Arsenal v Galatasaray Preview

Arsenal started their Champions League group with a 2-0 defeat away to Borussia Dortmund and they have the chance to make up for that result tonight. They play at home to Galatasaray in a game in which three points are an absolute must if they are to stand a real chance of qualifying from the group. It's a group Arsenal should be qualifying from, but that defeat to Dortmund has left them playing catch up.

Galatasaray didn't have a great start either and had to rely on a late goal to get a point at home to Anderlecht. The Belgian team are seen as the minnows in the group and Galatasaray's result could well be put into perspective when Dortmund visit Anderlecht tonight. Galatasaray have taken seven points from their first four league games in Turkey, but they did have the slight advantage of playing last Friday night to give them an extra day's rest before tonight.

With both Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta picking up injuries at the weekend Arsene Wenger is a little limited in his options for tonight. Jack Wilshere also picked up a knock and might not be risked although he is in the squad tonight. Abou Diaby might have had a hope of getting a game tonight, but it appears he's not quite up to it and isn't in the squad either.

With the current list of defensive injuries there's no real choice at the back with the same defence and goalkeeper as that used at the weekend bound to start again. It's a very risky game Arsenal are playing defensively at the moment with no experienced back up to call on after the much needed defensive arrivals never materialised in the transfer window. If they pick up another defensive injury it could deal a fatal blow to their chances of doing anything this season.

In midfield I guess Mathieu Flamini has to play the holding role, but his performances have been far from convincing this season. He was the player caught in possession on Saturday for Spurs to score their goal and he didn't cover himself in glory in the 2-0 defeat in Dortmund either. Arsenal's lack of strength in that area is another result of transfer inactivity at a time when the team was crying out for a new arrival. 

If Wilshere plays I would imagine Mesut Ozil will have to be in the number 10 role in front of him with Danny Welbeck again playing up front. The big choices could be who plays in the two wide roles and I think it has to be both Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Alexis has been on the bench recently but he surely has to start and Chamberlain did enough on Saturday to keep his place.

There's always the option of playing Chamberlain alongside or just in front of Flamini or even putting Santi Cazorla in there. I don't think Cazorla is strong enough to play that role, but Chamberlain has played there before and done quite well too. If Wilshere isn't risked and Chamberlain does play a deeper role I would then expect to see Cazorla play out wide. 

It would be plain crazy to move Ozil out wide again to accommodate another player in his favoured role. It didn't work well enough on Saturday and he has to play a more central role like he did in the 3-0 over Villa the previous week. I know Ozil played wide left in the German team which won the World Cup, but he is Arsenal's most creative player and record buy and the team needs to be built around him.

The bench may start to take a bit of a sparse look as Arsenal's annual injury problems mount yet again. It can't be a coincidence that so many players are picking up so many injuries yet again and the club have to find a way to combat them. 

As for the game itself I expect Galatasaray to try to sit tight and hold on to what they have while looking to hit Arsenal on the break or from a set piece. It's a tried and tested technique against Arsenal this season as in previous seasons and Arsenal will have to find a way to break them down. On a few occasions last season Arsenal came out in home games and absolutely blew the opposition away from the first minute and I would love to see such a performance for the first time this season.

Too often this season Arsenal have conceded the first goal and found themselves up against a massed defence as they tried to get back into the game. They have conceded first in four of their six league games and even though they managed to fight back in all of them they only won once in those games. They can't afford to keep conceding first as they won't always be able to get back into the game.

I hope to see something extra from Ozil and Alexis tonight in a competition which so often brings out the best of the best players. Both of them cost the club a lot of money and they're both capable of winning the game all on their own. If they're on their game they're both more than capable of making the difference in a very tight game.

The team will have to give a little more than they did on Saturday to earn a point against a very average Spurs side. After equalising in the second half the players couldn't summon up enough to put the required pressure Spurs which would have seen them crumble. Given the chance tonight they have to put Galatasaray to the sword and put themselves in a position to progress from the game and into the knockout stages.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Face Southampton In The Capital One Cup

After what could only be described as a perfect weekend in the Premier League for Arsenal they face Southampton tonight in the third round of the Capital One Cup. It's a competition in which Arsenal have done well in the past, but not quite so well in recent seasons. They haven't actually won the League Cup since 1993 and have never done so under Arsene Wenger despite reaching the final in 2007 and 2011.

The manager has traditionally given a run to fringe players and reserves in league cup games and I can't see this game being any different. He has quite often played a completely different starting 11 in this competition from the one which has played in the previous league game. This game should give a few players a chance to show what they can do and maybe try to impress the boss.

We should get our first chance to see David Ospina in an Arsenal goalkeepers shirt and he could be in for a pretty busy night too. In defence I imagine both Hector Bellerin and Isaac Hayden will get a run out, but it's not easy to see who else might play there. Semi Ajayi has been drafted into the squad and he could well see himself in the centre of defence with Hayden. Who plays at left back is anybody's guess although I suppose there is a chance Francis Coquelin will have to fill in with no other real options. Nacho Monreal is still injured and I would be very surprised if injury prone Kieran Gibbs was risked.

There are plenty of options in midfield and I would imagine a combination of Mathieu Flamini, Abou Diaby, Tomas Rosicky and Gideon Zelalem might be the ones to play. Jack Wilshere is a possibility after he was on the bench at the weekend, but I would be surprised if he was risked in a game which is so far down the list of priorities for the club. There's plenty of talent in that foursome and it would be great to see Diaby in particular playing a competitive match for Arsenal.

In attack I suppose Lukas Podolski is a shoe in to start with Joel Campbell more than likely to get a run out too. That would leave Chuba Akpom on the bench and hopefully he can get a run at some stage in the game. He's a talented player and has looked very good in his appearances for the under 21 team so far this season.

I would be surprised if Southampton didn't play a full strength team to continue their fine start to the season. They have taken 10 points in their last four games and are in second place behind leaders Chelsea. They have also got the best defensive record in the league so far this season with only three goals conceded in their five games and only one in their last four.

There was some concern that they would struggle after they sold so many of their players in the summer, but Ronald Koeman appears to be doing a very good job. They are still playing an attractive brand of football and look like they are capable of giving any team a run for their money. They're not going to win the league though and a top four finish is probably beyond them so a good cup run is probably the best they can hope for.

A win away to Arsenal would be a great feather in their collective caps for Southampton and a further boost to their confidence too. If they play a strong team they have every chance of doing so with the probable Arsenal defence looking short of experience at this level. The winners go through to the last 16 and I have no doubt Southampton would be more than happy to progress to the next round.

For me the Capital One Cup offers some young Arsenal players a chance to sample first team football and play in front of a very large crowd. I'm not too bothered whether they progress or not, but I do want to see a good performance from the players who are chosen. If they manage to get through to the next round then that's great but it's no big deal if they go out.

