Arsène, it seems, has got medieval on the collective asses of the press this morning. Responding to the way he feels his comments after the Chelsea game which were generally fair,  were misrepresented, he has threatened to have a press conference and "say nothing". Which is almost as childish as saying that Chelsea didn't "offer a demonstration of football". Hmmm, I wonder who said that on Sunday evening?

Before you wonder what has happened to the man who brought you "I can't quit you, baby" yesterday evening, let me assure you that I am still here and still behind the boss (and no, I'm not lining him up for a knife between the shoulder blades). There still seems to be some kind of collective hysteria amonst a certain section of the Gooner nation, and whilst I concede there are certainly some long suffering Gooners out there, I am equally certain that a few of you are supporting this club based on the success brought to us by... Arsène Wenger, no less. If that applies to you and you are boo hooing about our position in the league table, third with a third of the season to play, then I have this to say to you. Man up and move on. We have a good squad and have suffered from the loss of key players at key times.

Allow me to illustrate. If Manchester United lost Wayne Rooney, who would they turn to? Dimitar Berbatov, most likely and then Michael Owen, right? But who do they turn to after that? Scratching your head, aren't you? Well, that is the situation the boss has been in. I'm as frustrated as anyone that the boss didn't sign anyone to cover that situation this month, but bearing in mind the imminence of Bendtner's return, the fact that- naively, I have to say, Eduardo was expected to only miss a small period of time, what could the boss logically be expected to do in January? Who was available and at what cost? The boss dismissed loan options saying, he had to find players better than what he had. I would (and did) argue that one centre forward is better than no centre forward, but you have to respect his decision. And if anyone here thinks that Arsène didn't sign a centre forward out of some peverse desire to bring the concept of midget football to a logical type of conclusion, then I say to you that you are wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

The goalkeeping situation, of course, is another kettle of fish entirely.

Just on the centre forward thing, speculation is rife that Marouane Chamakh has signed for Arsenal. I suppose it's logical to assume that a player who wants to sign for Arsenal, whom Arsenal want to sign and is, most importantly for the bean counters in London, N5, free will sign for us. It's certainly the conclusion I have come to, but Mr Wenger denies that any deal is done for the would be latest addition to the French Legion. Though, by the time we travel to Portugal next week, Eduardo should be ready to supplement our striking options. That is, assuming Nick Bendtner has not broken down again. He's still not fully fit, apparently.

Which is a worry ahead of what could b a pivotal moment in the season for us. A couple of weeks ago, we had a massive cushion between us and Liverpool. The wrong result tomorrow night would see the gap closed to an inifinitesimal 2 points. Being the confident kind of chap I am; a) I think we will do the business tomorrow night and b) even if the Liverpool result somehow goes against us, in my view Liverpool are far more likely to drop points in the games to follow than we are. But, bearing in mind the fact that we are, as Martin Keown says, set up to try and go and win matches and Liverpool are the very antithesis of that, we will have to be on our guard tomorrow. Looking at our last six league fixtures, we have conceded the first goal four times and thereafter have only come back to win once, 4 points out of 12. Further, the two games where we haven't conceded first, we have gone to a clean sheet and taken 4 points out of the 6 available. So, the importance of the first goal becomes even clearer, we must not concede it! Especially against a semi resurgent Liverpool.

The boss is aware of the dangers of conceding the first goal and you would hope he is absolutely drumming it into the players tomorrow night, by all means play your attacking game, but be sensible about it. Martin Keown's comments about the full backs bring to mind the way they used to be set up "back in the day". If one went, the other one stayed to cover. I'd love to see George Graham and his famous "invisible rope" back and coaching the defence, if only he and Arsène could co-exist on the same training ground, or even let's get "The Rash" back. If nothing else, he could show the boys at the back a thing or two about tactical fouling!

It's been a tough old ten days in Goonerland, hasn't it? Thinking of titles for today's blog, the one that immediately sprang to mind was that of another Led Zeppelin song, "How Many More Times", I think you can work out the connotations of that one for yourselves. Also pinging itself to the front of my brain was the scene in High Fidelity when John Cusack's character is preparing to make what we suppose is his latest mix tape of seduction for a journalist he's met, before ripping those headphones of and exclaiming, "When is this going to stop?". But I figure there's enough negativity out there already and those who would have the Arsenal manager castrated, hung, drawn, quartered and left in pieces outside the entrance to Club Level, at the stadium he helped build, need no further fuel added to their fires.

So, today, we are going to try and accentuate the positives. The positives, I hear you say, what could be positive about losing to Chelsea? What could be positive about one point from nine and no goals in 270 minutes football? Well, stick around and we'll try to find something, we will. I promise.

I just wrote a massive paragraph decrying Manuel Almunia's latest impersonation of a top flight goalkeeper, but then I realised that not only has it all been said before, repeatedly, but it doesn't fit in with my need to be positive this afternoon. So let me just say this; the passivity, the slow reactions, the panicky distribution have all been seen before. Hopefully the final nail in the coffin of his Arsenal career will be the way he watched Didier Drogba's free kick sail past him, before crashing off the bar and coming back past him, Almunia was as much of a spectator to that as someone waiting at the airport for a loved one's flight to take off might be. So, if this proves to be the end of the zombie's Arsenal career, then that is very much a positive.

