No-one would argue against the fact that with Madrid topping the Spanish league and players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka in their team they looked a decent chance of winning the competition this season. And while their recent record in the Champions League is quite simply pathetic – six Round of 16 defeats in a row – Madrid’s exit makes Arsenal’s life just that little bit easier.

The Premier League will resume this weekend but with half of the final eight quarter-finalists decided, I do feel like lingering on the Champions League and the reality of us actually winning the big-eared trophy.

Our form this season in the league would indicate that facing Manchester United or Chelsea (if they get through) in the next round is probably going to cause us some trouble. Bayern Munich have Arjen Robben in form and Franck Ribery back from injury and despite a schizophrenic season have somehow made their way to the summit of the Bundesliga.

As for Madrid’s conquerors, Lyon are a unit that have exceptional talent and a remarkable tactician at the head of their operations.

Claude Puel produced the masterstroke of the European season against Madrid overnight by pulling of Jean-Alain Boumsong and asking Jeromy Toulalan to play at centre-back. The move freed up Cris to play as a sweeper and clogged the midfield to nullify Real and provide a platform for Cesar Delgado and Miralem Pjanic to exert their attacking influence on the game.

If Puel, who actually served as captain in the Monaco side Arsene Wenger managed all those years ago, continues to show such tactical acumen his Lyon side are likely to cause us real problems should we meet them in the next round or beyond. Lyon are a team to avoid, I feel.

Of the four positions still up for grabs I would put my house on Sevilla, Barcelona and Bordeaux to qualify. Meanwhile Chelsea v Inter Milan is as balanced a tie as you will ever see with the winner likely assume the status of competition favourites.

Barcelona’s qualities do not need repeating while Bordeaux are much like Lyon, guided by a superb manager in Laurent Blanc and possessing the sort of team ethic that saw Porto win the trophy in 2003. Should Arsenal face the French champions there will also be the added novelty of attempting to preventing Marouane Chamakh, a man set to join our club at the end of the season, from having a telling impact on the tie.

Sevilla are probably the weakest of all the prospective opponents in eyes: always hovering around the Champions League places in Spain but only really making an impact in the second tier of European competition with two UEFA Cup wins in 2006 and 2007. They are a good side but if I had to choose the opponent that would offer us the best hope of getting through to the semi-finals it would be them.

I suppose what this is all amounting to is the old cliche that there are no really easy games left at this level of the Champions League. We are certainly a good chance of winning the tournament for the first time in our history this season yet there is still a very long way to go.

But with the quality of teams on show it will be hard not to enjoy every minute of it.

Thoughts?

Have your say on Arsenal’s Champions League chances by leaving a comment.

The latest in a long line of interviews where he attempts to portray himself as some sort of angel, hard-done by Arsenal and Arsene Wenger is quite frankly, laughable.

And while I really shouldn’t take the bait I’m going to by carving up his latest comments to show that once-and-for-all, Adebayor is a delusional liar of the highest order.

“Arsène Wenger can never say that I wanted to leave. It was because Arsène didn’t want me any more.”

That is probably because you spent the previous summer trying to get a move to Barcelona or Milan and when the deal fell through, failed to put any real effort in on the pitch.

“The most annoying thing about the whole story is when people say I wanted to leave for the money. If I had really wanted to, I would have left two years ago for the money and gone to Milan or Barcelona.”

You did want to go for money and to move to a “bigger” club. The problem was, they wouldn’t pay the buy-out fee and it dashed your hopes of joining the club you wanted to. Quite frankly you couldn’t have left “if you had really wanted to” because you were under contract and neither of those clubs were willing to pay the amount needed to buy you, probably because they didn’t think you were worth it. Just 7 goals in 17 starts as well as seven games out with suspension probably indicates they were right.

“I read that it was me who was the troublemaker in the changing room. That’s unbelievable. If one player can say that I, Emmanuel Adebayor, spoke badly to anyone in the changing rooms then I’d honestly like to know who it is. It has never happened in my life.”

