Chelsea 2 Arsenal 0: Report

It didn’t take long for Arsenal to embarrass themselves or Wenger to embarrass himself.

On 6, the brainless Gael Clichy nonsensically jumped into Nicola Anelka, conceding a cheap, early free-kick – exactly what Chelsea wanted and what Arsenal didn’t want. From the ensuing corner, John Terry easily beat Diaby in the air, heading across goal to the unmarked Drogba who finished comfortably at the far post.

Arsenal created their only clear chance of the game in open play on 16, when a sublime long ball from Fabregas found Arshavin in the box. Unfortunately, the best the Russian could do was get his first-time volley on target, although straight at Petr Cech.

The game was all but lost on 22, when Drogba latched onto a Chelsea counter attack and made dummies of Clichy and Vermaelen before hammering past the helpless Almunia. It was a 5-A side goal. The amount of goals Drogba scores against Arsenal is obscene, and it’s no coincidence that his record against Manchester United and Liverpool is absolutely paltry by comparison.

Arsenal responded by maintaining the majority of possession, but creating clear cut chances was predictably beyond them. Fabregas’s long distance, high and wide effort on 42 was horribly desperate.

Arsenal continued to dominate possession in the second half, but in reality, Chelsea were in second gear for most of the game and simply allowed Arsenal the ball. They know how to kill a game, and they don’t need possession of the ball to make monkeys out of a team like Arsenal.

Wenger’s team never got behind them, never stretched them – all the crosses from wide landed comfortably on the heads of Chelsea’s back four, time and time again. Arsenal were merely reduced to short passing around the box with the faint hope of creating an opening. This almost bore fruit on 60 when Diaby’s pass found Nasri in space in the area, but his split second hesitancy was enough to see any chance go begging.

Otherwise, a Fabregas free-kick on 69 required some focused keeping from Cech, but that was it. Chelsea were unlucky not to score a third when Drogba’s free-kick cracked the crossbar on 83.

A few minutes later, from a set-piece, Anelka ran across the Arsenal box with nobody within 10 yards of him and whacked the ball over the bar. Criminally inept defending, a microcosm of Arsenal and Arsene.

Post match, Wenger claimed Arsenal were “the better side”. They weren’t. Chelsea grabbed their goals when they needed to, then soaked up the pressure gleefully. In the unlikely event Arsenal had scored, it’s more than likely that Chelsea would have moved up a gear and finished the game off with a couple.

Fortunately for Arsenal, Chelsea’s hunger for scoring goals to entertain is not quite as strong as their title rivals – now reduced to one, Manchester United.

Full-Time: Chelsea 2 Arsenal 0.

It was all horribly predictable, and I’m afraid to say that today’s performance goes beyond any excuses supporters might dream up about Wenger’s team suffering through injuries or his lack of spending power.

The fact is, Arsenal have a manager that is tactically impotent and cannot teach basic defending.

When Wenger inherited George Graham’s back five, the art of defending was not something he needed to concern himself with. The defence pretty much marshalled itself. As those iconic souls slowly disintegrated through old age, the rock that was Sol Campbell came in to give Arsenal a rearguard backbone. Wenger still had Ashley Cole from Graham’s reign, and Lehmann and Toure were shrewd purchases, but they also had men in front of them.

Unfortunately, however, since Campbell’s (previous) departure, Arsenal have been an unholy shambles at the back, and Wenger simply hasn’t a clue how to remedy it.  His answer is to try and build a team that hogs so much of the possession that defending is rarely required. Unfortunately, it’s naïve in this league, or perhaps any league, and the futility of the Frenchman’s transparent philosophy has been found out.

Arsenal are so bad without the ball, they would require 95% possession to be certain of consistently winning football matches, and thus the chance to truly compete for prizes.

Usually when clubs with good players have bad defensive periods, managers go out of their way to spend extra time in training teaching defence and making the necessary tactical adjustments. Through hard graft and a lot of practice, mistakes are eliminated and the defence regains its bond, however, Wenger clearly does not understand this part of the game well enough, and is seemingly unable to identify those players who might come in and be wholly self-sufficient.

On top of that, the team as a whole cannot even master the basic art of man marking. It’s really preposterous that, at this level, international players should be making exactly the same mistakes, game-in, game-out, week after week, year after year. I'm afraid to say it's total and utter managerial incompetence whichever way you look at it.

