Well, good morning to you all. I would say it's marvelous to be back but I'm struggling to see what's so great about cold and damp and grey Dublin as opposed to the warm and bright and sunny of Barcelona. Nevertheless, here I am, my Arseblog DNA more or less intact.

Before we go anywhere I have to say a big thanks to the 'holic who filled in so capably in my absence. I enjoyed reading his Arseblogs as opposed to his normal blogs and I can assure him that once I get to explore the other wings of the house appropriate action will be taken. The Arseblog basset hound seems to be in fine fettle too so all in all he's kept things ticking over quite beautifully. And if his blog isn't on your reading list already then it should be. Cheers, 'holic, virtual Guinness heading your way until I can sort out the real thing.

Now, back to the nuts and bolts of it all, and that's the Arsenal. As it stands I believe 89.56% of our players are out injured. We know there was always going to be a young team going to Greece this week but even if he'd wanted to play his first XI it would have proven impossible. Arsene spoke of their being an unknown reason why so many of our players pick up knocks and says it's our worst season ever for injuries.

I'm certain it does merit some investigation. Whether it's the players being so finely tuned, the hardness of the pitch at the Grove, the training methods, diet, or something else we have to try and find the root cause and we have to do it soon. The other thought I have though is a bit more simple : What if just boils down to the fact that we have assembled a group of really injury prone players?

Arsene says he's devastated by Rosicky's latest injury. I understand that, but he can't be surprised, can he? Even before his 18 months out he was in and out of the side with strains and niggles. Diaby and Eduardo can point to their horrific injuries as reasons why they've struggled but knowing these kinds of injuries can have cause such problems are we wise to rely on them? Let's face it, Diaby returned to action in January of 2007 and to this day he he plays a few games then misses 3-4 weeks with an injury. How long can you keep a guy like that around and then complain about him being injured?

Theo, you get the feeling he's brittle. Carlos Vela seems to miss more games than he plays, William Gallas has had a major injury every season he's been at the club, Denilson has had months out each season, Robin van Persie we know all about, the list goes on. So while there's a definite need to try and figure out how we can make things better, perhaps we just have to accept that we have the most injury prone players in football. If it's a natural ability on their behalf or something that's down to us and our training methods, who can say? The fact is though that it is a massive handicap for this team. I can't remember the last time we've had a period with no injuries, or just the odd player out. It's always three or four, now it's practically a whole team.

I was previously of the opinion that we didn't pick up more injuries than other teams, perhaps we were just more aware of ours. I don't think that's true anymore and until we do something about it, it's going to make achieving our ambitions a lot more difficult. A squad of 36? What's the alternative? Over to you, Arsene.

And speaking of squad augmentation, Cesc has been talking about what we're missing, suggesting we need a player like Didier Drogba. He says:

Sometimes it's true that you need a different kind of option. An average team that has the best striker in the world can always do something and Didier Drogba makes all the difference to them. Without him, their team would not be the same. Perhaps we had the same kind of problem against Chelsea as the boys had at Manchester City, not really having someone whose game is to go beyond defenders, and we were a little small to fight against them on crosses, too.

The manager is talking about how difficult it is to find 'world class' players in January but when the captain is talking about needing different options up front he should be listening. By all accounts Arshavin did well up front against Stoke but I don't see him as a realistic option in the long run. He's good enough and clever enough to make it work for a few games but he's not a centre-forward. He's a guy who should be feeding the centre-forward. I know we've got Bendtner back soon enough and he certainly ticks some of the boxes in terms of strength and size but he's yet to add consistency of performance to his game. Perhaps a good run in the side will do that but at the moment he's one of the 89.56% and currently useless to us.

All kinds of names will be thrown about between now and the end of the transfer window but my feeling is that we don't necessarily need someone who is 'world class'. When you talk like that it sounds like excuse making for not bringing somebody in. Sometimes you just need a decent player who can come in and do a job. Someone who can play a part, score some goals, give the team some balance and add to it in areas we're a bit short in (no pun intended). A functional signing, it doesn't have to be a youngster will all the potential in the world or a superstar, just a good player. And I'm sure Arsene Wenger, with his fabled knowledge of world football, must know a few of those. Let's see what happens. He says he's going to wait and see what happens with injuries. If I were a betting man I'd say it'll be Injuries 8-0 Arsenal.

In other news Jack Wilshere talks about going out on loan but says he'd rather go to another Premier League club than anywhere else. At the moment we can't afford to loan anyone out and Wilshere strikes me as the kind of player we could do with as the season progresses. And the idea of strengthening any of our opponents, bottom to mid-table, seems somewhat pointless to me.

And if you're heading to Greece tomorrow, the advice is to be alert.

That's about that then. We should get a full squad list later this afternoon, it'll be interesting to see who has travelled to Athens, so more on that and the game tomorrow.

Now, I need some toast.

Welcome to Monday, and if the pedants will forgive me, welcome to the start of a new footballing week. Yesterday, last weeks matches were completed, and no, I am not going to mention anybody squandering a two goal lead. Not again. My stomach is still sore from all that laughter.  I can't smile without you? Hoho! Barry Manilow, eat your heart out.

So this footballing week we can look forward to matchday six of the Champions League, and a tasty little trip to Anfield, which in April provided one of the matches of last season, when the Mugsmashers snatched a dramatic 4-4 draw against Andrey Arshavin. I will always wonder what might have happened if we could have spared any other players to go up there that night.

You cannot consider these two fixtures in isolation. The need to have a fit squad capable of getting some sort of a result next Sunday will surely negate any urge to risk any further damaging injuries in Athens on Wednesday evening? Or will it?

