The story was basically this.

Arsenal played 4 halves of football against AC Milan, over two legs, over two weeks. They dominated each one of those, and in the 4th half, they scored 2 goals. Think of it as superiority paying off.

"We're on our way, we're on our way,
We're going to Moscow, we're on our way,
How we get there we don't know!
How we get there we don't care!
All we know is that we're on our way!"

It was a cold night at the San Siro, and with near 5,000 of us packed high up into the away end at the San Siro, we needed to be in good voice and good spirits to keep warm. The atmosphere of the San Siro was eventually slightly overrated, the Milan fans made a bit of noise pre-kickoff, unleashed a whole bunch of glitter and cheers as the game started, had a few bouts of whistling, and went absolutely crazy for about 3 or 4 seconds right at the start when Kaka did a trick. Otherwise, they were mostly a passive bunch, and got quieter and quieter as the saw Arsenal take control. The euphoria for us of Cesc's goal was met by a steady flow of Milan fans making way for the exits.

The Arsenal dominated Milan on the pitch, and the Arsenal fans dominated Milan fans in the stands, and you can't say that victory for either was undeserved.

There have been enough details about the game all across newspapers and the web for me to not bother too much with details, but the team was just outstanding. Manu Eboue was the only lacklustre performer, seeming more mentally uninvolved than anything else - wasting the ball, avoiding tackles, and running lazily. He dived, and was fortunate to not be severely punished when badly fouling Paolo Maldini. Even Abou Diaby, he of recently lazy form, stepped up his game to an acceptable level.

Milan were disappointing really - although Flamini had Kaka in his pocket (and Cesc made sure he put him back in there whenever he popped his head out), the Brazilian didn't really know what to do or where to go. As a result he tried to go it alone, and with young Pato confused, and Pippo Inzaghi having one of his more primadonna-esque games, he failed to have an impact.

They missed Seedorf, yes, but I'm not sure that Milan could have put out a better side with this squad that they have. It's far too aged and predictable, and they will really be doing some serious shopping this summer. They lack dynamism, and need a bit of freshness.

Pato will of course be a big plus for them, he was their best attacker on the night, and at 18 he already has the ability to compete, all he lacks is the experience.

For Arsenal, it will be a huge boost after a bad Novemeber. They are only a point clear at the top now, and will need to refocus now; the win in Milan will have given them the belief to do that.

Of course, the big challenge now is to go to Wigan and win on Sunday. On Tuesday, Arsenal outplayed and outfought a Milan side on a great pitch with great players who had to attack to win. On Sunday, Arsenal will have to play a Wigan side on a simply awful pitch, against some dodgy players who will be fighting to not lose. It will involve a fair amount of steel, patience, and tactical flexibility. Nicklas Bendtner might have a role to play, since Arsenal will need to seriously consider the direct route - through balls, and little one-two passes are going to be disrupted by the rough surface and the (possibly) rough tackling.

They can possibly lose just one more game this season, and draw two at the maximum, without losing the title - even those estimates are probably a bit generous.

Arsenal are supposed to be going to Il Duomo this afternoon, so I'll be rushing there soon to see if I can catch them.

Arsenal fans have been out in the top tiers on the South End of the San Siro, and with my ticket in hand, I'm looking forward to game and the atmosphere.

The big team news is that Van Persie is in the squad, but obviously won't be close to starting fitness, expect to see him if we are in desperate need of a goal, an injury situation, a great counter-attacking situation, or if we are winning 6-0 and want to give him a bit of a run out. Hmmmm.

It would have been nice to have Rosicky back for this game, but he's injured (as usual).

Arsenal really need to do well here to give themselves a pick-me-up. They're still top of the league by a point, but the form has been badly patchy. It's like their November has come in February, and it's included the 0-0 from the first leg, 2-2 with Brum, 1-1 with Villa, 0-4 to Man United and the 1-5 Carling Cup debacle with Spurs. Wins are required now, and tonight is the perfect occasion for the boys to show what they're made of.