What might also pass for positivity is the fact that the boss know nows, and I'm having the strangest sense of deja vu as I type this- is it strange? No, not really- what is required at the top level. And I mean the top level, not the level we're at.

He now knows, as if he didn't already, that taking on the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United is hard enough without a goalkeeper, but without a centre forward worth the name it's akin to going all in when you have a two and and a seven in your hand. It's frustrating that we've had to take two beatings when Paul Merson, helpfully I thought, pointed this out before the Portsmouth game. Graeme Souness put it very simply, if Didier Drogba was in an Arsenal shirt yesterday, the result would have been reversed. Perhaps that's a bit simplistic, but I don't think it's far from the truth. That's a positive. Kind of.

We can look at how the ten outfield players did between the first and second goals and after that second goal and take heart from the way the team played, that for me was a huge positive, especially when compared with the surrender monkeys on the field last week. It's a shame though that that speed of thought in midfield was blunted by the lack of cutting edge up front and negated by the derelictions of duty in our defence, not that it wasn't entirely predictable. I also have the slightest inkling that, as at the Grove last November, Chelsea allowed us so much of the ball in midfield because they knew we couldn't hurt them in the final third.

I read some stuff in the Football365 Mailbox this afternoon that I found pretty bizarre. I'm not suggesting that Andrei Arshavin's undoubted talent gives him a right to shirk, but I do think- cut the guy a break. He is 5"4 or whatever it is and for the last few weeks, he's been asked to play a role he's clearly unsuited to. He tried last week and got nowhere and it was he who came so close to rescuing us yesterday. I'm sure nine times out of ten, his finish from Cesc's through ball at 1-0 would have resulted in a goal. I'm sure that that would be 10/10 in training as he faces a goalkeeper who's forgotten how to make saves. I personally can't wait for Bendtner to come back, not just because I believe he is a good footballer, but because his return will free up Arshavin to do what Arshavin does best. That, I think you can agree, will be positive.

It is because I am trying to stay positive this evening that I will not dwell on Theo Walcott jumping up and down and waving his arms around like a kid wanting his mum to buy him an ice cream, thereby distracting Samir Nasri as he strode through unopposed and one on one with Petr Cech, which of course led to the Frenchman doing nothing. It is also because I am trying to stay positive that I will not dwell on Arsène Wenger's ludicrous claim that what Chelsea offered was not a "demonstration of football". No, apparently scoring goals and then defending the lead you have earnt does not count in the eyes of the football purist. Anyway, Carlo Ancelotti (who told us, equally helpfully, exactly how he was going to play this on Friday) answered that claim rather excellently himself saying,

"Maybe they had more possession than us but this is not football. Football is attack, defence and results also. We deserved to win".

Also, to be fair to the boss, he recognised where the difference was and does not need beating with a big stick today of all days, I have no doubt he's hurting as much as we all are.

I seem to have rambled off the track somewhat, haven't I? Positivity is what we're after, isn't it? Well, we won't have to play Manchester United or Chelsea again this season, unless we come across them in the Champions League at any rate. In which case, of course, God help us. Anyway, league business with them is concluded and that's a positive. Also a positive is the fact that really, and I know there are some of you out there losing faith with the boss' ability to spot the problems and resolve them, but the problems we do have are not so big that the squad needs overhauling. We're not (and I may live to regret this statement) Liverpool and nor are we a Tottenham. That's positive. Tottenham, as we all know, would love to be us. 

And whilst the "Wenger out" dissenters grow louder in voice, remember this. Chelsea have spent and spent and spent to get where they are. Watching them yesterday reminded me of a feeling I had about them under Mourinho, this; that Chelsea team is pretty much our perfect nemesis. It's as if they were put together with the sole intention of beating Arsenal time and time again, epitomised, natch, by the hold Didier Drogba has exerted over us since his arrival in English football. But it's taken an obscene amount of money for them to get there. Likewise, compared to the spending power of the Manchester clubs, Arsène is fighting, to borrow a few words from an old friend of his, with both hands tied behind his back. The sooner the Arsenal board make it clear to him that it doesn't have to, indeed shouldn't be, that way the better for all of us and then we can really talk positively.

We will be back. Count on it.

Following the 2008 Arsenal AGM, I managed to upset the editor of Arse.com, Richard Clarke. It was early in the lifespan of this blog and Mr Clarke suggested I wasn't smart enough to be writing for Arsenal Mania. Which was a little unfair of him, in my opinion, but you may well agree. Of course, if you do, I ask you what are you still doing here? Anyway, on Friday night, I completed a bit of a turnaround in my burgeoning relationship with the official website as I was interviewed, briefly, by Tom Watt as part of the Fans Forum programme. Why am I telling you this? Well, obviously because I feel quite proud to have been part of the programme, but mainly I mention it because one of my chief grumbles was the fact that we went into the Manchester United game without a recognised centre forward.

