Arsenal Beat Norwich And Prepare For Everton

Arsenal played Norwich on Saturday afternoon knowing that a win would move them up to third in the Premier League. With neither Chelsea or Spurs playing it was an ideal opportunity for Arsenal to put some real pressure on both of those teams. Arsenal had won six of their seven previous league games and Norwich had only won one in 15 before.

Arsenal had lost 1-0 away to Norwich earlier in the season in what was probably their worst display of the season. They were sure to park the bus and look to hit Arsenal on the break and Arsenal were going to have to be at their best from first minute to last. The team had looked very good in recent weeks though and were having no problems scoring goals at home.

Arsene Wenger made a few changes from the team that won 2-1 away to West Brom last week, but two of them was enforced. Jack Wilshere came back into the team after his injury absence with Tomas Rosicky missing out with a slight injury. Captain Thomas Vermaelen came in for the suspended Per Mertesacker in the centre of defence and I hoped he could rediscover his form.

The real surprise for me was the inclusion of Kieran Gibbs at left back at the expense of Nacho Monreal. I have been impressed by Monreal since his signing in late January and he played well enough to keep his place in my opinion. Maybe the boss felt he could rotate his left backs as they're both very good, but he probably shouldn't have tinkered with that part of the team at least.

Arsenal made all the play in the first half and Norwich offered virtually nothing as an attacking force. Olivier Giroud almost scored twice, but he was denied by the crossbar an an instinctive save from Mark Bunn. Gervinho had a very good chance too but he overhit the ball in trying to go around the keeper and ended up with too difficult an angle to score. As the first half drew to a close I thought Arsenal's intensity dropped off and they needed to find something extra in the second half.

The game took a turn in Norwich's favour 10 minutes after the break when they scored from a set piece. Kieran Gibbs was adjudged to have taken down a Norwich player just outside the Arsenal penalty area on the left hand side as he ran across the back of him. It looked like a dive to me, but little was made of that after the game as the pundits concentrated on the events surrounding Arsenal's equalising goal in particular.

Very soon after the goal the boss made a couple of changes to try to get Arsenal back into the game. Wilshere and Gervinho were withdrawn with Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski coming on from a very strong Arsenal bench. Those switches saw the two subs take up the wide positions with Santi Cazorla switching to his favoured role at the attacking point of the midfield.

Gradually Arsenal started to exert more pressure on Norwich, but it didn't look like they were going to get the goal or goals they needed. Norwich missed a very good opportunity on the break as Arsenal threw caution to the wind in search of that elusive goal. With 10 minutes remaining Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came on for Bacary Sagna as Arsenal got more and ore desperate.

With just over five minutes to go they got the break they needed when the assistant referee awarded them a penalty after Kei Kamara pulled Giroud's shirt following an Arsenal corner. The referee was an awful lot closer to the incident, but his assistant had a much better view of it as he could see directly at the front of the players where it took place. I have no doubt that it was a penalty despite the protestations of so many pundits after the game.

The assistant is there to help the referee and he did just that by awarding a clear penalty he had seen. It doesn't matter that the referee was much close as he could not see through the two players involved and Kamara was pulling the front of Giroud's shirt. Maybe those same pundits should have taken some time to look at the dive which led to Norwich's goal.

Anyway Mikael Arteta stepped up and slotted the penalty home although Bunn got a hand to it and almost managed to keep it out. The momentum was well and truly with Arsenal now and they went in search of a winning goal. It didn't take long for them to get that goal and Norwich were good enough to help them out by putting through their own goal this time.

Chamberlain took the ball at the Norwich defence and played a very good one two with Podolski before cutting the ball across the Norwich goal. As Giroud tried to prod it home he was beaten to it by ex Spurs player Sebastien Bassong to put Arsenal ahead. There was just over a minute to go and Arsenal were in the lead and only had to hold on to move into third place.

Of course it's never that easy with Arsenal and Norwich had a great chance within a minute, but thankfully Lukasz Fabianski made another good save with his feet. The fourth official showed six added minutes and I must admit I was more than a little concerned. As it turned out I shouldn't have been as Arsenal added to their lead in added time with Podolski finishing well from the edge of the box after Walcott had set him up.

The controversy after the game was about Arsenal's equaliser but their other two goals were hardly straight forward either. Giroud looking to be pulling the shirt of Bassong for the second goal and Walcott was certainly offside for the third goal. Ther was also the dive which led to Norwich's goal, but none of it mattered as Arsenal took the three points.

The team will have to play an awful lot better to beat Everton on Tuesday night, but the boss has plenty of options available to him for that game. Mertesacker will be back from suspension and it looks like Rosicky will be available too. He also has to decide between Gibbs and Monreal as well picking his midfield and attack.

Aaron Ramsey played very well again on Saturday and will feel he deserves to keep his place. Wilshere probably should have started from the bench against Norwich and looked far from match fit on his return from injury.Both Walcott and Podolski will think they did enough from the bench in the final 30 minutes to start against Everton.

The Arsenal bench in that game should be a very strong one with loads of options for the boss if he wants to change things at any stage of the game. A win would be a fantastic result for Arsenal as it would put space between them and the teams below them as well as realistically knocking Everton out of the fight for a top four finish. It won't be an easy task though and I'll be looking at that task a little closer to the game.

For now Arsenal are third in the league and ahead of local rivals Spurs with six games left to play for both teams. The momentum has swung in their favour and the seven point gap Spurs had has completely disappeared in only four games. It seems like a long time ago when they beat Arsenal 2-1 and their fans thought they were finally going to finish ahead of Arsenal.

I'm not saying Arsenal are the finished article and will definitely finish above Spurs, but they have given themselves every chance of doing so. They still have some tough games to go and there is bound to be loads of drama between now and the end of the season. For the moment I'm very happy to see Arsenal where they are and know that their destiny is in their own hands.

Here's the highlights from Saturday's game.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Premier League Game With Norwich Previewed

Arsenal have closed the gap to fourth placed Spurs to two points and they have a game in hand too. It means they have their fate in their own hands with only seven games left to play. The way the fixtures work out Arsenal will get to play three times before Spurs get to play again.

The first of those games is probably the easiest of them at home to Norwich today. That's not to say that I am taking Norwich lightly, but the home game against Everton and the away game against Fulham will be tougher tasks for Arsenal than today's game. The best case scenario for Arsenal is for them to be seven points ahead of Spurs when Spurs travel to City next week.

To do that Arsenal will need to win their three games and that will be no easy task. I'll look at the games against Everton and Fulham closer to the time, but for today it's Norwich who have to be considered.

Arsenal haven't found it easy to beat Norwich since their return to the top flight last season. The trip to Carrow Road earlier this season was one of the worst performances I've seen from Arsenal in a very long time. Norwich won that game 1-0 and went on a 10 game unbeaten run which looked to have secured their Premier League survival for another season.

Since that run has ended Norwich have only won once in 15 games and are now only four points above the drop zone. They need  few more points to make their position safe and they will be hoping for one of them today. I have no doubt they will defend in depth and look to hit Arsenal on the break.

They defended very well in the win at Carrow Road and they also came to Arsenal at the end of last season and got a deserved 3-3 draw. Arsenal were very poor in that game too and it seems they don't find it easy to play against Norwich. That's something they have to get over today, as three points are absolutely vital to their chances of a top four finish.

If Arsenal win today they go third in the table ahead of both Spurs and Chelsea although Chelsea will have a game in hand. Points on the board are very important at this time of the season as they put pressure on the other teams. Arsenal have won six of their last seven games and the pressure is definitely telling on Spurs in particular.

As I said when Arsenal played Reading a couple of weeks ago it's a matter of Arsenal having a better team and needing to show that on the day. Norwich have only won once in 16 away games and only scored 12 goals away from home. Arsenal have won nine of their 15 home games and scored 39 goals in those games. Only United have scored more home goals than Arsenal and they have played a game more at this stage.

All the statistics point to an Arsenal win, but it's never that easy. The players need to go out and give it their all from first minute until last to earn the right to win the game. If they work as hard as Norwich they will make enough chances to win the game and hopefully take a few of them too.