Perhaps those currently short of either form, or match-fitness, may be taken along to provide some leadership for the youngsters who will surely form the bulk of the travelling party. Therefore the likes of Philippe Senderos, Mikael Silvestre, Theo Walcott, and Carlos Vela, plus Eduardo if he is fit, may get a start at Olympiacos. Blogs will want to preview that game in depth himself following his return tomorrow, so I'll leave it there for you to ponder in the meantime.

One player I would like to see left at home is Aaron Ramsey. The eighteen year old is on the verge of establishing himself, both at the Grove, and in the full Welsh international side. A good performance for the Gunners at Molineux in November was followed by a match-winning display for his country against Scotland.

It looked possible he could be set for a run in the side but a less than convincing showing in the defeat at Sunderland cost him his place in the starting line-up. Hopefully the goal he scored against Stoke after replacing Emmanuel Eboue on Saturday will have lifted him again. With Tomas Rosicky likely to miss the next month, and Abou Diaby still to return to fitness, Ramsey could yet get further opportunities, and I for one would be pleased to see it.

The Guardian revealed that Arsene Wenger is devastated at the loss of Rosicky this weekend, and carried an interesting quote from 'Le Boss'.

"We pick up more injuries than the other big teams, that is true. You cannot say there is not a reason for it but we have not found it yet."

I have read that a few times now, because it is something so similar to some of the things that a lot of supporters have been saying as well. Strangely he is quoted on a weekend when Manchester United may also claim to be suffering similar numbers of players under treatment. However, I was drawn to the second sentence again and again. 

It seems to me that even Arsene has been concerned at the possibility that something in either the dietary, or fitness, regime at the club may be a contributory factor. That being the case I hope they find the cause soon, while we still have a handful of players with first team experience still capable of walking.

I should also point out before heading for work that the Mirror, that great provider of non-stories, runs with the death of a non-story, pointing out Arsene's amused, and amusing, response to speculation linking us with Ruud van Casualty.

Thank You

Rather than overplay the faux reports from Barcelona can I take this opportunity on my last day here to say thanks to Blogs for asking me to fill in for him this weekend, and also thanks to you, the readers, the Arseblog community, for lots of kind comments. I really struggled to squeeze a flat cap onto my swollen head yesterday before venturing out shopping. It has been an education, and has confirmed to me that publishing something of this magnitude and consistent quality on a daily basis, for as long as he has, is a quite remarkable achievement. 

I'm glad you finally got your long weekend away Blogs, but even more glad that you will be back in the morning so I can return to my own bijou little establishment. And next time, can you and Tom synchronise your diaries?

Cheers all. 

Ooh, that's why I'm easy
I'm easy like Sunday morning

Lionel Richie could have been singing just for me this morning, as I strolled down the road to the shops, but this was no advertisers dream. Last night as the game at Eastlands kicked off, I foolishly volunteered to eat a bowl of muesli if Chelsea lost to this 'shower of shit'. The contents of the box I had to go and purchase are now staring back at me. They look like the scrapings from the cage floors of two dozen incontinent mynah birds. At least the Guinness has added some flavour to the congealed mass.

Nevertheless that result, combined with our own defeat of Stoke City, restored the position we found ourselves in last Sunday morning. Not that such a turn of events looked likely as the team news broke yesterday and Eduardo was mysteriously absent. For the first time I can remember, and I have lived to see Tottenham beat Arsenal in a league game (really!), we fielded a goalkeeper, four defenders, and six midfielders. Not even a Carlos Vela to lead the line.

Of course the masterstroke was the selection of Andrey Arshavin 'up top'. The little Russian needed a mental pick me up, and this appeared to provide it. In the opening half he shot narrowly wide, secured a penalty, and scored the opening goal as Stoke's lumbering defenders failed to deal with his movement, his surprising upper body strength, and his sheer determination to lift this Arsenal side out of a mini-slump.

Typical of his ingenuity was the move that drew a reckless challenge in the area from the club-footed Delap. That boy really should stick to playing football with his hands. Sadly Cesc Fabregas failed to add pace to direction on the resulting spot-kick and Sorensen saved, having moved a tad early.

The skipper nearly made amends but again found his goalbound effort brilliantly cleared off the line. The luckless Emmanuel Eboue appeared not to move a tad early, unfortunately. As long as there was only one goal in it a sense of nervousness would prevail. Further injuries may not have helped the skittish nature of the home support.

When Tomas Rosicky failed to materialise in the second-half, Vela finally got his chance. Arshavin was still in magnificent fettle, drawing a fine save from Sorensen before seeing a rising drive deflected onto the bar by Faye, who had already prostrated himself to pay homage to his tormentor. Then came the injury that settled Stoke's fate. Eboue limped off, and the man everybody had come to see was replaced by Aaron Ramsey.

Ten minutes from time the Welsh international gave the scoreline a realistic look, playing a one-two with Arshavin (who else) before calmly finishing with the outside of his right foot. There was still time for Armand Traore to get a knock and be replaced by Mikael Silvestre, and afterwards Arsene Wenger revealed that William Gallas, too, had suffered a hamstring problem.

Arsene summed up the game the way most others appeared to see it.

I feel we had a good first half and we should have been two or three up and then in the second half you could see that recent defeats had played on our mind because it was only 1-0 and we were a bit more restricted. But what I liked is that we didn't give any chances away and we got the second goal that secured the win.

For those who have yet to see the game, Arsenalist has the highlights and the goals here.