Against the lesser teams, Arsenal’s abysmal defending is not always punished and they usually escape unscathed, but against anyone decent they soon get found out.

I therefore feel the Champions League is nothing but a pipe dream with only further humiliation lurking, and clearly the Premier League is now well beyond Arsenal’s grasp for a sixth successive season.

Today I watched Arsenal with a sense of abject resignation as the realisation I speak of fully sunk in. It’s more than merely being beaten by a better side. You can argue all day long about whether Wenger’s squad injuries have made any difference to their season and you can argue all day about how much money the manager has to spend or not – these are partial unknowns. But the one thing you cannot argue is what you see repeatedly with your own eyes, on the pitch.

This Arsenal team cannot defend, Wenger is horribly naïve from a tactical perspective, and it seems increasingly improbable that he will be able to overcome his limitations in this respect and restore Arsenal to the same level of six long years ago.

I’m afraid to say, I really feel that Arsene Wenger’s time at Arsenal has now run its course, and that a manager who is tactically competent and can teach the basic art of defending could come in and get much better performances with exactly the same set of players.

The so-called “beautiful football” is a bit of a myth to be honest, much lesser teams play equally well in patches and score just as appealing goals.

Wenger has done an absolutely incredible job at Arsenal and will always be a legend at the club, but we can’t live in the past, we have to accept that unless the manager either brings in a right-hand man who can address the problems that he blatantly cannot address himself, then Wenger himself will never deliver what is expected for a club of Arsenal's stature - which is far beyond chucking two cups per season and coming third or fourth in the Premier League.

Do we have lofty ambitions, or is the most we can expect from Arsenal a fourth place scrap fighting for qualification of a tournament that the club has very, very little realistic chance of ever winning?

I think Wenger should be on very limited time to put things right and personally I feel the rest of the season is a complete write off. It’s all about the summer, what he does and then whether there is any discernible difference in approach during the first half of next season – if not, I would likely start protesting for his removal, hopefully I will be proved wrong.

As for this blog, I’m not sure I have the heart to continue in much the same way for the remainder of the season. I don’t see the point of repeatedly criticising the manager as I don’t enjoy it; in fact I’m completely fed up of denigrating Wenger and have no desire to be as disrespectful as some other writers are becoming as I still believe there is much to admire about the man.

By the same token, however, neither do I see the point of lauding whatever points Arsenal are likely to scrape up to ensure a top four finish between now and May – the club’s run in, bar a few tricky matches, is fairly straightforward.

I will, however, always support the team during the games - that love of Arsenal Football Club and will to win won't ever diminish, and I'm sure there are a few blogs left in me between now and the summer.

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There's no need to sack Wenger... yet!

Has the dust has settled since Sunday, or are you still furious?

Usually when I write as blog as negative as the one I wrote yesterday, I have to deal with a lot more dissent than I'm getting now. Emails calling me a "c**t", putrid comments that usually resort to a handful of bannings - you get the idea.

Yesterday, there was none.

I've also being sloughing the blogs, at least those I respect, to pick up on the general ambience of Arsenal supporters and writers.

Of course, there are always going to be people that overreact, and by the same token some that underreact. Two blogs in particular want Wenger out of Arsenal now. One has even set up a petition to enable his removal.

Personally, I have no problem with that - everyone is entitled to their opinion. What people forget is that quite often, the more someone loves something the more extreme their reactions are - so I never buy into the view that people with strong opinions are traitors, defectors or double-agents.

Over the past couple of years, many have assumed Arsenal Truth as one of the more negative Arsenal blogs on the Internet - always on the back of the manager, critical. But that's because I did not exist online prior to the summer of 2008, when I was a lot more supportive of the manager.

In fact, during the first part of 2008, I actually thought Wenger had got Arsenal back on the right track; the team was making a genuine title challenge - far more impressive than this current, so-called title challenge.

Yes, they ballsed it up in the end, which was kind of predictable, and were elminated from the Champions League in equally predictable fashion, but still there were signs that Wenger was getting the club back on the right track following a couple of dismal domestic seasons.

Since then, however, it's all become a landslide of negativity and underachievement again. Big players have been sold or allowed to leave for nothing, and instead of pushing on, Wenger has made major misjdugments that have wiped out all the progress he enabled.