In team news both Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere return to the Arsenal squad while Per Mertesacker is suspended after his red card in the 2-1 win at West Brom last week. It looks like Tomas Rosicky will miss out too after picking up a slight hamstring injury last Saturday. His time at Arsenal has been blighted by injuries and it's a shame he won't get to play this week after scoring both goals last week.

Thomas Vermaelen will come in for Mertesacker and hopefully he can rediscover some form. He hasn't played well in  while now and the team has defended better as a unit with Laurent Koscielny in the centre of defence instead of Vermaelen.

With Rosicky more than likely missing out the boss has a big decision to make in his midfield. Does he put Wilshere straight in for Rosicky after he has missed a month through injury or does he drop Santi Cazorla back into a more central role. If Cazorla drops back it will open the way to bring another player into the attacking trio.

Both Walcott and Lukas Podolski will be hoping to start nd so will Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain I would imagine. I think Gervinho has to keep his place in the team after offering so much in the last few games and the chances are he will play on the left with Walcott possibly coming back on the right. If Walcott does play with Gervinho it would mean someone else has to miss out in midfield.

It would be unfair on Aaron Ramsey to leave him out of the team, but it is a very real possibility. It's great to have two current England internationals returning to the squad and the strength on the bench today will be very impressive. No matter what players play Arsenal will have some very good options on the bench should they need to call on them to try to change the game.

I think Arsenal owe Norwich a bit of a beating and I'm hoping they give it to them today, Grant Holt got away with another very bad foul last week and Norwich have been fond of leaving the boot in against Arsenal when they have played. Arsenal need to be up to any physical challenge offered by Norwich as well as playing their football.

I think Arsenal have done enough in recent weeks to show they have the confidence and ability to finish the season in style. It would be great if they could put a few goals past Norwich and send out a message to Spurs, Chelsea and of course Everton too before a very big game on Tuesday night. I'll take a win of any sort to make it 21 points out of 24 in the business end of the season.

I'm predicting a 3-1 win for Arsenal and a very healthy look to the Premier League table tonight.

Here's the highlights from the 3-3 draw last season.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Regain The Mastery of Their Own Fate By Beating Reading 4-1

Before yesterday's game I said football was an simple game and Arsenal did things the easy way against a poor Reading side. Their 4-1 win was pretty routine but it was a very important win for them. With Chelsea losing 2-1 at Southampton it meant Arsenal regained control of their fate in the fight for a top four finish.

They might currently lie in fifth place, but the two teams directly above them have to play each other in a couple of weeks time. In simple terms it means Arsenal will finish fourth at worst if they win their remaining eight games. Of course that would be a huge task and I can't really see them finishing the season winning 13 of their last 14 games.

What it does mean though is that the pressure is well and truly on both Spurs and Chelsea. Both of those teams have Europa League quarter finals to deal with and Chelsea have an FA Cup quarter final replay tomorrow too. While I would obviously prefer Arsenal to be still involved in one of the cup competitions it makes a pleasant change for them to be the ones with ample rest time between games.

It promises to be a fascinating and exciting end to the season and a third place finish is still well within Arsenal's grasp. They still have some very tough games remaining and next week's trip to West Brom is the first of them. Only United and City have won more home games than West Brom, but Arsenal really need to get a result in that game.

If they can manage to win they would move ahead of Chelsea although Chelsea do have a home game against Sunderland the next day. It would put real pressure on Spurs though and they have to play this Thursday night too. Their game next Sunday is at home to Everton and it's a game Everton need to take something from too.

Getting back to yesterday's game and I was a little surprised to see Gervinho in the starting team ahead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. With Theo Walcott out I thought Chamberlain would get a chance, but Arsene Wenger got his team selection absolutely right. Gervinho's contribution of a goal and two assists justified his selection and Chamberlain looked good when he came on too.

Arsenal will face much tougher challenges before the season is over, but they can only best the team they play. They played their football from start to finish and made plenty of other chances besides the four goals. It looked a little dodgy at only 1-0 at half time, but the early goal in the second half calmed any nerves the players might have had.

It really should have been 2-0 to Arsenal early in the first half, but Olivier Giroud wasn't awarded an absolutely blatant penalty. It was good to see him get a goal too after a relatively lean patch recently. Arsenal's goals are coming from a lot of sources at the moment and they will need that in the run in.

The inclusion of Laurent Koscielny again in defence alongside Per Mertesacker would seem to indicate the boss has decided they are his best pairing. I think it's a very good decision for the team, but it can't have been easy for him to leave his captain out again. Too often in the past I have thought the boss has picked from the perceived pecking order rather than what was best for the team, but he certainly has moved from that with Thomas Vermaelen.

The players now have a week to prepare for the trip to West Brom while the other teams chasing fourth place face cup games. It gives the players time to get themselves ready for the game and go out and get the three points that are needed. If they can win at West Brom I think the pendulum will have really swung in Arsenal's favour.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Champions League Trip To Bayern Munich Previewed

Arsenal face a daunting task of going to Bayern Munich tonight needing to overturn a 3-1 defeat from the home leg of the tie three weeks ago. Bayern completely out thought and outplayed Arsenal that night and were good value for their win. Their three away goals were surely more than enough to see them safely through to the quarter finals.

Only the most optimistic of Arsenal fans could give them any hope of winning through to the last eight. They do have their pride to play for though and for professional footballers that must surely count for something. The wrong approach tonight could see Arsenal on the end of a very bad result and that cannot be allowed to happen.

I can't honestly see Arsenal progressing to the last eight, but there is always a chance that they can win on the night. Bayern are an excellent team and a victory away to them would surely be a great boost to the team. If Arsenal are to manage to get anything out of the game they will have to be at their very best.

In team news it seems Jack Wilshere has picked up an ankle injury and will be out for three weeks. At least it's not the same ankle which kept him out for well over a year not so long ago. His energy and drive will be missed, but if he's back within the projected three weeks he will hopefully only miss the league game at Swansea next Saturday.

The other absentee is Bacary Sagna who has still not recovered from his injury and Carl Jenkinson will again deputise for him. Sagna had not being playing well before his injury and Jenkinson has looked quite good filling in for him recently. He'll have his work cut out against a very good Bayern team, but he didn't let himself down in the first leg.

It also seems that Wojciech Szczesny will not be traveling as he is to be rested for this game. Lukasz Fabianski seems to be the goalkeeper to profit from Szczesny's absence and he hasn't played in a long time due to injury. He looks like a very good keeper, but when things go wrong for him they tend to go badly wrong.

He's had many chances before and looked like he might finally be taking them until Szczesny's emergence. That coincided with an injury for him and his Arsenal prospects have never recovered. He has a chance tonight to show that he still had something to offer the club despite his desire to move elsewhere.

Lukas Podolski is another absentee and I think he is badly missed at the moment. He has apparently being carrying an injury for a while and his appearances recently have been limited. When he plays in the front three with Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud I think Arsenal look their most dangerous in attack.

Both Walcott and Giroud have been misfiring recently and I wonder if the absence of Podolski has been a factor in that. His divert from the left has made plenty of chances for both of them and he had his fair share of goals from his wide role too. Hopefully he can recover quickly enough to play a part in Arsenal's crucial last 10 league games.

Both Kieran Gibbs and Abou Diaby should be fit to return to the squad, but match fitness is a different thing. I hope Gibbs can play with Nacho Monreal cup tied and Thomas Vermaelen really struggling at left back in the first leg. Vermaelen's form in the centre of defence has not been great and Bayern found it too easy to expose him at left back.

I can't imagine Diaby will play even if he is passed fit, as he is so injury prone. It would be a big risk to play him and it's not a game Arsenal should be taking risks with players in. There are 10 league games left this season and Arsenal need every single player available to them to be able to make a contribution in those games.

The most important thing for the team is to finish in the top four in the league and it's going to be a tough slog. They will probably have to win at least eight of their last 10 games to do so and that would require a radical change in the consistency they have shown so far this season. It's not an impossible task, but it is out of their own hands at the moment.

As for tonight there are rumours of Arsenal playing a weakened team, but the options Arsene Wenger has are somewhat limited by all of the absentees. He needs to put out his strongest team possible in my opinion or it could turn out to be a very embarrassing result. This Bayern team are very good and it will take an exceptional team to stop them in the Champions League this season.

They have a huge lead in their domestic league and the German league is a very competitive one. Their away record in the league is quite incredible with only one goal conceded in 12 away games so far. Their home record isn't quite so perfect though with one defeat in 13 games and nine goals conceded.