The injury list, however, is taking on alarming proportions. Frankly I see no benefit in taking any of the remaining fit first-team squad players to Olympiacos on Wednesday, for what is effectively a dead rubber. Sorry, Standard Liege, but you have created your own problem, and I suspect the Arsenal youngsters will put far more serious effort into securing a result than would the senior players at this point.

Meanwhile In Barcelona

I hear that the romantic evening went well right up to the point at which Blogs passed out on the beach. Being a dead weight Mrs Blogs left him there and adjourned to the hotel, only to find him this morning, the central figure in a grotesque sand sculpture depicting an alliance of Terry Wogan and Montserrat Caballe. Out of kindness I didn't ask which one he was.

I was also able to pass on the good news that the party appeared to come to a premature end this morning when the electricity company cut supplies to Blogger's stately pile. SWOT teams will evacuate the estate later on this morning and the staff will then be able to go in and restore the property before the return of the holidaymakers on Monday. All is well that ends well.

Well hello again. How nervous are you today? Match days are remarkable for the different feelings they provoke depending on such things as form and confidence. Are you going to the ground, praying to find a half-decent stream, or living somewhere that you will get a live broadcast of the game? Are you cursing because your lucky pants are still in the wash after the Standard Liege game ten days ago? (If so it is your grundies bloody fault!)

I'm sure Stoke fans will understand if I say that this is a game that, under normal circumstances, would not have us questioning if, but by how many goals will we win this afternoon? Normal circumstances however do not include three consecutive domestic defeats, with no goals scored and seven conceded. The little voices are chipping away at us again.

A much-respected friend who has been travelling home and away with this club for more years than he would care to admit talks of the 'tippy-tappy' football he is currently witnessing. This is not a recent convert, a young man derided as a 'plastic', or indeed one of the moaners of life. Those who have read me elsewhere will know that I do not share his pessimism about this squad, but his viewpoint is helping me to be a little more understanding of those who do not share my admittedly optimistic outlook.

If my view of all things Arsenal is to prevail this season we need to be putting points on the board in December. Home games against Stoke, Hull, and Villa, should yield a team with title aspirations no less than seven points, and if three aren't secured against the Potters we can expect much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The whole season now revolves around solving the problem of replacing the goals, and physical attributes, of Robin van Persie until the squad can be strengthened in January. Arsene Wenger acknowledged as much yesterday.

"There is always a little period of re-adaptation when such an important player is missing. A team needs to find a new balance. During this period sometimes you pay for it, but we have no choice. I believe we have enough quality to live with that, and we have a good opportunity to show that in the coming games."

Hopefully in days rather than weeks we will have Nicklas Bendtner back, but to rely on him to retain both form and fitness for six months is too much to expect, probably. Le Boss was quick to rule out any move for Edin Dzeko or Mario Balotelli in January, and probably discounted Marouane Chamakh as well, given that les Girondins have progressed to the knock-out phase of the Champions League.

"Let's not dream too much. In January you need to find a world-class player, who has not played in the Champions League, so we need a very good Christmas."

Of course there are existing solutions that perhaps we are too quick to rule out. Eduardo and Vela have proven to be predatory goalscorers in the past. Indeed both before, and since, his horrific injury at Birmingham, we have seen Eduardo spoken of as 'the best finisher at the club'. I expect him to be given the nod today to rediscover that touch that has so deserted him in recent weeks.

Last night I was hopeful that we may see an all-out attacking supporting cast of Rosicky, Nasri, Fabregas, and Arshavin, providing the bullets for him, until I watched Nigel Winterburn on ATvO hinting that Emmanuel Eboue was in line for a start, and suggesting perhaps another surprise. Whoever we get to see, I am confident that the points will be secured. Come on Arsenal!

An Update From Barcelona

The break didn't start well. Apparently blogs twisted his ankle at the airport and, unable to locate any horse placenta, persuaded a local vet to inject him with some ass' jizz, or at least I think that is what was said. The line wasn't the best in all honesty.

Apparently a romantic evening at Don Tapas is planned tonight. I am reliably informed that blogger has quickly remastered his five words of Spanish, although Mrs Blogs is still required to order the mojitos.

Hola, dos cervezas por favor.

I'm glad you are both having a great time. Just so you are prepared reports from home suggest the party is still in full swing. The Garda are keeping a respectful distance but watching developments closely.  A trained negotiator earned the release of the arseblog basset hound who was placed with your local electrician. To be fair it is the local electrician's faithful partner who is doing the looking after, as the aforementioned sparkie has also not been seen since last night. Press helicopters are doing a good job covering the ongoing events.

Cheers all. Please pray, if only for my benefit, that we give this lot a convincing beating today.

Hello all, and welcome to the not unsurprising news that our spiritual leader has succumbed to the lure of Barcelona. Not entirely surprising, given his previous with the city. It was only a matter of time before he answered the call. I expect his Friday night will be spent chatting to the Barcelona players in their favourite restaurant come nightclub, CDLC. Still, enough of Puff Paddy, this is an Arsenal blog and there is news to catch up with.

However much I would like to leave the past where it belongs, there is no getting away from the manufactured hullaballoo about that non-handshake. I have to say I was critical of both managers in the moments that followed the game on Wednesday, but my attitude towards Mark Hughes part in escalating the incident is hardening. Thank goodness, in a veritable media sea of vitriol and bullshit, Amy Lawrence came to the rescue of those seeking some perspective.

One of those quick to offer his opinion was not surprisingly Tony Pulis, manager of Stoke City, who must be dreaming of being the next student of the 'Phil Brown academy in deflecting attention from your own shortcomings as a shit manager' to be snubbed by Arsene, really or otherwise, on Saturday.