I will of course be cheering Arsenal on and hoping for a victory as always when they play, but I won't be taking the result as a pointer to how the rest of the season is going to go. In an ideal world Arsenal will win with Diaby shining and Campbell maybe getting his first goal for the club too. There are bigger fish to fry though with Spurs, Galatasary and Chelsea all coming up after this game and it's important to have the strongest team possible for those three games which has to be the most important factor when tonight's team is picked.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Finish Their League Campaign On A High

Arsenal played their final league game of the season yesterday when they travelled to already relegated Norwich City. Arsenal came into the game on a run of four wins in a row and wanted to finish their season with 15 points from their last five games and their highest points tally since 2005. Despite Norwich already being as good as relegated they have proved to be a tough team to beat at home this season and weren't going to lie down and play dead.

I expected Arsene Wenger to make quite a few chances to the team with next week's FA Cup final against Hull in mind. There weren't too many changes though as the boss chose to pick a strong side and keep the team's momentum going. The team he picked proved to be far too strong for Norwich and Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners. 

Lukasz Fabianski was picked in goal which denied Wojciech Szczesny the chance to run up the most clean sheets of any keeper in the Premier League this season. With Szczesny not playing I think he might be the keeper to get the nod for the cup final next week which would be the correct decision in my opinion. It's a possibility that Fabianski was played because he will be the one to play in the cup final next week and it was decided to give him a game the week beforehand. 

Fabianski has played in every other round but he's set to leave in the summer and surely Szczesny has to be the man for the cup final. Fabianski had a very good game though and he showed he will be a big loss to the squad when he does leave. He had his problems when he first got into the team, but he probably would be Arsenal's first choice right now if it wasn't for a series of unfortunate injuries at exactly the wrong times for him.

In defence both Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson came into the team with Nacho Monreal dropping to the bench and Per Mertesacker getting a day off. It meant Bacary Sagna played as a central defender, but I have no doubt that Mertesacker will be back in the team next week. Gibbs got the chance to prove his fitness after his latest injury and it's going to be a very close call between him and Monreal next week.

In midfield Aaron Ramsey and Tomas Rosicky came in for Mathieu Flamini and Santi Cazorla but their additions certainly didn't weaken the team. Ramsey has had a great season and Arsenal's fate in the league might have been a lot different if he hadn't missed over three months due to injury. If he can stay fit for the whole of next season his influence could be what the team need to get even closer to winning the league than they did this season.

I was surprised to see Olivier Giroud starting as I thought he would be rested for next week after playing so many games this season. He is Arsenal's top scorer this season despite the misgivings I have about his goalscoring ability and it's important for the team that he is fit for next week. He went close on a couple of occasions, but again showed he doesn't have the killer instinct associated with a top class striker.

Norwich started well but Arsenal gradually took over and should have been ahead by half time, but a mixture of John Ruddy saves and some poor finishing kept Norwich in the game. With Ramsey and Mesut Ozil running the show in midfield I was confident the goals would come in the second half. 

It didn't take too long for Arsenal to go ahead in the second half and it was no surprise to see Ramsey get the goal. Just seven minutes in Giroud clipped a ball to the far post and Ramsey met it with a sweet volley into the top corner of the net. It was a fantastic finish from a player who's goals from midfield have been a revelation this season.

Only 10 minutes later the game was over as a contest when Jenkinson poked the ball home for his first goal for the club. He was thrilled with his goal and who can blame a player who has been a life long Arsenal fan. With Sagna also leaving this summer he might expect to play a lot more next season, but it does look like Arsenal are hunting for a new right back.

With Arsenal looking good for the win Jack Wilshere came on for Ramsey just after the goal and he will hope to at least make the bench next week. Like Ramsey his season has been interrupted by injury and that was his first appearance in 10 weeks. Arsenal have so many midfield options for next week that the boss will have a tough job picking the right combination.

With 15 minutes to go Giroud and Rosicky were replaced by Yaya Sanogo and Abou Diaby. It was great we too see Diaby back after a 14 month injury absence and on his 28th birthday too. It's impossible to know how his career might have gone if he didn't suffer that horrific injury in 2006 and hopefully he can put all of those injuries behind him now. Sanogo has been the striker to lead the line in the FA Cup this season, but it's difficult to imagine he will get the nod ahead of Giroud next week.

Arsenal went looking for more goals and could have had a few but Ruddy was at his best to deny them. At the other end Fabianski did his best to keep Norwich out and he did very well to keep a clean sheet on the day. The win saw Arsenal finish the season on 79 points in fourth place and qualify for the final qualifying round for next season's Champions League yet again.

They finished 15 points ahead of last season's champions and it's strange to think that tally only brought them fourth place. At the start of the season I would have thought finishing 15 points ahead of Umited would have been enough for any team to win the league. I would also have thought a final tally of 79 points would more than lithely have seen any team finish second in the league.

The season isn't over for Arsenal though with the FA Cup final to come next week and it will be judged as a successful one if they win the cup. The league campaign might be one full of what might have beens, but the thought of playing for a trophy next week is one all Arsenal fans are looking forward to. Let's hope they can continue the vein of form they're in at the moment and lift that trophy at Wembley next Saturday evening.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Premier League Game With Reading Previewed

The dreaded international break is finally over and Arsenal can get back to the important matter of assuring Champions League qualification for next season. They have nine games left to get as many points as possible and try to overtake either Spurs or Chelsea. It won't be an easy task but it's one the team are capable of living up to.

The first game of those nine is at home to relegation threatened Reading and it's one Arsenal should be winning handsomely. Reading have the worst away record in the league with only five points taken from 15 games so far. They have also conceded more goals than any other team in the Premier League at the moment.

Of course statistics can be used to prove or disprove just about anything and can never be fully trusted. I could just as easily tell you Reading have scored more goals against Arsenal than any other team this season with seven goals in two games on their own ground. Arsenal did manage 12 goals in those games though and won them both of course.

Reading sacked ex Arsenal player Brian McDermott from his position as their manager a couple of weeks ago and replaced him with Nigel Adkins. Adkins looked to have been harshly treated when he was sacked by Southampton in January himself and will be looking to prove his credentials at Reading. This will be their first game under his control and a team with a new manager can be a dangerous animal sometimes.

Players will feel they have something to prove to a new manager and some players might get a new chance after being discarded by the previous regime. In Reading's last game they played quite well and only lost 1-0 away to runaway leaders United. They had a temporary manager in charge for that game and their players gave their all for the cause.

Arsenal cannot be complacent and need to treat their opponents with the utmost respect. They have to make sure they play at their best and do all they can to kill the game off as quickly as possible. Reading have been known for their comebacks this season and Arsenal need to make sure they get no such opportunity in this game.

In team news the international break has taken it's toll with Theo Walcott unavailable after picking up a knock. Jack Wilshere is still unavailable due to his ankle injury and will miss next week's game at West Brom too. Kieran Gibbs has been sick in bed and the chances are Nacho Monreal will fill the left back slot in this game.