Well, guess what kids? It's gonna happen again! This afternoon! At Chelsea! Yes! Nick Bendtner is not fit enough to start the game today, so once again we will be treated to a Lilliputian forward line trying to run through the legs of a team of giants. This does not fill me with confidence, I must say. Abou Diaby is also considered a doubt, so unless the manager's playing some mind games, the best he can hope for is a spot on the bench. With this in mind, I would like to see something like Song- Rosicky- Cesc as the midfield three and Nasri- Arshavin- Walcott as the attacking trident. We've said it before, time and time again, that Rosicky, Nasri and Arshavin are, "footballistically" very similar players. Well, Theo Walcott may not have the ability that those guys have and, on his current form, starting him would be a wild card selection, but my God he has pace to burn. Of course I say this and he will either not start, with Eboue lining up in his stead, or he will start and we'll be treated to his startled deer impersonation and lots of possession being wasted. He's got a good record against Chelsea though, that is to say he has a better record against Chelsea than he does anyone else which isn't saying much, I know. Jesus, just something different, that's all I'm saying.

Of course, I've also been pleading, though these pleas have fallen on deaf ears, for something different in goal. In today's Observer, the ever excellent Amy Lawrence makes the case for change between the sticks and when she says;

"Manuel Almunia is capable of looking so vexed, with the baggage under his eyes causing such strain, it seems he can not have slept for a week."

She neatly articulates something I and I'm sure a lot of you have long thought. For me, Almunia could easily run up the road to N17 and join the hordes of Tottenham zombies cascading down the high road. Surely it is he and not Jamie who is the progeny of Twitchy Redknapp? Speaking of that lot, they've really capitalised on this run of tough fixtures we've had, haven't they? Another home draw Harry? That's not gonna get it done for you, now is it? Not if you want to finish third. Sorry, where was I? Ah yes, the Spaniard. I really do feel, at this stage of Lukasz Fabianski's career, that if the boss does not rate him as a better bet than the walking accident that is Manuel Almunia, then there is no point in Fabianski being here. I would love nothing more than for Almunia to go out today and put in a flawless performance, unfortunately, I feel it's a bit too much to expect more than a flawless ten minutes. Arsène says he thinks Almunia has done "very well" recently, but then we all know he can't see anything from the manager's bench. We know, because he tells us that all the time. Anyway, today of all days, I would like nothing more than to be able to come here tomorrow and say, I was wrong. Make it so, Manuel!

I guess I'm in danger here, of falling into a little trap and getting hung up on individuals rather than the team. Of course, one guy can play out of his skin today but unless the team performs as a whole, we will, in the words of The Untouchables' Al Capone, "get nowhere". And I guess the boss is right to say that if the players he picks go out and play to their level, then of course they can record back to back league wins at the Bridge. God knows, they should be motivated enough. If they aren't motivated by the thought of getting the Didier Drogba shaped monkey off their backs, they've got a 3-0 home hammering to avenge and the catcalls, jeers and "I told you so"s from last week to fuel their fire. I don't know, I had a bad feeling about last week, but I don't believe that the boys can play as meekly as that two games in a row. At least I hope not.

Of course, aside from the motivation I have already mentioned, the biggest single motivating factor this afternoon should be the chance to haul themselves once more into the title race. Defeat for us means a nine point gap I don't think anyone would expect to see bridged. A draw? Six points is manageable especially bearing in mind the games to come. A win? The three sevens all lined up together? Jesus, it almost doesn't bear thinking about. We looked anything but champions last week, but the truth of the matter is that this title is there to be won and a good result today gives us as good a chance as anyone.

Oh, would you look at that? I've gone and got myself all excited now. Enjoy the game, wherever you are. 

Two days ago I wrote a blog post, called Out of the mouths of footballers. It was in reference to the silly things a footballer, in this instance Robbie Keane, can be prone to saying. It occurs to me now that this might have been a better title for the blog as picking up on the silly things a footballer might say is akin to shooting fish in a barrel.

How else to explain Manuel Almunia yesterday saying that Arsenal only needed to make a "small step" to get themselves back into the title race? Or Samir Nasri's comments today that he is now "defending a lot better"? I chose not to blog yesterday because I'm; a) not feeling very well due to a respiratory infection and b) I'm properly bored of talking about Manuel Almunia and the fact that he talks a much better game than he plays. Anyway, whilst Samir is quite right to say that this Sunday, defeat is verboten, I'm not sure I, or anyone else who witnessed his laughable attempts to help out Gael Clichy on Sunday, would agree that his defending has improved. But maybe I'm splitting hairs.

We've arrived at a genuine moment of truth for Arsène Wenger's side, yeah I know, another one. It's difficult, with two days to go and heavy defeat after heavy defeat handed down by Chelsea and Manchester United, to get that excited about it. I'm sure that by the time I head west to watch the game at my uncle's, assuming I'm over my infection by then, I will have managed to raise the adrenalin levels somewhat.

