Striker Envy

On a day when Arsenal, not for the first time this season, barely troubled the opposition goal, a brace each for Van Persie and Hernandez blew Wigan away.

It was bad enough for Arsenal fans to see RVP move to Old Trafford. It is sad to witness their bitterness at his clearly understandable decision. And the discrepancy between the forward options at the two clubs is a tragedy to behold.

United allowed Dimitar Berbatov to leave in the summer, but they still boast Rooney and Welbeck, as well as the aforementioned pair, among their ranks.

Van Persie and Rooney are, of course, two of the best strikers in the world.

But any of United's four frontmen would be well worth a place in the Arsenal starting line-up.

It is little short of staggering that United are thought to be considering a move for Lewandowski, when their midfield is so clearly in need of a top class addition.

Surprising, too, that Arsene Wenger can sniff at the notion of getting Demba Ba for a knockdown price, due to his conviction that Olivier Giroud will soon develop into a similar force.

Ferguson did not back off from his pursuit of Van Persie on the basis that Rooney is a roughly similar player. And now United are reaping the handsome reward of that successful pursuit. It looks like it will win them the title. I myself had hoped that Van Persie and Rooney would step on each other's toes; that hasn't transpired and it serves as a timely reminder that if great players have the right attitude, you can't have too many of them.

We saw again today that United have variety as well as quantity up front. Van Persie can score in almost any way; Hernandez again showed his rather more specific value. He has an almost magical ability to be in the right place to gobble up ricochets and mishit shots. He's a pinball wizard.

United have Van Persie, Rooney, Hernandez, Welbeck.
City have Aguero, Tevez, Dzeko, Balotelli.
Arsenal have Giroud and some out of position wingers.

And the gulf in goalscoring options is reflected in the the Premier League table.

Walcott Has a Good Day at Last...

...but still suffers in Oxlade Chamberlain comparison.

Arsenal 7-1 Blackburn

When Pederson's free kick arrowed into the top corner, you started to wonder. It seems like years since Pederson has done that. But then, Arsenal had somehow contrived to concede four to Blackburn last time out, and it it's never a surprise when a team scores against Arsenal with their first real effort.

Luckily, the match was tied up by half time. Walcott teed up Van Persie, as he had done in the second minute. The incisive pass came, as on many occasions this season, from Song.

Then Van Persie turned provider, firing a pass at Oxlade Chamberlain, who did well to control, waltzed around Paul Robinson, and netted his first Premiership goal.

Then Gael Givet got himself dismissed for a crazy two footed lunge at the ball that could have done Van Persie damage had the Dutchman not hurdled the challenge.

Against 10 men for the second half, you would have been disappointed if Arsenal didn't rack up the goals. Arteta fired through the crowd for number four. Then Walcott dribbled infield to tee up Oxlade Chamberlain, who Solskjeared a shot through the legs of the defender and in at the near post. Then Van Persie completed another hat trick, doing well to keep his right footed shot down from Coquelin's low cross.

In stoppage time, Henry and Van Persie linked up, and the late substitute scored the second goal of his second spell via a deflection.

Walcott's three assists represented a welcome return to form, but it is still impossible to avoid comparing him unfavourably with the youngster breaking into the team on the other flank. Oxlade Chamberlain has the main weapon in Walcott's armoury- raw pace- but he also has so much natural footballing ability.

He glides past challenges while dribbling. He already looks a decent finisher, and can shoot well from outside the box. He has the vision to play incisive passes while running at pace. He has greater physical strength than Walcott. He can play the kind of simple passes that keep possession, as well as attempting to provide cutting edge service up front. And he wants to play in central midfield.

Now that's a talent to get excited about. And he makes Walcott look like what he is- a sprinter who got into football late, a one-dimensional speed merchant with no footballing brain.

Half a Team, No Chance

Swansea 3-2 Arsenal

Arsenal were awful at Fulham and they were worse at Swansea.

A similar pattern emerged. A good start, an early goal. Then Arsenal lose their way. The hosts take control.

This time the deserved equaliser came a lot earlier than at the Cottage. Ramsey's dopey foul in the box set the tone for a wretched individual performance. Sinclair beat Szczesny from the spot.

If Ramsey had an awful game,he wasn't alone. Arshavin and Walcott were both disgracefully bad. Both provided a single moment of quality- Arshavin's through ball for Van Persie's opener, and Walcott's cool finish to level the game at 2-2- but were otherwise destructive to their own team's chances of controlling the game.

What did not help in this regard was the absence of Arteta. Some know-nothing blowhards have voiced the opinion that the Spaniard only offers conservative sideways passing. Today we saw just how vital that sideways passing is. With Ramsey flitting around and giving the ball away almost every time he saw it, Benayoun seemingly unsure of his exact role, and a lonely Song having an off day, Arsenal were essentially spineless.

The alarm bells were first set ringing early on, when Arsenal were still in front. A single pass from a Swansea defender- who had just collected the ball from his keeper- and the home side were running at the Arsenal back four. Arteta has done a great job helping make Arsenal a more solid unit. Without him, Wenger fielded Ramsey, Benayoun, Arshavin and Walcott. That is a powder puff team for an away game and it got a performance to match. All of those players had stinkers and it's not an unusual occurance for any of them this season (with the exception of Benayoun, who hasn't had much playing time).

And an inefficient midfield is a doubly big problem if said midfield is failing to protect an already iffy defence. Mertesacker has failed to shore up the backline as some had hoped. Miquel and Djourou toiled manfully in their thankless tasks on the flanks, playing out of position and having to deal with Swansea's speedy wingers. Koscielny was brilliant again,though caught out by Graham for the eventual winner.

Looking at the Arsenal team sheet, it is pretty medicore stuff. A team of sometimes capable, but utterly inconsistent footballers. I have talked about complacency a lot over the last few years but today it struck me that this Arsenal team really isn't much better than what we saw today.

They were outpassed for periods. Outfought for periods. By a promoted team. Credit to Swansea for the positive football they play. But there was a time when the thought of a lowly side "having a go" at Arsenal would have you licking your lips in anticipation of the gaps they would leave behind, and how Arsenal would exploit that.

There is scope for improvement this season. Once the defence is pieced back into something recognisable, Arsenal may begin to grind out results again. That is the best we can hope for this season. In truth, glorious football is now but a memory for Arsenal fans. Beneath all the lazy media stuff about Wenger's pure philosophy, the truth is that Arsenal haven't played anything approaching fantasy football in years. Certainly not with any regularity.

Now, they need Vermaelen, they need Wilshere, they need Arteta, and they need to get scrapping again. But 4th place is looking less and less likely. After 21 games, in which Villas-Boas's Chelsea side have encountered serious problems, they still have a four point lead over Arsenal. Spurs, despite their blip against Wolves, will soon disappear into the distance if they keep up their swashbuckling form.

1-0 to the Arsenal

Arsenal 1-0 Everton

Arsenal celebrated 125 years on Saturday, and if the spectacle of the game did not match the grandness of the occasion, there was at least a goal to remember.

Though a lot of the play was scrappy in the opening 45, Everton were giving up clear chances. Arteta robbed his old partner Fellaini and released Walcott. With Gervinho and Ramsey square, a goal seemed certain, but last ditch defending denied the Ivorian. Song played in Ramsey, and the Welshman twisted onto his left foot, but only found the top of the net with his scooped effort. Almost immediately an Everton player inadvertently sent Gervinho through on goal, but his finish was predictably artless, and Howard parried.

Everton improved after half time. They denied Arsenal space in the centre. Van Persie was having an off day, overrunning the ball on a few occasions and not enjoying many sights of goal.

Even after sending on Distin and serving notice of their contendedness with a stalemate, it was Everton who were beginning to threaten more. Arsenal looked like they might need a scruffy goal, because they had not really put a move together all game. Instead, they scored a goal of real beauty.

Song found space in midfield and curled a perfect through ball over Jagielka's head to Van Persie. Despite his performance up to that moment, the Dutchman still had the confidence to take the ball first-time on the volley, and his technique matched that of the pass, the ball flying past a static Howard and glancing in off the far post.

While Arsenal never hit their stride except for that one moment, it would be hard to argue that Everton deserved anything from the game. They had shown an almost absolute lack of ambition despite the evidence that their opponents were not at their best.

That said, there were a couple of late half chances for the away side, both stemming from Mertesacker's continued uncertainty. One substitute, Gueye, dragged an effort wide when well-placed. Some a similar but more difficult chance, another sub, Conor McAleny, struck a brilliant effort that had Szczesny beaten but dipped just wide of the far post.

For the umpteenth time this season, Arsenal were indebted to the brilliance of their Dutch striker. But Song should also take some credit for the quality of his pass. He has again shown his underappreciated creative side. It's hard to think of any other "holding midfield" players who pass incisively with the regularity that Song does. As much as anyone else, he has softened the considerable blow of losing Fabregas's precision passing.

Van On Fire (Part 2)

...and Song's on Song...

Arsenal 2-1 Borussia Dortmund

Another Van Persie brace, another win.

