I wrote all the above after the Dynamo Zagreb game. I had also written that Arsenal would learn from the Villa game about the importance of tempo in the Premiership. I hoped not to publish this since I was hoping for a big change in the Manchester City game. But the same old problems popped up.
Djourou, Hleb, Adebayor and Gilberto are the only players that are present. Everyone else is still on holiday. Henry is frightfully off pace, and while van Persie is still working his way back, he is at least showing some fight. Nobody seems to realise that Rosicky is new and that they have to help him.
Gilberto has played two very good games for Arsenal. He's done the defending, the closing down and the scoring in the Premiership. But Gilberto cannot do two jobs at the same time.
The more I see Arsenal the more I am convinced that Arsène cannot play Fabregas and only have a four man midfield. Cesc cannot set up play and cover angles and do defensive work at the same time.
Because he can't do that, Gilberto is working overtime and he will get injured soon or lose confidence if things don't change quickly. There is just no getting away from it anymore; we don't have a workable four man midfield unless we change personnel. Opponents can simply hold their shape and frustrate Arsenal for hours. That means that any premiership team can get a draw from Arsenal.
Lastly, although Eboue and Hoyte have done OK, I can't wait for Lauren and Clichy to come back. Wing backs who threaten and attack will convert the opposition wingers into defenders rather than attackers.
That in effect reduces the number of opponents in midfield and gives Gilberto and Fabregas a numerical advantage. We need our injured players back as soon as possible. I love Eboue but like Touré did, he needs to earn his stripes and take over in a year or two.
We must get some aggression back, there are no small teams in the Premiership anymore. We cannot count on 3 points just because the opponent is a so-called small team – footballers are now equipped with basic skill and discipline from top to bottom.