With the players absent I would imagine Aaron Ramsey and Gervinho will come in for Wilshere and Podolski with Laurent Koscielny possibly playing in defence too. The left back slot will be filled by either Vermaelen or Gibbs, but I think Gibbs will play as Monreal is available to play there in the league if he suffers a reaction to his injury. It could be a long hard night for the players and fans alike, but hopefully the team can take something out of the game if not the tie.

A good defensive performance would be a great thing to see with Arsenal also posing a threat on the break. Both Walcott and Gervinho have loads of pace and Arsenal will have to utilise that whenever they can. I'm not convinced by Gervinho at all, but hopefully he can have one of his better games.

The midfield need to perform like they did in the second half of the home leg and the wide players need to get back and help their full backs every time Bayern go forward. It won't be easy but if every player does their job properly and concentrates for the full 90 minutes the team can at least know they have given their all. If that leads to a positive result on the night it would be a great thing.

I'm not for a minute suggesting Arsenal will make it through to the next round, but I would be very happy if they didn't lose tonight's game all things considered. It might give the team some confidence for the struggle that lies ahead to qualify for next season's competition.

Of course life for Arsenal had to be more than just qualifying for the Champions League. That in itself cannot be the goal at the start of the season and the club have to genuinely start challenging for trophies again. That will require some real investment this summer and the money is there to do just that.

Champions League qualification will mean there is more money available, but we cannot be in the exact same situation at this time next season. Progress has to be made and had to be seen to be made or something will have to change at the club. The current team have stagnated as also-rans and this had to be the last season of that. The future we are led to believe the club are planning for had to arrive at some time soon as the present cost of building for it is a very high one in my opinion.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's FA Cup Game With Blackburn Rovers Previewed

It's back to FA Cup action for Arsenal tomorrow when Championship side Blackburn Rovers come to the Emirates looking to cause an upset. Arsenal have struggled more than a little to reach the last 16 of the Cup, but they have an opportunity to get through to the business end of the competition.

It's the first game in a very big week for Arsenal and I have no doubt there will be some squad rotation. With a massive game at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday night I fully expect to see some first team regulars on the bench at least. Arsene Wenger has said he has two players for every position and it's time for a few of those fringe players to get a run out.

The FA Cup is Arsenal's best hope of a trophy this season, but I still cannot see a full strength team playing. There are only a couple of positions where his choices are really limited due to injuries and suspension. If he does choose to play a full strength team it most certainly will be a change from how he has treated this competition in the past when there has been a big European or League game coming up so soon afterwards.

I think Wojciech Szczesny will play in goal with a defence of Bacary Sagna, Per Mertesacker, Ignasi Miquel and Nacho Monreal in front of him. Carl Jenkinson would have played but he is suspended after being sent off last week with Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny still possibly both injured. Even if either or both of them are fit I don't expect them to be risked ahead of the Bayern game as they will most certainly be needed for that.

Normally only one of the two of them would play alongside Mertesacker, but Vermaelen will be needed at left back with Kieran Gibbs injured and Monreal cup tied. If Vermaelen hasn't recovered for the Bayern game we could well see Sagna play on the left with Jenkinson on the right. It all sounds very makeshift and not exactly ideal to play against a team with the attacking options Bayern have.

In midfield against Blackburn Arsenal still have plenty of options and I expect to see Santi Cazorla, Mikael Arteta and Jack Wilshere rested. Wilshere is an injury doubt and he will be given every chance to be ready for the Bayern game. There will still be plenty of quality available in midfield though.

I would imagine both Aaron Ramsey and Abou Diaby will play and the other position is up for grabs. I see it as a straight choice between Francis Coquelin and Tomas Rosicky as long as both of them are fit enough to play. It all depends on what way the team will play on the day with Rosicky giving more going forward and Coquelin offering some defensive stability.

The front three could prove a little trickier with the central striking role providing a real dilemna. I think the wide roles will be taken by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gervinho, but he will have to opt for either Olivier Giroud or Walcott through the middle. Ideally he would like to rest them both, but I think Giroud is going to have to play an awful lot of games between now and the end of the season and he will get the nod tomorrow.

That team would see about seven players given a rest ahead of Tuesday night and it would be a bit of a gamble. Arsenal were hardly convincing with a similar team in the last round when they won 3-2 away to Brighton. In that game the win was rescued by the introduction of Wilshere and Walcott from the bench and I expect the bench to be equally strong tomorrow.

Blackburn will be keen to cause an upset but I'm sure they would swap any FA Cup progress for an immediate return to the Premier League. As I said earlier they are well capable of scoring goals with Jordan Rhodes in particular a real threat. They haven't traveled too well in the league this season with only three wins in 15 games in the league below Arsenal.

They have managed to draw nine away games though and I have no doubt a draw would be quite acceptable for them. I imagine their stall will be set out to defend and see if they can get any joy on the break or from set pieces. It's a familiar set up for Arsenal to face at home and no matter what team is chosen Arsenal have the players to progress on the day.

I'm hoping for a few good performances from players given their chance and from Ramsey in particular. He's looked good in recent weeks and it would be good to see more of the same from him. If Rosicky plays he could be the player to prise open a stubborn Blackburn defence as he has that something extra that every team needs.

Both Chamberlain and Gervinho need a few chances to impress too for different reasons. Chamberlain's season has passed him by just a little without making much progress on his first season at the club, but a good display could see him get so more chances for the rest of the season. Gervinho has flattered to deceive far too often and needs some good displays to convince the fans he is capable of making a real impact at the club.

Ideally Arsenal will win by a couple of goals and not pick up any injuries to their defenders in particular. They're more than capable of doing so and booking a place in the last eight of the FA Cup along with some of the other top teams in the Premier League. If they do get through there could be some very interesting ties in those quarter finals.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's FA Cup Trip To Swansea Previewed

It's FA Cup time of year again this weekend and with it comes Arsenal's only realistic chance of a trophy this season. With the Premier League season only just over half way complete the league is beyond them and to think they have a genuine chance in the Champions League is foolish. The Capital One Cup has already ended in bitter disappointment at the hands of lowly Bradford.

Tomorrow's trip to Swansea is far from an easy game for Arsenal. Swansea have beaten Arsenal twice in the three meetings between the clubs since their promotion to the Premier League. They were a little lucky to win at home to Arsenal last season, but they fully deserved their 2-0 win at the Emirates at the start of December.

The difference between the teams on the day was two well taken goals by Miguel Michu. Both of those goals came at the very end of the match but there can be no doubt they were the better team on the day. Arsenal have put in some bad performances at times this season and that was one of the very worst.

Arsene Wenger has spoken of Michu this week and said he was not the type of signing Arsenal fans would be happy with. He has scored 13 league goals from an advanced midfield position and if he had done so for Arsenal there would have been no complaints from fans. Whether he ever entered the Arsenal line of vision or not is another thing entirely.

After four league wins in a row over the festive period Arsenal could only draw at Southampton on Tuesday evening. The draw might have been acceptable if Arsenal had performed well, but in truth they were probably lucky to get a point. Arsenal only managed one shot on target in 90 minutes and their goal was an own goal.

Arsenal have really struggled against teams that defend in numbers and close them down quickly. Swansea have shown on numerous occasions this season that they are capable of doing just that as well as playing some very good football. They will really fancy their chances of progressing to the next round against an Arsenal team that are very inconsistent.

The Arsenal team against Southampton was unchanged despite the upcoming FA Cup game and possible fatigue from the hectic schedule. It seems that the boss doesn't think he has too many options outside of his perceived starting 11. There are a few players who will feel they deserve a chance to show what they can do, but the question is whether the boss has enough trust in them to start them against Swansea.

Gervinho has found himself excluded from the team since the defeat to Bradford and that's not a bad thing in my opinion. He's off on international duty for at least a month very soon and the club will have to do without him anyway. I simply don't think he's good enough for a team looking to challenge at the level Arsenal are and I'm quite happy to see him disappear for a month.

Gervinho has been played as a striker on a few occasions this season and he had some success early on. Despite scoring a few goals I never saw him as a striker and his subsequent performances only proved that. At best he has speed and skill, but he doesn't seem to have a clue what to do on far too may occasions.