Indeed, Arsenal have gone backwards, which has frustrated and annoyed a large faction of supporters.

Last season, of which almost the entirety was spent scrapping for fourth place, was utterly awful by any big club's standards - even the football was drivel.

This season has been slightly better, but not better enough.

This time last year, there was no title race - Arsenal were completely out of it. Yet statistics show that after 24 games last season Arsenal had 43 points. Today, Arsenal have 49 points.

Ask yourself, is that tangible progress?

The only reason Arsenal have been in a title race at all, has been because the competition has undoubtedly regressed.

I said in December 2008, that Wenger had 14 months to save his job - three transfer windows to change his philosophy and put Arsenal back on the right track. Not necessarily win the Premier League, but make a decent fist of fighting for it; putting in a sustainable challenge right until the end.

That now looks highly unlikely.

I have made wild predictions before, but personally I don't believe Arsenal have a cat in hell's chance of even beating Chelsea next week. It would defy all logic to be optimistic - although I do think it will be a closer game than one might anticipate.

Regardless of that, by my reasoning Wenger's three transfer windows are up. The manager has brought in 5 players in that time, Andrei Arshavin (£15m), Thomas Vermaelen (£10m), Sol Campbell (£0), Wellington Silva (£3.5m), and Damian Martinez (£1.3m), and needless to say, it hasn't been enough - Arsenal are still in the trough.

The question is, do I want the manager gone? Where do I stand on the subject?

Most blogs sit on the fence, but I applaud those that don't however logical or illogical their suppositions are.

As a blog writer I believe there are times when you have to be a little brave, be prepared to take the critique that might come your way by sticking your neck on the line and saying what you really feel - otherwise what's the point of having a blog?

Why should people read the opinions of individuals who keep their opinions to themselves?

Would I be sad if, in the unlikely event, Wenger was sacked by the Arsenal board tomorrow?  Let's say - I would have mixed emotions. There would be an element of fear - can we sustain our standing as one of the top four clubs in England? But also an element of relief - finally a new manager who might pinpoint the squad's deficiencies, offer tactical solutions, show more ambition.

I am not a person that resists change.

Without getting too philosophical, everything changes in life, it's an inevitability. Life is in a continual process of modification, and as a living, breathing human being you need to be able to adapt to the changes life brings and meet those changes head on every day.

As society increasingly demands immediacy, the demand for change increases in its rapidity.

So, no, I am not afraid of change and I am not afraid of Arsene Wenger leaving Arsenal Football Club.

Arsenal is a big part of my life, and therefore Wenger a big part of it as well. As pathetic as it might sound to those not the slightest bit interested in grown men kicking a bag of wind around, what Wenger says, what he does, and how his team performs, is tied in to my emotions in a big way.

Of course, you have to maintain an element of perspective, football is sport, and it's easy to over-induldge in its importance - but within this fantasy we call life, supporting a football club is a highly emotive form of entertainment that can easily consume you.

The key question is, what is best for the club? Is it best for Arsenal that Arsene Wenger leaves, and who could do a better job than he does if he did leave?

First of all, that question is loaded with unknowns. We are not privvy to the manager's thoughts, his training ground routines, his boardroom meetings, even his budgets - although we do have access to the board's accounts. Even what Wenger says to the press is deliberately designed to distract, obfuscate and distort.

We can never have a complete picture of the manager, and can therefore never fully know what he's doing to achieve the aims of the club and the supporters - we can only guess and make assumptions based on what we see, what is delivered, what has been proven.

The fact is, Wenger is NOT delivering. Another fact is that Wenger is CAPABLE of delivering.

So what we really need is a change of attitude, change of focus, change of direction. And I believe we have to see that NOW or as soon as feasibly possible considering another transfer window has closed.

As supporters, we have been patient with the manager; put up with his idiosyncrasies and general lack of success in the last half a decade. But there has to come a time when you put your foot on one side of the divide or the other.

Personally, I now believe that something profound needs to change. To some people that means sacking Arsene Wenger, or at least setting the wheels in motion.

In my mind, I am still reticent to come to that definitive conclusion.

Yes there are other managerial options out there (Hiddink/Rijkaard/Capello), but whilst I feel that Wenger has limited time left to achieve his objectives, I still believe that beneath all the empty rhetoric, distorted promises and myopic visions, we have a manager with the intelligence and clarity to realise that his philosophy is completely floundering - and will act on it.