As has been the case in quite a few of Arsenal's wins this seasons, it was not a barnstorming performance, and there was no surfeit of chances, but the Dutchman is so clinical at the moment that the results are starting to stack up.

But Song was the real star of the show, and after an iffy start to the season, he is showing signs of yet more improvement on last campaign's impressive displays.

The term "holding midfielder" is a ubiquitous term nowadays, and not without some reason, as most teams field three central midfielders. With that system dominant, there is a greater number of midfield "specialists", and less midfield generals like Patrick Vieira or Roy Keane in their pomp. A midfielder is usually seen as a creator or a destroyer, and while there are some players who occupy some kind of middle ground between those two simplistic terms, there are few nowadays who combine combative tackling with incisive passing and an instinct to drive forward.

Song has, since his return from that vital loan spell at Charlton, often looked a little too talented to be just another Makalele clone. What with Arsenal's defensive travails over recent years, most fans just wanted him to be a disciplined and effective presence in front of the back four, good enough to provide a shield, win the ball and shuttle it on to someone else, preferably Cesc Fabregas. But he has more technical ability than your average destroyer. That has become more evident still since Fabregas's departure.

A lot of this is probably down to the maturity of Arteta, who is proving to be a much better version of Denilson, doing what the Brazilian was meant to all along. Arteta gets tackles in, helps Song protect the defence, and does not get ahead of the play too often, leaving Ramsey closest to Van Persie out of the three midfielders. Song and Arteta have already forged a decent understanding and Song must feel more freedom to push forward as he likes to, knowing that his team mate is likely to fill in behind.

We have seen some nice slide rule assists from Song- for Gervinho's opener at Blackburn and for Van Persie's winner at Norwich. This time, the game-breaking assist came from a jinking run and a pinpoint cross that allowed Van Persie to power a downward header past the keeper.

It had been something of a stalemate up to that point, with neither side creating a great deal. Dortmund had just won in impressive fashion at Bayern Munich and set about Arsenal in a similarly intense fashion. Their pressing was quite effective and it took something out of the ordinary from Song to open them up.

The second goal was also out of the ordinary, by Arsenal's current standards. Or out of the distant past, perhaps? A corner, a near-post flick on, and a poached finish...it could almost have been Paul Merson, Steve Bould and Ian Wright after a week of tough training under the watchful eyes of George Graham. In reality it was Vermaelen and Van Persie who combined to convert Arteta's inswinger.

And with only a few minutes to go, that was that, although there was time for the concession of a very late Dortmund consolation. It was the result of some sloppy play in the corner by Song and, especially, Djourou. With the game won, maybe the most heartening image of the night was Vermaelen raging at his team mates. It's the kind of professionalism and passion that have been lacking in too many of his team mates over recent years. It's good to have him back.

Van On Fire (part 1)

The revival continues, with one man's name a constant in the headlines.

Norwich 1-2 Arsenal

Away at Norwich, Arsenal threatened to revert to the old stereotype. First, chances were squandered. By Van Persie himself, and by the worryingly profligate Gervinho. Then, an achingly soft goal was given away. Mertesacker hesitated in dealing with a bouncing ball, and was mugged by Morison, who slipped the ball past Szczesny.

Arsenal bounced back to level. Walcott had already been denied a goal for himself by a brilliant goal line clearance. This time he made one, beating his man with ease, and crossing low into the six yard box, where Gervinho completely missed his attempt at a flick and Van Persie tapped into the unguarded net.

After half time, the Ivorian was again guilty of a missing a gilt-edged chance. Van Persie released him with a wonderful through ball, and he seemed to have made space to slip the ball past the keeper, but mishit his shot and allowed Ruddy to save.

Van Persie made no such mistake with the next big opportunity. Norwich lost it in midfield to Arteta, Song took over, drove forward and, given the choice of aiming for Gervinho or Van Persie, naturally took the latter option. The Dutchmansteadied himself and clipped a gorgeous right-footed finish over the keeper and into the net.

...Wasn't Expecting That

Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal

Many would have feared for Arsenal in the lead-up to this clash. Chelsea had just suffered a noble defeat to QPR, dominating the game and unlucky to lose despite playing with nine men for more than half the contest.

Arsenal had been labouring to victory in matches they were once expected to win comfortably. But progress is progress, and results had improved hugely since the dark days of Old Trafford and Ewood Park.

The worry for many, and certainly me, was that another capitulation against Chelsea would send Arsenal back into crisis mode.

In fairness, some of the worries about Arsenal were well-founded. Their defending for much of the first half was shambolic. But the mental weakness that so often accompanies and exacerbates the defensive vulnerability was not as evident as in the past. And to add a further excitement to what became a surreal game, Chelsea provided their own moments of uncertainty at the back, and contrived to outdo the Gunners in the self-destruction stakes.

Twice Arsenal fell behind to fairly soft goals- and twice they roared back.

The game started in a raging whirlwind of goalmouth action. A minute had not passed before Ashley Cole exposed the downward-spiralling Djourou, offering a poor impression of a right back, and only a timely intervention from Koscielny prevented Torres from latching onto the low cross.

Santos on the other wing was faring no better, and Arsenal's suicidally high line was next broken down his flank, but this time Sturridge dithered too long over an obvious pass across to Torres, and when it came the low ball was too close to Szczesny.

Arsenal responded with menace, and Theo Walcott twice showed uncharacteristic productivity, only for others to waste his good work. First, he was released down the right after excellent breakaway play by Arteta and Ramsey. Cole was left for dead on the touchline, and the low cross was perfectly measured for the onrushing Gervinho, but with Cech making a desperate lunge to save the ball, the Ivorian was put off and screwed an awkward effort wide.

Similar poor finishing by Gervinho had been punished by Tottenham during Arsenal's last defeat and one would have been forgiven for thinking that would be the case again as, after Van Persie skied another chance from another excellent Walcott cross, Chelsea hit the front.

Terry hit an accurate, raking crossfield pass that left Mata facing up to Santos, and the Spaniard easily cut inside the Brazilian before whipping in a vicious cross. With Mertesacker looking flat-footed and unable to head clear, Lampard ghosted in in trademark fashion and placed an emphatic header past Szczesny.

Sturridge had a chance to give Chelsea a two goal cushion. Lampard lofted a first time pass over Arsenal's backline but Sturridge screwed the bouncing ball well wide of the goal, and Arsenalk were still in the game.

The first equaliser was the result of Ramsey's creativity and Gervinho's unselfishness. The Welshman threaded a Cescesque ball through Chelsea's static rearguard and Gervinho squared cleverly to Van Persie as Cech came out. The finish was a formality. Gervinho's pass was simple, and clearly the efficient option, but it remains the kind of pass that professional footballers often fail to spot in the heat of the moment.

Chelsea responded well to the setback. Sturridge soon had the ball in the net, but from an offside position, and as the interval approached, Terry bundled in Lampard's corner after as Arsenal defended with their typical lack of authority- Mertesacker culpable again.

2-1 down at half time, but Arsenal had surely noticed that Chelsea were far from watertight at the back, and set about testing the Blues again straight from kick off. Ramsey hooked a half chance over the bar after Gervinho had roasted Bosingwa. Then Song turned skilfully in midfield and hit a peach of a left footed pass to release Santos, who had left Sturridge trailing. The defender, enduring a torrid afternoon to that point, bore down on Cech and slipped a shot under his right leg for 2-2.

The staggering openness of the match continued. For the third time, a Lampard pass opened up Arsenal with worrying simplicity, and Cole reached the ball first only to be upended by a desperate Szczesny. The keeper had the look of a man who expected a red card, as did most of the viewing public, but he got away with a yellow; a vital moment.

Arsenal took the lead for the first time. Walcott ran at the Chelsea defence with Cole busy complaining about a soft free kick award. The winger tripped himself up, then jumped to his feet as the home defenders hesitated, and after a nice trick and aburst of acceleration, he was through on goal. He blasted his shot inside Cech's near post and a surreal game had a rather surreal goal.

There was more to come. Although Arsenal defended deeper and with more authority for much of the second period, they were undone with ten minutes to go by some more slack play from Santos, some poor refereeing, and some bad luck. The Brazilian presented the ball to Mereiles with a poor pass but looked set to seize on the latter's heavy touch before he was blocked off by Lukaku. No whistle sounded, and the ball was moved inside to Mata. His shot took a hefty deflection off the sliding Song and looped wickedly into the top corner of Szczesny's goal. In recent years, Arsenal have so rarely come out on top in a high-scoring game, and it seemed that hoodoo was to continue.

Instead, it was Chelsea who imploded in the closing stages. Malouda panicked Terry with an overhit backwards pass that had Van Persie interested. The two seemed set for a foot race until the troubled England captain slipped (or, as some have mischievously suggested, took a deliberate fall). Van Persie had a clear run on goal. He calmly rounded Cech and slotted home and Arsenal were in front again.

4-4 is a familiar result for Arsenal of late and there were some predictable moments of panic at the back before a stoppage time counter attack saw Arteta release Van Persie again. The Dutchman took a touch and then leathered a swerving shot past Cech and inside the near post. Arsenal celebrated wildly after this goal and after the full time whistle.