If you had any morsel of intelligence you would realise that you can be a disruption in the changing room without speaking badly of players. At a club like Arsenal where team spirit and unity is paramount to the potential success of the manager and the squad, publicly looking for a move and then getting a massive, unjustified pay-rise as a result is bound to cause a few problems.  You might not have the players to “f*** off” to their faces, but you certainly did it with your actions and pathetic on-field displays last season.

“If Arsène has a big heart we can go on a TV show to have a debate and he will never say I told him I wanted to leave the club. He’ll never say that. He knows it full well.”

And you know full well that no person would be stupid enough to go on a TV show with you to have a debate over something as pointless as this. Arsene Wenger has better things to do with his time, like building a team of players actually capable of winning the league as opposed to a bunch of overpaid, overrated mercenaries who can only quantify success as sneaking into the Champions League.

“It will be 90 minutes of hell. The fans will boo me, insult me, because, until now, they haven’t understood why I left. I’m the bad guy.”

We fully understand the reason you left and that’s why you are the bad guy. You deserve to be booed, insulted and given hell because Arsene Wenger and the club turned you from a young pretender into a player capable of leading the line for one of the best clubs in the world. Yet you still wanted more and were happy to essentially f*** the club over in order to get it. That’s why you deserve the reception you will undoubtedly get.

“I shouldn’t have done that [the celebration] but we are all human. I made a mistake, but who doesn’t?”

Pointing out other peoples mistakes doesn’t make what you did OK. It just shows yet again that you are happy to deflect any of your wrong-doings onto other people.

I just can’t wait for Arsenal v City at The Emirates. What about you?

Have your say on Emmanuel Adebayor’s lies by leaving a comment.

The Aaron Ramsey injury was ridiculous and unfair. It cannot be a coincidence that we have had three players taken out by opponents in the past five years, ending in serious injuries. After ignoring the opportunity to put things right after Eduardo’s leg break, the FA need to sort things out quickly. Fortunately Ramsey’s country of birth should make it far more likely that something is done.

On a personal level, Ramsey’s injury reduced me to tears. I couldn’t believe it. A 19-year-old on the rise, in superb form for one of the best teams in the world and he gets taken out. One of Ramsey’s best attribute is his natural bottle and willingness to fight hard in the middle of the pitch and I do hope he can get that back.

I am sad for Ramsey but the fact that the team were able to go on and win made this the best game of the season for me. Our goals were terrific, we took our chances and were able to compose ourselves brilliantly after a period of shock after the injury. A complete team performance under incredibly difficult circumstances has left us just three points off the top of the table. Remarkable and a clear sign that we have the character and bottle to go on and win the title.

Cesc Fabregas’ contribution and leadership against Stoke was unbelievable. Not only did he dominate the centre of the pitch in his usual fashion, but produced four moments in the final 15 minutes that underlined his status as a cool, composed player and an inspirational leader.

First he scored the winning penalty under extreme pressure, knowing full well that a miss could have ended our title charge. Second, he set up Thomas Vermaelen for the third when it would have been easier to take a shot of his own. Third, he brought down one of the Stoke players from behind and followed it up by putting a finger to the lips to Tony Pulis, as if to say “We’re Arsenal and we will not be pushed around.” And fourth, he pulled the team together in a huddle at the end of the match to make them realise what they had achieved and underlined the fact that they achieved it together. Absolutely inspirational stuff.

Thoughts?

Have your say on Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Stoke by leaving a comment.

For those that don’t know we’ve all but signed the Moroccan striker on a pre-contract and I though it would be interesting to actually watch him play and talk about his performance rather than just speculating on what others have said.

First Half

3′ – First things first it should be said how slick this man’s hair is. With his skinny but firm frame, greasy faux mullet and glowing skin he is very Cristiano Ronaldo-like indeed.

5′ – Nice touch and lay-off for a midfielder there.

6′ – A nice touch and run there on the right, showing some good pace to nick past one defender before losing the ball to a second. He looks to be taking up a position on the right side of attack, even if he is technically supposed to be the focal point. Very Thierry Henry, that is.

9′ – Attempts a run behind the defence but the through-ball to him is cut out. That is quickly followed by another neat lay-off from a throw-in and a lovely header down off a long-ball to a supporting teammate. His touch is looking good so far.