As for Milan, they have all their players fit, although there's a doubt over Clarence Seedorf. They will be more attacking tonight, giving Arsenal a bit more space perhaps, but also posing a lot more questions for the Gunners' defence, something which they almost entirely failed to do in the first leg.

So that's that then, more updates from after the game, and hopefully some pictures, but keep your fingers crossed!

Arsenal were buzzing tonight. Their movement and passing were as precise as they've ever been this season., and were it not for Emmanuel Adebayor having an off-day (and Eduardo not doing much better), they would and should have had a two goal advantage going into the second leg.

Against Blackburn, Ade had a shocker, but came up with a late goal. Today against Milan, Ade was slightly less shocking (only just), but failed to score, somehow putting a header against the crossbar from point blank range after a great cross from Theo Walcott. This was in the 93rd minute of the game, and it ensured that Arsenal would get no reward for there endeavour.

His other contribution (or lack thereof) was a simple square pass to Fabregas, who was unmarked and right in front of the 'keeper, which he overhit. The ball went frustratingly away from Cesc's run, and deprived us of what would very likely have been a goal.

And what endeavour it was! Flamini was bossy and tidy, Hleb ran and dribbled all over the pitch, and Cesc produced some pinpoint balls. The interplay between the three was especially magical to watch, and they were complemented well by the overlapping Sagna and Clichy.

The defence was excellent overall, perhaps not as impressive as Milan's, but enough to keep Kaka, Pato and Seedorf completely quiet. Toure had to go off early injured, but Senderos came on and had a stormer.

Theo had a nice cameo, running at the tired Milan defence, and Bendtner caused some troubles with his height and touch.

Milan's lack of ambition was surprising. Arsenal outplayed them, no questions asked, but apart from Pato's attempts, there was very little else. Kaka was largely anonymous, apart from a few threatening crosses, and Seedorf was very, very deep the entire game. They should have been playing for an away goal, and Arsenal will be kicking themselves at having dominated a defensive team, but not having scored.

Well, I suppose this all makes it more exciting for yours truly! I've got my hands on an away ticket to the San Siro, so it's going to be a tense encounter there! 

It's great to hear Cesc Fabregas talk about his commitment to the Arsenal, and how he wants to stay, but it's a little weird to hear him talk about a contract extension, when he signed an 8 year deal just two years ago.

Fabregas's excellent performances during the run to the Champions League final, and the promise of his fellow youngsters had led to him penning an 8 year deal, until 2014. This was designed to ward off interest from other clubs, as well as show that Arsenal were keeping their top players and building a consistent base for future success.

Transfer speculation of course continued, primarily because football clubs and newspapers in Spain would probably crumple up and die if they didn't produce copious amounts of transfer bullshit everyday, but Fabregas kept reaffirming his commitment.

Well today, he has come up with these quotes in an interview with Cadena Ser:

"I have a contract in force until 2014, I have six years remaining and I am talking with my club, who are interested in renegotiating it. I want to succeed at Arsenal and that the club wants me is fundamental for me."

It would be interesting to know what kind of terms this extension would be on. Still, Arsenal being Arsenal, we'll never find out anything other than "on a long-term deal, for an undisclosed fee". I'm sure his wages were already quite good, but they'll be bumped up a fair bit now.

Excellent news though. Arsenal have been playing some fantastic stuff, and Cesc is always at the heart of it, and will be influential to the future of it as well. Cescy football.

A lot of Arsenal fans are quite happy with the Milan draw. I am too, but because it's going to be a good contest, with brilliant football and matchups, NOT because I think it will be a walkover like others fans seem too. It's a great chance for Arsenal to progress, because playing against a defensive team would be harder, but a lot of people have this perception of AC Milan as being full of "ageing old man" and a one-man-team based on Kaka.

People seem to easily overlook Andrea Pirlo in any mentions, but he's the most important player for them. Kaka is replaceable, and they can win without him, but not without Pirlo. The key is the Kaka-Pirlo-Seedorf trio, because they are constantly operating together all over the pitch. They are not as much of a one-man team as everyone is making them out to be. Kaka and Seedorf drag defenders all over the place, and rarely lose the ball even when under pressure, and Inzaghi is always there waiting to move into the space they create. Gilardino is finally playing well consistently too.