Can the revival continue? Suddenly a top four finish looks possible again.

Better, Closer, Warmer/ RVP

Arsenal are grinding out wins, dismantling the wall of discontent brick by brick.

Since that defeat in a close-fought North London derby, the Gunners have twice been indebted to their captain and talisman Robin Van Persie. He scored braces against Sunderland and Stoke respectively to ensure six points from the last two home league games.

His performance against Sunderland was memorable not only for two well-taken goals- one smashed in with his right, the other a free kick curled home with his left- but also for an audacious attempt that so nearly proved a goal of the season contender. With the score at 1-0, Van Persie collected an Arteta pass, bamboozled Kieran Richardson with a cute dragback, and lofted a cheeky chip from the edge of the box that confounded the keeper but rebounded off the upright and out.

He is certainly Arsenal's best player, and his familiarity with the woodwork means he is probably the league's unluckiest.

There have been many improvements in Van Persie's game over the last few seasons. He is now very two-footed. He scores a lot with what he once termed his "chocolate leg", and the chipped effort in the Sunderland game also came courtesy of his right foot.

His team play has improved a lot since his early Arsenal days, when he was an exciting and often spectacular player with a very individualistic style that sometimes angered team mates.

He is more mature, more of a leader, deserving of the armband.

Lastly, and most importantly, he is scoring many goals, different goals. His vicious left foot and his considerable ability meant he was never starved of goals (except while injured), but in the early days, he was as likely to score from twenty yards as from three. Although never as averse to the tap in as Bergkamp, Van Persie was something of a DIY finisher, a man who would wait for the ball to be played to him, feint this way and that, then smash a shot from whatever angle he saw fit. It often made for spectacular viewing, but nobody ever suggested he was the much sought "fox in the box" that Arsenal are always said to lack.

Against Stoke, however, his match-winning brace was more reminiscent of Van Nistelrooy than Bergkamp. Both goals were the product of intelligent, hungry movement inside the box. And this is typical of Van Persie's output in the last few seasons. He is scoring more in and around the six yard box and this is why he is more prolific. It's actually been a while since he scored a truly spectacular goal- his free kick against Sunderland was the first such goal he has scored in a long time, and there has been nothing of late to rival his comic strip volley against Charlton or his sumptuous curler against Blackburn- but that does not matter, because he has become a better, more effective player.

New boy Gervinho has already shown frequent signs of a good understanding with the Dutchman. He may not be quite as quick as Walcott, but he uses his pace better when running with the ball. Walcott so often looks clueless when confronted with a full back and the ball at his own feet. Gervinho, on the other hand, has a handy habit of cruising beyond his marker with a sudden burst of acceleration. This led to Van Persie's two goals against Stoke, and also the vital equaliser in the away leg against Udinese. Gervinho also teed up the Dutchman's first against Sunderland with a nicely weighted pass. With this Arsenal team struggling to find much rhythm or swagger, the forging of some fruitful partnerships is vital. Signs are that there is genuine chemistry between these two.


Between the Sunderland and Stoke games, Arsenal executed a classic smash and grab in a sleepy Champions League game against Marseille, leaving qualification as group winners a distinct and welcome possibility. The game was a non-entity. Marseille's league form has been terrible, and they somehow managed not to trouble Arsenal's wobbly rearguard. With the match petering out in a dreary stalemate, a late attack saw Gervinho's micontrol fall kindly for Aaron Ramsey. The Welshman's first touch threatened to take him into traffic but he kept his composure and swept the ball home.

Last night, Arsenal reserves beat a strong Bolton side in the Carling Cup. Former Gunner Fabrice Muamba opened the scoring for the visitors, but Arshavin levelled with a fine run and finish. The Russian quickly turned provider. After another positive run he waited patiently to allow Park onside, then weighted his pass perfectly so that the Korean could shoot first time. His confident, curled finish was hopefully a sign of things to come, as Arsenal badly need another regular goalscorer to take some of that weight off Van Persie's shoulders.

So the last few games have provided some kind of lift in mood, but talk of a real revival may be premature. Arsenal have failed in all of the big tests so far, and while results are always paramont, there is still a feeling that lately, they have been labouring to victory against poor opposition. They have not played well for a solid ninety minutes, they still show no notion of how to defend set pieces, and they are still without an away win in the league. And next up, they go to Stamford Bridge.

Even The Silver Linings Are Turning Grey

Arsenal 3-0 Bolton

The first half was another slog, but the Gunners finally cut loose in the second to record a comfortable victory.

Bolton started well and could have opened the scoring early on. A fine volley from Darren Pratley was acrobatically repelled by Szczesny. Thereafter, Bolton pursued a policy of containment, and it worked very well for the duration of the first half. There were precious few openings.

The best came when Arteta released Gervinho with a defence-splitting pass. The winger's first touch was so woefully overhit, it was practically a back pass.

Van Persie curled just wide from a free kick, and Gervinho cut inside to blast a shot over the bar, but it was familiar, pedestrian fare at the Emirates. Arsenal's midfield was not responding well to some robust scrapping from Wanderers, and there was little in the way of creativity.

Seconds into the second half, Van Persie blasted the floodgates open. Gervinho was felled on the turn in a central position, and Mark Clattenburg played a canny advantage, allowing Ramsey to drive on. He found Van Persie in the box, and the Dutchman took a couple of touches to escape the attentions of Reo-Coker, and drilled a low shot inside Jaaskelainen's near post.

Bolton are even worse form than Arsenal, and a goal was always likely to dishearten them. They had still less cause for optimism after David Wheater was dismissed. Ramsey's through ball threatened to release Walcott, only for the winger to tumble under a light tug from the centre half. The kind of "dive" that is widely practised in modern football: feel the contact, take the fall. Wheater could have no complaints.

It says much about the fragility of this Arsenal team that even at home, against ten men, against a team that had shown so little adventure, they still gave up a reasonable chance. Bolton broke after an Arsenal corner and suddenly, Chris Eagles had a sight of goal, but his early shot was close to Szczesny and Arsenal escaped.

Walcott, in typically frustrating form, soon helped put the game to bed, speeding onto Ramsey's pass and squaring for Van Persie, who deftly shinned the ball beyond Jaaskelainen for his 100th Arsenal goal. Walcott was denied by the Finn in a one on one from Song's pass, before the Cameroonian iced the cake with a fine curled shot in the closing stages.

Some blessed relief in the form of a result, but the aftermath has provided more cause for tortured introspection. Van Persie, by a distance now Arsenal's most valuable player, has refused to commit to a new deal. His current contract runs out in a couple of years.

Looking at the current state of the team, and at the fact that Van Persie is 28 years old, you'd have to assume he is thinking seriously about a change of scenery next summer. That's without even contemplating the kind of pay rise Manchester City, or any of the other big spenders, could offer him.

The news comes mere days after Wenger admitted his concern that Arsenal cannot compete when offering deals to the top players. I read an interesting article a few weeks ago that suggested Wenger was at loggerheads with the board during the summer. The story went that while the board were willing to provide money for large transfer fees, they were not willing to change the club's wage structure. Thus, perhaps, the inability to complete the capture of Mata before Chelsea blew us out of the water.

The pay structure of the club is certainly in need of review. It seems that most of the first team players earn a similar amount. In effect, our best players earn less than they should, and our worst players earn much more than they should. Hence the trouble Arsenal have had with moving on players like Bendtner, Denilson, and Almunia. No club wants to pay those mediocre players the same money they've been earning at Arsenal.

Conversely, there will be plenty of clubs willing to offer RVP a nice juicy financial incentive to go and fulfill his sporting ambitions elsewhere. And frankly, it's hard to find many reasons he'd want to stick around.

Oh Dear

Another interesting weekend in the Premiership.
Yet another painful one for Arsenal.

Blackburn 4-3 Arsenal

The seriousness of Arsenal's problems was underlined. The defence, despite the presence of new boys Santos and Mertesacker, was its old shambolic self. The lack of belief among the players was clear in the manner in which they folded after Blackburn's second equaliser, and allowed the game to slip away. A late rally produced a goal, a grandstand finish, and a flurry of chances to level the game, but the damage had been done, and a salvaged result of any kind would only serve to paper over the widening cracks. Arsenal are in big, big trouble this season.

The first half was, in some senses, a reminder of the kind of football Arsenal are still sometimes capable of. Song, Ramsey and Arteta were impressive in midfield, and the two Arsenal goals were the result of some fluid, incisive attacking. Gervinho opened his Arsenal account from a clever, slide rule pass by Song. The shot took a slight deflection and beat Paul Robinson on its way to the far bottom corner.

Blackburn were not really in the game, but Yakubu punished Arsenal's defensive frailty with a smart finish when the worst offside trap in football malfunctioned again. The striker confounded the onrushing Szczesny with an early, audacious flick of his right boot, sending the ball rolling slowly but unstoppably into the corner of the net. A throwback to the kind of player he once was.