16′ – Chamakh pressures Raul Bravo into conceding a throw-in when he could have chosen to switch off. A little bit later he makes another excellent flick-on from an arrowed long ball that is just cut out by the defence.

18′ – This game is making me a bit sleepy, I have to say. Neither Olympiakos nor Bordeaux look like they’re going to score and Chamakh is only getting fleeting touches…

19′ – …like that. Yet another excellent flick-on, but it comes to nothing. He has won everything in the air so far.

20′ – This Bordeaux team apply excellent pressure, especially up front. Chamakh appears to be a key component of that, harassing defenders anytime they are in possession.

22′ – Some Bordeaux player has just fallen over, revealing possibly the craziest looking underpants I have ever seen a football player wear. They were white with squiggly black and blue lines. Weird, but strangely compelling. I wonder how much a pair would cost on eBay?

26′ – Another good chest down sees Bordeaux’s left winger eventually aim a cross at Chamakh. It doesn’t reach him but I wonder whether we’ll cross the ball as much as they do.

28′ – Almost a half-an-hour in here and the impression I get is that Chamakh is very much a one or two-touch player, a target man and a team player. All good signs, particularly because his touch is good and he has physical prowess to dominate the air.

29′ – Howard Webb is the referee here by the way, and he’s just given the most ridiculous red card. A Bordeaux player slides in to win the ball cleanly, gets studded unfairly in the calf by a Olympiakos player, but somehow gets booked. Shocking refereeing by the biggest fraud in English football.

33′ – Olof Mellberg, the man that Freddie Ljungberg once had the balls to pick, attempts to jump over Chamakh but literally bounces off the Moroccan. The ball goes out for a throw. How strong is this man!?

38′ – Chamakh makes a great run in behind the defence, holds the ball up and feeds Wendel aka Wendell Sailor, who shoots wide. A nice bit of play there.

44′ – He’s been a bit quiet for the past five minutes. Meanwhile Olympiakos are stepping up.

45+1′ – Bordeaux have scored from a set-piece. Chamakh throws his body into the mix and Ciani heads home from Yohann Gourcouff’s free kick.

Half Time

Panda Bear has been kind enough to offer me a Frosty Fruit as we prepare for the second half. What a champ.

Second Half

45′ – Our man gets involved quickly with three good touches on the right side, followed by another on the left. He links well and doesn’t give the ball away, with the play ending up in a Bordeaux free-kick. He looks up for adding a second here.

50′ – Bordeaux’s style of play is quite interesting. Chamakh is clearly the main striker but he pulls to the right quite often, allowing Gourcuff to push forward from his attacking midfield position. It’s quite clever really.

54′ – Just as I say that, Chamakh and Gourcuff play a double one-two before slipping the ball forward to Wendell. A foul is called for an initial challenge on Chamakh.

58′ – He wins ANOTHER header, flicking on for Wendel who promptly gives away a foul. Chamakh gets involved again on the right side, exchanging a couple of passes.

64′ – Not much going at the moment. Bordeaux are pretty much just sitting on their lead, hoping it will get them through. As such, Chamakh isn’t getting much ball.

68′ – Chamakh has a little bit of a disagreement with Mellberg while some guy is down injured. I was hoping he would Ljungberg him there, but alas.

70′ – He fouls the left-back while trying to win back another lost cause. You’ve got to like his hustle.

73′ – A good hold-up there, under pressure from Mellberg. It was a long ball, casually chested down and the ball laid off. Flawless with a big man at his back.

75′ – Wendel breaks, gets tackled and the ball drops to Chamakh who shape to shoot but also gets tackled. Is it interesting that Chamakh is yet to have a shot on goal with just 15 minutes left? Or is he just a team player?

78′ – Chamakh jumps for a header and gets taken out by a defender. He looks pretty annoyed after taking a whack to the side, but amusingly it is the Olympiakos player who comes off second best. It was a cheap shot by the defender to Chamakh’s ribs but he took it well…

79′ – …and is soon up and about, making a couple of decent passes.

83′ – Chamakh makes a couple of good plays down the right side, in particular feeding a good pass into the centre to create an opening that is not taken. That was probably his most creative play of the game.