I don't think Wenger "deserves" more time for what he has achieved in the past. I believe that his grace period has expired, but I do believe he has the integrity and responsibility to radically change his policy should this season go the same way as the last five and end up completely fruitless.

Wenger should be given one last transfer window to sort this club out. One last summer to fix the glowing cracks in his squad and certain underperforming areas of his managerial technique. I would give him the first 15 games of next season to get his act together, and if it's going well, continue to monitor his performance throughout the duration.

Any signs of failure to adapt his principles or failure to bring the best out of what he has, and any trepidation I have about requesting the sacking of Arsene Wenger would be dissolved, I would want it to happen. You have that on record.

Meanwhile, we still have quite a lot of 09/10 to get through.

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Arsenal 1 Man Utd 3: Report/Ratings

How bad was this? I can’t believe I was foolish enough to have an air of optimism prior to kick-off.

Arsenal got off to a fairly positive start. After three minutes, Arshavin weaved into the box from the left flank, but finished feebly with Rosicky and Nasri available to his right.

The first signs of impending tragedy arrived on 7, when the incredulously slothful Denilson completely left his marker Darren Fletcher, whose cross was miscontrolled by Wayne Rooney in the box.

Clichy was then shredded by Nani, whose provided another dangerous, crucially intercepted and cleared by Song.

On 8, Denilson did his best to put United 1-0 up. Under no pressure, the hapless berk headed a corner in the wrong direction requiring Nasri to clear off the line.

Five minutes later, Arshavin created another chance for himself but shot wide of Edwin Van Der Sar; again players were available for the cut back.

The game was wide open, too wide open. Gallas vitally shut the door on Scholes in the 26^th minute. Arsenal were not pressing United effectively; not closing down quickly enough.

United began to looked increasingly dangerous, Nani shooting wide on 27, and Nani again a minute later - Vermaelen with a last ditch tackle.

On 32, marvellous skill by Nani tricked the static combination of Clichy/Nasri – Denilson pulled his leg out the way and Nani chipped to the far post only for Almunia to intercept and palm the ball into his own net.

Four minutes later, it was effectively game over as Arsenal foolishly over-committed players forward. Caught at a corner, Rooney started the counter-attack deep in his own half and Nani played the striker back in having run the whole length of the pitch to get into the box. Rooney buried the return pass; Denilson basically gave up tracking him.

On 37, United nodded off. Scholes losing possession needlessly in midfield allowing Rosicky to put Arshavin clean through but the Russian shot wide - a bad miss.

United almost hit a third before half-time, Rooney finding Scholes with acres of room in the box, his set up for Nani deflected wide of the Arsenal goal, the ball having brushed Vermaelen’s arm.

Arsenal opened the second-half with a chance, Song weaving his way into the United box, but off-balance he shot wide. Five minutes later it was game, set and match as United again countered. Denilson gave the ball away to Carrick, a couple of passes and players were streaking through with no trackers to be seen. Park sauntered in the box and passed it wide of Almunia for 0-3.

79, Vermaelen grabbed a consolation goal with a deflected strike; could have been 2-6 in the end.

Full-time: Arsenal 1 Man United 3.

United didn’t even have to play at the top of their game to beat Arsenal comfortably. Wenger lost the tactical battle completely, despite it being one of the weakest United sides I have seen visit Arsenal for a long time, especially considering it was devoid of Ferdinand and Vidic (and O'Shea) (and Giggs).

To think Wenger chucked the FA Cup to save players for this wretched performance. To think Wenger actually believes there were no players available during the January transfer window any better than what he has.

The performance was appalling; the tactics were appalling; the substitutes were appalling. The same players are making the same mistakes time after time. Their skins are saved against the average teams by other, better players in the squad, but against the top teams there is no salvation.

Read my lips, there is no future at Arsenal Football Club for Gael Clichy, Manuel Almunia, and Denilson. All three are totally incompetent and incapable at this level. They do not deserve any more chances.

In Denilson’s case there has to be an element of outrage at his lack of effort at key moments, and Wenger should be crucified for fielding the Brazilian already knowing that he has been too lazy to track players back in previous games.

Any other club would dump him in the reserves and tell him to ship up or shape out; Wenger kisses his arse, gives him a new contract and plays him in the most important game of the season.