More on that contest tomorrow, obviously, but the early news from Arsene's Thursday interview made for some mixed emotions as usual. Bacary Sagna should be fit to return, but Theo Walcott has 'gone in the fetlock' again, and as we all know Alexandre Song is suspended. Arsene was clearly not talking about Nicklas Bendtner and Abou Diaby's most missed attribute when he added,

As for the other players we had injured, the long-term ones I do not even speak about. But the players who looked to be shorter - like Clichy, Diaby and Bendtner - will not be available.

Short they most definitely are not, boss, and we are missing them because of that. I suspect the Friday press conference will reveal more, but we will just have to wait for that.

The transfer speculation, increasing almost hourly it would seem as January edges ever closer, included the forgotten man of the Grove, Philippe Senderos. The Times put his wish to pursue regular football in relation to the upcoming World Cup, which makes sense. I'm not aware though exactly where the rumours of Atletico Madrid's interest originated. Always question what you read, even in the Times!

Now, those of you who religiously turn up on a Friday looking for the always excellent arsecast are three days too late this week. Try popping back to Tuesday's post if you are desperate for your fix. I must confess I am a bit peeved. When blogger asked if I could look after the blog as a last resort, what with Tom being away as well, I immediately got to work on a Friday podcast.

Well aware I would have to top Dara O'Briain as a guest, I managed to get in touch with Orlando Bloom. It was surprisingly easy given that his number (and Latin name, oddly) appeared in the yearbook of the Florida Horticultural Society. He visibly wilted when I passed on the news that blogger was pulling the plug on my 'cast. Orlando, I trust you have been able to stem your disappointment at being hung out to dry like that?

Anyway, if you were hoping to be the winner of the competition to win a Savile Rogue scarf, the man says come back next week, and he'll throw in a lace handkerchief as well as interest on the late award, (and remember, if you're doing Chrimbo shopping you can get 10% off purchases at Savile Rogue by using the code ARSEBLOG at check out before Dec 6th).

So that is it. Have a great long weekend, arseblogger, and when you get round to reading this would you remind me about the arseblog basset hound's strict dietary regime. I think I may have got the order wrong already. I'm sure the smell will have left the east wing of the kitchen before you get back.

Firstly, let's remember this was the Carling Cup. For many seasons now it has provided us with a glimpse of Arsenal's future and some very enjoyable nights as young players go out and beat teams older, wiser and more experienced.

Last night they came undone against a team which has cost hundreds of millions to put together. English football's biggest mercenaries against a team of callow youth and dubious experience - whose combined cost doesn't even come close to that either of City's strikers. I don't understand why anyone would suggest we should have 'gone for it' or played more 'first team' players. We know what the Carling Cup is about and how the manager views it. He says:

You cannot say we develop the players ... and then never give them a game.

So while defeat is always a pain let's not go too overboard here. The game itself was relatively tight in the first half. We didn't necessarily create a great deal, they had the best chance when poor defending allowed Shaun Wright-Phillips to square it for Craig Bellamy whose shot went just wide. There wasn't anywhere near the same flow to our game as their was in the previous round against Liverpool but then City played their first XI, Liverpool had a Carling Cup team out. As such guys who shone, like Eastmond and Merida, found the going a lot tougher. And understandably so.

The goals we lost the game to though are ones I hope the manager makes the players watch again on video, because there are lessons to be learned. For the first Rosicky lost the ball carelessly on our right hand side, City cleverly blocked him off although he might have done more to get back, and after that we made it easy for Tevez. Eboue never got close to him and Alex Song made the basic mistake of going to ground in the area, they teach you not to do that in under-12s football. Tevez drove on and mutanted a shot right into the top corner which gave Fabianski no chance.

The second was another belter. Sylvester backed off Wright-Phillips, he never even tried to get a tackle in, and when the ball ended up in our net, with a great finish it has to be said, you could see what a mistake that was. He had a funny game Sylvester, he did some things very well, but made some awful howlers. He ended up on his arse trying to shield the ball out which resulted in Bellamy's chance in the first half, the ball just bounced off him a few times, his passing was careless, and Alex Song was lucky not to get a red card as last man from a card happy ref after another Sylvester cock-up saw Stephen Ireland go through on goal.

That he is our third choice centre-half scares the ever loving shit out of me. There was no Senderos last night, it seems his Arsenal career has come to a rather sad end. The official word was that he 'picked up a bit of a knock' but I'm doubtful that's the case. He's frozen out and for everyone's sake he should be allowed move in January. He should have been allowed go in the summer when the Everton deal was agreed but what's most clear is that Arsenal need to buy a centre-half when the transfer window opens. I would go so far as to say our need for a defender is more pressing than our need for a striker.

The third City goal came when Wilshere and Song got too close on our right allowing Bellamy to skip past them both, he crossed and some cheapo cunt I'd never heard of got the third. I think our only shot which in any way troubled Shay Given came in the last minute when Merida crashed one off the bar from range. So, overall a disappointing but not wholely unexpected result and for me the Carling Cup will always be about the youngsters.

Some nights will be epic and awesome, other nights not so much. Last night was one of the other nights and I pretty much agree with the manager when he talks about the relative importance of this competition. I suppose if I had to criticise anything it'd be the decision to play Song whose physical presence would have been required against a very big Stoke team this weekend, the booking he picked up last night means he misses the game, but if we can't beat Stoke at home without him then maybe our troubles go a lot deeper than we think.