Le boss has moved to try and ease some of the pressure his players must be feeling as they prepare for Chelsea by pointing out that, before the season began, nobody expected Arsenal to be in the top four, nevermind the title race. Which is fair enough, but it's a touch disingenious from the manager, the equivalent of a Jedi mind trick maybe. Why am I saying this? Principally, I'm saying this because I enjoy a Star Wars reference, but mostly I'm saying this because the manager most certainly did expect us to not just challenge for the title, he expected us to carry it off into the north London sunshine. Or, at least, that's what he told us!

Team news is pretty simple. Eduardo is still out- not, I feel that he would have been much use to us this weekend- with his hamstring problem. Abou Diaby will have a fitness test tomorrow which will determine whether he will participate or not. Seems to me, the best he can hope for is a spot on the bench. The day he, Denilson and Walcott rang rings around Chelsea for an hour in the Millennium (Falcon) Stadium seems like a lifetime ago. It also feels like the last time an Arsenal team played well against Chelsea. Ok, so that's not quite the case, but I'm sure I won't be the only hoping the lads can turn the clock back a few years on Sunday- albeit with a different result to show for their endeavours.

Right, as I haven't got  ATVO and so can't watch the latest press conference, that's about all I've got to offer this afternoon, it also means I won't be able to catch the Fans Forum programme tonight. If you've got access to it, then give it a listen (if you haven't got anything better to do on a Friday night), you might just end up listening to someone whose views seem familiar to the ones appearing here...

Okay, so we've had two days of "life isn't fair and boo hoo hoo", so I think it's about time we moved on. Before I do that, however, let me just say this, I looked up the definition of "support" earlier and I saw nothing about blind faith, nothing about following someone over a cliff just because you  support them. Influenced by, though no doubt not as funny as Bill Hicks, nor as incendiary as The Clash, I'm not here to sit on the fence. In the words of Hicks, if I see a "piece of shit", I will say it. That is my right, as it is your right to disagree with me. But, please don't ever question my support for this great football club of ours, because I am consumed by it and would bleed canons if I was cut down the middle. As my family and friends would gladly testify.

It did occur to me though, as I listened to the Up For Grabs Now podcast yesterday morning, that perhaps I have gone the wrong way about this. Perhaps, I should have tried to find humour in what happened on Sunday. I'm sorry, guys and gals, I just couldn't do it. Though I did enjoy Keith Dover's would be plea to Stan Kroenke, "Don't piss down my neck and tell me it's raining!" I think what upsets me the most is that, reading Gooner 201- the one that took in the aftermath of the Chelsea home match, I might as well have been reading about the Manchester United home match. True, Chelsea's unexpected draw at Hull gives us a big window of opportunity if only we could just lever that window up an inch or two on Sunday- bearing in mind our run in anyway, but when you look at our lads compared to the Chelsea and United teams, do we look like prospective champions?

Perhaps, paradoxically, this is something that will work to our advantage come Sunday afternoon. One thing is true, we may have a crock in goal and we may, at times, defend in a manner that would embarrass schoolchildren. But one thing we're not is a bad football team and, I don't suppose it will happen, but if Chelsea go into Sunday's match expecting an easy ride, they may yet be in for the mother of all surprises. Here's hoping.

Casting an eye over the official website, it seems that Keith Dover, my friend James and, indeed, myself are not the only ones who have been on a "Mugabe media lockdown". It's very quiet. Nothing about Jay Emmanuel Thomas, nothing now from the first team on Sunday's game- though there was something from Cesc earlier this week. A Nick Bendtner interview lifted from Sunday's programme, incidentally still unread and in my bag (what, no Tinkerbell? I demand my £3 back!), news of Sanchez Watt being loaned to Southend, Emmanuel Frimpong's desire to play for Ghana and Sol Campbell saying that his record of appearing in six consecutive international tournaments for England is going to be tough to beat. That is the tumbleweed blowing through Arsenal's corner of cyberspace this afternoon.

We could talk about Barcelona and Cesc, but frankly, I might as well just set up a blog called "Cesc is going to Barcelona- or is he?" and post on the daily updates we get from Spain there as despoil my blogspace here. And I'm not going to do that, so unless Cesc, or Arséne, tells us that he's going, I won't be mentioning another word on this. Or at least I will try not to.

Elsewhere, Football365 have definitive proof of the chocolate sunhattiness of Manuel Almunia with this stat that says there are 17 Premier League goalkeepers who have made more saves than he. Four of whom have played less games. Ah, you say, but what if those 17 goalkeepers are simply more overworked than Manuel? Well, bearing in mind that, of the top 8, only Manchester City and, by extension I suppose, ex Arsenal target Shay Given (is that irony? I'm not sure) have conceded more goals than Arsenal this season, I would suggest that that isn't so. One of the comments on my blog on Arsenal Mania yesterday said that I hadn't suggested any ways to improve the team. Not that Arsène is listening to me, but just in case he is, here's one suggestion: drop the waiter.