He has played very little recently and I wonder if he will go the way of so many other players in the past two years and become a forgotten member of the squad. I know the squad is being thinned at the moment(unfortunately with more loan moves), but I think the club should consider cutting their losses if they can get a reasonable price for him. Players who can make a real difference in the team are needed and the difference he makes is not a positive one.

Aaron Ramsey could possibly come in today too and there is still plenty of hope for him despite his inconsistent performances this season. When fans criticise him they should also remember how inconsistent the team has been this season and he has been no worse than others.

There's a possibility of Tomas Rosicky playing as he was playing well on his return from injury until he picked up an illness recently. He is a player who has certainly got something positive to add to the team when he is fully fit.

The player who has to start in my opinion is Olivier Giroud. Swansea have been shown to be vulnerable in the air on many occasions this season and Giroud is the Arsenal player most likely to take advantage of that weakness. If he can be given the service he needs I think Giroud can find some joy against Swansea.

I don't think fatigue will be too much of a factor for Arsenal as the game is five days after the Southampton match. That should mean there are few changes to the team that performed so poorly in that game. Certainly the Arsenal players should be no more fatigued than their Swansea counterparts.

There can be no doubt that Arsenal are a very hard team to predict this season. They are as likely to play Swansea off the park as they are to struggle to create one decent scoring chance in the whole game. I can only hope that it's Dr. Jekyll who shows up against Swansea and not Mr. Hyde.

Arsenal have the players to really hurt Swansea, but those players need to find a way to beat a massed defence. At the moment the tactic is to pass the ball endlessly in the hope of finding a way through and it isn't working. I think the team needs a player who can make things happen all on his own and it's up to the boss to try to find one in the transfer window.

With only the FA Cup left to win this season I really hope the players can put in a performance worthy of a team who want to win their first trophy in eight years. I'm trying to stay positive and I'm predicting a 2-1 win for Arsenal. A win would be a great boost for the team ahead of some very tough league games this month.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Premier League Trip To Reading Previewed

As I write this Arsenal are eighth in the Premier League after their worst start to a season under Arsene Wenger. In his 16 years in charge at Arsenal there have been ups and downs, but things seem to have reached a low point at the moment. The club have consistently sold their best players for the past few years for one reason or another and it looks like they could be paying the price now.

On the face of it the club is in turmoil and there are those who believe it's time for Wenger to go. The trophy cabinet has laid bare since the FA Cup win of 2005 and the team seems further from winning a trophy than at any other time in the seven and a half years since then. Champions League football has always been delivered in those years, but there's a real possibility of Arsenal missing out on it this season.

It's not all doom and gloom though and Arsenal have the chance to start to put things right very quickly. They play twice before any of the teams above them play again and six points would see them move into third place. Those two games are against teams in the relegation zone and very winnable despite all the current problems.

They start with a trip to Reading tonight and Reading are currently propping up the other 19 Premier League clubs. They have won only once in their seven home games so far and that's their sole victory in 16 league games this season. Their first choice team were unable to defeat a second string Arsenal team in the Capital One Cup at the same venue not so long ago.

Of course that game epitomised so much of what is right and wrong with the current Arsenal team. They found themselves 4-0 down in that game but managed to come back and win 7-5 after extra time. The defending that night was awful, but when the team clicked in attack they showed what they are capable of.

The Arsenal team had seemed to have started on the road to recovery with the 2-0 victory over West Brom last week, but the midweek Capital One Cup defeat to League Two Bradford on penalties was the latest in a line of really bad performances. The boss took the risk of putting out his strongest team in an effort to avoid any humiliation and book a place in the semi finals too. His decision backfired and Bradford got a famous and well deserved victory which they won't forget in a very long time.

It's been almost a week since that game and I hope the Arsenal players have been hurting as much as their fans in that week. The traveling Arsenal support are absolutely magnificent and deserve far more than they were given by the team on that night. I have no doubt that they will be heard singing loud and proud again tonight and hopefully they can get a performance worthy of that great support.

As I said Arsenal can move into third place by winning tonight and then winning away to Wigan in the early kick off on Saturday. Their first priority is tonight's game though and three points would see them rise to fifth in the league. The battle for first and second looks increasing like a closed shop between the two Manchester clubs, but the other two Champions League places are up for grabs.

The team probably won't be much different from the one that lost to Bradford but Laurent Koscielny should be available to play if chosen. There is no definitive word on Theo Walcott's fitness yet, but his inclusion could be a real boost for the team in this game. He gave Reading a torrid time in Arsenal's Capital One Cup victory as they struggled to cope with his pace.

I have no doubt that Mikael Arteta will return to the team and his inclusion should see the midfield operating a lot more efficiently. Olivier Giroud is available for selection too and I would be shocked if he didn't start the game.

He has only started 11 of Arsenal's 16 league games this season despite being the only real contender in the squad for the centre forward role. He did come off the bench in the other five games though and I think he has to start when he's fit. If he is to gain the confidence needed to play the role he has to have confidence shown in him by the boss.

I can't see how the sight of Gervinho starting in the centre forward role ahead of Giroud can do anything for his confidence. In my opinion Gervinho is just not good enough to play in that position and he quite simply should not be played there. He is more of a hindrance to the team than an asset when he plays there and it's only stubbornness that sees him chosen.

Reading have struggled in defence this season and Arsenal will create plenty of goalscoring chances as long as they give their all. It might well be a matter of their ability to take those chances which decides the outcome of the game. There are goals in this Arsenal team, but they haven't scored too many away from home so far.

They have managed only eight goals in eight away games and didn't score in three of those games. The games they failed to score in we're games against teams who played very defensively. I don't know if Reading are capable of shutting up shop, but if they can keep tight at the back it's probably the best chance they have of getting any result.

On the other hand no team had conceded less away goals than Arsenal so far despite some very tough away fixtures. Despite Arsenal's supposed defensive frailties only Stoke and City have better defensive records than them too. Reading will look to test them in the air from set pieces and that is where Arsenal have looked vulnerable.

It has to be remembered that Reading are far more vulnerable though and they make mistakes under pressure. If Arsenal can put them under enough pressure to make those mistakes I think they will win the game. I'm predicting a 3-1 victory for Arsenal and a little respite from all the negativity for the team and the manager.

A second league win in a row would be a welcome boost ahead of a trip to another team in the relegation zone. If they can win both games and move into third it will put pressure on Spurs and Chelsea before they play their games. It would be great for Arsenal to have the points in the bag and sit back and watch the teams behind them try to catch up.

There are plenty of points to be won over the Christmas period. In the next 16 days Arsenal could win as many as 15 points in five games that they are more than capable of winning. The new year would look an awful lot better if Arsenal went into it with those 15 points in their pocket and a good deal of money available to spend bin the transfer window.

Of course this Arsenal team has been anything but consistent and it's an awful lot to expect from them. I have no doubt that they are capable of it though and it's a matter of playing to their potential. It will take a mixture of hard work, good attitude and confidence for them to do do and I just hope the team can find that mixture.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Fail To Sparkle In 0-0 Draw With Aston Villa

Arsenal played away to Aston Villa yesterday evening in the first of three Premier League games in eight days. They came into the game having rediscovered their attacking flair with eight goals in their last two league games. Their defence had been nowhere near it's best in those games, but the goals tally made up for that.

Villa were in the relegation zone and had conceded eight goals in their previous two league games. The stage was set for Arsenal to surely take all three points and move into fifth place in the table after Everton had drawn 1-1 at home to Norwich earlier in the day.

Arsene Wenger had said his players were feeling the effects of so many games and he made three changes to the team which had beaten Montpellier on Wednesday night. Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson came in as the two full backs with Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna dropping to the bench. In midfield Aaron Ramsey replaced Jack Wilshere.

It made sense to to rest both Sagna and Wilshere as they had just returned from long term injuries. The omission of captain Vermaelen while Laurent Koscielny kept his place at the centre of the defence was a curious one. I had always assumed Vermaelen would revert to the centre of defence when Gibbs returned but maybe his place isn't quite so secure.

Only a few weeks ago the team were struggling to create chances, but they seemed to have turned the corner before yesterday. Villa set up to close Arsenal down at every opportunity and give their midfield no time or space to play in. It's a tactic which had worked so well for Norwich when they beat Arsenal 1-0.