Arsenal are going nowhere under Wenger, as every season becomes another groundhog day. A team that defends this cluelessly has no chance in the Champions League.

Write those dates out of your diary unless you want more pain.

Wenger is a great manager, but his philosophy is naive, his players are naive and his squad is unbalanced. On a tactical basis, his newfound 2009/10 system does not play to the players’ strengths - quite the opposite, it highlights their weaknesses.

Theoreticaly, Wenger could make Arsenal great again, but not for as long as he refuses to concede that his principles are faulty.

He seems intent on proving that time alone will make his young players great. That is naïve, and history proves it.

In the 14 years that Wenger has managed Arsenal, how many youngsters have come through the system and proven themselves (at this club or others) to be top class European players? Five? Six? I can certainly give you the names of 30 that came with a lot of promises but bit the dust.

That return simply does not justify the time and effort invested in them by the club, let alone build an entire future around them and expect them to win the biggest trophies domestic and European football has to offer.

I fear it’s now become all about Wenger proving the critics wrong, winning something with youth at the expense of experience, and in the process persisting with numerous players whose continued inclusion defies all logic - other than being subservient to Wenger's myopic vision.

How much longer do we have to watch Almunia, Denilson, and Clichy make mistake after mistake in game after game, year after year before Wenger admits he’s got it wrong?

It really would not cost a massive sum of money to make Arsenal serious title contenders. Three or four players, and if it means some of the kids don’t make it or need to be sold/loaned to make space in the squad then Wenger has to swallow his pride and get on with it.

As for Wenger, he won’t stay at Arsenal forever, one day we’ll lose him whatever happens. Should we sit back and wait another five years for his youth project to work? Is it feasible that success will arrive when every summer he sells one or two crown jewels who have lost their motivation, then replaces them with a few more toddlers?

What future do Arsenal have if Fabregas leaves? Look at his goals and assists. We're a mid-table club without him and Wenger is pushing him out the door.

I have completely lost confidence in Wenger’s ideology, and what's worse I just don’t trust anything he says anymore. He tells bare-faced lies to supporters about how he will definitely buy this type of player or that type of player, only to buy no one, and then when it’s too late he witters on about all the great players he’s missed or wanted to buy (David Villa?????), hoodwinking fans by pretending that he actually made an effort.

I find it deeply insulting. What's more, it leaves me clueless as to what he's really thinking, what he's planning, and whether he will do what he says when he says it.

The only thing Wenger buys these days is time; weaving stories to get himself through the transfer window unscathed, thus enabling him to continue his bloody minded project without interference. He's a con artist.

Yesterday’s game tipped the bar for me, I was really fucking depressed and angry both during the game and after it – at 3-0 I couldn’t even be bothered to write my usual notes; just sat slumped in my chair completely disenchanted. United's away results have been terrible this season, especially without Ferdinand/Vidic, yet they rolled Arsenal over as if we were a Championship side.

I don’t believe in Wenger anymore and I don’t trust him to do the right thing for the right reasons. I know that managers of his calibre are few and far between, but I also know that something is wrong with Wenger's employment.

He has too much power at the club, too much control, no resistance, and lives in his own small-minded hermetic world, where he dreams that one day Arsenal will be 1970s Brazil reincarnated. You simply can't play like that in the Premier League.

Wenger is playing Football Manager with our club, and the dangers of his philosophy, attitude and behaviour is clear and obvious, and being played out in front of our eyes.

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Player Ratings:

Almunia 4.0
Made yet another howler. What's the point of sticking with him? Put Fabianski in now and give him a run until the end of the season. He can't be any worse than Almunia, and if he is, sell both!

Sagna 5.5
United targeted Clichy - like every team does - so Sagna didn't have as much defending to do on his side. Crossing in forward positions was abysmal as usual. Where was he on United's counter-attacks?

Gallas 7.0
Did not defend badly but needs to get back quicker from attacking set-pieces. Knowing Utd's counter-attacking threat he should have been instructed on this by Wenger before the game started - it's called "tactics".

Vermaelen 7.5 ~ STAR MAN
The best of the back five, poached another goal. Again, it was naive to send both Vermaelen and Gallas up for corners knowing United's counter-attacking threat.