Arsenal responded some minutes later with the goal of the game. The midfield trio linked well again. Song released Ramsey down the right with another incisive ball, and the Welshman ignored the obvious option of firing across the six yard box, instead cutting back cutely for Arteta, who swept the ball high into Robinson's net.

Arsenal might have extended the lead before half time, when Arshavin forged an opportunity for Gervinho, but he saw his selfish attempt blocked, much to the ire of the better-placed Van Persie. Blackburn were granted a reprieve; Arsenal were to gift them a whole lot more in the second half.

The difference between the Alex Song of the first half and the one who emerged after the interval is symbolic of the brittle mentality of this Arsenal team, their violent mood swings. Song started the collapse with an own goal, although the fault was not all his. Rocha chipped in a free kick from Blackburn's right, and despite the lack of pace on the ball, nobody in red took decisive action. The ball struck Song and dribbled past Szczesny.

Rovers were pressing more effectively and Arsenal had lost the control they seemed to exert in the first period. More set piece mayhem saw the home side hit the front. A deep, driven corner left Koscielny butting at thin air and the ball dropped at the feet of Nzonzi. He blasted a cross-shot that was turned home by Yakubu, lurking marginally offside. No flag, another soft goal for Arsenal's extensive collection.

Arsenal mustered some pressure in response, and Van Persie dithered too long when presented with a decent chance, but the awful defence succumbed again, this time to a breakaway sucker punch. Blackburn countered at roaring pace and Djourou, on in place of the injured Sagna, was roasted by Olsson. The winger entered the area, beat Alex Song and turned the ball into the goalmouth where the increasingly inept Koscielny failed to sort his feet out in time and turned the ball comically into his own net. Two own goals, a two goal deficit, was there any fight left?

To be fair, there was, and Arsenal spurned enough chances to win the game. Chamakh scored a powerful, towering header from a wicked Van Persie cross, but the Moroccan was also guilty of a weak effort in stoppage time; Van Persie was denied on a couple of occasions by Robinson; Mertesacker headed over in the dying seconds; Walcott was denied a penalty shout. It was more frantic and desperate than it ever should have had to be. Going to a mediocre Blackburn side, you expect that if ou score three goals, it's job done. But this is the New Arsenal, and another ridiculous result has been added to the roll of dishonour.

Dortmund 1-1 Arse

As long as Arsenal can do their business at the Emirates- which has ceased to be a comfortable home- a draw in Dortmund should eventually be looked back on as a positive result.

Given Arsenal's recent troubles, it can already be viewed that way, but the feel good factor is lessened by the fact that the German side's equaliser came so late, after Arsenal had worked hard to cling to Robin Van Pesie's opener.

Overall, however, a draw was a deserved result for the home team. Arsenal could have no complaints. Again, the Gunners failed to find any real groove.

They did gain a lead, close to half time. As against Swansea, the goal stemmed from opposition sloppiness. A casual, underhit pass across the Dortmund back four was seized upon by the alert Van Persie, who slid into nudge the ball to Walcott. This time, the mistake left Arsenal with a bit more to do than aim the ball into an unguarded net, and what they had to do they did very well. Walcott played an unusually incisive through ball with his left foot. It was perfctly weighted for Van Persie, who smashed home impressively with his trusty "chocolate leg".

Arsenal failed to build on that and found themselves under the cosh for much of the second half. Still, this had the look of a difficult trip- would have been difficult even without the negative atmosphere around Arsenal at the moment- and so Arsenal's resilience is a good sign.

They came close to holding out for the 1-0, but were denied by a very late equaliser. Gibbs headed a free kick away, but only to the edge of the box, and Perisic struck a first time volley that dipped into the top corner, leaving Szczesny standing. While it initialy looked a wonder goal, I think there was a slight but crucial deflection off Benayoun.

After that there was time for another Dortmund chance, but Szczesny came to the rescue. His form has been the single biggest plus point of the season so far. There are so many problems on and off the pitch, so it is a relief that one of the longest standing issues- the lack of a top class goalkeeper- appears to have been solved.

Eight Two.

Eight fucking two.

It has taken me a week to recover enough to write this thing, and it has been an eventful few days since. Reinforcements have finally arrived, but I'll leave that for a seperate post. This one will focus on a game that will never be fully erased from the memory.

Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal

Even the most optimistic of Arsenal fans surely feared the worst. Sagna was added to the list of casualties, meaning the full backs were Jenkinson and Traore. The midfield consisted of Coquelin, Rosicky and Ramsey.

Given the personnel, there is an argument that attack was going to be the only form of defence. The front three was Arshavin, Walcott and Van Persie, so it was certainly a lot stronger than the makeshift back four. And Arsenal have, in the last few years, been incapable of shutting up shop and staying solid.

Sure enough, the game started in an open fashion, and kept going that way. It was immediately apparent that Arsenal were struggling to deal with the tempo of United's passing. The absence of Michael Carrick and the rejuvenation of Anderson invests their midfield with a lot more dynamism than was the case for much of last season. Their strength on the flanks and their fast, direct style meant they were set up to hit Arsenal where they were weakest.

With United playing Rooney and Welbeck up front, Arsenal had an apparent numerical advantage in midfield, but they only sporadically made it count. The tempo of United's passing stood in stark contrast to Arsenal's half-assed pressing. Wenger spoke afterwards of the draining effect of the Udinese game but to hear such excuses so early in the season is a bit much.

The Gunners needed the "senior members" of the back four to stand firm, but the first United goal exposed Djourou's alarming regression. With Walcott, yes Walcott, ranting at Jenkinson over some poor positional play, United took a quick throw and worked the ball infield to Anderson. The Brazilian's scooped pass initially looked more speculative than incisive, but Djourou inexplicably refused to attack the aerial ball, instead trying to block off Welbeck and allow Szczesny to claim. The ball bounced through, Djourou was outmuscled, and Welbeck nodded the ball over the keeper. An absolutely shocking goal to concede.

Soon afterwards, Arsenal found an apparent route back into the game. Arshavin played a nice ball behind Evans for Walcott, who made the most of some contact and went down. Shock horror, Howard Webb gave the penalty, but equally predictably, the usually reliable Van Persie's nerve failed him in Arsenal's theatre of nightmares. He abandoned the usual tactic of hitting hard to the keeper's left, and rolled it to De Gea's right. De Gea read it and made a routine parry.

Straight away, Ashley Young collected a pisspoor defensive header by Traore, weaved his way inside Coquelin, and bent an exquisite shot into the top corner from long range. That's when you knew it could get ugly.

The frightening thing is- it could have been even worse. Arshavin was throwing himself into reckless challenges and could have been sent off twice over.

Just before half time, goals at both ends. A panicky foul by Jenkinson on the edge of the area was punished by a spectacular Rooney free kick, then Walcott ran onto Rosicky's slide rule pass and fired through De Gea's legs. 3-1 at half time.

Easy to forget now, Arsenal's strongest spell came after the interval. There were two gilt-edged opportunities to turn the game back into a genuine contest. First, Rosicky flipped a ball over United's static backline, and Van Persie volleyed first time with his chocolate leg, only for De Gea to again deny him with a save at the near post. Van Persie had oceans of time to take the ball down and if he did so it surely would have been 3-2. Then Arshavin got through down the left and bore down on goal but snatched his shot just wide of the near post.

And then Arsenal fell to pieces. Coquelin was taken off, and United exposed the hole where a holding midfielder should have been protecting an awful defence. The wretched Djourou gave away a free kick within range, and again the foul was punished, again by an imperious Rooney free kick. He disguised his intention, wrong-footed Szczesny, and bent his shot in off the far post. Game over again, but that was only the beginning of the nightmare.

The next goal arrived a minute or so later and was an even better illustration of Arsenal's shambolic defending than Welbeck's opener. A swift United counter attack found Rooney on the edge of the area, and with half the back four stepping up, and half standing still, he slipped an easy pass through to Nani. The winger had all the time in the world to conjure yet another impudent piece of showboating for his Arsenal scrapbook, shaping to drill the ball and then dinking it over the flailing Szczesny. Exhibition stuff from United, but atrocious defending.

Park Ji Sung was introduced as a sub and it was not long before he scored his customary goal against Arsenal, benefitting from more woeful "defending" from Djourou and burying a left-footed shot into the corner from the edge of the box.

Van Persie was presented with an easy chance at the other end after good work from Jenkinson, and blasted home an angry shot to make it 6-2. Normal service was quickly resumed as Jenkinson was caught by the pace of Hernandez and bundled over the Mexican on the edge of the area. Second yellow for the young defender, but Rooney failed to complete a hat trick of free kicks.

A regular hat trick would do though, and he got that after Arsenal's nemesis Evra stormed into the box and was tripped by emergency right back Theo Fucking Walcott. Rooney sent Szczesny the wrong way. Seven goals conceded- unprecedented stuff. Another three goals for Rooney against Arsenal- and on the subject of Rooney, has any player been so awful and so sublime in the space of less than twelve months???

United were not finished. Near the end, they piled on the misery with a fourth belter, this time Young's second. Eight two. Amazing. As bad as Arsenal were, you could only admire the ruthlessness of United's finishing. At least four of the goals- Rooney's two free kicks and Young's two curlers- could only be classed as half chances.