In amongst all the "We're only the third best team in the country" angst, I neglected to comment on the "proof undeniable", to borrow a phrase from my favourite FBI agent, that Tottenham's bench is stronger than ours. Yes, it's so strong that they could afford to offload the very man who uttered those foolhardy words in the run up to October's North London derby, Robbie Keane, to Celtic! So Robbie joins his boyhood club, what's that? You thought he already did that at the beginning of last season? Yeah, funny that... 

I'd like to begin today's blog with a public apology.

I'd like to apologise to everyone who read this blog yesterday and disagreed with it, I'd like to apologise to those who feel that because I dared to criticise the manager's team selection and persistence with certain individuals that I am not a true fan, I would like to apologise for the fact that I took myself to the Grove on Sunday afternoon even though I was bleeding out of my throat to watch an atrocious team performance, I would like to apologise to those who say that it's fans like me who are the reason Arsenal lose games like the one on Sunday. Lastly, I would like to apologise to those of you who felt that I couldn't find a single positive thing about the team's performance.

I'm sorry for you all, because there was nothing positive to say- the old adage "if you can't find anything nice to say, you're better off saying nothing" doesn't apply here, I'm sorry because I wasn't on the pitch on Sunday, but we did have 9 full internationals starting the game, who I think you will find are more to blame than I am, I'm sorry but as stupid as some of you might feel yesterday's comments were, our team was at least 11 times as stupid the day before, I'm sorry that the manager thinks Manuel Almunia is good enough to play in goal for Arsenal and that the three alternatives currently on the playing staff are not superior to him, I'm sorry that the manager thinks Denilson is a better player than Aaron Ramsey, I'm sorry that the manager thinks three midfield midgets are going to put a dent into the champions of England, I'm sorry that Arsène Wenger thinks he can get through the rest of the season with only Nicklas Bendtner to lead the line. Finally, I'm sorry that with one of the most extensive scouting networks in the world and millions (our millions, by the way) in the coffers, that the manager can't find players to improve our situation.

Listen (or read, if you prefer), I'm not blind to the fact that improvements have been made this season, but Arsène spoke eloquently last spring of realising that certain things needed to be done to resove, or begin resolving, the deficiencies in the squad. He did brilliantly to replace Toure with Vermaelen and make a profit on that. The replacement of Shabbybayor with RvP at the head of a three pronged attack was a masterstroke, as has been the liberation of Cesc. But we still have a team that is liable, as we saw on Sunday, to panic when in trouble. We now have full backs exposed with alarming frequency and we still- and I really am sorry to go on about this- have a chocolate sun hat in goal. Yes, he's been unlucky to lose RvP and Bendtner at the same time, but once he did he publicly admitted he knew he needed to sign a centre forward. Nobody was asking for the second coming of Pele, or Thierry Henry for that matter, but someone, even if it was only a loan deal. Surely, in the footballing universe there is someone out there we could have signed? Don't you think so? This is not an "Arsène out" blog and it never will be, least of all when we are only points away from the top and sitting in third. But it is a blog that is now saying to you, to Arsène, please open your eyes.

The fact that we pay the highest ticket prices in the country doesn't give anyone a right to demand success, but nobody is paying those prices to see a youth project come to fruition and when you are paying those prices in return for the absolute bollocks Arsenal have served up in their last four home games against Chelsea and United, then you are going to get annoyed a hell of a lot quicker than you would had you paid just £20 for your ticket it's human nature. Do you want to know where your £47 to sit in the lower tier/ £67 if you were lucky enough to have a seat in the corner of the Gods on Sunday goes? It goes on the likes of reserve team captain, Jay Emmanuel Thomas, arrested whilst driving around in a £100,000 sports car. I don't care that he got arrested, but how the hell is a young Arsenal reserve able to afford such a luxury? I remember Arsène saying something like how he thought it would be "interesting" to see how a team could grow together. The recent additions of Vermaelen and Arshavin suggest that perhaps Arsène know that interest has long since faded.

It will fade even further if players like Cesc decide as he might do so quite reasonably, that five years, soon to be six, without winning anything is more than enough for a player of his undoubted quality. The really frustrating thing about this is that we're not far away from having a top quality side. I genuinely believe that, but the positions we need to improve in are not going to be improved on internally- except maybe Diaby and/or Ramsey relegating Denilson to onlooker status. If Cesc does indeed decide enough is enough at the end of this season, and for the record I don't believe he will have decided anything based on Sunday, then we're going to be expecting a hell of a lot from Aaron Ramsey next summer.

No pressure then, boyo.

Arsène Wenger says that the reason he hasn't bought anyone in this January transfer window is that “It is not only about wanting to buy, it is to find better players than what you have available and we haven’t until now. It is as simple as that.”