Unfortunately Arsenal were yet again unable to find a way to counter their opponents stifling tactics. The game very quickly became a dour affair with misplaced passes the order of the day for Arsenal. As the game wore on it was clear Arsenal needed to change something to try for all three points.

With 20 minutes to go Gervinho replaced Lukas Podolski and seven minutes later it was Andrey Arshavin who came on for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The final substitution came with only five minutes left and it was a baffling one for me and many other Arsenal fans too. With Arsenal needing a goal they withdrew Olivier Giroud and replaced him with Francis Coquelin.

How can a defensive midfielder replace an in form striker in a team looking to score a goal. It meant Gervinho moved in to play as the central striker, but he's just not good enough in that role in my opinion. Arsenal continued to get the ball wide and try to cross it, but with Giroud off the pitch it was a futile tactic.

Towards the end Jenkinson did put in exactly the type of cross that Giroud thrives on, but there was nobody there to finish it off. The game ended scoreless and Villa were clearly the happier of the two teams with the result. If it hadn't been for a very good save from Wojciech Szczesny Villa could have won the game.

The traveling Arsenal fans were far from happy when Giroud was taken off and they made their feelings known. It's not often you will hear them chant "you don't know what you're doing" directly at the manager. I'm sure he knew exactly what he was doing and the real problem was the lack of depth in the squad.

The fact that there are no real alternatives to Giroud, Santi Cazorla and Mikael Arteta in the current squad means they are being asked to do too much. Yesterday would have been an ideal opportunity to rest those players ahead of the trip to Everton on Wednesday. It couldn't be done though as there are no alternatives.

With money in the bank to spend on transfers the blame for the lack of depth has to rest firmly with the manager and the board. If they felt Arsenal had a strong enough squad to cope with the rigours of Premier League and Champions League football they got it badly wrong. It's not as if it hasn't happened in the past and the need to ensure real value for money is one which is hurting the team.

Of the three league games in eight days the Villa one was probably the easiest and all three points were there for the taking. If Arsenal are to be considered serious contenders for any trophy they have to have a squad capable of competing with the best. It's clear there are players who are too injury prone or just not good enough to be considered proper members of the squad.

Those players are taking the places of players who could have a real affect on the team and it's fortunes. It's a situation which had to be rectified in January with a couple of top class additions to the squad.

There is already a substantial transfer fund available to spend and the news of the new sponsorship deal from Emirates adds even more to that kitty. The future of the club is dependent on their ability to compete with the best and under investment in the squad is hampering that. To attract the best players Arsenal need to qualify for the Champions League and challenge for trophies.

The team have looked so good in attack recently because they have played against teams who have opened up against them. When Villa, Norwich, Sunderland and Stoke stuck to a very defensive plan Arsenal could not find a way around it. The options from the bench just weren't there to change those games and Arsenal just kept playing the same way against them.

In my opinion Arsenal need to sign at least one player who can take defenders on and beat them. They have to find a way to counter teams who park the bus or they will continue to suffer for the rest of the season. Those players have to be identified now and brought in at the earliest opportunity to build on the potential that this team has.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Premier League Trip To Aston Villa Previewed

Arsenal play Aston Villa this evening in the first of three Premier League games in eight days.With nine points to be won it's a great chance for them to try to get somewhere close to the pacesetters in the title race. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Arsenal have enough to lift the title, but they can finish an awful lot higher than they re at the moment.

All of the teams at the top of the table have shown plenty of vulnerability and a good run by Arsenal could see them in a much better position in just over a week. After today's game they have to travel to Everton on Wednesday night and then play at home to Swansea next Saturday. It's a tough week for players who had to give their all against Spurs last Saturday and again against Montpellier on Wednesday night.

Every three points have to be fought for in the Premier League and it's not easy to see what players might be rested today. I'm sure there will be a few players rested though and I would imagine Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs and Gervinho will be hoping to play from the start. There are no new injuries to report from Wednesday night's game, but there is no return for Theo Walcott who got injured last Saturday either.

Villa were beaten 5-0 away to City last week and the defeat saw them slip into the relegation zone. They have had real difficulty scoring goals this season with only 10 goals in 12 games. I have also noticed that they tend to capitulate a little in the second half occasionally.

City put four past them in the second half last week, United did it three times the previous week and Southampton managed four in the second half earlier in the season. That's half of all the goals they have let in so far in the second halves of only three matches. They are there for the taking after the break as long as Arsenal can play their own football no matter what happens in the first half today.

Of course Arsenal haven't exactly being playing their best football for the past month, but the wins over Spurs and Montpellier were great boost for the team. Spurs may have played well with 10 men, but Arsenal put five past them and could have had more too. The second half performance on Wednesday night was much more like an Arsenal one and the defence looked solid for the first time in quite a while.

More of the same today is needed with plenty of service for Olivier Giroud who is in a great vein of form at the moment. He is scoring goals which ever striker needs to do, but he is also making goals for other pplayers. As the rest of the team get more used to him I think his assist rate will increase with his ability to lay the ball off in just the right place from his head.

I'm predicting a 3-1 win for Arsenal and I'm hoping the victory last Saturday was the first in a run of wins to propel them up the table. With three points for a victory it's amazing how quickly ground can be made up and other teams left behind too. As long as Arsenal can continue the current improvement there is every chance they will be the ones making up ground on the teams above them.

Here's the highlights of the FA Cup victory over Villa last season.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Champions League Game With Montpellier Previewed

With the 5-2 victory over Spurs still fresh in the memory it's back to Champions League action for Arsenal tonight. They play at home to a Montpellier team that has only taken one point in their four games so far and can say goodbye to any chance of making the knockout stages. The group is down to a three horse race between Arsenal, Schalke and Olympiacos with the German team in the lead.

Arsenal had the perfect start to their group with a win away to Montpellier followed by a home win over Olympiacos. Unfortunately they forgot to turn up at home to Schalke and were beaten by the better team on the night. In the return game Arsenal raced into a 2-0 lead in Germany, but they couldn't hold on to it and ended up drawing 2-2.

As the group stands an Arsenal victory would guarantee their participation in the next stage of the competition as long as Schalke win at home to Olympiacos. If the Greek team can take even a point out of that game it would mean Arsenal need to get something out of their trip to Greece. Arsenal have been beaten twice away to Olympiacos in the last few years, but they had already secured qualification on each occasion.

It would be far from an easy task for Arsenal to have to travel there needing a point or more. The atmosphere on the night would be intimidating to say the least, but hopefully it won't come to that. If second place in the group is guaranteed before that game I can see the boss playing a weakened team with such a hectic schedule ahead of the team.

In team news for tonight the big news is Theo Walcott's omission from the squad after picking up a shoulder injury on Saturday. It looked a nasty fall at the time and he has had problems with his shoulders in the past. If memory serves me correctly he had pins inserted to hold them together and his latest injury has to be a bit of a concern.

He played very well on Saturday yet again and he is showing that he is a valuable asset to the team. Hopefully his contract situation can be sorted but the "sooner rather than later" aspect of that has long passed. The only way he will be an Arsenal player next season is if he decides he wants to stay.

It would cost an awful lot of money to replace him added to him leaving on a free transfer. If a wage that suits him can't be agreed upon maybe the club could make up the difference in a loyalty bonus spread over the length of a new contract. His current situation hardly shows loyalty but us Arsenal fans have learned to our peril that real loyalty is a very rare commodity among professional footballers.

Whatever way it pans out I hope to see him at the club next season despite the shortcomings in his game at times. He has worked hard to show what he can do when he has got a chance this season and he certainly has something to offer the team.

With Walcott out there is at least some good news as both Kieran Gibbs and Gervinho are available for selection. The team could really do with a proper left back in it again and if Gibbs starts he showed enough before his injury to suggest he is that player. His inclusion wouldn't be a blow to Andre Santos as the Brazilian is the other player to miss out through injury.

I'm not sure if Gervinho will start as there are a few players looking to replace the injured Walcott. Both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Andrey Arshavin will be hoping to get their chance with Walcott out too. I'd like to see Chamberlain get a chance to show what he can do on the right side of Arsenal's attacking trio.