As for Kaka, even though I don't think Milan are a one man team, he's still their best shot at winning matches, and can do so on his own. Arsenal don't have anyone like that in the squad, who can just turn it on and take on the opposition like Thierry Henry used to, so everybody has to be playing well. Let's hope they are.

Milan aren't playing that well, and they generally don't create that many chances, but they have players like Inzaghi, Ronaldo, Kaka and Seedorf on the end of them, and those guys don't miss. Arsenal create loads of chances, but have Adebayor, Hleb, and Rosicky frustratingly missing most of them. Cesc is more clinical this season, but Robin Van Persie will be crucial.

Also, Ronaldo will be fit and ready by then - you can never rule him out, and don't forget about Pato... he is eligible from Jan 3rd onwards, and even though he's still quite raw, he's got amazing natural ability. I saw him play in only his 7th or 8th start for Internacional, and he completely tore Carles Puyol to pieces.

As for Gattuso, he's got a reptuation for being a nutter and a hardman ni midfield, but he's really not that physical. The Premiership offers much tougher tests, and he gets more of a reputation for that than he should, probably because he's such an oddity for an Italian/Serie A player. I was never a big fan of his, but he's worked hard on his game, and his ability to foul tactically is tremendous. Physically, his main asset is the non-stop running, which I guess is Flamini's as well, but Gattuso is much quicker than Flam, and so can press harder and faster. They also play with two defensive midfielders, and Ambrosini is definitely the stronger of the two. If Emerson plays I think Arsenal will take over the midfield, because he's completely past it.

Milan's main weakness is that fact that they don't have any fullbacks. Jankulovski and Oddo are clueless, but love going forward. Maldini and Bonera are basically centrebacks, and are on the slower side. Ancelotti has this really bizarrely weird habit of only playing them in pairs, so it will either be Maldini and Bonera, or Oddo and Jankulovski. They are still class in the centre of defence, but Kaladze has his dodgy moments. Adebayor will be key against them.

Ultimately Arsenal's main strength will be pace, especially with the fullbacks. Even with Jankulovski and Oddo bombing forward, those guys aren't super quick, and Milan don't attack with as much pace (Kaka excepted). I think that's always been Wenger's strength against the Italian teams, especially when he lets them attack with their slow buildup and then massacres them on the counters.

I think Arsene's record against Italian teams so far (post Wembley) is: P 10, W 5, D 3, L 2

That's home wins against Juventus (x2) and Lazio, and wins away to Inter and Roma. The draws were away to Lazio, where we were unlucky to conede an own goal, away to Juve when we had already won 2-0 at Highbury in the first leg, and a really poor 1-1 home draw to Roma after Totti had been sent off. The losses were of course the 3-0 at home to Inter, and the 1-0 away to Juve where we were virtually out of the group stage already, and Thierry Henry missed a penalty.

That's only 3 bad showings in 10 games, and all of those were in the group stages. Arsenal have won all their knockout stage ties against Italian sides, so the signs are good.

For his first title, Arsene Wenger used a slew of shrewd signings to push Arsenal to victory. He had inherited a solid defensive base, and needed to add the right ingredients, which he did. So Patrick Vieira, Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit and Nicolas Anelka all arrived (amongst other) to complement the legendary back 5, and Dennis Bergkamp. In May 1998, Arsenal were Champions.

Some years later, with his back 4 ageing, Wenger once again made additions in Freddie Ljungberg, Silvinho, Lauren and Sol Campbell. Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Edu, and Sylvain Wiltord all arrived within a few years of each other, and provided a combined exercise of focussed team building and once again buying the right ingredients when needed. In May 2002, Arsenal were Champions.

Wenger had bought very cleverly, and of a good age group, so with just the slightly younger Jens Lehmann replacing David Seaman, Arsenal were the Unbeaten Champions in May 2004, having been boosted in January by the signing of Jose Antonio Reyes.