Poor old Abou Diaby injured his left knee in training on Wednesday and will miss the next nine months. He had so much potential before his horrendous injury against Sunderland seven years ago. We have only seen little bits of what he can do since then and sadly I don't think he will ever get to fulfill his potential.

Bacary Sagna is available again and so is Lukas Podolski and the chances are they will both come straight back into the team. Carl Jenkinson might feel a little hard done by if Sagna plays, but Sagna is still the first choice right back at the club. Hopefully he can play more like the Sagna of old than like the Sagna of the last couple of months before his injury.

Lukasz Fabianski should continue in goal with Wojciech Szczesny on the bench again. It was a bit of a shock to see Fabianski come from almost nowhere in terms of recent playing time to usurp Szczesny, but he has looked the part in the two games he has played. Hopefully Szczesny can come back an even stronger and better goalkeeper and the competition can only do Arsenal good.

The big choice for Arsene Wenger will be his central defensive pairing and I hope he goes with the pair that have started the last two games. For me the best pairing are Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny which means the club captain has to miss out. I'm not so sure how Thomas Vermaelen feels about it but hopefully he can try hard to regain the form he has shown in previous seasons.

With Wilshere missing I think the midfield more or less picks itself with Mikael Arteta, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey the starting trio. Walcott's absence will see either Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Gervinho start on the right with Podolski probably returning on the left. That means Olivier Giroud will play through the middle and hopefully he can stay fit as he is the only player we have who can play there in my opinion.

The task at hand is quite simple for Arsenal. They have to play at home to the worst defence in the league and against the team with the worst away record too. They need to impose their game on Reading from first minute to last and not let up at all. There's an opportunity to put real pressure on both Spurs and Chelsea who have tricky away games at the same time that Arsenal play.

If Arsenal can win and Spurs don't beat Swansea then Arsenal's fate is in their own hands again with a game in hand. Spurs have crumbled in this position in the past and there's no reason why they shouldn't do so again. Arsenal need to keep winning games to take advantage of any points dropped by Spurs or Chelsea.

A top four finish is so important to bring Champions League football and the TV revenue from that is probably 10 times the revenue from Europa League football. It would be a shame if half of Arsenal's transfer kitty had to be set aside to cover the fall in income from not making it through to the Champions League.   

Of course this weekend is very special to Arsenal fans for another reason as tomorrow marks the 12th anniversary of the day David "Rocky" Rocastle was so cruelly taken from us. He was so young at only 33 years of age and despite moving from Arsenal he will always be remembered by our fans as a truly great player. I was lucky enough to see him play on a few occasions myself and tomorrow will be a sad day for me.



Hopefully the team can get a result to cheer the fans on such a sad occasion and I'm sure he will be fondly remembered at the game today. One of my favourite memories of Rocky in an Arsenal shirt was the magnificent goal he scored away to Manchester United in 1991. He showed exactly how good he was with that goal and I've included it below for all to see.

I'm hoping for a great Arsenal performance today to show the teams they're chasing that Arsenal won't give up in their quest to catch them. Three points and a good performance would be the ideal way to kick start the run in and I'm predicting a 3-1 win for Arsenal.

Football is a simple game and Arsenal are a better team than Reading. They quite simply have to show that along with hard work and desire and I'm sure they will reap the rewards. Anything other than a win would be a huge blow and just cannot be allowed to happen.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's FA Cup Trip To Brighton Previewed

Arsenal play away to Brighton today in the fourth round of the FA Cup. It's a trophy they have won four times under Arsene Wenger and it's probably their best chance of a trophy this season too. It won't be an easy task though with three more rounds after this one before the final.

Brighton might currently ply their trade in the Championship but they will be no pushover. They deservedly beat Newcastle 2-0 in the last round and they are a threat to any team on their own ground in particular. They have only been beaten three times at home in 14 league games this season.

Of course Arsenal have the players to beat Brighton, but those same players went out away to League Two side Bradford in the Capital One Cup. Their performance on that night was below what is acceptable and they need to play a lot better against Brighton. Arsenal's biggest problem could be not taking their opposition seriously enough.

In recent games there has been a marked difference between how Arsenal have played in the first half and the second half. That was never more obvious than on Wednesday when they played well enough before the break, but they absolutely blew West Ham away straight from the kick off in the second half. Their display was reminiscent of how Arsenal had played for so many years under Wenger.

In team news both Abou Duaby and Tomas Rosicky are available for selection and I would expect to see at least one of them play from the start. Thomas Vermaelen will miss out after picking up an ankle knock against West Ham, but Laurent Koscielny is a ready made replacement. His absence means Sebastien Squillaci should be on the bench and I can only hope both Koscielny and Mertesacker don't pick up an injury.

In the last round Arsenal made hard work of dispatching Swansea and only won through after a replay. With the last 16 of the Champions League coming up next month the last thing Arsenal need is to add more games to their schedule. A replay is not what is required and they need to get their business done today.

I would hope to see the team continue where they left off against West Ham and play some really good football. Unfortunately it's not always so easy to predict what this Arsenal team will do and there is no certainty to how they will play. If they really did turn a corner against West Ham then it could be exactly what their season needs.

With a home league game against Liverpool on Wednesday night there could be a temptation for the boss to rest a few of his players today. As long as he doesn't rest too many of them the team should be able to keep their momentum going. I would expect to see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain make a start too and maybe one of the full backs will be changed.

The big question is who to leave out and personally I think Bacary Sagna could do with a break, but then again Kieran Gibbs has always been injury prone and a rest would do him no harm either. Given a choice I would prefer to see Carl Jenkinson in the team than Andre Santos. In midfield it's probably a straight choice between leaving out either Santi Cazorla or Jack Wilshere and both players probably need and deserve a break.

If either of them are left out I would imagine that player will be on the bench in case of emergency. I would be very surprised if Aaron Ramsey didn't play after having a very good game against West Ham and hopefully he can continue in the same vein today. There's no telling how much his career was set back by his horrific leg break, but maybe he can still become the player Arsenal fans hoped he would be.

Despite so many upcoming games for Arsenal it's hard to see which of the front three should miss out today. They played so well together against West Ham that I would be tempted to play the three of them start together again. The two wide players got in behind the West Ham defence very well and cut balls back into the area that caused absolute havoc.

Olivier Giroud may have had a little trouble settling into the role of a central striker, but he showed a predatory instinct that needs to be exploited more often. When the wide payers get to the end line and cut the ball back he has a real knack of getting in at the near post to score. He will never be the high profile world beater that Arsenal sold last summer, but he looks lie he might be a pretty poacher with the right service.