I can't imagine there will be too many changes from the team that beat Spurs. If Gibbs is included in the defence it would mean either Laurent Koscielny or Thomas Vermaelen would have to miss out. Per Mertesacker has made himself the first choice central defender despite his lapse for Sours first goal on Saturday.

In a straight choice between Vermaelen and Koscielny I can only imagine Vermaelen will win. Neither player has been setting the world alight with their defending this season, but the chances of the club captain being left out are few and far between.

Montpellier played very well in the second half when they lost 2-1 at home to Arsenal. They were probably a little unlucky to lose that game, but they have only taken one point since then. Their defeats away and them at home to Olympiacos were a bit of a surprise to me.

Their defence of their French league title hasn't begun too well as they're 14th in the table after 13 games. They have only won three of those games and it doesn't look likely that they will have much chance of retaining their title.

With very little to play for it's hard to see how much this game can mean to Montpellier. However, there's also the possibility that they can play without any pressure on them and put in a very good performance. Arsenal cannot afford to treat Montpellier lightly or they could find themselves in a whole heap of trouble.

Arsenal need to show the attacking flair which they have found over the last few games, but a bit more defensive strength too. I like to see Olivier Giroud in the team as he is a great asset defending set pieces as well as for his forward play obviously. The most crucial part of Arsenal's game could be how they cope in midfield.

In the game in France they were almost over run in midfield in the second half. If the midfield battle is being lost tonight there may have to be a few changes in how the team are playing. Montpellier cannot be allowed to control the game and the boss will need to find an answer on the slot if they are.

I think the team will have got a real boost from the victory over Spurs and the slip ups by some of the other teams around them in the league. I'm hoping that boost will give them a little more confidence to come out and play a more controlled game than they have being doing recently. I would love to see Arsenal boss the game from the first to the last minute and brush Montpellier aside.

Having said that I would settle for a scrappy win and a win for Schalke too to ease any nerves ahead of the last group game. I'm predicting a 3-1 win for Arsenal with Giroud getting his name on the scoresheet against his former club. So many ex-Arsenal players score against them that it's about time our players started doing it against their former clubs.

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.

Lacklustre Arsenal Lose 1-0 To Norwich

With the international break over it was back to the business of real football for the Arsenal players yesterday. An evening kick off away to a Norwich team which hadn't won any of their first seven games looked like an ideal way for them to keep up with the Premier League pacemakers. Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City had all won earlier in the day and three points were needed to put Arsenal into the top four.

The team was as expected with Per Mertesacker lining up in central defence alongside Thomas Vermaelen.
Andre Santos filled in for the injured Kieran Gibbs at left back, and Olivier Giroud led the attack after his impressive display against West Ham.

The opening exchanges were promising with Arsenal have the better of them and looking likely to cause Norwich some real problems. The team weren't at their best but I felt confident they would pick up the pace and take all three points.

In typical Arsenal style they conceded with Norwich's first decent attempt on goal after 19 minutes. Alex Tettley let fly with a long range effort which Vito Mannone could only parry back across the goal and Grant Holt was on hand to score from the rebound. Arsenal certainly didn't cover themselves in glory in their attempts to stop Norwich scoring.

In the first place Tettley was given far too much time to get his shot off as nobody bothered to close him down. It was a good shot from Tettley but Mannone should have done better with it. If he couldn't hold it he should have pushed it away from the goal.

A better goalkeeper would have managed to put the ball away from danger but Mannone couldn't. It has to be remembered he is Arsenal's third choice keeper and as such he hasn't performed too badly so far. The injuries to the two keepers ahead of him in the pecking order mean he has to play at the moment, but he isn't quite good enough at this level.

I had mentioned in my preview that Norwich make chances against any team they play and they would make them against Arsenal too. Arsenal had the players to outclass and out score them and the concession of a goal didn't change that. Even without Mannone's mistake Arsenal would have only taken a point and that wasn't what was required.

For the rest of the first half Arsenal struggled to find any real cohesion, as Norwich set themselves up to defend their lead. There was little movement off the ball and the wide players were unable to get behind the Norwich defence. Something needed to change at half time and I hoped to see Arsenal step up the pace in the second half.

Unfortunately all they had to show was more of the same and it didn't look good as the clock ticked relentlessly towards 90 minutes. A couple of chances were created towards the very end, but John Ruddy saved a Mikael Arteta drive and Gervinho waited too long before having his shot blocked after he was played in.

It's hard to single out individual players as the team as a whole didn't perform. Yet again they were unable to break down a massed defence similar to what happened in the first two league games of the season. When a team works so hard to prevent Arsenal making chances it seems Arsenal don't have that player who can make something happen on his own.

The wide roles were filled by Lukas Podolski and Gervinho, but neither of them are wingers in the true sense. I think Arsenal need to find a player who can take defenders on and make things happen on his own. There aren't too many players like that around, but one would certainly make a difference on a day like yesterday.

The Arsenal players seemed almost lethargic at times and it looked to me like they underestimated Norwich. There are no easy games in the Premier League and the first thing every team needs to do is win the battle to play their football. Arsenal just weren't up for that battle and it's something which has to be addressed.

Arsenal have the joint best defence in the league after eight games, but they have failed to score in three of those games. Both Chelsea and Liverpool were able to concede against Norwich and still win comfortably. Whether it was a matter of the wrong attitude or inability to break down a packed defence it simply wasn't good enough.

There's a very busy fixture list ahead of the Arsenal team and they cannot afford to play like that again. They play Schalke on Wednesday night in a game where three points are a necessity. They will have to perform an awful lot better than they did against Norwich to beat Schalke.

Next Saturday sees a home Premier League game against QPR and it's another must win game. I will be at that game as I make my first pilgrimage of the season and I hope to see an awful lot more from Arsenal.

They are now 10 points behind the leaders after eight games and if that gap gets any bigger the chances of challenging for the title will almost be gone. The fact that the players couldn't raise their game in the second half was worrying and the fact that the manager couldn't get them to do so was worrying also. This was the first performance of the season that I was utterly disappointed with and I can only hope it will be the last such performance. If there are too many more of them it could be a long hard season for the team and the fans too.

I was lucky enough to meet up with some other Arsenal fans I have met through Twitter to watch yesterday's match. We met in the Dublin branch of the Arsenal supporters club and we had a great time despite the result. Hopefully there will be a few more chances for us to meet up and the team can put on a better show for us on those occasions.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Beauty Slays The Beast As Arsenal Beat West Ham 3-1

Arsenal played away to West Ham on Saturday evening knowing that nothing less than a win was needed. West Ham had made a good start to life back in the Premier League and were above Arsenal in the table before the game.

Arsene Wenger made three changes from the side which beat Olympiacos 3-1 last Wednesday night.

Per Mertesacker returned in place of Laurent Koscielny at the heart of the defence to add some much needed height. Aaron Ramsey came in to the centre of midfield in place of Frances Coquelin for a rare start in the league this season. The final change was the inclusion of Olivier Giroud at centre forward with Gervinho moving to a wide role and and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain missing out.

Arsenal started very brightly and took the game to West Ham from the off. They were well on top and it seemed like only a matter of time before they scored the opening goal. In true Arsenal style though they found themselves 1-0 down when West Han scored with their first attempt on goal.

Ramsey was beaten too easily by Mohamed Diame and Mertesacker wasn't in place to cover him. Diame's shot was absolutely perfect and it left Vito Mannone with no chance as it nestled in the top corner if the net. It was a real blow for Arsenal to be behind after dominating the game for the first 21 minutes.

Arsenal found it hard to regain their rhythm and for a while things weren't looking good. Gradually they started playing their way back into the game and got their reward a few minutes before half time.

Giroud made a good run from the half way line and fed the ball to Lukas Podolski wide on the left. Podolski played a great ball across the six yard box and Giroud got ahead if the defence to put it into the net. It was a real goalscorers goal and it was just what Arsenal and Giroud needed.

Half time couldn't come quickly enough for West Ham, as Arsenal assumed complete control again.

The second half started off in the same manner with Arsenal dominating and West Ham looking to make an impression from long balls and set pieces. Andy Carroll was a constant threat to the Arsenal defenders when those long balls were launched, but they just about coped with him.