To some extent, the result stemmed from exceptional circumstances- you would hope Arsenal will never again field a team like that in any league game, let alone at Old Trafford- but those circumstances were partly of Arsenal's making. Wenger did not ask for a lengthy list of injuries and suspensions, but he did discard players like Clichy, Denilson, and Eboue and failed to replace them with players ready for Premiership action. That's not to even mention the slow response to the Fabregas and Nasri debacles.

And for all the talk of Arsenal's makeshift defence, United's defence, midfield and even attack were all completely different to the norm from last season. Jones and Evans at centre back? Smalling at full back? Anderson and Cleverley in the centre of the park? Welbeck partnering Rooney? None of this is particularly familiar, but Ferguson and United are making it work, whereas Arsenal played like a bunch of strangers, and seemed resigned to their fate from the off. The game showed up the terrifying discrepancy between the two squads.

Whatever about the subsequent transfer action, the most worrying legacy of this game is the growing sense that nobody at Arsenal football club can coach defence. Arsenal have been ripped apart by good, bad and indifferent sides at pretty regualar intervals over the last few years and there is still no sign of anything being done about it. There has been too much talk, in fact, of a makeshift defence being an excuse for the result. Ok, two naive full backs, but Djourou and Koscielny were first choice players almost all last season. They are not awful players but Djourou in particular has suffered a worrying loss of form and you wonder if that would have happened if he was at a club that put more emphasis on the defensive side of the game.

As I said, this has been a problem for some time. You only need to look at the regular ridiculous scorelines Arsenal have been involved in since the start of 08/09. 4-4 at home to Spurs. 4-4 against Liverpool. Some crushing home defeats to both Chelsea and United. Losing at home to Spurs after leading 2-0. Drawing 3-3 with Spurs at the Lane after, yet again, leading by two goals. And who could forget the second half collapse at St James' Park.

And now this. But there is, perversely, more optimism around the club now. Maybe it needed a catastrophic result like this to open Arsene Wenger's eyes. Maybe the season can be salvaged from the wreckage of one result.

The More It Stays The Same, The Less It Changes

Stoke 3-1 Arsenal

This was a rank display. Although not as spectacular as the collapse at Wigan at the arse end of last season, it had the same stale, end-of-a-fruitless-season vibe. Nothing to play for. Not even, it seems, professional pride.

Stoke were not very good, but comfortably good enough to beat a limp, lifeless Arsenal.

Arshavin got a lot of stick for helping give away the first goal. His team were not in grave danger as Jermaine Pennant held the ball in an apparent cul de sac near the corner flag. Arshavin stupidly pushed him over.

It's pretty absurd, though, that giving away a free kick is seen as a hanging offence. It was stupid, no doubt, because Stoke are dangerous from set plays. But here's a novel idea: how about, after all these years of "coincidental" underachievement, Arsenal learn to defend set plays?

Pennant swung a great ball in, Djourou was easily given the slip by Kenwyne Jones, and the ball bounced off the striker and into the net.

Pennant got the second himself. After a decent run he fired in a shot from distance. It was given a dipping trajectory by a slight deflection, and Szczesny failed to stop it.

Arsenal made changes at half time. Arshavin was scapegoated, as he often is. The manager pampers the substandard young players that fail to repay his faith, but because he did not make a star out of Arshavin, he has never shown favour to the Russian. Ramsey, ludicrously booed by the neanderthal home fans, also departed. Chamakh and Bendtner came on, leaving Arsenal with three out-and-out strikers on the pitch, plus Walcott. The changes had little effect.

Van Persie did provide yet another goal late on to provide a fleeting sense of hope, extinguished when Djourou pissed a clearance straight to John Walters, who made no mistake from close range.

It was a pretty abject way to destroy any feelgood factor after the United game. Maybe that's for the best. Arsenal have been poor for most of the season, especially the second half. They have produced a few good performances in that time, most notably at home to Chelsea and Barcelona. They failed, however, to build on the commitment of those displays. They failed to replicate it, because they either don't want it enough, or are not good enough, or a mixture of the two.

The game against Stoke did not have anything riding on it, so complacency was more understandable, if not acceptable. But the fact is Arsenal's season has been peppered with such displays, even when they were still supposed to be fighting for any of four trophies.

The tiresome talk continues, from both players and manager. 'Arseblog' has drawn attention to the fact that the players were admitting their own culpability in terms of character and commitment and the lack of it as long ago as the autumn of 2008. How many pay rises will these same players get before they are finally kicked out? 'Arseblog' also points to a comical quote by Wenger, who says that an inability to defend set pieces is an easy problem to remedy.

Arsene Wenger's team has had that problem for years. If it is easy to remedy, then where is the remedy? He has been a great manager for this club, and I hate to come across as negative (again), but frankly, he's looking and sounding more and more like a clown. His decline, and that of his team, shows no sign of stopping.

Goodbye Dignity, Hello Champions League Qualifying Round

Spurs 3-3 Arsenal

Chelsea are into second after the latest in a growing line of collapses.

3-1 up not long before half time, but there was never much point celebrating.

Spurs came back to win a point, and nobody was too surprised. It would have been more surprising to see Arsenal negotiate the rest of the game with a bit of authority.

THINGS STARTED WELL when Walcott burst through onto a vintage Fabregas pass. Corluka had no chance of catching Walcott and he slipped a tidy finish, Henry-style, into the bottom corner.

As against Liverpool, Arsenal showed that they could not hold it together even for a couple of minutes. After the whirlwind start, one might have hoped that Arsenal had turned a corner, but instead they immediately served notice that anarchy still reigned.

Corluka saw Van der Vaart make a clever run off the typically dopey Diaby, played a good pass infield, and the Dutchman was in behind the Arsenal defence. Diaby could not even bother throwing his lazy arse in front of the shot, which flew past Szczesny and in at his near post. 1-1.

Arsenal got their noses in front again. Tippy tappy tippy tappy BANG. A bout of short passing around the Spurs area ended with Nasri taking a potshot, which clipped off Dawson and scipped past an unsighted Gomes.

Close to the interval, a mistake by Gallas from a right wing cross saw the ball break to Walcott. He stood up a lovely cross for Van Persie, whose initial header was brilliantly clawed away by Gomes. The rebound dropped for Van Persie again, and he lashed it into the roof of the net.

Of course, for the team that can blow a 4-0 lead, 3-1 is a narrow advantage.

Minutes later, Szczesny rushed out to stop Bale, who was injured in the collision. This could perhaps have signalled that Arsenal's luck was turning, only for the fact that, moments later, Tom Huddlestone found the net with a left-footed piledriver from long range. Half time: 3-2.

Throughout the second half, there was never a sense that Spurs were thumping on the door, but they didn't need to. Arsenal's attacking was less convincing, and the first decent spell they had in the half ended with Spurs equalising.

Lennon was sent racing in behind Sagna, and Szczesny rushed out rashly, and clearly fouled the winger. Van der Vaart buried the penalty, and for the second time this season, and the third in three seasons, Arsenal had blown a two-goal lead against their local rivals.

Although Fabregas drove a decent effort straight at Gomes, if anyone deserved to win the game, it was Tottenham. Szczesny made a couple of decent stops and, for the most part, Arsenal were hanging on. When Wenger made changes, he was fairly cautious, keeping three central midfielders on the pitch. Despite that emphasis on possession, Arsenal's passing game went to pieces, and they spent a lot of the second half launching hopeful, ineffective long balls.

Chelsea won at home to Birmingham and they are now 2nd. The crumbliest, flakiest team in the world continues its slow, sad decline of 2011. Since the Carling Cup collapse, they have beaten two teams- Leyton Orient and Blackpool.

The Title Race That Never Started is Over

Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool

Silly little team!
Undignified old manager!

It's sad. For all the hype, the Premiership is in a poor state. Manchester United are not as bad as they've sometimes been made out to be this season, but they are very flawed. Yet their march towards the title has never been in serious doubt. Arsenal are a let down to themselves, their manager, their fans, and the neutrals who want to see a relatively weak United team properly challenged.

Overall, the game showed some of the worst facets of this spineless Arsenal team. Ciorcumstances called for a performance of some tempo and commitment but instead Arsenal played at the now familiar pre-season pace. Liverpool, despite a patched up defence that lost both Aurelio and Carragher to injury during the game, mostly repelled Arsenal's overly narrow, overly intricate attacks with ease. There were few chances and the game drifted towards the third consecutive goalless result at the Emirates. Arsenal simply looked too nervous to play with any real style and the crowd responded in frustrated, subdued fashion.

Then, seven minutes into the eight added, Arsenal won a penalty, Fabregas felled by Spearing. Van Persie coolly slotted the ball away, and tension finally released, the stadium erupted.