The FA Cup has always been considered the great leveller in English football and Arsenal have to make sure they aren't the ones making the headlines for the wrong reasons this evening. As long as they approach the game in the right manner I think they will be strong enough to progress to the last 16. It won't be easy against a Brighton team that like to play football the right way, but Arsenal will get the chance to play at least.

It can be dangerous to let Arsenal play too much and I expect Brighton to try to get as tight as possible on them. That can be a very tiring tactic for any team and it could take time for Arsenal to find the space they need to take control of the game. I do think they will find that space though and get the win they need to keep their hopes alive in the FA Cup this season.

I'm predicting a 3-1 win for Arsenal and hoping for no new injuries ahead of two home games in the league in the next week. Three wins in those games would certainly get the train right back on the tracks with a last 16 spot in the cup and three league wins in a row.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Premier League Game With West Ham Previewed

Arsenal play West Ham at home tonight in a must win Premier League game for them. They have taken only one point in three league games so far this month and they have to start winning games now. It's the first of three home league games in a row and Arsenal need a minimum of seven points from those three games.

In truth they probably need nine points from those games but considering their current form seven points would not be a bad return. They currently lie seven points behind fourth placed Spurs with a game in hand and they need to close that gap as soon as possible. Everton are four points ahead of them too and they have also played a game more at this stage.

The league table would look an awful lot better for Arsenal ahead of their FA Cup trip to Brighton on Saturday if they get the three points tonight. The FA cup represents Arsenal's only real chance of a trophy this season and it is a competition that has to be treated with respect. They have to be able to field a team on Saturday that can go to Brighton and win the game.

That won't be easy for a team that is struggling to keep pace with playing twice a week at the moment. The squad depth at Arsenal just isn't good enough at the moment and they're picking up a few injuries at the moment too. They need to bring in reinforcements before the transfer window closes at the end of the month and Arsene Wenger spoke of his intention of doing so yesterday.

He said he wants to bring in players but that it's not easy to do so with players who are under contract unless their clubs are willing to sell them. Arsenal have plenty of money to spend and using that money on the right players could just give them the impetus the team is so badly missing at the moment. I wanted Arsenal to get their business done early on in the transfer window, but at this stage I just want some good players to be added to the squad before the window closes.

The recent volume of games is starting to take it's toll on the players and Francis Coquelin is the latest player to pick up an injury. He injured his hamstring in the defeat at Chelsea on Sunday and no return date has been given for him yet. With Mikael Arteta already injured Arsenal will struggle to find a player to play the defensive midfield role.

Abou Diaby might have been expected to play there, but he was thrown in at the deep after three months out injured and looks like he needs a rest already. Considering his injury record it would be a huge gamble to play him and very unfair on the player too. He looked tired on Sunday and it would probably be better if he was given a rest until the game on Saturday.

There should be a couple of players returning to the squad tonight, as both Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have recovered from the illness that kept them out of the squad on Sunday. If Podolski is up to playing tonight I would expect him to start in a wide left role with Santi Cazorla switching back to a midfield role. Chamberlain can play in that position too but I would expect Podolski to get the nod.

I would be surprised to see any changes in defence despite the poor form of Bacary Sagna in the last few games. Carl Jenkinson must be chomping at the bit and wondering exactly how bad Sagna has to play before he gets a chance. I'm sure he doesn't want to see Sagna play badly, but he must also think he can do better than him at the moment.

I wasn't overly impressed by Oliver Giroud on Sunday but I think he has to play again tonight. He is the only player Arsenal have who is capable of leading the line and his efforts in defending set pieces cannot be overlooked either. West Ham will take every opportunity they can to pump the ball into the Arsenal box and Giroud's contribution could be very important.

West Ham play a style of football which isn't exactly attractive, but it was quite effective for them earlier in the season. They haven't fared so well in recent games though with only two wins in their last 11 league games. They probably will garner enough points to safely avoid relegation, but they're struggling at the moment.

West Ham have managed to win two of their 10 away games so far, but they have only scored five goals in those 10 games. They have also lost six of those games and Arsenal have to make that figure seven by the end of tonight.

Despite Arsenal's defence looking decidedly unstable at the best of times this season they have a pretty good defensive record. Only City and Chelsea have conceded less league goals than them this season and they will have to be strong tonight. West Ham won't spend much time in their build up play as they will look to launch the ball at the Arsenal defence at every single opportunity.

Arsenal will have to concentrate at all times and make sure they are there to win the second ball when headers are won in their box. Wojciech Szczesny will have to be brave and time his runs from goal to perfection to cut out what crosses he can. He can expect the West Ham players to try to put him off by fair or foul means as any Sam Allardyce team would do.

What Arsenal also need to do is to play their own game when in possession and do so from first minute to last. There can be no more of their second half only performances and they have to be sent out with the right mentality from the first minute. They will have far more of the ball than West Ham and they need to take advantage of that.

I would be surprised to see Emmanuel Frimpong play from the start which would probably see a midfield trio of Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey. The defensive abilities of those three aren't exactly renowned but they will have to do their share of defensive work tonight. All three of them are capable of hurting West Ham though and they will need to show their attacking capabilities too.

Arsenal have more than enough attacking ability to win by a few goals tonight and I think they will get the result they need. I'm predicting a 2-0 win for Arsenal and I'd like to see Giroud get one of the goals. He's going to have to play regularly unless Arsenal sign another striker and he could do with a goal for his confidence.

The team needs a boost too after all of the trials and tribulations of recent weeks and a win tonight would be just the tonic. It might just give them the strength to go to Brighton on Saturday and win their way through to the fifth round of the FA Cup. I'm not sure how much the players will have left by the time Liverpool come calling this time next week, but hopefully they will be up to the task.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Lose 2-1 Away To Chrlsea

Arsenal went to Chelsea yesterday afternoon to play a game which they really had to take something from. They had taken only one point in the two Premier League games they had played so far this year. With the race for fourth place picking up pace it was vital that Arsenal got something to keep pace with Spurs and Everton.

The chances were that Arsene Wenger was going to keep faith with the same team which beat Swansea 1-0 in their FA Cup replay on Wednesday night. News came through that both Lukas Podolski and Alex Oclade-Chamberlain were ill which more or less guaranteed the team remained unchanged. It also meant the team's options from the bench were very limited.

The game was very open from the first minute and Chelsea had a good appeal for a penalty turned down. Abou Diaby appeared to have both arms around a Chelsea player in the Arsenal penalty area and it wasn't too far off a similar incident involving Laurent Koscielny last week. The difference was last weeks holding was more obvious and prevented a goal scoring chance and the referee chose to ignore it yesterday.

Soon after that Arsenal should have taken the lead when Theo Walcott played Olivier Giroud in on the left and he put his effort wide of the far post. He really should have done better and Arsenal paid the price less than a minute later.