Clichy 2.5
I've been saying for years (two years before I even had a blog) that Calamity Clichy is a major defensive weakness, and he backs up my theory every week. His performance had nothing to do with coming back from injury; his game is plagued with mistakes. He can't even get tight to a winger and cut out a cross - kids stuff.

Denilson 1.0
"We're not boys any more, I am a man and I'll show that on the pitch." Overpaid, big-headed, lazy waste of space that needs to be brought back down to earth with a massive thud. Shame no one at the club will do it.

Song 6.5
Not very effective, but at least he made himself visible in the heat of the battle.

Fabregas 6.0
Surrounded by incompetents, Fabregas grew increasingly frustrated and had no chance of stamping his authority in midfield. He must be at the end of his tether; a natural born winner playing with far to many losers.

Arshavin 6.0
You can't say he didn't try, but his decision making was woeful. Needs to look up more and stop being so selfish.

Rosicky 6.0
Tried to link up play, but the front three played like strangers. Doesn't help that he's stuck on the right, when he prefers to play on the left.

Nasri 4.5
Often disappeared; doesnt show up when you need him. Beginning to look like a waste of £12.7m. Pires cost half that.


Substitutions:

Bendtner 4.5
Poor, but I'm not going to heap the blame on him.

Eboue 4.5
Postionally all over the place.

Walcott 4.0
Ran around a lot, but to no effect.

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David Villa my arse

Two hours to kick-off. Can Arsenal beat Man Utd at the Emirates today? I'm excited, I think we can.

I'm most interested to see how Arsenal's front three axis will cope against United's defence; one week ago I would have said "hopelessly" but things have changed since then.

First of all, Bendtner will presumably start ahead of Eduardo, which means Arsenal at last have a physical presence up front - not seen since Van Persie departed two months ago.

Second, Rio Ferdinand is suspended, so the ball might stick up front a little more - United's defence is never quite the same without him.

Vidic plays, however, and I would imagine the Serbian will be right on Bendtner's back from the off.

This will be one hell of a tough game for Bendtner.

Otherwise, United don't scare me - they haven't beaten Arsenal away in the league for four seasons. Ronaldo is no longer around to rip Arsenal apart as he did in the Champions League last May. Tevez is gone; they've lost four games on the road already.

Only Wayne Rooney is worth fearing, and the performances of Gael Clichy and Manuel Almunia - they are almost as scary as Rooney.

On the plus side, Song is back, Vermaelen might be fit, Rosicky is coming into form, Fabregas is the best midfielder in the Premier League, Gallas had his best game of the season against Villa, and if Wenger knows what he's doing Denilson will be dropped.

That means, less chance of giving away a soft penalty, half as many cheap fouls conceded in Arsenal's defensive third, and there won't be a player in the team who will give up like he does should the going get tough.

I do have a slight concern, however, that Wenger might play Arshavin, Nasri and Rosicky up front with Denilson next to Fabregas - but I hope he's not that stupid.

At least not as stupid as Wenger obviously seems to think Arsenal supporters ARE judging by his comments on Arsenal.com.

On his decision not to dip into the transfer market:

"It is not only about wanting to buy, it is to find better players than what you have available"

No-one better in world football than Denilson/Almunia/our dreadful left-backs/Campbell?

"You always want to add a [Cristiano] Ronaldo if you can, but is he available and where is he?"

Spain.

"Marouane Chamakh is not available because he is playing with Bordeaux and Bordeaux don't want to release him. David Villa as well, Valencia don't want to let him go."

David Villa???? We're expected to believe Wenger has made a genuine phone call to Valencia for David Villa????

If any more proof were needed that Wenger patronises Arsenal supporters to their very core, there it is.

Wenger has set his heart on his youth project and will live and die by it whether it's the right thing for Arsenal or not. However, as January has proven, Wenger puts himself first and the club second.

It could yet succeed, but if not, for Christ's sake don't let him get away with it for another season.

Enjoy the game this afternoon. If Arsenal win it, they can go to Stamford Bridge with massive confidence and could cause a major title race upset. If they lose or draw, they will go to Stamford Bridge with fear - and can kiss goodbye to the title.

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Aston Villa 0 Arsenal 0: Report/Ratings

An early test for the Arsenal defence came via the left boot of Gabriel Agbonlahor, forcing a low save from Almunia.

Arsenal's first chance came from a corner on the 8th minute, Denilson's eventual long-distance shot pushed away fairly comfortably by Brad Friedel.