Since then, Wenger has been building, building, and building, but not purchasing too much. While this was frustrating for the fans, you can't fault the logic behind it. When you are building something, you have to know what you have before you start to make decisions on what to do with it.

So since 2004, Arsene has been carefully building - Cesc, Van Persie, Clichy, Eboue, Toure, Senderos, Flamini, Adebayor, Diaby, Denilson, Walcott and Djourou - they all arrived as promising youngsters, or backup players, but Wenger has gradually built them all into a team, allowing them time to grow into what he hoped they might become, and being careful not to stifle them with a glut of signings.

Hleb was added one year, Rosicky and Gallas the next, and the excellent Sagna this year. They have all complemented and enhanced the fantastic base that was built up slowly, and now Wenger knows what his baby has become. And while this baby has played some excellent football, worked hard, and gotten good results, it has it's failings, and January is the time to address these.

No matter how he chops and changes things, there are two things that Wenger cannot build or adapt to at the moment.

The first, is a lack of punch up front - most of the goals have come from midfield, with Adebayor often erratic and ineffective, and Van Persie injured. Beyond them, there is no one - Walcott is still a long way off, Eduardo is taking too long to adapt, and Bendtner is too raw.

The second, is a lack of a genuine left-sided player. Rosicky has been there for 2 years now, and looks progressively less comfortable in that position. It's not that he's right-footed (both Pires and Overmars were right-footed, but they were very comfortable in their roles), it's just that it doesn't suit his style. Apart from him, there's no one but makeshifts - Clichy, Traore or Eduardo.

And that is the glaring truth - we have only 2 strikers, of which only one is a really threatening goalscorer (Van Persie), and no left-sided player (although Hleb often roams in that area too good effect). There's no solving these from within the squad (if he could have, Wenger would have tried something other than the 4-5-1), so it's time to buy in January, and I think this is the year that it really might happen.

Wenger has spent sparingly for 5 or 6 years now, and especially with the huge revenue from the new stadium, he is sitting on a large amount of cash (nevermind his "We have no money" protestations). Like I've said, apart from the fact that he's cheap, he's also been mindful of the fact that he wanted the youngsters to achieve their potential, and they've done that. So now is the time to add quality and experience. He only needs two players, and there's a very good chance that he will buy them in January, and that he'll spend good money on them too.

As for who they might be? Well I'd like to hear your thoughts on that!

Well Arsenal ended their unbeaten run of 28 games in all competition in Spain tonight, losing 3-1 to Sevilla. The referee was not great, and gave a free-kick to them that was never a free-kick, and which also resulted in the second goal. Even worse than the referee though, was Philippe Senderos, who single-handedly tried to hand Sevilla the match with clearances and decision of such severe incompetence that he almost made one long for Alex Song. Almost as bad, was Fredi Kanoute, whose finishing was just god-awful. He should have at least scored a brace, if not a hat-trick, and the scoreline really should have been 4-1 or 5-1 to Sevilla.

I suppose there are some "positives" to take from the game, for both sets of fans.

For Sevilla - well they will have restored some pride, and can look forward to being the group winners. They avenged their 3-0 loss in London, and looked once again like the team that was so sensational last season, and are continuing to come out of the shadows of the sad death of Antonio Puerta, and the sudden departure of coach Juande Ramos to Tottenham. Luis Fabiano continued his good form, and Jesus Navas was especially mesmerising towards the latter stages of the game.

And for the Arsenal? Well this was as good a game to lose as any. They've lost in a somewhat meaningless game to one of Europe's best teams. They've lost badly, and it's broken their unbeaten run, but it's without detriment to their progress into the next phase in the Champions League, and it would have had far worse effects in the league. Let's face it - they would have lost sooner or later, and it's better that it happened now so that they can address their shortcomings, rather than later, because there won't be a game this unimportant for a while.

Also, let's also take into account the fact that they played with three second choice defenders - Hoyte was average, Senderos awful, and Traore lost (but promising), and three second choice midfielders - Denilson was OK but ineffective, Gilberto was OK but made scary errors, and Eboue was exciting but wildly wasteful. And upfront, they were missing first choices Adebayor and Van Persie, with Nicklas Bendtner and Eduardo making their first starts in this competition. Eduardo was somewhat wasted out on the left, but did well for his goal, which was set up by the young Dane Bendtner.