87′ – Our man makes his first really poor touch of the game, losing possession from a simple lofted pass. Bordeaux quickly regain the ball though.

89′ – Olympiakos almost score, but have a header cleared off the line. Great effort there.

90+3′ – Olympiakos have two fantastic chances to win the game and even have a goal chalked off when the goalkeeper is fouled.

90+4′ – The final whistle blows and Bordeaux get the sort of 1-0 win that has been their staple this season. Solid at the back, not creating much going forward but making the most of their chances.

So what have we learned about Chamakh?

Chamakh’s performance suggests he is good in the air, has a strong first touch and is quite pacey. He’s not going to burn past players or win matches on his own but he looks mature, composed and would be a useful addition to our squad. Which is what we already knew.

It’s only one performance, of course, but he looks a good player.

Thoughts?

Have your say on Marouane Chamakh’s game by leaving a comment.

Heck, I was in on the act almost three weeks ago, just before the Chelsea game, when I stated that Arsenal’s more generous fixture meant that at $10 they were a ridiculously good gamble for the title. We were six points behind at that stage, the same as we are now, yet somehow have shortened to $7.50. But I digress.

There are two factors that could influence our ability to accurately predict whether we win the title; predicting where our rivals will drop points and predicting where we might drop points. The first is a difficult and ill-advised process that would take a fair amount of guesswork and generalising, so I’ll steer clear. The second is much easier.

Anyone who has watched enough of Arsenal this season will know how predictable their results have been. Sure, we have won and lost our fair share of games, but they tend to be the same types of games.

This season has seen us lose six games; two at home to Manchester United and Chelsea and four away to the big two as well as Manchester City and Sunderland, who were both in good early season form. What is interesting is that virtually every time we have lost we have deserved to lose, the Old Trafford game an exception, and the opponents have played very well.

As well as the six losses we have drawn four matches; three away from home against Burnley, West Ham and Villa and once at home against a resurgent Everton that then went on to beat United and Chelsea. Two things stick out to me there; first that in three out of the four games (not including West Ham) we were lucky to get a point and second that the three teams we drew with away have significantly better home records.

All of this can be basically summarised as the following:

• We tend to lose to teams who are better than us
• We tend to beat teams who are not as good as us and destroy them when at home
• We tend to struggle more away from home against sides that have significantly better home records and are in good form
• When teams outplay us, we generally tend to get a result better than our performance deserves

The first three points are as obvious Alex Song’s armbands, but they tell us something very important. We are a team that tends to beat the teams we should beat and struggle when we should struggle. We lose the games you would expect us to lose, win the games you would expect us to win and draw games on tougher than average away trips against in-form teams. It’s not rocket science, but is revealing when applied to our season run-in.

Looking at our remaining fixtures that means:

• Stoke (A) – WIN (Stoke’s home record is nowhere near as good as people think, compare it with Blackburn)
• Burnley (H) – WIN
• Hull (A) – WIN
• West Ham (H) – WIN
• Birmingham (A) – DRAW (Although Birmingham’s form appears to be on the slide)
• Wolves (H) – WIN
• Spurs (A) – DRAW
• Wigan (A) – WIN (Massive potential for a banana skin on Wigan’s shoddy pitch)
• Man City (H) – WIN
• Blackburn (A) – DRAW (Another big banana skin, Blackburn have won 8 from 12 although we always tend to beat them)
• Fulham (H) – WIN (Despite a good season, their away record is awful)

In some ways that is a generous prediction (27 points from 33, no losses and an assumed win over City) but in others it is quite conservative. As I’ve indicated Birmingham are running out of puff after their terrific unbeaten run, we haven’t lost to Spurs in a decade and we usually beat Blackburn, good home record or not. In fact, we usually smash them.

The final thing to consider is the last point from the four I mentioned earlier: when teams outplay us we tend to get a better result than our performance deserves. That is the reason why our position on the table tends to be surprise to be many people and why we it has been suggested that our presence in the top three indicates that the standard at the top has dropped this season.

It’s funny, when the tendency to get points where it is not deserved is applied to Chelsea or United it is usually portrayed as a title-winning attribute. But with us it indicates a drop in the standard of the competition?