On the evidence of yesterday evening's embarrassment at the hands of the Premier League champions, perhaps it's time to re-evaluate the quality of the scouting system. Perhaps, as Kevin Whitcher suggests, it's time to assess the manager's ability to judge a player's capabilities once more. Because, watching yesterday evening's performance, it is clear that there are a number of players who are not worth the shirt on their backs. Only a manager, I don't want to call him arrogant, but let's say stubborn, as Arsène Wenger would be persisting with the likes of Denilson, Almunia and, yes, Gael Clichy at present. They are by no means the only ones, but they are the ones who stood out yesterday afternoon.

Talking in the pub beforehand with James and Chris, we said how Almunia always lets us down against Manchester United and what happens? Cross going across goal from the cheat Nani? Oh, let me tip that in for you, sir. Thank you. Not forgetting his gift of possession to Manchester United on the edge of our box in the second half and the continued long balls to short players. It's difficult to pin any blame to him for goals two and three, but the manner of them suggests that not only have we not learnt anything from the Manchester United semi final humbling last season, not only have we not learnt from the Chelsea game two months ago, it suggests that we haven't learnt from the Everton game about three weeks ago. Going a goal down with 10-15 minutes to go till half time was a blow, sure, but why the need for the whole team to camp in Manchester United's half, leaving ourselves open to a devastating counter. Not once, but twice. Idiots. Seven goals conceded in three home games. Not the stuff of champions, is it?

The frustrating thing is that United were 2-0 up at half time having had two shots on target and we had watched Arshavin waste a couple of very promising situations early on. One instance as he dribbled down the left before electing not to square to an onrushing Nasri almost defied belief. That is, until Nasri was presented the ball in the middle of the penalty area later on, a free shot on goal beckoned, but Nasri chose to backheel the ball to, um.. nobody, actually. That for me sums up a lot that is wrong with Arsenal today. Defending from the front? No, we're too sexy for that, let's have United come at us and we'll play deeper and deeper. As Chris said later on, it wasn't so much "men against babies as shit players against good players".

But I've digressed slighty, there was a belief amongst myself, James and Chris yesterday afternoon that United were there for the taking. By the same token, Alex Ferguson must have looked at our team selection and licked his lips. You might get away without a proper centre forward against the likes of Bolton, or a proper goalkeeper, or Denilson, but against Manchester United, an interchangeable selection of dwarves isn't going to get the job done. What is it Denilson does? I don't know anymore. The game was crying out for the introduction of Bendtner, he arrives with 15 minutes to go. Walcott did his usual after replacing Denilson, ie nothing. God, it was grim. I can't find a chink of light to work with, but perhaps that's because I dragged myself out of my sick bed to go and stand in block 19 and watch and freeze and get angry. Can the boss really not find a better goalkeeper than Almunia? Really? Is Fabianski not a better bet? Or Roger Chesney? Too many players have been rewarded for mediocrity this season and if I see a story on Arse.com later today that Manuel Almunia has signed a new, long term, contract I will scream and scream and scream. But I wouldn't be surprised.

Now, before I depress everyone completely, it wasn't all bad yesterday. As I alluded to earlier and indeed previously on this blog, I met up with a couple of Arsenal Mania forumites to watch the game' James and Chris. We met up early in the Twelve Pins, before heading out of what was fast becoming a steam bath, and wandering down towards the ground, stopping at the off licence for a beer and heading into the ground. When the game finished, we headed off to the Tollington, where we met up with Asa (another forumite) and proceeded to put the days events behind us by talking about them and drinking. Lots. We saw Alex Song and Cesc Fabregas drive past us, Cesc actually got out of his car for some reason. The hours melted away and so it came to pass that as I got off my train at Beckenham Hill at quarter to 11 last night, the cold and hurt that I had been feeling 5 hours previously had been replaced by giggles (I had drunk a lot of Jack Daniels) over what a top day I'd had- apart from the football- I look forward to doing it again soon. But maybe not against a proper team.

So, yesterday there was an element of panic in the air. We feared that Thomas Vermalen had broken his leg and was going to be missing for, like, months. It transpires though, that The Verminator has patched himself up and has a small chance of being available for Sunday's afternoon's not quite top of the table clash with Manchester United.  Yes, ladies and gents, it's true,

"He can't be bargained with. He can't be reasoned with. He doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And he absolutely will not stop, ever."

Rumours that Thomas also had to pop his eye out of his head with a stanley knife are, as yet, unconfirmed.

Sol Campbell, then, may have to wait for another chance to kick the living piss out of Wayne Rooney following Mr "I'm an honest player" Rooney's dive that, well, I guess it precipitated the break up of one of the best Arsenal teams of all time 5 years ago. Not to downplay the dive, or rake over old ground or anything like. However, if Sol gets the call from the manager (and it will be him, not Micky the Fish who replaces Vermaelen if neccessary)  then he reckons he is up to the challenge. And did I mention that he might enjoy kicking the living piss out of Rooney? That is, of course, assuming he can catch him. If Sol does feature for what would be his home debut, it will also be his 200th appearance for the club. Let's hope he has cause to celebrate it, come 6pm Sunday evening.