So a side shorn of their top scoring strikers (Ade and RvP), captain (Gallas), most influential ball winner (Flamini) and most influential attacking midfielder (Hleb) lost to a full-strength Sevilla side.

It's not the end of the world. 

As you all know by now, Arsenal absolutely demolished Slavia Prague on Tuesday. 7 goals, 6 of them were top, top quality, and the football, control and composure on displays were pure class. It was Arsenal's third 7-0 win in the last 4 years, and the Gunners' biggest win in Europe.

It was great to see this new, young team really explode, and stability has really been the key factor. They've all had about 2-3 years of playing together now, and there are options and fluidity in every position. Some of the goals were just stunning, particularly both of Cesc's. You can see all the goals here:

1-0 Cesc Fabregas
2-0 Hubacek o.g.
3-0 Theo Walcott
4-0 Aliaksandr Hleb
5-0 Theo Walcott
6-0 Cesc Fabregas
7-0 Nicklas Bendtner

Hleb was absolutely outstanding all game long, Walcott showed us what he's capable of, Adebayor was a bit useless, but worked hard as always, and everyone else was solid and strong. Eboue is still a bit uncomfortable/wasteful on the wing, but did fantastic well to set up the 7th goal, which Bendtner did showed great resolve to tuck away.

So it's quite a confidence boost ahead of Sunday's big matchup against Liverpool, who along with Arsenal are the only two undefeated teams in the Premiership. Although in many ways, because Slavia were such poor opposition, it wasn't the greatest preparation. Liverpool will be much, much tougher opposition, and will be looking to prove a point after losing to Besiktas yesterday in the Champions League. It's also reaching that stage of the season where they have dropped a lot of points, and they will need to start winning consistently now, especially against the big teams, since they have to claw back points to make up the difference.

Fernando Torres was missing against Besiktas, but will likely be back for Sunday, and no one can really predict what kind of tinkering Benitez will do with the rest of the side. Crouch scored a hattrick against Arsenal last year, so it's quite possible that he will partner Torres.

As for the Gunners, well Van Persie is still missing, and there are doubts over Eduardo. As good and exciting as Theo Walcott was against Slavia, the Liverpool defence are far, far superior, and 4-5-1 is probably the best way to go for this game - Adebayor up front on his own, with Hleb, Fabregas, and Rosicky/Eduardo supporting from deeper positions. Walcott would be a good substitute coming on against tired legs, especially against Sami Hyypia.

They key points will of course be the performances of Gallas and Toure, and how Liverpool deal with Cesc. The two centrehalves were absolutely hammered by Crouch last season, and they will need to do better this year. As for Cesc, well everything good runs through him (and Hleb of course, and Rosicky when he plays), but with options like Sissoko and Mascherano, Benitez will be looking to limit the amount of time and possession that he gets. This is where Flamini becomes important, because he battles and snaps into tackles, and gives Cesc fantastic support. I have a feeling we might see Diaby in there as well, giving an additional option in the centre.

This is the first real test for Arsenal, and they must get it right.

The big story ahead of this Saturday’s matchup against Bolton is that Manuel Almunia will keep his place in the team, with Jens Lehmann not even making the bench. Wenger also mentions that he has three world class keepers, and that he can’t please all of them. I know that referring to the occasionally walkabout Almunia and the untested Fabianski as “world class” will cause a few laughs, but we can’t really question Arsene’s judgement, especially after this season’s resurgence.

This will all come as a shock to Jens Lehmann though – he’s been progressively getting more antsy and mouthy, and his latest interview is a bit of a shocker and a challenge to the boss. He claims that his absences have been purely through injury (“Did you seen me sitting on the bench once?”), and that he expects to play from now on. Well, this will come as a shock to his system I’m sure.