But this is Arsenal, and you know it's never over. Kuyt shot from kick off, Szczesny scurried back to save, cleared the ball. The eight minutes were up but the game went on as the ball had not been "in play" while Arsenal celebrated what they assumed was the winner. A long ball came forward, Arsenal were all over the place, Kuyt nearly got in on the left of the area. Clearances were sliced, tackles were feeble, until a clumsy one on the edge of the box gave Liverpool a free kick. Only Arsenal could contrive this preposterous situation having got ahead so late.

When Suarez could only find the wall, the home fans cheered again, but those cheers dissolved into disbelief as the moronic Eboue chased the looping deflection, and needlessly pushed over Lucas, who was facing away from goal. After a dramatic pause, Andre Marriner pointed to the spot. Arsenal had ballsed it up yet again.

Kuyt kept his cool to bury the penalty in the corner, and the last whistle finally blew, three minutes after Arsenal supposed it was due. In fairness, though, there was never an opportunity for the referee to blow up. For two minutes on end, the ball was in and around the Arsenal penalty area, as the team found a new way to manifest their debilitating nervousness. They have had many comical implosions over the last few years, but this must rank with the most darkly hilarious.

The comedy continued as Kenny Dalglish quite rightly, and quite audibly, told Arsene Wenger to "piss off" as the Frenchman responded in typically sour fashion to his latest misfortune.

"Misfortune". Not the right word. If someone keeps literally shooting himself in the foot, he is not unfortunate. He's an idiot.

Arsenal are that idiot. Eboue best embodies the brainlessness, but it has been present in his absence on many occasions. For much of the game, it seemed Arsenal's only problem was that they had lost their attacking verve at the worst possible time. But when they had solved that problem with the goal, they served a hilarious reminder of their other flaws. They are the last team in the world you would trust to defend for two minutes- just two minutes! A while ago, I suggested that this team were destined for failure, and the only question was how they would arrive at that point. They keep finding new, ridiculous ways.

You have to say, that's pretty sad, and so is the manager's continued insistence on blaming anyone but himself or his team. If that attitude is not dropped, more "misfortune" awaits.

Wenger's Faith is Shaken

Arsene Wenger is sometimes ridiculed for his faith in young talent. Tonight he showed a lack of faith in some of his players.

How else do you explain the starting line up? Minus Alex Song, Denilson was left on the bench despite being the only other "holding player" in the squad. Fabregas started despite his clear lack of fitness. Van Persie started despite a similar problem, and both Chamakh and Bendtner were left on the bench. Wenger professes his belief in his squad, but tonight his faith only extended to his star men. Taking chances with the fitness of players has become a familiar ploy and this is not the first time we have seen it backfire. Last season, Fabregas played in the first leg of the tie against Barcelona and missed the rest of the season as a result. This time out, he was carrying an injury, I have heard, from the fifteenth minute on. Who is to say what damage had been done by the time his ineffective performance was finally brought to an end by second half substitution.

I know it meant a lot to the guy to play at the Nou Camp. But what about the team? What about the rest of the season? If he is playing a game when he's not ready, it is stupid of him and stupid of Wenger. It hinders Arsenal on the night and, possibly, for the rest of the season. The same goes for the Van Persie gamble. For Wenger to take these risks seems defeatist- like saying, "we cannot beat Barca without these players. Even if Fabregas is half-fit, he's better than a fully fit Denilson". Not the case, especially when playing Barcelona involves having to run yourself into the ground, constantly closing them down. It seems ludicrous to me that, with Arsenal down to ten men and trying desperately to hold onto that 3-2
aggregate lead, an already injured, immobile midfielder was left on, while a fit, defensively-minded one was left sitting pitchside. Fabregas was only withdrawn after Barca had turned the tie around.

After the red card, Barca commenced to batter at Arsenal's door with incessant pressure, and they had been cutting through at will for a long period before Xavi eventually found the net. Wenger failed to act, as if paralysed by his own rage at the injustice of Van Persie's sending off. Arsenal limped on with Nasri as the nominal out ball up front, and with Fabregas, Diaby and Wilshere forming a shield of foam in front of an overworked back four. A more proactive manager would surely have thrown on Bendtner or Chamakh, and Denilson. Admittedly, the enforced change of goalkeeper in the first half did not help, as without that, Wenger probably would have used Denilson at 1-1, knowing that he could still put on Arshavin and one of the forwards if needed.

Still, it seems amazing to me that Wenger seemed to wait for disaster, and then try and change things from a losing position. It's not like Arsenal were comfortably holding out, or even playing well, at 1-1. It was an incessant tide and the manager sat back and watched it grow instead of making changes to try to stem it.

What does all of this say about the likes of Bendtner, Chamakh, Denilson? It disgusts the manager when the fans show a lack of patience with still-developing players. What of his own lack of faith? If he really felt so daunted by Barcelona that he didn't feel he could cope without his main men, he should have considered the bigger picture, and how Arsenal would fare for the rest of the season without them. Because make no mistake, he risked their seasons by playing them in tonight's game. Whatever the manager's outward rhetoric, what kind of self-belief will Bendtner, Chamakh and Denilson carry into the rest of the season? The latter in particular must wonder how on earth he could be deemed an inferior option to the stuttering, choking Diaby, who seemed to lose the ball every time he had it tonight.

Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland...

A disappointment, but a familiar disappointment. For Arsenal to drop points at home to Sunderland ought to be shocking, but it's not a completely unexpected result. Three big reasons for that.
1- Arsenal don't play well under pressure
2- Arsenal don't recover quickly from setbacks
3- Arsenal don't cope well without Cesc Fabregas
With the absences of Song, Walcott and Van Persie added to that list, it was never likely to be as straightforward a game as some assumed.

Bad luck played a part. Their keeper made a couple of great saves. Chamakh crashed a header against the bar. Arshavin sliced wide with Bramble falling all over himself and the Russian. And very late on, the same man was played through by Bendtner, danced around the keeper and rolled the ball in, only to be wrongly flagged offside.

But overall, it was the kind of Arsenal performance the Emirates has seen too many times- a slow start, turning into a frantic siege late on as Arsenal strive to secure a result. Since the move from Highbury easy home wins have never become a regular habit, and if you want another obvious contrast with the team that's going to win the league this season, there you have it. United have, if I'm not mistaken, only dropped home points once all season long. Arsenal have, by way of example, lost at home to West Brom and Newcastle.

The team needs more urgency at the start of games, but perhaps when the midfield features Denilson and Diaby, a lack of fluency is to be expected. The Brazilian has fallen out of favour this season, while the "new Patrick Vieira", as some idiots used to call him, is really a YouTube player who does a couple of amazing things during a game (that usually don't lead to a goal) and otherwise spends his time taking too many touches on the ball, slowing every move down and exhibiting a complete lack of footballing intelligence.

Arsenal created chances, particularly toward game's end, but without Fabregas the chances are never as frequent or as clear. We only really appreciate when he's gone the effortless creativity of the guy. I read recently that, statistically, he makes more chances on average than any other player in Europe. For all Arsenal's attacking midfield players, they find it difficult to replace that surgical precision. And for all the huff and puff of Bendtner and Chamakh, neither can blow houses down like Van Persie. A word even for Walcott, whose raw pace is a rare and precious commodity in the Arsenal squad.

Arsenal's injury problems have surely relaxed Barcelona ahead of the second leg on Tuesday. The man most likely to exploit the open spaces they leave behind them is out. And so is Arsenal's primary source of goals. The stalemate today increases the likelihood that Wenger will risk Fabregas and/or Song, and the way things are going, you wouldn't be surprised if that led to more injury problems. Remember that Fabregas played the first leg last season when clearly not ready, and as a result, wasn't seen for the rest of the season.

It all seems painfully familiar. A promising campaign falling apart in the space of a fortnight. The first two chapters of disaster are complete- the loss of the Carling Cup final, and the loss of vital points in the title race. Getting knocked out of Europe by Barca and of the FA Cup by United would complete a familiar picture.

It seems cruel that while Arsenal fall short of being a very good team, they are also a long way off being a lucky one. On Tuesday night they will need a whole pile of luck. Barca can step up as they like to, and Arsenal without Walcott will likely fail to break behind their high line effectively. And we can hardly expect Messi to be as profligate as in the last game, although you'd also expect Arsenal to defend much better than they did on their last visit to the Nou Camp. If Barca have a huge amount of possession- and there's no reason to expect otherwise- they will make chances. I think they will score a few and go through. Arsenal are unable to play the kind of disciplined game they need to.

It's a pity that the next week has become even more important than it should have been, as a result of that cataclysmic cup final. Because they messed up a relatively simple task, now the success of the season rests on two very difficult ones. If Arsenal cannot beat Birmingham, or Sunderland for that matter, why would the players believe they can win in Barcelona or Manchester? And if those games go badly, will the players have the heart or the energy to keep up with United in the league?

Sometimes it seems this Arsenal team are destined to fail, and that the only thing to be decided is how they do it. So let's sit back and find out.

Blue Sunday

Carling Cup Final: Birmingham 2-1 Arsenal
Some are hoping that Arsenal can pick themselves up from this, and win one of the three bigger tournaments they are still competing for this season. I am asking whether they will win another trophy under Arsene Wenger.