Arsenal cut out a Chelsea move and the players pushed up as Francis Coquelin brought the ball out. Coquelin played the ball a little too far in front of himself and stretched to knock it away from the advancing Ramires. The Chelsea player went in on Coquelin's foot with his studs and left Coquelin on the grounding agony as Chelsea broke forward.

A quick ball was played over the Arsenal defence to Juan Mata who was in acres of space with Bacary Sagna caught going forward. Mata took the ball down and crashed it into the roof of the net past a helpless Wojciech Szczesny before Sagna could block his effort. I thought Per Mertesacker could have got back quicker to cover for Sagna when he was caught out of position, but he didn't and Chelsea had the lead after only six minutes.

Chelsea were now in the ascendancy and they closed Arsenal down very quickly in midfield. Arsenal were unable to cope with Chelsea's pressure and they lost the ball in midfield time after time. Despite this Santi Cazorla still managed to come close with a shot from outside the box which Peter Cech pushed around the post for a corner.

Jack Wilshere was again deployed in an advanced midfield role, but he was never in the game in the first half. It was obvious that he needed to drop back and become more involved, but Arsenal continued to play as they had been set up from the start. They paid the price after only 16 minutes when Chelsea added their second goal of the game.

There was even more controversy about the second goal after the referee awarded a penalty when that man Ramires went down in the Arsenal penalty area. First of all Abou Diaby was caught in possession in midfield and a quick ball was played to Mata who passed to Ramires who had only Szczesny to beat. As Szczesny advanced he tried to go around him and went over for what looked like a certain penalty.

When the replays were shown it was pretty clear that Ramires foot went from under him or he dived, but he certainly wasn't taken down by Szczesny. I feared the referee would give the Arsenal keeper a red card, but thankfully he only got a yellow one. Frank Lampard stepped up and dispatched the penalty with relative ease to make it 2-0 to Chelsea.

The game went by very quickly and Chelsea completely bossed almost all of the rest of the first half. There were a few encouraging signs for Arsenal before the break as they managed to involve Wilshere a little more in the game. Santi Cazorla was out on the left though and his influence in that first half was minimal at best.

The second half started an awful lot better for Arsenal as they were the ones putting the pressure on Chelsea when they were on the ball. Chelsea were the ones finding it hard to cope and Arsenal were making chances. The first of them fell to the feet of Mertesacker when a ball dropped to his feet from an Arsenal corner, but his effort from 15 yards was straight at Cech.

In the first half Chelsea worked their offside trap very well and caught Walcott at least three times when he had tried to run in behind them. He timed his runs a lot better in the second half though and almost took advantage shortly after that effort from Mertesacker. He was played in on the right hand side, but his effort from a fairly tight angle was straight at the Chelsea keeper.

After 58 minutes Arsenal got themselves back in the game with a very well taken goal from Walcott. Thomas Vermaelen beat Fernando Torres to a ball just inside the Arsenal half and the ball fell to the feet of Cazorla. He played it in behind the Chelsea defence for Walcott to run on to and finish expertly past Cech.

It was game on now with Arsenal in the ascendancy and Chelsea looking to hit them on the break. Coquelin had to go off with an injury just after the goal and he was replaced by Aaron Ramsey. As the half progressed it was a case of Arsenal trying to prise open the Chelsea defence without leaving themselves too open at the back.

They crossed that line a couple of times and Torres should have done better on at least one occasion. Demba Ba had a great chance late on too, but Thomas Vermaelen blocked his effort after he had gone around Szczesny. Chelsea will feel they should have added to their lead, as Arsenal struggled to make chances at the other end.

In the five added minutes at the end Arsenal piled on the pressure and it took a last ditch tackle from Gary Cahill to stop Walcott equalising. There were also. Couple of fouls by Chelsea players just outside their box to stop Arsenal in very dangerous positions. Arsenal won plenty of corners late on but they couldn't take advantage of any of them.

I thought they lost some momentum when Diaby went off with 15 minutes left and was replaced by Andrey Arshavin. The game passed Arshavin by and he may as well not have been on the pitch. For a squad the manager says has two quality players available in every position he was the only attacking option on the bench.

It might have been better to bring Emmanuel Frimpong on as he would at least have given his all to the cause. I'm sure Arshavin came on to allow Cazorla to move into a more central role where he was having a lot more joy. Arshavin's days at Arsenal are numbered and to include him as a genuine option is unfair to Arsenal fans.

The game finished 2-1 to Chelsea and Arsenal now find themselves seven points off fourth place with a game in hand. That game in hand is at home to West Ham on Wednesday night and it's a game that has to be won. Arsenal have 16 league games left and they will probably have to win 11 or 12 of them to have a chance of finishing in the top four.

It was hard to figure out the difference between Arsenal in the first half and the second half. All too often recently the team have played at a much slower pace in the first half and Chelsea took advantage of that yesterday. Whatever was said at half time had an effect and Arsenal were a completely different animal after the break.

Maybe those half time team talks need to take place before the game to give the team any chance of winning games. It was the same against City last week and in the FA Cup replay against Swansea too. Something has to be one to get the players to play with everything they have from the start before it's too late and all is lost this season.

Besides the team display being so disappointing in the first half the performance of Sagna was absolutely awful. He has played very badly for the last five or six games now and there has to come a time where Carl Jenkinson is given a chance. I don't know if it's anything to do with his contract situation or just that he's going through a bad patch, but he is very far from the player who I consider to be the best right back in the league.

Diaby wasn't at he races either, but he was being asked to p,any for the third time in a week after missing over three months through injury. I'm not exactly sure how that is managing a player who is so injury prone, but obviously the manager felt he was more up to playing the defensive midfield role than Ramsey. He will be needed again on Wednesday night, but surly he must need a rest instead.

I was far from happy with the referee's performance after mistakes from him led to both Chelsea goals. There was also a very good shout for a second half penalty for Arsenal when Branislav Ivanovic turned his back on the ball and ran right into Giroud as he tried to head a great cross. How could he be deemed to be making a fair challenge with his back to the ball and an interest in only playing his man and not the ball.

The referee's performance shouldn't take from Arsenal's abysmal performance in the first half in particular though. It's hard to understand how they got it so wrong in the first half of a really big game for the second week in a row. Can it all be down to the players or are they getting sent out there with the wrong instructions.

Something has to change in their attitudes or the instructions given to them before it's too late. When a game is going away from Arsenal where is the ability to change things on the pitch and why do they have to wait until half time to do so. All too often it seems Arsenal are being out thought before they even step foot on the pitch and that cannot be allowed to continue.

I still think this team has the ability to finish in the top four but it's hard to understand why they can't show it for 90 minutes in a game. The squad certainly needs strengthening as it did on the first of January and eight league points have been dropped in three games since then. There are two league games left this month and six points are an absolute necessity from those two home games.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Fail To Impress Against Manchester City

Arsenal played at home to champions Manchester City in the Premier League yesterday afternoon. With both Everton and Spurs drawing the previous day it was a chance for Arsenal to make up ground on the teams ahead of them in the race for fourth place. City need a win too after United had opened up a 10 point gap on them by beating Liverpool earlier in the day.