The other main talking point involved Arsene Wenger not shaking hands with Mark Hughes at the end of the game. Wenger said afterwards:

I am free to shake whose hand I want. I had no professional courtesy to shake his hand.

If people want to label Wenger a sore loser then fine. Frankly I thought Hughes behaviour on the touchline was appalling all night. Like a big blustering bully he prowled around, baiting Wenger, swearing at him, and basically behaving like an oaf of the highest order - then he complains at the end when a handshake is refused him? What a cunt. Honestly, if you behave like a cunt then people will treat you like a cunt and Hughes got exactly the kind of respect he deserved - none. 

People talk about it being etiquette and all that but if you show someone discourtesy for 90+ minutes and behave like an oik why on earth should they feel obliged to shake your hand just because it's custom to do so? I'm with Wenger on this one, Hughes was a prick. The easy option would have been for Arsene to shake his hand, with cameras looking on and pundits and columnists ready to have a go it's a more difficult decision not to. For me the bottom line if you behave with even a modicum of respect and manners then you will get a handshake at the end of the game - from Arsene Wenger or any other manager. If you don't then you're nothing more than a hypocrite if you complain afterwards. Like Hughes did. 

Anyway, there's too much bollocks in football about shaking hands, as if it's the be all and end all of sportsmanship. You shake hands in the tunnel, you shake hands in the line-up with the shitty music before the game, shake hands after the game. Fuck that. There's no need for it all, FIFA/UEFA forcing this veneer of 'We're all super friends!!' to make the game more advertiser friendly. A load of septic horse minge is what it is. I want less handshaking, more kicking people right up in the air. That's what football is really about, not touchy-feely shite like anthems and pre-game embraces. 

Ok, a quick round-up of some other stuff before I go. The Sun has started the inevitable 'Let's link every striker in the world to Arsenal now that they've said they're going to spend some money' stuff. It's Wolfsburg's Edin Dzeko, who was linked to us in the summer. He looks good on YouTube. I mean, that's as much as we need to scout him, right?

Alex Fynn, co-author of 'Arsènal: the Making of a Modern Superclub', will be doing a signing along with Alan Smith in Waterstones in Enfield tomorrow. For more details check out the Online Gooner. And the official site is giving away a chunk of the Arsenal TV online stuff for free this weeekend, including the match day show against Stoke. More details here. 

And that's about that for today and that is most certainly that from me until Tuesday of next week. I'm taking a few days off and heading to Barcelona. I've got Barcelona DNA, you see. And with Tom away on his holidays too there was the very real possibility of no blog at all until I got back. 

But fear not, with you in my absence is the most excellent Goonerholic who will ensure you get your daily dose. One of the things I like about being away is reading Arseblog when I don't write it, and with 'holic on board I'm definitely looking forward to it. As well as the mojitos and beers and tapas and all that.

So, until next week, take it easy, have a great weekend and I'll blog you soon.

Good morning, plenty to be getting on with this morning.

Obviously there's a bit of football on tonight which could help people's mood or, perhaps, make it worse. We know there's going be a fairly young team out there tonight - it doesn't look as if the boss is going to risk anyone who might be needed for first team action although I'd be tempted to use Walcott and Eduardo to give them the minutes and sharpness they need.

We will see Jack Wilshere, which is good, while at the back Senderos and Sylvester will provide experience in the centre of defence as they come up against that bloke, you know, the one who used to play for us and who turned out to be a colossal cunt. As I said yesterday City are desperate for a win, Hughes will say 'Look we've beaten Arsenal!' if they win, despite the youth of our team, so it's going to be a big, big test. 

The last time we played City in the Carling Cup we beat them 2-1 with a late goal from debutant Danny Karbassiyoon, after an assist by a young(er) Cesc Fabregas. Sadly Danny's career was ended by injury but if you look really hard you can find him on Twitter. And the goal, oh go on then ...

As with all the Carling Cup games it's a great chance for some of the young players to show what they can do. In particular I'm looking forward to seeing Wilshere. I know he's still only 17 but from the bits and pieces we have seen of him he's a game changer, a guy who can make things happen and with first team places up for grabs it's a chance for him to shine. It's another opportunity for Aaron Ramsey as well. He played his way into contention this season then started at Sunderland where he played himself out of contention. Perfectly normal for an 18 year old, we cannot expect real consistency at that age, so he'll be keen to put that performance behind him.

We know City are an expensively assembled team, on paper it should be no contest, but thankfully football doesn't work like that. It's going to be tough but I have no doubt we'll go there and make a game of it tonight.

Now, leaving that aside there's loads happening. Firstly Arsene Wenger has said we'll be active in the January transfer window. Interesting. Normally his cards are so close to his chest they fuse with his skin, 'Arsene 10 of clubs nipples' they call him, but with van Persie out injured it looks as if he's going to dust off the chequebook and bring somebody in. I assume this will kickstart all kinds of rumour and speculation, already van Nistelrooy is mentioned again, but I'm sure I'm not alone in hoping that he's got his scouts scouting players in other positions too. 

As mentioned on the Arsecast yesterday the need for a centre-half is pressing should one of Gallas and Vermaelen get an injury - and when you consider how much they've been playing it does increase the chances of that happening - and with Alex Song away to bless the rains down in Africa you might suggest we need someone to step into that role too. Let's hope Arsene has the right filters on his searches too:

Search for: CB, ST, DM - Height: > 6' - Strength: > Godzilla - Skillz : Awesomez!!!

It'll certainly make life that much more fun as we wait until 11.59 on January 31st to make those signings, oh yes.

