game send him back to his old ways?

A Tougher Arsenal?

Last season, Arsenal lost away to Blackburn 2-1, which Arsenal reversed the scoreline this time around.

Arsene Wenger acknowledged the importance of the win when he said “If you have ambition in this league you have got to win at Blackburn. If you fail to win at Blackburn, if you go to clubs like that and you don’t win—your ambition will not be respected by the other teams so it was an important test for us". 

He's spot on.

Arsenal dropped too many points last season that other top teams were basically taking for granted. The occasional upset is to be expected, but if you begin to drop points frequently, teams are going to go into matches feeling like they've got a real chance of causing an upset.

Arsenal needs to find a way to win, even if it isn't always convincing or stylish. Winning the close games is every bit as important as winning the easy games.

The victory at Blackburn is a step in the right direction, but to be real title contenders, Arsenal must keep winning the hard games.

Robin Van Persie Still Injury Prone

Robin Van Persie is undoubtedly one of Arsenal's star players, when he is fit. Despite not being 100 percent at the start of the match, he was still a threat and set-up Walcott's goal.

However, after just half an hour he twisted his ankle and was forced off the pitch. Van Persie has always been incredibly fragile, he has managed very few injury-free seasons and is constantly picking up injuries of varying seriousness.

This time he doesn't seem to have done himself too much damage; Wenger says he should only be out for a couple of weeks. Even though the injury isn't serious, Wenger might do well to hold off on putting RVP back into the starting line up until he has made a few substitute appearances and got himself completely fit again.

Despite the arrival of Chamakh, Van Persie will still be central to a successful campaign for Arsenal, the question is, can he stay fit?

Defensive Weakness?

Arsenal have often been criticised for defensive frailties. The Blackburn match will have done little to dispel these feelings.

Koscielny may only be in his second game for Arsenal, but that is no excuse for the way he was turned by Diouf, a mistake which led to the Blackburn goal. However, apart from that mistake, he managed OK.

Vermaelen seems to be continuing his habit of making silly mistakes. A poor pass in the second half gave Blackburn the ball and he was lucky they didn't snatch an equaliser. 

Although both made mistakes, they were both solid in the air and things should improve when the more experienced Squillaci comes into the side.

The wing backs didn't perform magnificently either. Sagna was caught out of position far too often, including for Blackburn's goal. He was better going forward, with quick strong runs causing Blackburn's defence problems and he was involved in the second goal.

Clichy was again guilty of ball watching and lost his man in the run up to Blackburn's goal. He was also getting dragged into the middle of the pitch, something he needs to avoid.

Can Arsenal resolve their weaknesses at the back? If they don't, they can't entertain hopes of picking up trophies.

Is Manuel Almunia Good Enough?

The much maligned shot stopper seems to be benefiting from the very real possibility that Wenger might bring in a goalkeeper.

The extra pressure on his place seems to be helping him to perform. He looked solid throughout the game and had more to do than he did against Blackpool.

He controlled his area well and there was little he could do about the goal. Questions as to whether or not he is good enough to play a full season as Arsenal's first choice shot stopper will rightly linger. Wenger can't be expected to change his mind as to whether or not he should bring in a replacement based on a single performance.

If Arsenal want to break their recent trophy drought, they need someone who they can rely on in goal. Manuel Almunia at his best fits the bill, the problem comes when he isn't at his best, and you can never tell when that is going to be.