The team were on a decent run of results until yesterday. Unbeaten since the meek surrender to United at Old Trafford. But there had been signs of weakness. Most obviously, there was the amazing collapse at Newcastle, drawing a game they had led 4-0. More relevant to yesterday, perhaps, was the struggle during the FA Cup ties against Leeds, Huddersfield, and Leyton Orient. These games suggested that Arsenal's reserve players struggle to beat limited, but well-orgainised and highly motivated underdogs.

Against Birmingham, Wenger did not want to play too many of his back-up players. But injuries to Fabregas and Walcott forced his hand. Still, that shouldn't have mattered. The only non-regular to come in was Rosicky. Positionally speaking, he is a direct replacement for Fabregas. Quality-wise, he is now painfully inadequate. But the biggest blow, as it turned out, was to the mental side of Arsenal's game. Without their captain and best player, they looked nervous and failed miserably to impose their much-vaunted passing style. Still, big teams win without playing well. They do it by hanging in, not making mistakes...

The game started with Arsenal enjoying a huge slice of luck.

Zigic, found by Fahey, played the best pass of his career through to Lee Bowyer, making a vintage Ljungberg-style run beyond the Arsenal defence. Bowyer reached the ball ahead of the on-rushing Szczesny, and was bowled over by the Pole. It was a clear penalty, and quite possibly a red card, but the linesman had wrongly raised his flag. Clichy was playing Bowyer yards onside.

Arsenal rallied a bit. Their first good bit of play came when a nice reverse pass from Nasri found Arshavin in the box with his back to goal. He shimmied to leave Jiranek flailing, but his left foot shot was repelled by the legs of Foster. The first save of many.

The favourites failed to build on this moment of promise, however. Their play was littered with sloppy moments. Alex McLeish had recognised Arsenal's lack of pace sans Walcott, and the Blues defence played high up the pitch. Arsenal offered no direct threat in behind. Birmingham's pressing was aggressive, fair and very effective. Arsenal players didn't look interested, at times, in getting on the ball and playing their football.

Birmingham took a deserved lead. Sagna gave the ball away with the latest of many poor Arsenal passes. The Blues forced a corner. From it, Djourou went wandering instead of marking the towering Zigic. Johnson won the header over Koscielny, and the big man did the rest, nodding the looping ball into the net from close in. Arsenal, characteristically enough, went to pieces for a spell after conceding. Birmingham threatened a second. Szczesny had to save at Zigic's feet. Arsenal were failing to deal with his aerial threat.

Then, an undeserved equaliser. Wilshere was one of few Arsenal men not buckling under the pressure of expectation. He drove forward on the break. Arshavin eventually found him with a pass from the right, and Wilshere's shot from the edge hit the crossbar and looped out. In the same passage of play, Arshavin got the ball again, beat Ridgewell and crossed for Van Persie, who somehow conjured an agile righ-footed volley on the spin, finding the far corner. Another brilliant goal from the Dutchman, but he took a knock in the process which bothered him until his eventual second half withdrawal.

So Arsenal had, for the second time, got out of jail. Surely they would not mess things up now.

The second half began promisingly enough. Van Persie released Sagna to the byeline, and he measured a ball to the edge of the box where Rosicky was steaming in. The Czech struck on the half volley and the shot went just wide.

Birmingham responded. Fahey struck from the edge of the box, Szczesny well beaten, the inside of the post rattled.

As the half wore on, Birmingham dropped deeper, and the threat of Zigic faded. Arsenal finally imposed themselves for a spell, but still failed to create a gilt-edged chance. Mostly, there were shots from the edge of the area. One such, from Nasri, was batted away by Foster. Arsenal continued to attack with a Birmingham player down injured, and Bendtner, on for RVP, saw his deflected shot clawed away impressively. Rosicky had a backheeled attempt blocked by the on-form netminder. Nasri hit one straight at him.

As the half-chances came and went, and Foster kept out the shots, you started to feel that maybe Birmingham's name was on the trophy. Martins came on to provide Zigic with some company. As the 90 approached, the Blues launced another hoof, Zigic beat Djourou to flick on. Martins stood still and the ball was bouncing through to Szczesny. I'm not sure if he should have even had to shout, but if he did do that, Koscielny heard him too late. The Frenchman pulled out, mid-kick, of what was already an unnecessary clearance. The ball rebounded off his confused keeper, and the loose ball fell comically to Martins, who couldn't miss.

Four minutes were added, but Arsenal failed to mount a meaningful attack. The game was up; they had failed on the big stage yet again. Birmingham celebrated wildly and it was hard to begrudge them their success. They had got the tactics spot on, used Zigic well. They were brave, and correct, to push high and deny Arsenal time to settle. They were denied an early penalty. I was happy for Stephen Carr, one of the outstanding full backs in the Premiership. Birmingham plainly had character in spades, the one attribute that Arsenal most glaringly lack.

THAT GOAL
You have to say, it was apt.
Not particularly unexpected, either. When a massive game is lost late in that manner, you should be surprised. With Arsenal, that's not the case. Defensive mistakes have become routine in recent seasons. Although there has been a brief period of semi-solidity, the CC final saw a return to black slapstick comedy. The first goal was the kind Arsenal concede all the time. But the second was one of the worst we'll ever see. Koscielny was highly impressive against Barca, but the constant aerial barrage against Birmingham clearly frazzled his nerves. There was no need for him to even go for the ball, but I guess he thought Martins was chasing it, and that his keeper hadn't come out to claim. Maybe Szczesny needed to shout, or shout earlier. Maybe Koscileny just should have hoofed now, asked questions later. Maybe the keeper could have been more assertive.

In any case, it's the kind of mistake you just don't see big teams make. But a lack of communication between Arsenal defenders is, at this point, a sad trademark. Something that clearly seperates them from the kind of teams that win things. The goal brought together two fatal flaws that have stained the years since Arsenal's last trophy. Defensive ineptitude, and the absence of experience. Szczesny looks set to be a very good goalkeeper, but he's a rookie. So too, despite the hefty price tag, is Koscielny.

Equally worrying is the unavoidable proof, throughout the game, that Arsenal lack the big game mentality. They looked terrified in the first half. Second period, they improved, and could have scored, but none of the saves Foster was forced into, with the exception of that deflected effort, were amazing, and Arsenal didn't make any great chances. I think they missed Fabregas mentally, but also on a simple, footballing level. None of Arsenal's other attacking midfielders are as incisive, either in their passing or in their running off the ball. Nasri seemed to lack the swagger that has made him so impressive this season. Arshavin was typically erratic, but surely shouldn't have been taken off, especially not for Chamakh, who has been hopeless in recent weeks. Rosicky flitted in and out in his now familiar ineffective style.

Birmingham defended narrow, and Arsenal failed to respond to that by getting wide and making crosses. With Bendtner and Chamakh on the pitch late on, this should have been an obvious tactic, but maybe at that stage Clichy and Sagna were too drained to get forward often enough.

THE AFTERMATH
I had said beforehand that victory could be significant. I am sorry to say I think defeat will be equally significant.

Everyone assumed, since West Ham knocked Man Utd out, that Arsenal would win the Carling Cup. They will not often be presented with opposition like Birmingham in a game of that magnitude. That is no disrespect to Birmingham. But Arsenal tend to struggle to beat the likes of Chelsea and Man Utd. So this was a huge opportunity to end the fallow period.

If they cannot beat Birmingham in a Carling Cup final, how do you think they'll do in the Nou Camp? Do you think they can win an FA Cup quarter final at Old Trafford? Do you think, even if United drop points in the league, that Arsenal are able to take advantage? I think they'd bottle it. I think they will lose in the Nou Camp and lose at Old Trafford. As has happened in recent years, I think the season will fall apart in the space of a couple of weeks.

If Arsenal had played convincingly, and won, I would say it was the first piece of silverware this season, promising the possibility of more. Since they lost, and because of the way they did, I can't help feeling it was actually the last chance to win something this season.

Woo! Arsenal 2-1 Barcelona

No one has ever questioned the ability of this Arsenal team. But I've often questioned its character. Against Barcelona, however, they showed a lot of fight. And, despite the common complaints about a lack of experience, Arsenal's three best players were Sczcesny, Wilshere and Koscielny, none of whom had seen much top-level football before this season.

To get a win, Arsenal rode their luck, but that was expected against what is a superior side. Messi had one of his mortal nights; despite laying on Villa's opener, he missed a couple of gilt-edged chances, one in each half. At times he miscontrolled the ball (!) and at times he was too selfish when he could have played in a team mate. Bottom line, Arsenal did not shackle him, and will need to improve in this regard in order to stand a chance of progressing.

It was a fantastic game. In its almost constant stream of action, it echoed Real Madrid's visit to Highbury in 2006. As on that occasion, the scoreline does not really reflect the amount of goalmouth action. Barca will certainly feel they were worth more than one goal. As well as his two surprising misses, Messi had a goal wrongly disallowed at 1-0. Arsenal went to pieces for a spell after Villa's strike, and during this time Sczcesny had to pull off a point blank save from Pedro's flick. The Barca winger was through on goal in the second half but hesitated and allowed Koscielny to get back. Overall, Arsenal's offside trap malfunctioned too often and Djourou and Koscielny failed to strike the right balance between stepping up and tracking back. But Arsenal were never going to learn to defend brilliantly in such a short time and the players deserve a lot of credit for great work rate and, by their standards, great organisation. They are not used to playing for such long stretches without the ball; on this occasion, in contrast to the corresponding fixture last year, they looked ready for the challenge.