Thomas Vermaelen returned to the Arsenal team after missing out on the last game. The player to miss out was Per Mertesacker who has been Arsenal's best defender this season in my opinion. I am not convinced by the central defensive partnership between Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny but they got another chance to prove the doubters wrong.

Lukas Poddki returned on the left side of the attacking trio with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming in on the right. Aaron Ramsey dropped to the bench and so did Olivier Giroud with Theo Walcott playing the centre forward role. I'm wholly unconvinced by Walcott in that position against a good defence and there is no doubting the quality of City's defence.

The big change on the day for Arsenal was the return to the team of Abou Diaby. He came for Mikael Arteta who has picked up an injury and is expected to be out for three weeks. Diaby was returning three months after he took a knock which was repeated as a three week injury too by the club.

From the off City assumed control and pushed forward looking to take the game to Arsenal. The Arsenal players had no response as City kept the ball and probed for an opening as if they were the home team. It seemed like only a matter of time before City would score.

With 10 minutes gone things got decidedly worse for Arsenal when City got a penalty and Koscielny got his marching orders. He put both arms around Eden Dzeko in the Arsenal box and hauled him to the ground as the striker looked to make contact less than 10 yards from goal. It was a certain penalty and a red card too and it left Arsenal with a very tough task.

Dzeko took the penalty himself and somehow it managed to stay out of the Arsenal net. Wojciech Szczesny got a foot to a poorly hit penalty and parried it on to the post. As the ball rolled along the line towards the other post Szczesny managed to reach back and grab it to keep it out.

I hoped the combination of the red card and the penalty would galvanise the Arsenal players and give them something to fight for. I can remember how good previous Arsenal teams were when they went down to 10 men. When Arsene Wenger was winning trophies with the club it was something which was worked on in training, but there were better players at the club then.

Chamberlain was the player to make way as Arsenal brought Mertesacker on to play instead of Koscielny. I thought it was a wrong decision as he is a player with an awful lot of energy and would have worked harder than others with a man down. It meant Walcott became an even more isolated figure when a different style of player was obviously needed at centre forward.

City continued to press and it seemed like only a matter of time before the first goal came. When it did Arsenal were culpable with too many players switching off as City took a quick free kick. The 21st minute finish from James Milner was excellent, but the time and space afforded to him by Vermaelen was very poor.

Just over 10 minutes later City doubled their lead with Dzeko getting the goal this time. Kieran Gibbs lost out to Pablo Zabaleta on the left and City broke quickly. Szczesny did well to block a goal bound effort from Carlos Tevez but Dzeko was on hand to put the rebound away from close range.

It was bad enough that Arsenal were down to 10 men, but it was almost criminal to hand City two goals as well. Half time arrived and Arsenal looked dead and buried at that stage. I hoped for some inspirational words from the boss to give the players the desire to give their all in the second half.

To be fair to the Arsenal players they were a lot better after the break, but they couldn't have been much worse. Jack Wilshere led the team with everything he did and he is one player who cannot be accused of going through the motions. The team improved a little more with Diaby's departure on 60 minutes and the risk of playing him so soon after his comeback from three months out didn't pay off.

Aaron Ramsey came on for Disby and played quite well in a central midfield role. It's his favoured position and one which he should be played in if he is going to play. I don't see Diaby as the direct replacement for Arteta when he is out, but them again who is with Alex Song sold last summer.

With 15 minutes left Arsenal got what could have been a lifeline when Vincent Kompany received his marching orders for a challenge on Wilshere. I thought it was a little harsh at first but looking again I think the referee got it right as he went in with both feet and studs up too. It doesn't matter whether Wilshere had overrun the ball or not as his tackle was dangerous.

Arsenal eventually made a decent chance in added time, but Julien Lescott was on hand to clear Walcott's effort off the line. The final whistle went soon afterwards and City got the three points their display deserved. Despite a better performance in the second half Arsenal simply weren't good enough.

There are more tough games coming up for Arsenal and they cannot afford to lose any more ground on the teams above them. Points have to be taken against Chelsea and Liverpool or their task will become a very difficult one indeed. The performances against those two teams and West Ham will have to be a lot better or January will be a very miserable month.

Arteta will be out for three weeks and who knows how long more that could actually be. Three weeks has become a catchphrase at the club for an indeterminate amount of time and I can only hope it's not the case with Arteta. Despite the managers protestations of the opposite the squad is bereft of genuine cover.

If the players really were unable to perform yesterday despite having the desire to then a solution has to be found. There must be something missing and that has to be tackled immediately. There is no doubt these players as individuals are better than the performances they have put in as a team all too often this season.

It's the manager's job to make them perform and if he can't do that he has to change his management technique or face the fact that it simply isn't working. What the next step after that would be is anybody's guess, but he has the funds available to him to buy players who might be able to perform to their ability. Again it's a question of whether he's willing to use that money but experience tells us it's highly unlikely considering the current sound bites coming out of the club.

One thing is for sure and that is this team will fail if they cannot drastically alter their current direction. There is no doubt that they are far too easy for opponents to play against far too often. Something has to change and it has to change against Swansea this Wednesday night in the FA Cup third round replay.

That's another game though and I'll preview that in the next couple of days.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Premier League Trip To Everton Previewed

Arsenal travel north tonight to play Everton in a Premier League game that's very important to both clubs. Everton currently lie in fifth place in the table one point ahead of Arsenal. With Chelsea looking vulnerable ahead of them and West Brom surely unable to hold on to third place there's an opportunity for either team to make progress up the league.

Arsenal are still struggling to find any decent form and they need to put a run of victories together. A return of 20 points from 13 games isn't good enough for a club that claims to have title ambitions. Any team that wants to challenge for the title needs a minimum return of two points per game.

For Arsenal to average two points per game they would have to win their next six league games. It's certainly not a feat that is beyond them, but the further that target gets from them the harder it will be to make up the ground.

Theo Walcott is available again after injury to play tonight and I would imagine he will play from the start. Jack Wilshere should also return after being rested for the 0-0 draw at Aston Villa. There aren't too many other changes Arsene Wenger can make as the lack of squad depth is shown up yet again.

I have no doubt that both Mikael Arteta and Santi Cazorla could do with a rest ahead of the really busy Christmas schedule, but the team cannot afford to do without them. The continued injuries to Abou Diaby and Tomas Rosicky have really hampered Arsenal's midfield options. There is a possibility Rosicky will be back very soon but he will take a while to get match fit while Cazorla continues to play twice a week.

One of the biggest decisions for the boss tonight will be the make up of his defence. I'm sure Bacary Sagna will return after also being rested against Villa, and Kieran Gibbs has to remain in the left back role. That means he has to choose two central defenders from Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen.