He took one opportunity to lead with his arm and catch Mannone in the face with the referee seeing nothing with the challenge. Phil Dowd also neglected his duties when he failed to send Diame off in the first half after a crude challenge on Mikael Arteta. He had already been booked for his goal celebration and his challenge on Arteta went unpunished.

As the second half wore on it didn't look like Arsenal were going to get an all important winning goal. Theo Walcott had come on for Gervinho after an hour and Andre Santos replaced the injured Kirean Gibbs five minutes earlier. Gervinho had a poor game but he had deserved his place in the team as Arsenal's leading scorer.

With 13 minutes left it was Arsenal who made the breakthrough and Walcott was the man to score the goal. Arsenal broke at pace and Giroud played an inch perfect pass for Walcott to run through and stroke the ball home. It was a very good finish and his fourth goal so far this season despite his limited opportunities.

Arsenal continued to play some very good football and they added to their lead six minutes later. Walcott lost control outside the box but he managed to get the ball to Santi Cazorla. The diminutive Spaniard finished with a fierce shot into the net from more than 20 yards out to make it 3-1 to Arsenal.

It was no more than they deserved after playing all of the good football on show. There were times when West Ham's direct style caused Arsenal a few problems at the back and on another day Kevin Nolan might well have scored a goal or two. He didn't take his chances though and Arsenal took advantage to win the game.

They ran the clock down in the last few minutes as West Ham tired. It's not easy for any team to play football without the ball, but that was what West Ham had to do. They spent a lot of the game chasing shadows as Arsenal passed their way around them.

It's a shame to see a team with such a great tradition of passing football revert to the tactics West Ham use. They have had some joy up to now, but they're certainly not pretty to watch. As long as Sam Allardyce is in charge they will play that style of football.

It can't be easy for their fans to support the team and cheer as they lump the ball aimlessly forward. With the players they have at the club it's probably the best way for them to survive in the Premier League though. In the long term hopefully they will return to the style which won them so many admirers in the past.

It was a very important win for Arsenal after the defeat to Chelsea last week. Anything other than a win would have left them very far off the pace at the top of the table after only seven games. 12 points from seven games is far from perfect, but it's a decent return from the games played for a team in transition.

Arsenal's away form bears comparison to any team in the league with eight points from four games. They need to sort out their home league form now and hopefully to do so will push them up the table. There's a long way to go this season but the signs are very promising.

The team showed real strength to come from behind and take all three points. After losing to Chelsea last week and going behind to West Ham it would have been easy for some players to go missing.

Arteta was excellent yet again as he worked tirelessly in the engine room of the team. Cazorla was the creative spark which the team needs and which was missing too often last season. Giroud showed why Arsenal bought him with an excellent performance up front, as well as helping to defend set pieces at the back.

The two full backs played very well yet again, as they showed how quickly they are learning while in the team. Bacary Sagna will be back from injury very soon, but he cannot be guaranteed his place if Carl Jenkinson continues to play so well. Gibbs has made the left back role his own and hopefully the knock he picked up will be overcome very soon.

Arsenal really seem to be playing more like a team than they have in a long time. The players are playing for the team and for each other too and that has to be a good thing. They have a lot of experience in the team and that helps to overcome adversity when they face it.

Unfortunately there's two weeks before Arsenal play again thanks to the dreaded international break. Hopefully the Arsenal players on international duty will all come back safe and sound.

Luckily for Arsenal they have a couple of Spanish players making a real impression for them at the moment. With the vast choice of top class players available to Spain at the moment there is no place for Arteta in their squad. Cazorla doesn't get a whole lot of playing time either and that has to be good for Arsenal too.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Premier League To West Ham Previewed

Arsenal make the short trip to east London tomorrow evening for a Premier League game against West Ham United. As the table currently stands Arsenal are on nine points from six games which leaves them in eighth place, two points behind today's opponents.

West Ham have had a very good start to their season after gaining promotion from the Championship via the playoffs last season. They have won two and drawn one of their three home games so far.

The last time the two clubs met was two seasons ago when Arsenal took all six points off West Ham in the league. West Ham were relegated that season but they still tried to play a decent brand of football. Since then Sam Allardyce has taken over the reins at the club and changed their style dramatically.

West Ham won't bamboozle Arsenal with a movement of 25 passes before walking the ball into the net. Their first objective will be to hit Andy Carroll with long balls or to get the ball wide and swing it in towards his head. They will be delighted to have any set pieces in Arsenal's half of the pitch so they can take the opportunity to cause panic in the Arsenal defence.

It's not exactly a pretty style of football, but with their current manager nothing else is to be expected. Besides playing in a similar style to Stoke City they are also quite prepared to put the boot in like Stoke too. Their eight yellow cards against QPR last Monday tell a story of their own.

They also committed 21 fouls in that game and the Arsenal players can expect to have sore shins and calves after the game. Hopefully the referee will offer them some sort of protection, but with Phil Dowd in charge I doubt it.

Arsenal have been quite good in defence so far this season and no team has really played it's way through them. They have looked vulnerable from set pieces though and that is where West Ham get most of their joy. The Arsenal defenders can expect an aerial bombardment at any given opportunity and they will need to be at their very best to resist.

Of course Arsenal have plenty of attacking prowess of their own and they are sure to have a lot more of the ball than West Ham. What they do with the ball when they have it could be what makes the difference in the game.

I would imagine Arsene Wenger will go with more or less the same team which beat Olympiacos on Wednesday night. He has to decide if Per Mertesacker should be brought back into the team after missing the last two games due to being dropped and a bout of illness. Mertesacker's height could be a real bonus for Arsenal in the aerial battle at the back.

If Mertesacker does come in it would surely mean Laurent Koscielny dropping to the bench. Thomas Vermaelen has to play as club captain I would imagine and Koscielny would be the obvious choice to miss out. The best central defensive pairing for Arsenal would seem to be either Vermaelen or Koscielny alongside Mertesacker.

In midfield Frances Coquelin played quite well in place of the injured Abou Diaby on Wednesday night. He looked to have got a bout of cramp late on, but hopefully he will be fit to take his place in the team. He might not get picked of course as it's a straight choice between him and Aaron Ramsey in midfield.

The other big decision for the manger could be his choice of central striker. Gervinho has done enough in recent games to justify his place in the team even if he is a very frustrating player to watch. I have a feeling he might move out to the right hand side with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain missing out.

That would hopefully make a place in the team for Olivier Giroud. He is exactly the type of player Arsenal will need in this game with his build and ability in the air. He can help the defence out at set pieces as well as hopefully getting his name on the score sheet at the other end.

Arsenal have played nine games this season but Giroud has only been chosen to start in four of those games. It can't be easy for him to find his goal scoring form when he is limited to 15 minute appearances most of the time. I think he has the ability to be a very important player for Arsenal this season and I hope the goals start flowing for him very soon.

This game will be a very stern test for Arsenal and it's one they really have to win. Chelsea have a home game against Norwich earlier in the day and a win would put them 10 points ahead of Arsenal. At this early stage that gap is still too big and the three points on offer against West Ham are three points Arsenal need.

I have always considered an average of two points a game to be the very least a team needs to challenge for the league since three points for a win was introduced. Arsenal would need to win their next three games to get back to that average starting with West Ham today.

Arsenal have enough players with the ability to take the West Ham apart as long as they can fight hard enough to earn the right to play. West Ham are bound to try to pressurise the Arsenal midfield as it worked for Chelsea last week. They don't have players with the ability of Chelsea though and they won't find it easy.

As long as Arsenal can keep Carroll and Kevin Nolan relatively quiet I think they can take all three points. It will probably be a very tight game and I'm predicting a 2-1 win for Arsenal. Of course I would be happy with a bigger win, but the most important thing is that they take the three points.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal 3-1 Olympiacos

Arsenal played Olympiacos last night in their second group game of this seasons Champions League. They had beaten Montpellier 2-1 away from home in their first game and another win would leave them in an ideal situation in their group.

With Arsene Wenger serving the second game of his ridiculous UEFA ban Steve Bould was again the man in charge on the night. There were two changes from the team which lost 2-1 at home to Chelsea in the Premier League last Saturday. With Abou Diaby injured Frances Coquelin came into the side and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaced Aaron Ramsey on the right side of the attacking trio.

The first half wasn't much to write home about, but Arsenal managed to take the lead as half time approached. Gervinho collected a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area and struck it sweetly into the corner past the keeper's dive. Arsenal didn't really deserve to be ahead at that stage and their lead didn't last too long either.