It is no secret that Arsenal aspire to emulating Barca's style of play. At the moment, they are no match for them in the possession stakes, but at the Emirates they showed that they can play in more than one way. Again, the contrast with last season was pronounced. Back then, Arsenal looked like they didn't know what to do on the rare occasions when they got the ball back. This time, not only did they press better, they also counter attacked in dangerous fashion. Despite the general acclaim of Barca's performance, Arsenal executed the plan pretty well throughout the game, not just late on. I've read from a few different sources that Barca were in control throughout; in possession terms, they usually were, and looked dangerous most of the time, but their control of the game was tenuous because Arsenal were often ripping them apart on the break. Total control it was not.

Arsenal had their chances too. Early on, Barca looked jittery and the home side seized on their uncertainty pretty well, without always showing the surest touch themselves in the final third. Fabregas was guilty of a few poor passes early on but he created the game's first chance. After Walcott jinked into the box, he squared to the captain, and Fabregas chipped a beautiful pass over Alves and Puyol. Van Persie blasted the bouncing ball goalwards from a tight angle but Valdes stood up well. This came after Walcott had broke and tried to set Van Persie through, slightly overhitting his pass. Just before Barca's opener, another break, instigated by the excellent Wilshere, saw Walcott play in Fabregas to the right of the area. The ball was again slightly overhit, and forced Fabregas wide. As Valdes advanced, the captain flipped the ball across towards the head of RVP, only for Abidal to make a goal-saving intervention. Soon after Villa's goal, Wilshere was at the heart of another counter attack, running beyond Barca's midfield, then playing in Van Persie. The Dutchman dithered a little, getting the ball stuck under his feet, and finally shanked his shot horribly wide.

Make no mistake, there has been some revisionism about the balance of the game. Second half, Arsenal were the better side early doors. They struggled to make a clear cut opportunity but Barca looked less authorative and were under pressure at times. Van Persie almost diverted in Nasri's low cross from the left. Pique was booked for a panicky tackle and will miss the second leg.

Then (between 65 and 70 minutes or so) there was a spell which seems to have defined most peoples' opinions of the game overall. Arsenal lost their way, looked a bit disheartened. Messi ran to the edge of the box, shot selfishly, blocked. Eboue gave the loose ball straight to Iniesta, who played a lovely slide rule pass to the Argentine. Sczcesny made himself big, and Messi could only find the side of the net. Replays suggested he could have squared for one of two team mates. Immediately, with Barca looking as dominant as they had at any point in the second half, Guardiola sent Keita on for Villa. Negative. Simultaneously, Wenger sent Arshavin on for Song. Positive.

There was no immediate effect. The game degenerated into its first real quiet spell. But, as I saw written elsewhere, you have to wonder if Iniesta would have benefitted from the removal of Alex Song, Arsenal's holding player, had the Barca prompter not been moved into the front three to accommodate Keita.

Walcott had a run at Maxwell, tried to cross, the ball rebounded out for a goal kick. This seemed to sum up the winger's night, and he was soon replaced by Bendtner. At one point Gael Clichy knocked a free kick aimlessly through to Valdes from the Arsenal half, and one wondered if the Gunners had anything left.

Then, it happened. The full back who can't buy a final ball conjured his second decent right-footed chip of the season (after his cross for Song's winner against West Ham). Van Persie had a chance out of nowhere, but was fast approaching the byeline. Bendtner made himself available for the expected cross, and Valdes shifted position slightly, moving away from his near post. Van Persie blasted the ball, cutting across it so that it zipped into the space between the post and the flummoxed goalkeeper. It was an audacious effort from a player who was having a poor night to that point. A goalkeeping mistake, too, but how many players would be good enough to take advantage of it? A ridiculous shot- never has selfishness been rewarded so handsomely.

The goal changed the atmosphere completely. Barca were not so cocky, Arsenal's tails were up, and the noise was deafening again. Arsenal had a strong few minutes, but then Djourou gave the ball away needlessly, and Barca outnumbered Arsenal in the home side's final third. Twice more, Messi messed up. First he miscontrolled, then gave the ball away. Koscielny found Bendtner, who passed inside to Wilshere. The Englishman, having the match of his young career, spotted Fabregas in space and found him with a first time pass. Fabregas took it on the turn and then, with the outside of his right foot, sent Nasri steaming down the right and into the Barca area.

First, you were sad it wasn't Walcott. Then, you were glad it wasn't Walcott. Nasri was not quite quick enough to go it alone, and Keita got back. Nasri worked his way in onto his left, and then, displaying the kind of vision poor Theo couldn't dream of, rolled a perceptive ball back and across the area for Arshavin, rushing in from the left. This was exactly the kind of chance the Russian had been spooning into row Z lately, but the Emirates pitch does not present many bobbles, and a lightning move of great passes ended with another, Arshavin cooly dispatching past Valdes and the two covering defenders. The Emirates erupted.

Predictably, with seven minutes remaining, there were moments of panic. A couple of minutes from the 90, Arsenal were opened up with horrific ease, and yet again Messi was haring at the backline. This time he played in Alves, in acres to his right, but the shot was fired straight at Sczcesny. Then in stoppage time, Arshavin bungled a header back to his keeper from Busquets' diagonal. Alves kept the ball in, squared to Messi, but the little man was crowded out, the ball was booted away, and moments later the final whistle sounded.

It was a memorable comeback but the performance was far from perfect. Maybe it's about as close as Arsenal can be to perfect at this moment in time. They hassled the opposition, they were fairly incisive and pacey, and, in the end, they took a couple of chances. You'd expect Messi to be more clinical but, to a lesser extent, Van Persie suffered from the same problem. Both sides had a lot of chances; Barca's were the clearer ones because Arsenal's high line invited passes through it. Sczcesny was confronted by Messi twice, Pedro twice, Villa and Alves; only once was the Pole beaten.

Arsenal will need to defend better, because there is no chance that Barcelona will be as wasteful again. Despite the often flowing football, a lot of the chances stemmed from Arsenal sloppiness. For the goal, Djourou and Koscielny stepped up while Clichy played Villa on. Throughout the first half, Alves was given the run of the right flank, as if Nasri was not even aware of the danger. Arsenal gave the ball away in dangerous areas aswell.

But everyone knows about Arsenal's flaws. The great significance of this game to European football overall may be to remind everyone of Barcelona's weaknesses. They have been rightly lauded ever since the tonking of Mourinho's Real Madrid, but their defence is far from impregnable and their style of play leaves them open to quick, direct counter attacks. Other sides will have taken much encouragement from the way Arsenal opened Barca up on a few occasions. Those teams may not muster the same panache that marked Arsenal's magnificent winning goal, but they may not need to- remember the way Chelsea's fast, physical forward line almost battered Barca into submission two seasons ago at Stamford Bridge. If there is anything that will scare Barca more than the pace and skill of Arsenal, it's pace and power. And how many teams in the Champions League can play better on the back foot than Arsenal? Quite a few.

As it stands, Arsenal can still hope to progress. I don't expect them to do so because of their discomfort with the defensive side of the game, which is likely to be tested even more severely at the Nou Camp. But whatever happens, Wednesday was a night to remember, a great game of football, and it was nice to take the pompous bastards down a peg or two, for now.

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves, 4 points remains the gap

A routine win, after the debacle at Newcastle, and before the daunting fixture against Barcelona.

Van Persie has added a lot since his return. In trademark fashion, he has embarked on a goal glut. In just nine league starts, he now has ten goals. His two in this game were impressive in differing ways.

The first came from Fabregas's dink into the box. Van Persie executed an impressive right foot volley into the bottom corner. The Dutchman now scores plenty of goals with his "weaker" foot.

The goal that killed the game was a fine breakaway effort, a move full of first time passes, starting at the edge of Arsenal's penalty area and ending in the back of the Wolves net. Fabregas swivelled to release Walcott, his cross was instant and the frontman's finish emphatic.

Overall, the game was a satisfactorily quiet build-up to Barca. Djourou's quick return will have settled a lot of nerves. Wolves barely threatened- would that have been the case with Squillaci on the pitch?

With Barca labouring to a 1-1 draw at Sporting Gijon, maybe some of the Fear Factor around the impending Champions League tie will evaporate. Arsenal can ill afford to hold their visitors in awe, even if that may be what they deserve.

The only pity for Arsenal on this weekend was that Wayne Rooney's astonishing overhead kick in the Manchester derby had a very decisive feel to it. Not only did it win a big, difficult game for United, it maintained breathing space between them and the chasing pack led by Arsenal. I've never felt that Arsenal had much of a chance; Rooney's piece of long-awaited magic cemented that feeling.