They won’t be saying that if we win the thing and judging by this analysis, we’ll go damn close.

Thoughts?

Have your say on Arsenal’s run-in by leaving a comment.

However, instead of just yelling “Sack Wenger and buy some players!” I thought I’d have a go at solving those problems with the personnel we have at our disposal.

Problem: We can’t defend counter-attacks

Twice against Manchester United, once each against Chelsea and Everton (just to name four recent examples) we’ve conceded goals as a result of lightning-quick counter-attacks. They have caused defensive disorganisation that we haven’t been able to deal with and left under-fire goalkeeper Manuel Almunia unfairly exposed.

Solution: Get the defensive players doing their jobs again

By positional definition William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen are central defenders. Similarly Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy play as wing-backs or if you want to be consistent, left or right-sided defenders, while most football observers would label Alex Song as a defensive-midfielder.

All five players are tied together by the same positional root-word: defend. Yet all five players seemingly love to get forward. And while that fits in perfectly with Wenger’s total football philosophy it has seriously hurt us in recent weeks against the big sides.

Clichy has bombed forward haphazardly in the last two games, Vermaelen and Gallas’ forward forays cost us against United and Everton while Song got caught forward for Chelsea’s second and generally made Abou Diaby, one of our most effective attacking weapons, do far more defensive work. Pre-African Cup of Nations Song was a strict defense-first player but only Sagna really appears to know what his job is just at the minute.

The ironic thing is that, at their best, every one of our back five is a good defender. They can all tackle, they can all jockey and they all know a thing or two about defending. But at the moment they are not working as a unit, not doing their job properly and it is costing us games.

Our 4-3-3 formation flourished earlier in the season because it allowed our back five to sit deep and requested that our front three and the two attacking midfielder applied as much pressure as possible on the opposition players. That needs to return and the defensive players need to be asked to do what they are supposed to be doing: defending.

Problem: We can’t defend set-pieces

Not much to add here really. We’ve struggled all season defending set-pieces and in recent weeks have conceded against Everton, Stoke and Chelsea via the dead ball.

Solution: Work out a consistent system or change personnel

There’s no debate that our best back five is the one I’ve mentioned above. Adding Abou Diaby and Nicklas Bendtner to that line-up gives us sufficient height yet an inability to defend set-pieces has been a consistent problem throughout the season.

Given that there is no personnel changes necessary the best way that this could be solved is to work out a consistent system on set-pieces and give each player a defined role. I understand that there are players coming in and out each week but there needs to be a consistency to the way we defend.

That might be to have the same players on the post every time, certain players defending certain opponents or even a switch to a more zonal sort of marking that may just suit our players. At the moment players are not organising quickly enough and being moved around far too easily by the opposition attackers and it simply has to stop.

If players can’t do the jobs assigned to them then Wenger has to seriously consider changing the personnel. If Almunia can’t deal with the pressure around him then Lukasz Fabianski needs to come in. If Gael Clichy is aimlessly wandering from his station at the far post then Armand Traore needs to return. There are risks in both moves but at the end of the day we’re conceding goals from these situations and there’s no point making the same mistakes over and over.

Problem: We lack cutting edge up front

I am one of many that have been bemoaning a lack of physical striker since the injuries to Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner and the repeated absence of such a player has had a big impact on our performance. Despite much possession against Manchester United and Chelsea we had virtually no cutting edge up front and no player to challenge for the multitude of crosses and high-balls that came into the area. One goal from the last three games against the cream of the crop says it all.

Solution: Find the right balance between speed, strength, technique and unpredictability

With Bendtner available again we have the right players at our disposal to cause trouble for each and every team in the Premier League and Europe. The Dane has huge belief in his own ability – not misguided in my opinion – and is arguably the most important player in our bid to claw back the nine-point deficit and win the title.

His record of 15 goals from 27 starts last season suggests he has the ability to score goals and his added physical presence is most welcome. It’s clear that Wenger believes he can get the job done and that belief must have been a huge factor in the manager’s reluctance to dip into the transfer market and bring in someone else. We can only judge at the end of the season whether he was right.