Manchester United have already recorded one victory over Arsenal this week as Chris Smalling has now signed for them, according to Myles Palmer this is because United win trophies and Smalling will have English players he can talk to. Which is an assertion I find a little odd. Point taken on the trophies, but all due respect to Rooney, I don't see him being a conversationalist of the quality of Oscar Wilde, say. Never mind the fact that one English player's role in the attempted signing of Aaron Ramsey was a contributory factor in Ramsey's decision to sign for Arsenal. And do Keiran Gibbs, Craig Eastmond, Theo Walcott, Campbell and Wilshere not count as English all of a sudden? I worry about Myles, I do.

No Smalling for Arsenal then, but both Alex Song and Emmanuel Eboue are in contention for the Sunday's showdown. I voiced an opinion this morning that they'd both probably start, Song in his holding role- rather than covering the loss of Vermaelen and Eboue as one of the attacking three. And then Rachid asked me, what instead of Arshavin, Nasri and Bendtner? And then I remembered that we also have Rosicky and Walcott available. So, whilst there are doubts at centre back and doubts over who will lead the line, mainly owing to Bendtner's ring rustiness, there are a plethora of combinations from the boss to choose from.

Rio Ferdinand, however, will miss Saturday's game and has had three game ban extended to four after the FA upheld the original decision to suspend him. So, that's a plus point for us. Someone looking to capitalise on that absence is the super confident Nicklas Bendtner. He has had half an hour's football in three months, but he says he is ready. Not only for the United game, but to claim the number one striker's role for himself. With RvP out for most of the season and Eduardo still struggling to reassert himself he is unlikely to get a better chance to show people the talent that he believes, and I believe, he has. I like the cut of his jib, yes he sounds confident, but he's not sitting there, or standing for that matter, talking about what he's going to do to United and this and that. Moreover, as a centre forward, he should be confident. I've said it before and I'll say it again, his refusal to hide even when not having the best of games is not only admirable (thinking of that Blackburn game last year) but places him in direct contrast with a certain, unlamented, ex Arsenal centre forward.

Before I go, does anyone else think it's weird that Tottenham keep selling players only to buy them back a year later? Moreover, surely it's unethical for a manager of one club to profit from a mess at another club he directly contributed to? Clever boy, that Harry Redknapp is, but surely not someone you'd want to show the family silver.

The following early edition of Tales From Gillespie Road is brought to you in association with Downham Way Surgery, without whom I would probably still be sitting on a South Eastern train taking 40 minutes to complete a 20 minute journey to work.

I think it's safe to say things didn't quite go to plan for us last night. Not only did we not pick up all three points at Villa Park, not only did we lose Eduardo to a hamstring strain, but we also lost Thomas Vermaelen with a suspected broken leg. At this early stage, it's unclear whether the damage to his fibula is nerve or bone. All of a sudden, in one match, the house of cards looks ready to collapse and again the manager's seemingly laissez-faire attitude to his forward line- "Ah, it's alright we've got Bendtner coming back!", a position that many have struggled with, looks certain to come and bite him on the bum. Never mind the decision to let Senderos go and replace him with a man who, up until 4 days ago had played precisely zero games in the top flight this season.

Which isn't to say I'm not glad Sol's here, because I am. If it's a choice between Sol and Silvestre, than it's Sol anyday, but when the manager says this,

"Sol has not played for six months and just in three days he had two big games, so I will have to see how he recovers."

Then that scares me. Because it hints at Mikael Silvestre starting on Sunday, because it means that even if we can welcome Alex Song back to the fold, he may well be return in central defence, rather than as the screening midfielder we all want to see. Going back to the situation up front, Bendtner comes back and Eduardo disappears, we still have only one recognised centre forward available to us and, if you haven't been paying attention lately, it's Manchester United on Sunday. And Chelsea after that. The Mancs will be buoyed, of course, by their late, late show thus averting extra time in the Manchester derby last night and by the fact that they are still above us in the league- same games now. Though it seems a distinct possibility that Rio Ferdinand will miss the match, he has a disciplinary appeal today following his three match ban for clouting Hull's Craig Fagan. I'm not sure he can blamed for that, you know.

Anyway, 0-0 at Villa Park, our perennial attempts to lead the way in woodwork hit stats seems to have done for us last night, with both Cesc and Rosicky managing it. Rosicky from a position he really should have scored from. Or so I am told. I'm sorry guys, but the idea of sitting and watching the highlights of a 0-0 at Villa Park just wasn't as enticing as the season opener for series 3 of Mad Men. Yes, you can shoot me now.

At the moment, it wouldn't be a midweek game without an opposition manager being upset. When I rolled out of bed this morning, my phone was displaying the Guardian's RSS football feed- "O'Neill slams Wenger's appalling insult". And I thought to myself, what has football's answer to Larry David done now? What possible insult could the catankerous old Frenchman have levied at Martin O'Neill and Aston Villa to provoke such hand wringing appalledness?