Arsene is never one to publicly criticise, but he will not have appreciated Jens’ outburst, and leaving him out of the squad when he’s declared himself fit is a strong reproach. Whilst Almunia hasn’t really convinced or done anything exceptional, he has been solid, and the team have won all 10 games in which he’s played. We must remember that it was Lehmann who lost his own place with his errors in the first two premiership games, and it’s only fair that Almunia has gotten his chance.

We need to show a little patience towards Manuel too – after all, this is his first real run in the team in the 4 seasons that he’s been at Arsenal, and he’s not let anyone down. He’s been getting better over the years, and we won’t really see the best of him until he’s had about 15-17 consecutive games in which to cement his place and feel comfortable.

Jens on the other hand, has been “in decline” for a while. There were several errors from him last season, although he redeemed himself with some stunning saves, but the signs were there, and for many his mistakes this year weren’t that surprising.

It’s going to be a tricky situation though, because Jens has challenged the boss, and the boss has responded. He’s said that Lehmann needs to be patient and win his place back, but the harmony of the squad is now at stake. Jens has already made disrespectful statements towards Almunia, and the more agitated he gets, the worse it will become for the team. He’s also got his Euro 2008 place at stake, and the next few months will be very interesting.

There have been persistent rumours about Miguel Veloso coming to Arsenal for the last 6 months. It all started with stories towards the end of last season about us trailing him, and Joao Moutinho. Then late this summer, there were quotes from his agent about how English clubs were interested. Over the past few days, there have been stories circulating everywhere about how we have come close to matching his £20 million release clause. There are also stories that he had signed a pre-contract agreement to arrive in January 2008, which appeared on his Wikipedia profile (it now says that he is on the verge of signing for a club record fee of £17 million.

I spoke to LaViz, our excellent Portuguese blogger, and she tells me that Veloso currently plays in a style quite reminescent of Fernando Redondo, the Argentine ex-Real and AC Milan holding midfielder who was a brilliant reader of the game, and had incredible technique and vision.

She also describes Veloso as being a bit like Nicolas Burdisso - in that he is very versatile, and can function anywhere across the back line or midfield, or in between. And not only can he play in these positions, he can do so effectively.

Because of the fact that he is athletic, and technically blessed, she feels that the coaches are trying to get him to play a bit like Esteban Cambiasso (she's an Inter fan, so does best with these comparisons); i.e. getting him to contribute more when going forward, and be more dynamic with his movement.

And how would he fit in at the Arsenal? The answer is... well... I have no idea. We signed Lassane Diarra this summer, and his best position is the holding midfield role, as is Gilberto's. However, neither of them have seen much playing time because of Mathieu Flamini's all-conquering, Gattuso-esque displays. Don't forget about Abou Diaby either. However, it's worth noting that Flamini is yet to sign a new deal, and that Gilberto might well be off in January (the Valencia rumours keep persisting, and Juventus haven't gone away either). Even so, with Diarra, Cesc, Diaby and Denilson around, that's quite a congested midfield.

Then again, Arsene Wenger has a habit of signing players and then doing other things with them. He spent £10m on the winger Thierry Henry (remember him?), and made him into a terrific striker. He spent £12m on left-winger Reyes, and made him into a striker (which never really worked out). He spent £11m on Wiltord, and played him at right-wing a lot of the time. Those are the big buys, there's also Van Persie, Ljungberg, Toure, Djourou and Eboue who have all learned new positions.

So where would Veloso fit in? He's played left-back, centre-back, central midfield and left-midfield, so we know he could cover all of those. He's got an excellent left-foot, and we all know that Arsene likes his gifted left-footed midfielders (Petit, Edu, van Bronckhorst, Reyes). The team has no left-footed midfielders at the moment, and is missing a bit of width, so it's quite possible that he might be sizing up Veloso as an option.

There's also the theory that he signed as the ultimate utility player - capable of playing anywhere in defence or midfield, he might hasten the departures of Hoyte, Senderos, Song, Gilberto, and maybe even Gallas, trimming the squad, and reducing the wage bill. However £17 million is quite exorbitant for a utility player, even if the club has cash to spend, and Gilberto's (possible) departure might bring in about £7 million or so.