Taking into account rotation and injuries I believe the best forward three combination is Bendtner, Andrey Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky. Arshavin is a class act while Rosicky’s recent performances have edged those of Samir Nasri. Both the Russian and the Czech have an end product to their game that the other attackers appear to be lacking and perhaps most importantly, both have the sufficient pace and self-belief to take defenders on and beat them.

Nasri is a tough one at the moment. His ball control is superb but his impact on the game appears minimal and that needs to change. His dilly-dallying over whether to shoot or pass against Chelsea was a reminder of just how infrequently he is getting into goalscoring positions although the presence of Bendtner will certainly help his cause.

Problem: Attacking set-pieces are virtually pointless

Since Robin van Persie’s injury deprived of us his superb dead-ball delivery my reaction to winning a corner or a free-kick in a wide area has become something resembling sarcasm over what we simply can’t achieve. When I see Fabregas or Arshavin or anybody else who bothers to take one knock it short, I generally bury my head in my hands or yell expletives at the television over how things will inevitably turn out. In other words, I’m not filled with optimism.

Solutions: Concentrate on the basics and scrap short corners

The way I see it there are essentially three factors that attacking sides have control of to determine how likely they are of scoring a goal off a set piece. The first is the delivery of the ball, the second is the size and aerial ability of the players receiving that ball and the third is the movement by that same group of players.

In general terms if the delivery is good, the players are tall and know how to head the ball and they make the right runs then you have a more decent chance of scoring than if the ball is poor, the players are short and poor in the air and the remain static. There will be exceptions to this rule but I don’t think there would be many people who disagree.

We certain have limits in this part of our game. We are struggling for accurate delivery and our team is not the tallest, yet I just can’t understand why our movement is so poor. Why aren’t our players charging in with authority, attacking the space and making the opposition defenders think about what to do as much as possible? Standing still gives opponents the simple task of attacking the balls near them and in most cases winning out because of their superior height and aerial ability.

It’s inexcusable but on the plus side is easily fixable. It doesn’t take hours and hours of training ground practice, something we know Wenger and his team aren’t going to do anyway, it takes a simple instruction from the manager to ensure our players charge into the area with pace in various directions to make the defenders do as much work as possible.

It also means scrapping short corners. Seriously, when is the last time one of them has worked?

The role we can play as fans

So in short my suggestions are to get the defence thinking about defending, back Bendtner to prove the goods up front and ensure our attacking players put in a focused effort on game day regarding both attacking and defensive set-pieces. It’s not rocket science yet I feel it would make a huge improvement.

I also think there is a significant role we can play as fans and that is simply to keep the faith and back the manager and his players until the end of the season.

As a blogger who keeps his eye on the media I have to say I find the questioning of Wenger’s long-term project and the venomous criticism of his decision not to sign a striker in the January transfer window to be quite perplexing. Indeed, when you look deeper into both of those reasons for criticism it’s hard not to side with the manager.

In terms of his long-term project of developing another team that can conquer England and hopefully Europe, things are going well. He has got a strong nucleus of players that are improving with each season and should peak within the next few years, perhaps even collecting a trophy or two before that peak comes. Look at Song and Diaby’s rise this season and project onto players like Bendtner, Nasri and Aaron Ramsey and the future is undeniable.

There is a fear that Fabregas might go but anybody who takes the word of the Catalan media, who are designed to provoke and report in a biased manner to get what they want, over that of our captain, who has repeatedly quashed such rumours and stated that he is happy at Arsenal, is quite simply a fool. It’s clear that Fabregas understands the potential in this side and the longer that they stick together the more and more chance there will be that trophies will come.

The manager’s reluctance to sign a striker in January is easily explainable and quite understandable. Before Villa, United and Chelsea we were getting by quite nicely and now they are over we have Bendtner, a player that is clearly highly-regarded by the management, ready to play. More depth would undeniably be good but with Marouane Chamakh appearing as almost a certain addition on a free in the summer you can understand the manager’s reluctance to spend several million pounds on the same player to patch up a problem that has only been apparent for three games.

As I said before the best thing we can do as fans is to get behind the team and the manager. It’s not a blind rally to support a manager or team that don’t deserve it, it is the realisation that this club is in a better position that most people suggested we would be in and that personnel-wise, nothing can actually change until the summer.