One man who would like to see new players come in is Andrei Arshavin. He says:

Arsene Wenger needs to buy new players - and expensive ones too. Why? Because all the talented and inexpensive players are already with us at Arsenal.

I could be wrong but I do remember that quote being around before now but maybe he's just repeating himself. He does talk a lot, Arshavin, and has expressed concerns about the team as well, saying:

What I feel bitter about is that we lose in all the big matches. That is disappointing and lets doubts creep into my mind.

Maybe he's just one of those people who says exactly what he thinks, ruling a career in diplomacy in his later life, but his honest assessment of things doesn't mean he can't cast a critical eye over himself. Of his own form this season he says:

Only sometimes have I shown my full skills and I'm not sure why that is. It doesn't matter where I play, on the right side or the left, I don't think I've played that well.

Which is probably right. I don't think we've seen anything like the best of him this season. When he has sparked into life he has been creative and dangerous but he seems to spend too much of games on the periphery. Whether that's to do with fitness or just poor form I don't know but at least he's aware of it himself. That said, when we're without our main striker, it's not unfair to look to one of our most talented and experienced players to do a little more and to help get us through, so hopefully he can step it up a bit in the weeks ahead.  

Elsewhere Denilson's attitude in this interview is exactly right - the young Brazilian still doesn't always convince everyone, myself included, but that is exactly the kind of mindset we need right now.

Arsene Wenger complains about the rules regarding players being away on international duty and he is dead right. Abou Diaby was injured going away with France and should never have been called up. Instead of being at the club who pay his wages for treatment, he was off with his national team when there was never any chance of him playing. That cannot be right and something has to give. Unfortunately, as long as Twatter and Splatini are in charge of things I don't see anything changing.

The boss also says we were misled by the Dutch FA over Robin van Persie while Samir Nasri talks about how great he feels at Arsenal.

Finally for today, if you're one of them kool kidz with an iPhone, I'm glad to tell you the Arseblog app is back on the iTunes store. Big thanks to Rocky - you might remember him from such other awesome things as this - who has been through the mill a bit to get it accepted, but it seems everything's ok now and you can get your daily dose of Arseblog via your little piece of Appley technology by clicking here.

So, that's that, here's to a good game tonight, a win for the young guns and a broken spineatarsal for you know who. 

Till tomorrow.

Morning all, a bit of time has passed now since Chelsea which might enable us to look at things with a bit more perspective. Lots of reaction from our players, the gist of which is that we need to pick ourselves up and get on with things.

Andrei Arshavin:

We haven't stopped fighting for the championship. I think that if we manage to win the next couple of games, then everything will fall into place. After all, Chelsea can stumble, too. But we have to win ourselves

Tomas Rosicky:

The next match is vital. After a defeat like this, you need to have a good reaction, if not it will be even more difficult. The only thing you can do is carry on and try your best again.

Bacary Sagna:

There is a lot of disappointment but we can't remain focused on that, otherwise we could sink lower. We have a postponed match that we must win. Then, the situation could quickly change

From Rosicky and Sagna there's also the opinion that Chelsea are going to be hard to catch, which is undoubtedly true, but football is a funny game. This time last year Chelsea were 5 points clear of Man United and we know what happened in the end. What we have to do is ignore them, ignore everyone, and just concentrate on our own form. December is a month in which 18 league points are up for grabs, take the bulk of them and things could look an awful lot different, so let's try and do just that.

One point to make - Eduardo and Vela have both been disappointing in their recent run-outs up front, but let's remember it took Robin van Persie a good few games at the start of the season to get used to that particular role. I'm not suggesting either of them are as suited to it as van Persie has proved to be but it's worth bearing in mind.

In the meantime there's a Carling Cup game tomorrow night against Manchester City. There'll be a fuller preview in tomorrow's blog, after we get the squad list and so on, but I think this is going to be a very tough test for the kids. We might see a bit of experience in there, Theo Walcott and Carlos Vela to name two who could clearly do with getting some time on the pitch, but for the most part I think it'll be the youngsters. City go into the game on the back of 7 consecutive league draws, their fans must be getting a bit restless, and Hughes is going to play a strong team, I reckon. Anyway, more on that tomorrow.

The FA are set to investigate an incident during the Chelsea game in which a camera, or a fake camera, was thrown onto the pitch as Frank Lampard was about to take a corner. There's no likelihood of serious problems for the club but it's not clever to chuck stuff on the pitch, is it?

Denilson says we have to win a trophy this season and that the manager believes in the players. Obviously Denilson's Brazilian ankles have bewitched Arsene.

Jay Simpson, currently on loan at QPR, reckons he's got what it takes to step into van Persie's shoes. He's got 8 goals so far this season - however, as he's on a season long loan I don't think he can be recalled anyway. The best he can do is have a good season on loan and see what happens next summer. In the meantime though Arsenal might have signed another striker.

Dubai's financial crisis may see Emirates Airline up for sale, according to the Guardian. Quite how that would affect us if it did happen I really have no idea.

Transfer guff? The Mirror links us with Sevilla winger Diego Perotti - obviously our record of buying young wingers from Andalucia would fill one with absolute confidence -  while the Express says Celtic want Jack Wilshere on loan.

The club have detailed the payments made to agents in the period from Oct 2008 to Sept 2009 - £4.8m. Agents might well be voracious cunts but they're good at it.