Well, this; "..it was a very difficult game because they stopped us from playing when we had the ball and when they had the ball they played a very long-ball game and closed us down. It was difficult for us. We couldn't find our ­passing game. We know what you get when you come here and we were not disappointed. It's a very efficient English game with long balls and very physical."

I'm not sure it merited the response it got from Villa's manager, but he can be a bit over emotional sometimes, can't he? I'm more concerned about us as a theme seems to be developing here. For all the side's increased maturity and better results this season, we still seem to struggle when faced with the physicality of a Stoke, a Villa, an Everton. Of course, it doesn't help that we've missed players like Diaby, Song and Bendtner recently, but it seems to me Wenger's words above are outlining a blueprint for anyone who wants to beat Arsenal to have a right good go at it.

Though it seems reasonable to think that, whilst United will perhaps resist the temptation to play a pure football match and get beaten at the Grove on Sunday, they won't be hitting too many long balls on Sunday, whatever the composition of our central defensive partnership.

Elsewhere, with Jack Wilshere's loan move still not finalised, the boss has hailed Roger Chesney who is on loan at Brentford, as a future Arsenal number one, saying;

"He has all the qualities you want from a goalkeeper. That means a good basic confidence level, he is very brave, fantastic size, very agile and his speed in his reflexes is absolutely unbelievable. When you think it is a goal, with him it is still no goal. He makes unbelievable saves. We are great believers that he will be an outstanding goalkeeper."

He sounds good, doesn't he? I know my Brentford mates are very impressed with him, let's get him in now!

The time is upon us. Almost.

Tonight, Arsenal go to Villa Park, for the first in a run of four games that will have rather large implications for the title race. Whilst, A Cultured Left Foot is quite right to point out that, due to the fact there will still be another three months left in the season by the end of "Crunch Time", this run of games will not be decisive for us, it's difficult to imagine that we could double our tally of league defeats this season and still be in a with a shout of winning our first league title in 6 years, not that is a scenario to be countenanced here. Likewise, 12 points from 4 games- an unlikely tally but something we should aim for- will not guarantee us the title. But it would put us in an extremely favourable position. But let's try not to get ahead of ourselves.

I've managed to start dragging my carcass back into the gym on a regular basis now and, as I arrived last night, the yellow ticker was rolling across Sky Sports News. What is this thrilling information we all need to have now? I wondered. Having left my glasses in my locker, it wasn't immediately obvious to me, but squinting really hard, I ascertained the shocking news that David Dunn had signed a new contract. For me, the only thing newsworthy about that is the fact that the guy can sign his own name, but it just shows you what a dull transfer window this has been. The news was still running when I left the gym half an hour, I mean an hour, later.

Arsène has apparently still not given up on Chris Smalling despite SSN reports of the player himself agreeing to join Manchester United. I don't know what rabbit the boss is planning on pulling out of his hat to rescue this one, but I'd like to see it when it emerges into the light.

Anyway, the team news for tonight is beginning to firm up a little, Samir Nasri and Nick Bendtner, as I alluded to yesterday, will return to strengthen the bench. You never know, if this returning players trend continues, one day we might even have a bench as strong as Tottenham's, I live for the day! Seriously though, having missed the big Dane for so long, it's great news to have a forward that doesn't look like he'll be blown over by a passing shopping bag available for selection. Whilst in midfield, the return of Aaron Ramsey gives Arsène an option he might not have expected for the game. Does he deploy Eastmond in the holding role, with Denilson and Cesc in front, does he go Eastmond, Ramsey, Cesc or does he go with Denilson, Ramsey, Cesc? I suspect it'll be the latter, but equally I wouldn't be surprised to see Eastmond start with Denilson and the captain.

Up front, I think it's safe to assume a front line of Rosicky, Arshavin and Eduardo, though the boss may give Theo Walcott, on whose behalf the boss has asked for our patience, a chance to erase Sunday's horror show and give Aston Villa a taste of their own medicine.

The boss is under no illusions about what lies ahead, it is certainly a significant run of games. But as he says, we are in a strong position and certainly, our league form gives real cause for optimism that we can come out of these four games relatively unscathed. The Cesc Fábregas show was enough to destroy Villa a few weeks back, whilst just a couple of week previously, Liverpool were downed courtesy of that Arshavin thunderbolt. The manager highlights that comeback as the turning point of the season, the point where the players, who had staggered from one big defeat to the next, realised they could compete at the highest level. Coming just two weeks after the Chelsea debacle, it was a big moment. And on that, let's not forget how everything went for Chelsea that day; the goal from their first, shinned, shot on target, the own goal two minutes later, our disallowed goal and a soft free kick leathered home in the dying minutes. There's no reason for us to fear going to Chelsea in a week and a half's time. Anymore than there is to fear the visit of Manchester United, who were another team to profit from Arsenal generosity.

That is all ahead of us, however, what is important tonight is to carry on the good form we've shown in the league and make it 26 points from 30. If we do that, we have a very good chance of going into Sunday's game with Manchester United standing tall at the top of the table, in a position of strength.