If Arsene Wenger and his team still hasn’t achieved any improvement by then by all means vent your frustrations. But until then let’s support our boys and focus on what we can do with the group at our disposal.

Thoughts?

Have your say on Arsene Wenger and the state of the current team by leaving a comment.

Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester United left our boys five points of the top of the table with league leaders and our opponents for this weekend Chelsea expected to extend that to eight points after their trip to Hull City.

Surprisingly, they fluffed their lines.

A lacklustre performance by the champions-elect saw Hull grab a deserved 1-1 draw at the KC Stadium, subsequently restricting the gap between us and Chelsea to six points. An Arsenal win on Sunday at Stamford Bridge – hardly an impossibility when you look at the host’s performance in the last two games, the result in last season’s corresponding fixture and the obvious impact the John Terry situation is having on the team – would cut that margin to three.

And it gets better.

A detailed look at the fixture list of the three title contenders reveals what has already been suggested – Arsenal’s is easier than both Chelsea and Manchester United. But the intriguing thing is just how much easier it is.

Our well-documented problem this season has been an inability to win in big games. But after Chelsea this weekend and Liverpool at The Emirates on Wednesday just two of the remaining 12 fixtures could be anywhere near considered a big game. They are an away trip to Spurs, a team we haven’t lost in the league to in over a decade and a home game against Manchester City.

In contrast Chelsea face two teams that have already beaten them this season in Aston Villa and Manchester City at home and away trips to Everton, Spurs, Liverpool and crucially, Manchester United. Meanwhile United still have to play Aston Villa, Everton and Manchester City away as well as three big games at Old Trafford against Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs.

On paper it is a huge contrast. It’s unfathomable to think that points won’t be dropped.

While we clearly we have our problems – Manuel Almunia, Denilson and to a lesser extent Gael Clichy are not performing well at the moment, Wenger’s tactics have been a bit off lately and our defence needs a bit of a kick up the backside – there’s also lot to be positive about.

Nicklas Bendtner’s long-awaited return to the starting line-up against Chelsea on Sunday will finally see us field a recognised striker and a player that I feel will have a big impact on our season. Abou Diaby will also be back, Eduardo as well and with Thomas Vermaelen avoiding a leg-break at Villa we certainly have the players available to put a good run of results together, just as we did after the 3-0 loss to Chelsea.

Meanwhile word is that Robin van Persie’s return will not be anywhere near as far away as initially confirmed with the Dutchman expected to begin full training again in month’s time. His presence may be vital in the closing stages of the season.

So for all the doom and gloom there is also a massive amount of hope.

I mentioned in an interview with Scott from The Republik of Mancunia that if we come away from the Chelsea and Liverpool games within five or six points of the top of the table then we remain a good chance to win the league and I absolutely stick by that. Our fixture list is favourable, our strikers are on the comeback and the current problems within the team can certainly be addressed by the players Wenger has at his disposal.

SportingBet Australia are paying $10 for Arsenal to win the league this season, compared with Chelsea at $1.73 and Manchester United at $2.50.

All things considered, I like those odds.

Have your say on Arsenal’s chances of winning the league by leaving a comment.

You can read a transcript of that interview below or view the article in it’s original form here.

Thanks to Scott for a really good set of questions.

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Andrew Weber, from the popular Gunner blog, Arsenal FC Blog, has been big enough to have a quick chat with me following our 3-1 victory over them on Sunday.

Scott the Red: At the start of the season, did you think winning the league would be beyond United in light of Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure?

Andrew Weber: No, I didn’t. My prediction at the start of the season was that Arsenal and Manchester United would be up in the two spots with Chelsea third and Liverpool out of the Champions League places. I haven’t been far off, I have to say. United are always a threat for the league because they have a smart manager and a winning mentality. Most teams in England are still scared of them because of their recent history and it means they will generally get enough points to hover around the top, even if they lose the big games.

STR: We haven’t been brilliant in many of the big league games this year, losing away to both Liverpool and Chelsea, despite playing well against the latter. But our win over your lot this weekend was definitely our best performance in a big Premiership game this season. But why didn’t Wenger learn from the mistakes of last year’s CL semi?