Now, because there's no Arsecast this weekend, here's a midweek Arsecast special kinda thing. In the wake of the Chelsea game I chat with Goodplaya, GilbertoSilver and the man from East Lower about where we stand, how we react and the general state of play at the club at the moment. It's a straight-laced, round-table job, and it might just pass half an hour if you've got nothing better to do.

You can subscribe to the Arsecast on iTunes by clicking here. Or if you want to subscribe directly to the feed URL you can do so too. To download this week's arsecast directly - click here (19mb MP3) or you can listen directly below without leaving this very page.

And that's about that. I bid you all a most splendid Tuesday.

Before the game, Arsene said:

I think for our team this moment has come. We are not any more a team that has to be considered to be young.

After yesterday's defeat I think the uncomfortable truth is that we are a team that has to be considered not good enough to mix it with the big boys. Chelsea didn't really break a sweat yesterday and they dismissed us with consummate ease.

You can say 'Well, how would Chelsea have coped with Anelka, Drogba and Ashley Cole missing?'. That is irrelevant. We were the ones who had to cope with some of our important players being out and we couldn't do it. I don't particularly have any time for Arsene's 'Everything went against us' either. I can almost guarantee if the Arshavin 'goal' had happened at the other end and Anelka had kicked the ball out of Almunia's hands he would be absolutely fuming if that had been given.

Of course he's right to say at 2-1 it would have been a different game but I think pointing the finger at the referee fudges the issue - which is basically that they're a better, stronger team than we are. And it hurts to say that. 

It was looking reasonably positive. We had lots of possession, we got in behind their full backs on a number of occasions but we couldn't find the final ball. Our forwards were busy but posed little danger to Chelsea's defence and it's hard to look beyond the fact that we didn't have much of a physical threat throughout the game. Crosses were meat and drink to Chelsea's centre-halves, I'm sure John Terry won't ever have nightmares about playing against Eduardo. 

Meanwhile, at the other end, our defensive frailties and inability to cope with Didier Drogba continued. The first goal came from a decent cross from Ashley Cole, he landed it between the two centre-halves and Drogba sidefooted it home. An instinctive striker's finish from a player in exceptionally good form. Annoying, but what was to come just a couple of minutes later was infuriating. We were undone by almost exactly the same ball. Again Cole was free to deliver it unchallenged into the box, this time Almunia was off his line, panicked, and Vermaelen sliced it into his own net. 

That we didn't learn from the first goal is a real sign this team has little or no defensive nous and the central defensive partnership did not cover themselves in glory in any way. It was poor all round.

The second half began with the rather curious replacement of Alex Song with Theo Walcott. Song had been one of our better players and was about the only bit of muscle we had in midfield. Theo's introduction helped push Ashley Cole back but little else. Wenger made changes early, bringing on Vela for Eduardo and then Rosicky for Nasri but nothing much changed. Lots of tippy-tappy, not much threat. Did Cech have a save to make in the whole game?

Late on Drogba added insult to injury with a decent free kick but Manuel Almunia ought to hang his head. It was obvious where Drogba was going to put it and for me the keeper should have saved that. Not that it would have made any real difference but still. Full time, 3-0, 11 points behind Chelsea and a lot of very depressed Arsenal fans. We got dismantled, at home, by a team who deserved their win.

Arsene post-game was classic 'It's not as bad as you think', saying the scoreline didn't reflect the game but it's hard to see where he's coming from. They had their chances and took them. We didn't even really have chances. Of course we missed van Persie, Bendtner and even perhaps Diaby, but the fact is the loss of three players turns this team into a very small outfit indeed (headline of the day goes to Goodplaya). 

I think we're too small, even with the previously mentioned players available. We lack physical presence and it does make a difference. Ask John Terry or William Gallas who they'd rather play against - Eduardo or Drogba, and you'll find them stumping for the Crozilian every time. When the intricate passing stuff doesn't come off then a bit of brute force is needed, a change of game plan. The Arsenal website doesn't have the height of the players but I'm guessing that out of the 16 outfield players in our squad yesterday only 2 were 6' or over - Song and Sylvester, who stayed on the bench.

Now, I'm not saying height is everything, but it's something. Football is a physical game and if you have no physical threat then surely you're at a disadvantage no matter how pacey and skillful you might be? Having a small team worked for Spain in Euro2008 but the quality of little guys they have is superior to the quality of the little guys we have - and international football is nowhere near as physical as the Premier League. If you walk onto a football pitch and see big, strong men it gives you something to think about. It's an area I think we have to address. With van Persie out till April, Song going away to the ACN in January only Diaby and Bendtner remain - and that we're now pinning hopes on a player who is fails to convince many and is perpetually injured, and a young striker who is still very much in the learning phase of his career is telling.

So, November ends and there won't be too many unhappy to see the back of it. The mood has changed, no question, and I was curious to see where we stood this time last year and whether or not things were much different.

End of November 2008: Played 15, Won 8, Drawn 2, Lost 5, conceded 19 goals

End of November 2009: Played 13, Won 8, Drawn 1, Lost 4, conceded 18 goals

For all the positivity it's not easy to suggest we've improved, is it? Especially defensively, which is where we all wanted to see things get better. The much lauded partnership between Gallas and Vermaelen hasn't stopped us shipping goals and you have to wonder if the goodwill towards them as a duo came from the fact their goals were so important early in the season and not their defensive solidity. You can't look at those stats and ignore the fact we're defensively worse - after 13 games last season we had conceded 15 to 18 this time around.

I'm not saying it's just down to the centre-halves, defending is something the whole team should be doing but we're just not good at it. We don't have a goalkeeper who provides the base of the spine we need him to, our midfielders switch off allowing service to strikers, and we're vulnerable from set-pieces. The issues from last season have not been addressed and we're suffering for it.