Vermaelen was the man to miss out against Villa but it was seen as a rest for him. He should be ready to return tonight and as club captain he will surely expect to play. That would mean Koscielny would drop to the bench with Mertesacker having to play as the outstanding player in that position this season.

It would be tough on Koscielny but I would be very surprised if the club captain was on the bench yet again. I thought Koscielny was starting to rediscover his form from last season and I think he is a better defender than Vermaelen too. His ambitions for club and country won't be helped by being kept out of the team, but hopefully it can spur him on to do even better rather than react badly.

Everton will pose plenty of problems for Arsenal and Marouane Fellaini in particular is a real handful. He missed the game against Norwich on Saturday through suspension and I'm sure he will be eager to come back with a bang tonight.

Everton have slipped a little in recent weeks after their great start to the season. They led away to Reading before being pegged back and losing and then Norwich came from behind to take a home point off them at the weekend. They were games Everton needed to win to continue challenging for a top four place and they will be anxious to make amends tonight.

I'm hoping Everton come out and play an open attacking game which will give Arsenal the chance to play their own game. Arsenal have really struggled to break down defensive teams and an open game suits them better. Everton have let in a few goals more than would like to have at this time of the season and Arsenal need to take advantage of their slightly suspect defence.

Having said that Arsenal's defence hasn't been great recently either although it has shown signs of improvement since Wojciech Szczesny's return from injury. They will have to be at their best tonight to cope with the threat Fellaini offers from set pieces.

I think Arsenal have a very good chance of taking all three points, but they will have to play an awful lot better than they did against Villa to win. Walcott's probable return gives them more attacking options and he might just get in behind Leighton Baines as Baines pushes forward. They have to take any good chances that come their way if they are going to win.

The most disappointing thing about the 0-0 draw with Villa was the lack of creativity in the team. They had scored 10 goals on the previous three games but rarely looked capable of making anything happen. Let's hope any fatigue the players feel can be left behind them tonight as they turn on the style against Everton.

I'm predicting a 2-1 win for Arsenal and I think Walcott could be a crucial factor in any win. A lot has been made of his exclusion from the Arsenal calander for next season, but he couldn't really be included given his current contract situation. They best way for him to get the money he wants from the club is to make himself irreplaceable on the pitch and if that happens he probably will stay.

A win for Arsenal tonight would certainly lift spirits ahead of Saturday's home game against Swansea and the trip to Olympiacos next week.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Lose 2-0 At Home To Schalke

Arsenal went into last night's Champions League game with Schalke on top of their group with a 100% record. A win was required to put Arsenal within touching distance of qualification for the knockout stages. Arsenal have a very good home record in the Champions League and were firm favourites to take all three points.

Arsene Wenger made only one change from the team which played so badly in the 1-0 defeat to Norwich last Saturday evening. Francis Coquelin came into the midfield with Aaron Ramsey moving to a wide role and Olivier Giroud missing out. It meant Gervinho was the player to play in the central striker's role.

I am not fond of Gervinho in that re and I think it was very tough on Giroud. If the manager wanted to play four men in midfield he could surely have played Giroud and left Gervinho out. Gervinho may be Arsenal's top scorer so far this season, but I don't know a single Arsenal fan who rates him highly.

He is far too inconsistent with the ball and just as likely to fall over it as do something good. I thought his performance against Norwich was far worse than that of Giroud, but he seems to be the flavour of the moth for the boss. He is not a striker and I can only guess what it does to the confidence of Giroud to see him play there ahead of Giroud.

Arsenal dominated possession early on but they created nothing and Schalke looked dangerous on the break. As the half wore on the possession was shared but Schalke had by far the better chances. It looked like Norwich all over again for Arsenal, but Schalke are a better team than Norwich.

The second half started off no better for Arsenal and it didn't look good. Yet again Arsenal couldn't create a chance worthy of the name. Their inability to score goals this season is worrying and they have now failed to score in four of their 12 games.


With 15 minutes to Giroud came on for Gervinho and almost immediately Schalke took the lead. Arsenal cleared the ball and ran out to play the offside but Andre Santos was left behind. When the ball was played in again it left Klaas Huntelaar clear on Vito Mannone and he finished easily to make it 1-0.

Santos didn't have a good game and he should have moved out as quick as the rest of the defence. However, both Per Mertesacker and Thomas Vermaelen didn't exactly cover themselves in glory for the goal either. They seemed unaware of Huntelaar's position and the fact that Santos was playing him onside.

With Schalke going ahead Arsenal needed a reaction, but yet again like the Norwich game it just wasn't there. The team couldn't find anything to help them raise their game and it's very worrying. In recent seasons Arsenal have had no problems scoring goals and it was their defending which let them down.

It's unusual to see Arsenal struggle to create any decent chances in a game and it seems the team needs a shot in the arm. Maybe the return of Jack Wilshere will be what the team needs but he will take quite a while to get back to his best after 14 months out injured.

As the game drew towards it's inevitable end Schalke doubled their advantage with a late goal from Ibrahim Afellay. He was on hand to stroke the ball home at the back post after a quick break exposed an Arsenal team trying to push forward. Yet again Santos didn't do too well as Schalke found it far too easy to expose him.

Arsenal had brought both Andrey Arshavin and Serge Gnabry on for Lukas Podolski and Carl Jenkinson shortly before the second goal. Gnabry looked good in the few minutes he played but his inexperience gave the ball away for the move that led to the second goal. Arshavin didn't really have enough game time to make an impact.

Arsenal have quite a few players out injured at the moment and it looks like the team are struggling as a result. It's very hard for the boss to shake up an under performing team when his best options are all unavailable. It also seems that the players who are being asked to play every game are suffering the effects.

The players looked tired last night and the sooner there are more decent options for the first team the better. Until Jack Wilshere, Abou Diaby and Tomas Risicky are available the midfield duo of Santi Cazorla and Mikael Arteta will have to play almost every minute.

Arsenal have now lost three of their last five games since Disby got injured against Chelsea. Perhaps his contribution in midfield was one of the main reasons Arsenal were looking so good just a few short weeks ago. With his injury record Arsenal simply cannot rely on Diaby to be a permanent member of the team.

By the time the final whistle went there way an awful lot of empty seats in the stadium. It had been nine years since Arsenal lost at home to continental opposition in the Champions League and the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow. The performance was the worst part of the night yet again and that has to change in the next game.

I'll be at that game against QPR on Saturday afternoon and I really hope the team can put on a better show. QPR may be relegation fodder at the moment, but Norwich showed on Saturday that no team can be taken for granted. Arsenal need to find their pace and drive again, as their game has become far too pedestrian.

Watching the highlights of other Champions League games last night I was reminded of how teams are meant to attack. Arsenal have become too slow and predictable in their build up and they need to change that. They need to pressurise defenders into mistakes and get behind the opposition.