As is becoming a frequent occurence, Arsenal did not turn up for the first half. As well as overhitting too many passes, they were physically bullied by a team not particularly know for playing a physical game.

On 32, Clichy bounced off the less-than-steely Ashley Young whose far post cross was sent wide by Stewart Downing's close range effort.

A minute later, Vermaelen went down with a deep gash, soon to be replaced by Sol Campbell.

Arsenal's best moment of the first half came just prior to the half-time whistle, Fabregas ghosting past two and striking a low shot to the right of Friedel. A magnificent effort, the ball struck the post with Rosicky denied on the follow up by his own player getting in the way - Ramsey.

The second-half possessed similarly few clear cut chances, but was exciting nonetheless with both teams continually probing - although defences were always on top.

On 47, a cross from Clichy caused confusion between James Collins and Friedel; Fabregas almost pouncing on the loose ball. Two minutes later, Clichy showed his frailities again, too slow to close down a cross, it flicked off his head allowing Stewart Downing a header at the far post that should have been buried.

On 58, Eduardo tweaked his hamstring, to be replaced by Bendtner who quickly demonstrated the benefits of a target man. Two minutes later, Arshavin weaved past two, his shot saved by Friedel back into open play from where Fabregas's touch down to Rosicky was clattered against the bar.

Campbell swiped at a corner in injury time, but couldn't make himself the hero.

Full time: Aston Villa 0 Arsenal 0.

An even game, and a fair result. After a poor opening 45, Arsenal played fairly well in the second half, but never really threatened the Villa goal on a consistent enough basis to deserve victory outright.

Arsenal struck the woodwork twice, but equally Aston Villa could point to two great chances for Downing that were not taken.

Post-match, Wenger couldn't help by throw in a snide comment about Villa's long ball tactics, offending the normally amiable Martin O'Neill. To be honest, I didn't see it - most of Villa's danger came from Ashley Young on the deck.

The only positive you could take from the game, apart from the fact Arsenal did not lose, was the defensive performance, which was durable - mostly thanks to the outstanding Gallas.

With a victory for Chelsea last night, Arsenal are in danger of slipping some way behind the league leaders if they fail to beat Manchester United on Sunday. And should that occur Arsenal dare not lose to Chelsea the following week - otherwise it's game over.

So, two draws or a win/defeat scenario is now a mininum requirement from those two games.

Vermaelen's injury, expected to be long term does not help matters. Sol Campbell's fitness will now be pushed to the limit ahead of time, and I don't see playing Song at the back as a viable alternative. He needs to play in front of the defence at the expense of the continually dreadful Denilson.

Of course, Wenger could always dip into his pocket and give us half a chance, but I have little faith in that happening.

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Player Ratings:

Almunia 6.0
Made one good save; kicking was poor again and flapped at too many crosses.

Sagna 7.0
Fairly solid.

Gallas 8.5 ~ STAR MAN
Superb performance, made a number of key headers and interceptions and showed remarkable pace to cope with Agbonlahor.

Vermaelen 7.0
Played quite well before his premature departure.

Clichy 5.5
Was completely owned by Ashley Young; needs coaching on how to close players down; his starting position is always poor.

Denilson 5.5
Average. He's not a DM and will never be a DM.

Ramsey 6.5
Far too lightweight; muscled off the ball continuously. Came more alive in the second half as space increased in the middle of the park.

Fabregas 7.5
Struggled to be effective in the first half, as the players around him couldn't keep possession forcing him to drop too deep to collect the ball. Still looked Arsenal's most dangerous player though.

Arshavin 6.5
One great dribble into the Villa box is all he had to show for his efforts; still not giving enough.

Eduardo 4.5
A lonely figure for most of the 60 minutes he was on; I fear he will never reach his potential for as long as Arsenal play one up front. In a solid 4-4-2 with a strong partner he would score a bucketfull.

Rosicky 7.0 
Poor in the first half, much more enterprising in the second; is gradually getting better and better.


Substitutions:

Campbell 7.0
Did well in replacing Vermaelen. Has definitely lost pace - and it won't come back to him. It's vital that Clichy helps him out over the next few games so as not to leave him isolated.

Bendtner 7.0
Did well when he came on, holding up the ball and laying it off to add fluidity to the attacks.

Nasri 6.0
Did ok, didn't have long to effect the game .

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