Now, on a more positive note after last November we went on an unbeaten run in the league which stretched to 20-odd matches. Yes, there were some awful 0-0 draws in there, but it's something we need to do again. For all their woes Liverpool, who we play in a couple of weeks, are just 2 points behind us and while I think they're a worse side than they were last year they have enough experience and ability to turn things around and to get themselves out of the run of poor form they're in.

We need to snap out of it and get things moving again. We have players who can win us games, December's fixtures are relatively kind, and despite the points gap it is only the end of November now. There's a long way to go in this season. Hand on heart I can't see us making up 8/11 points on Chelsea but who knows what can happen? 

What I do think though is that the manager has got to look at the issues that this side has in terms of our lack of physical power and our tendency to concede goals. How often do we concede to a team's first chance or only chance? Arsene wrote that off as an anomaly a few weeks back, I would suggest it's a bad habit and one we need to sort out quickly. 

A season that promised so much a few weeks ago is now depressingly familiar. It's not too late to turn it around, a few wins on the trot and everyone will be feeling a lot better about things, but when you've just been turned over at home like that, you would be unwise to ignore the lessons you've just been taught.

Good morning from a very wet and windy Dublin. I'm hoping this is the storm before the calm ... the calm, precise, clinical demolition of Chelsea today.

We know it's a huge game and how much is at stake when it comes to our league title challenge. We haven't had any update regarding the potential involvement of William Gallas so I'm just going to assume he can play. Trying to preview this game without him makes me a bit scared, I have to say. Assuming he does make I think the only choice the manager has to make is who will play at left back. During the week he said he had two options, Traore and Eboue.

I think the Ivorian will start. I just don't think Traore's got what it takes to play in a game like this yet and I think Eboue's experience and greater physical strength will tip the balance in his favour. I think the midfield three will be Song, Cesc and Denilson while the front three Arshavin, Eduardo and Nasri. It means we've got plenty on the bench if we need it too, Rosicky, Walcott and Vela all available if we need to change things.

While offensively this Arsenal team has been almost beyond compare this season I think if we want to win this game we're going to put in a seriously good defensive shift. And that's not just down to the back four coping with the very real threat of Anelka and Drogba, it's got to be a team effort. It means stopping the service to their front two, it means putting their back four under pressure when they've got it. The classic defend from the front thing.

We also need big performances from our big players. Song and Denilson in midfield should give Cesc a good platform to get forward more, Arshavin is a man for a big game. We've seen him score four against Liverpool, he scored away at Old Trafford and in the absence of van Persie we need him to be at his best. The heartache of his World Cup exit is irrelevant now and there should be no hint of that in his performance today.

Eduardo is a lethal finisher on his day but it wouldn't be unfair to say his form this season hasn't hit the level he, or Arsene Wenger, would have liked. Today is a big day for him. The forwards at the club have a month, more or less, to covince the manager that they have what it takes to get the goals van Persie would have got. He will probably struggle a bit playing centrally against two strong centre-halves like the cokelifter and Carvalho but over 90 minutes it's hard not to think he won't have a chance or two, he's got to be clinical today.

A win and we're 5 points back with a game in hand. Win the game in hand it's 2 points. And then, my friends, it is on. Defeat really is not an option today. Hopefully the atmosphere today is appropriate for a match this size. It should be red hot. Those of you lucky enough to be going can play a part, be the old 12th man and all that. Remember who is coming to play. Cole, Terry, Lampard, Drogba, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Terry, Lampard, Cole, Terry, Drogba, Drogba, Drogba. Men who have kicked us and cheated us and dived and cheated and kicked and generally been as welcome in our lives as cock measles. 

Arsene said it's time for his team to show that they've got what it takes. He's challenged them to do the business - and if we really want to win this league then that's exactly what we have to do. No passengers today. Nothing less than 100% from every player because if that happens Chelsea are good enough and strong enough to exploit that weakness. I'm hopeful we can get a result. There's so much riding on this game and I hope, as well, that the players remember the pasting we got at home from them at the end of last season. That hurt and I want us to put that right today.

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Sunday round-up. Arsene is unhappy with the Dutch FA after their misdiagnosis of Robin van Persie's injury. I'd be interested to know what the procedure is there. They say 'X', do we not check or do we just take their word for it? Either way I don't think it's made a huge difference to how long Robin will be out for, a couple of weeks at best, but it's easy to understand the manager's displeasure. For me it also opens up the compensation issue - clubs should not have to suffer the financial cost of a paying a player injured on international duty. There should be a responsibility for the international FA to cover at least some of the wages. They can surely do this via insurance anyway and it's time this was sorted once and for all.

Ivan Gazidis says success that is built is better than success that is bought. At this moment in time I would be of the opinion that success that is bought is better than no success at all and until we've got trophies to show for our work then it might be advisable not to talk about things like this. I know where he's coming from and all but still ...

The Sunday Times talks to Thomas Vermalen:

Not counting a dead rubber with Manchester United at the end of last season, it is two years and 18 matches since Arsenal last kept a clean sheet in a meeting with a Big Four rival.

Not sure about that stat though. It's a bit like saying 'Not counting the double Arsenal won in 2002, the Gunners haven't done the double since 1998'. I have to say I'm not hugely confident we can keep a clean sheet today though. Let's just hope we score more.

The Guardian on Andrei Arshavin - nothing in there we haven't seen before really.

And that's about that. Time for the papers and to watch the rain until kick-off. Come on you Goooooners!