I still think this team had the capability of doing something special this season, but they need to get out of this rut right now. They're already 10 points off the pace in the league and they have just made their Champions League so much harder for themselves. They're second in the group at the half-way stage with a very tough away trip to Schalke up next in two weeks.

I still think Arsenal can go there and get a win but even a draw would not be a bad result. I would prefer to see them win their group but I'll be happy once they qualify for the last 16. After that the draw can bring anybody, but winning the group obviously cuts out the chances of drawing the very top sides in the last 16.

At least the boss will be able to take his place in the dugout for the next game after his European ban ended last night. He'll have his work cut out to turn the group back in Arsenal's favour but six points from the first three games is not a bad return so far. The manner of last night's performance may have been hard to take but it has to be kept in perspective from a Champions League point of view at least.

English champions Manchester City would be thrilled to have Arsenal's six points rather than the one they have right now. I still think Arsenal will qualify for the knockout stages, but it could go down to the last game. That's far from an ideal scenario for the team, but at least they have a very good chance if still doing it.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Lose 2-1 At Home To Chelsea

Arsenal went into their Premier League game at home to Chelsea unbeaten so far this season. They were fifth in the table but Chelsea were unbeaten in all but the European Super Cup too. It promised to be a very tough test for both teams.

Arsene Wenger made only one change from the team which played so well in the 1-1 draw away to Manchester City last week. Thomas Vermaelen returned to take his place in the team after recovering from the virus which kept him out last week. The player to drop to the bench was Per Mertesacker and I was more than surprised with the decision.

Mertesacker has been Arsenal's best defender so far this season and the decision to drop him was a wrong one in my opinion. I don't think Laurent Koscielny was at his best in his first game of the season last week despite scoring Arsenal's goal. Mertesacker 's reading of the game and timely interceptions were features if the Arsenal performance against City and I worried about how Koscielny and Vermaelen would play together.

From the start Chelsea looked to pressurise Arsenal and the tactic worked. Arsenal were disjointed and struggled to find any rhythm to their game.

After only 17 minutes Arsenal lost the services of Abou Duaby after he injured himself having a shot at the Chelsea goal. With his injury record over the past six years it's a worry that he will be out for longer than the projected three weeks. It meant Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came on with Aaron Ramsey moving into a central role and Chamberlain playing wide on the right.

Soon afterwards Chelsea took the lead from a set piece. Vermaelen gave away a free outside the Arsenal box and the free kick was swung in by Juan Mata. Fernando Torres reached around Koscielny at the far post to stroke the ball home past a helpless Vito Mannone.

The defending of the free kick was awful from Arsenal with Koscielny choosing to look at the man he was marking rather than the ball. Torres took the goal very well but no Arsenal defender attempted to attack the ball when it came in from the free kick.

Arsenal rarely threatened for the rest of the first half with Chelsea's pressing tactics paying dividend. It was strange to see how often Arsenal tried to cross the ball into the Chelsea box considering Olivier Giroud was on the bench. Towards the end of the first half it was noticeable how much space Arsenal were getting on Chelsea's left hand side.

When they did manage to equalise a few minutes before half time the goal came from that side. Chamberlain passed it to the feet of Gervinho 10 yards out and he turned and lashed it into the roof of the net as the defenders backed off him. It was a very well taken goal, but it was the only good thing Gervinho did in the game.

Arsenal had their tails up and the crowd eventually got behind the team. They tried to push forward and take a lead before half time, but it was to no avail. Half time arrived with the teams level and Arsenal needing to play a whole lot better after the break.

They started the second half brightly, but Chelsea took the lead again on their first real attack. Vermaelen took Torres down outside the box in a very similar position to the one which led to the first goal. Mata took the free kick again and he put into an area which was very difficult for both the keeper and the defenders.

The ball went right through and finished up just inside the post to put Chelsea 2-1 up. The replay showed Koscielny got a slight touch and that possibly was the factor which decided it's destination. Again he was not looking at the ball as he ran towards his own goal to try to stop the cross.

Arsenal tried to push forward but Chelsea kept the pressure on their midfield and they could not find any fluency. Lukas Podolski almost equalised with a header which Peter Cech did very well to keep out. With 20 minutes to go Wenger made his last to substitutions with Ramsey and Podolski making way for Theo Walcott and Giroud.

I was amazed to see Gervinho stay on the pitch at that stage, as his contribution at that stage was minimal. Podolski wasn't great in the first half but he was playing well in the second. He was finding space to run into between the Chelsea defenders and looked the Arsenal player most likely to score to me.

Cazorla had a couple of decent chances to score in that second half, but he clearly didn't have his shooting boots on. Giroud hit the post with a header towards the end of the game and the whistle went for a free kick before anyone could get to the rebound. There were four minutes added at the end of the game and it was now or never for Arsenal.

The chance they wanted arrived in the first added minute and it fell at the feet of Giroud. He was played in on the left by Chamberlain and he did his best to round the keeper and get a shot off. Unfortunately he was slightly off balance when he shot and he only found the side netting.

That was Arsenal's last chance and the final whistle went to give Chelsea all three points. They had played the better football throughout the game and deserved their victory. They had a game plan and they stuck to it to give them the victory.

It was a very disappointing performance from Arsenal and very few of their players did anything of real note. They struggled in the second half of the Champions League win at Montpellier when the midfield were pressed hard and Chelsea did the same thing yesterday. If Arsenal can't find a way through the middle of the pitch it seems they struggle to find a way at all.

The omission of Mertesacker was a big mistake from Wenger and the centre of Arsenal's defence suffered as a result. Both Vermaelen and Koscielny were too quick to dive in to tackles and were beaten far too often when they did. They didn't seem to have any understanding and he must see that Mertesacker has to be his first choice central defender.

I know Vermaelen is the club captain and that means he will be an automatic choice for the team, but Wenger has to make the best decision for the team. If that means Koscielny misses out that's what has to happen or else he will have to leave his captain on the bench. He cannot afford to leave players who are playing as well as Mertesacker out of the team.

It's very frustrating to watch Gervinho play for Arsenal, as he is so unpredictable. Unfortunately it's not a good unpredictability, as he makes a mess of things far too often. Somehow or other he is Arsenal's current top scorer, but he rarely looks good enough to play in the team.

There's still a long way to go this season, but Arsenal are already seven points behind the league leaders. They need to string some wins together in their next few games to make sure they can challenge at the top. Their solid defence before this game was found wanting from set pieces yet again and three of the four goals they have conceded in the league have come from set pieces.

They play a home game in the Champions League on Tuesday night against Olympiacos and it's a must win game for them. After that game they make the short trip to play West Ham next Saturday evening in the league and it's a game they have to win too. Despite all the good play they have only two wins in six league games and a few wins in a row are needed.

Here's the highlights from yesterday's game.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.