In added time at the end of the first half Olympiacos leveled the game. A cross was swung in from the left and it was met with a glancing header into the corner of the net by Kostas Mistroglou. Nobody closed down the player who crossed the ball and Mistroglou found it far too easy to get his header in too.

It may not have been a goal from a set piece, but Arsenal conceded yet another goal from a ball crossed into their penalty area. So far every goal they have conceded this season has come from a set piece or a cross, but no team has really managed to play their way through the Arsenal defence. If they can sort out their defending on set pieces and crosses their defence will be a formidable one.

The scores were level at half time and Arsenal needed to find something extra in the second half. They tried to pick up the pace but their opponents were able to match them. It looked like it was going to take something special or a mistake to decide the game in either team's favour.

It was Arsenal who managed the all important next goal with 11 minutes gone in that second half. Gervinho cut the ball back for Lukas Podolski and his crisp shot made it's way into the net via the keeper's heel. The shot was going in anyway but the deflection off the keeper could have gone anywhere.

Thankfully for Arsenal it ended up in the net and their lead was restored. Olympiacos assumed control after that as they went in search of an equaliser. After losing their opening game at home to Schalke they knew they had to get something from this game.

Arsenal defended well and looked to hit Olympiacos on the break. There were a couple of chances for Arsenal, but Laurent Koscielny missed the best of them from a header six yards out when he really should have scored. As the clock ran down both teams made changes in personnel.

Theo Walcott came on for Chamberlain in the Arsenal team mid-way through the half. With 10 minutes remaining Olivier Giroud replaced Gervinho and Ramsey came on for Podolski. Arsenal had a lead to protect and they did all they could to eat up precious seconds and minutes.

As Olympiacos tired it was Arsenal who looked the more likely to score again, and they eventually did in the last minute of added time. Vito Mannone kicked long to the head of Giroud and his neat flick put Ramsey through with just one defender to beat. He skipped past his challenge and chipped the ball over the on rushing keeper in true Carlos Vela style.

The final whistle went as soon as Olympiacos scored and it was a little flattering to Arsenal. They had worked hard but never really found any rhythm throughout the game. It leaves Arsenal on top of the group with six points from two games after Schalke drew 2-2 at home to Montpellier.

Next up for Arsenal will be back to back games against Schalke and four points in those two games would surely be enough to see them through to the knockout stages. The first of those games is at home on October 24 with a couple of league games and an international break to come first.

Despite continuing to frustrate at times Gervinho scored his fifth goal of the season and justified his selection with an assist also. I'm far from convinced by him but he continues to produce despite looking like he doesn't know what he's doing far too often.

Mannone was far from convincing in goal again and the return of Wojciech Szczesny is eagerly anticipated by Arsenal fans. He could do nothing about the goal Arsenal conceded, but he looks increasingly uncertain and nervous. Hopefully Szczesny can return to first team duty after the international break.

Giroud only got 10 minutes to show what he can do but he almost scored a couple of goals. His flick on for Ramsey's goal was real route one football, but it's certainly a viable plan "B" for Arsenal if their usual style isn't working. Arsenal have often been criticised for only playing the one way, but Giroud offers an alternative if the wide players can run into good positions for his knock-ins or flicks.

One of the strangest things on the night was the continued charges forward by Thomas Vermaelen. With the game nearly over he was still looking to burst forward when defending should have been his first objective. As captain he should be the one reminding others of their responsibilities on the pitch, but maybe somebody needs to remind him.

It's back to Premier League action for Arsenal on Saturday with a trip to West Ham in the evening kick off. West Ham have started very well and are currently above Arsenal in the table. Three points before the players head off to play for their countries would be the ideal way for Arsenal to finish off the week.

Here's the highlights of last night's game.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Champions League Game With Olympiacos Previewed

Arsenal take on Olympiacos tomorrow night in their second game of their Champions League group. They won their first game 2-1 away to Montpellier two weeks ago despite being far from their best on the night. At the same time Olympiacos were losing 2-1 at home to Germany's Schalke 04.

After the defeat to Premier League leaders Chelsea on Saturday Arsenal need to get back to winning ways immediately. They didn't play well against Chelsea, but it was poor defending from set pieces which let them down on the day. Despite Chelsea looking better in possession they created very little from open play.

The general concensus seems to be that Arsene Wenger got his team selection wrong with the omission of Per Mertesacker. The big German has been Arsenal's best defender so far this season and he should have played against Chelsea. There is no way of knowing if he would have made a difference, but it just doesn't make sense to leave a player in such good form out of the team.

Whether he returns to the team to play against Olympiacos is anybody's guess and I have a feeling he might be on the bench again. To be honest the performances of both Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen in that game were not up to scratch and either player could have no complaints if they were left out against Olympiacos. The chances of Vermaelen not playing are pretty slim though, as he is the club captain.

Arsenal have been drawn in the same group as Olympiacos twice before and the won their home games on each occasion. They did lose both return games in Greece but managed to qualify from their on each occasion. Olympiacos have a reputation for not traveling well in European competition and they will hardly relish a trip to Arsenal.

They have started their domestic campaign very well though with maximum points from their first five games. That's bound to give them some confidence but the home defeat to Schalke leaves them playing catch up in the group. They will feel they need to get something out of this game if they are to have a chance of progressing to the knockout stages.

I expect to see a fairly similar team for Arsenal to the one which lost on Saturday. Of Course I would like to see Mertesacker back in the team and I think Olivier Giroud should play from the start too. With Abou Diaby injured the chances are Aaron Ramsey will get the chance to play in a central midfield role.

Giroud has missed a few good chances when he had played for Arsenal this season. Most of his appearances have been 20 minute cameos though and if he's going to score goals he needs to start games. If Giroud does start it would probably mean Gervinho would drop to the bench despite scoring four goals in his last four games.

I'm not quite sure how Gervinho is Arsenal's current top scorer as he is such an inconsistent player. I have no doubt that his movement causes problems for opposing defences, but he just doesn't offer enough to the team in my opinion. Far too often Arsenal attacks break down when the ball arrives at his feet.

There's another big game for Arsenal next Saturday but Wenger has to play his strongest team possible against Olympiacos. The Premier League trip to West Ham can be worried about when the Olympiacos game is over.

With Diaby's injury Arsenal's midfield options are a little short at the moment but that should hopefully change after the upcoming international break. Diaby should be close to returning at that stage and both Jack Wilshere and Emmanuel Frimpong made their comebacks in the Arsenal under 21 team yesterday.

It will be another few weeks before either of them will play for the first team, but it's good to see them on the road to recovery. Hopefully Tomas Rosicky won't be too far behind them in his recovery and Bacary Sagna is on the comeback trail too. The competition for places could be very tough quite soon, but that can only benefit the team.

I'm hoping to see Arsenal bounce back against Olympiacos and play with style and verve. A win would leave them in a great position in the group before their back to back games against Schalke.If Arsenal do best Olympiacis those games against Schalke will probably decide which team wins the group.

I can see Arsenal dominating possession but they might have to work hard to achieve a breakthrough. They will also need to be vigilant in defence at set pieces in particular after conceding three goals in two games from set pieces against City and Chelsea. I'm predicting a 2-0 win for Arsenal and I'd really love to see Giroud get among the goals.

Hopefully the likes of Santi Cazorla, Mikael Arteta and Lukas Podolski can have a big influence on the game for Arsenal. The midfield needs to get a strong hold of the game and impose their game on Olympiacos. If they're put under enough pressure they will make mistakes and hopefully Arsenal can capitalise on any errors.

They may not have been great against Chelsea but it was a combination of excellent Peter Cech saves and poor finishing which stopped Arsenal from getting a draw. Vito Mannone didn't have much to do in the Arsenal goal besides picking the ball out of the net twice. Wojciech Szczesny's return from injury can't come quick enough at the moment as Mannone has been found wanting in the last two games.

It's a very important game for the Arsenal players after suffering their first defeat of the season on Saturday. I think the current team has the strength needed to bounce back from their setback and that might set them apart from Arsenal teams of the last few seasons. A win against Olympiacos followed by a win against West Ham would be the perfect way to send the team into yet another international break next week.

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.