AW: The game against United at Old Trafford earlier in this season suggested he had learnt his lesson. He played a possession game, we were far more secure at the back and only the most one-eyed United fans would say they deserved more than a draw out of that game. Why he decided to play an all-out attacking game at The Emirates is beyond me. It played to your strengths and meant that even with a lesser team than last season you were able to exploit our weaknesses.

STR: Over the past few years we’ve seen United get the results when they’ve mattered against Arsenal. There was the 4-0 in the FA Cup, our 2-1 towards the end of the 07-08 season, the Champions League semis last season, the point that won us the Premiership last season and now Sunday. Do you think Arsenal are missing big characters that would help you in these games?

AW: To be honest, I don’t feel we are. Cesc, Arshavin, Vermaelen, Song, van Persie and Bendtner are all players that I would consider big characters. They have more heart, soul and drive than a lot of our players have had inprevious seasons. They are the reason we’ve been able to grind out results and get near the top of the table despite a fairly horrid injury crisis. At the moment we are being let down by a small minority – Denilson and Almunia are struggling for confidence, Clichy is in a bit of a slump and if you have a couple of players underperforming it makes it hard to win the big games.

STR: I imagine Wenger brought Sol Campbell back to give you an old head at the back. You were “delighted” when Silvestre signed for the same reason, saying “He ticks all the right boxes – experienced, a Premiership player, a proven winner and of course French.” Are you as confident about Campbell, despite Silvestre’s lacking impact?

AW: I think Sol is a good signing. He appears psychologically revitalized since his break from the game and that is probably the most important thing. His opening two performances have been good and I wouldn’t have a problem with him playing a number of games before the end of the season. His pace isn’t great but if he plays alongside Gallas or Vermaelen, whoare both quite quick, it’s not too much of a problem.

STR: He hardly played a blinder in your FA Cup exit at the hands of Stoke. Regardless, I imagine the more important issue is hanging on to your best players rather than bringing in new faces. How long do you think you can hang on to Fabregas before he leaves for Barcelona?

AW: I really don’t think it’s as cut and dry as the media makes out. He is the Arsenal captain, a player who loves the club and will be around for awhile yet. I don’t think he would go anywhere until 26 or 27 if he does but if Arsenal are winning trophies by that point – which I suspect they will be – then he may not leave at all.

STR: Honestly, I think you are kidding yourself. There’s no doubt he feels a lot for the club, but you have to understand that Barcelona will always mean more to him. If you win things again, he can leave knowing that he has contributed to your success, and if you don’t win things, he can cite that as the reason for leaving. But with all the hype surrounding him, do you think he has been Arsenal’s best performer this season?

AW: You could pick any one of Song, Vermaelen or Fabregas. It feels like every single time I write a match report I make mention of how well that trio play. We’re still conceding goals at the back but Vermaelen’s no-nonsense approach has improved our defence, Song has provided us with a player whois able to assert himself physically in the midfield while Fabregas hashad his most productive season yet. The fans will surely vote Fabregas as the best but at this point in time Song would get my vote.

STR: You’ve told us about your great players, but which of ours do you think would get in to Arsenal’s starting XI?

AW: Evra and Rooney for sure. Vidic would be an amazing partner for Vermaelen. Whichever goalkeeper you want to give us! In midfield Fletcher would probably be a good addition alongside Cesc and Song while up front van Persie, Arshavin and Rooney would be my pick. I’ve picked five United and six Arsenal there so we must still be better team!

STR: Course you are. With this better team, fancy doing us a favour this weekend against Chelsea?

Of course – history proves it is possible. We won 2-1 last season at Stamford Bridge and we can do it again. The main thing is that we get our passing into a groove, don’t push forward too recklessly and a few of our big players fire. Bendtner will surely be starting too and although he polarizes opinion, my view on him is that he is a very dangerous player who will prove that if given a good run in the side.

STR: You’ve had to play United and Chelsea in one week, but who do you think will win the league?

AW: You could really pick any of the top three at this stage, although the argument for Arsenal has probably weakened since the weekend. As I said before, United will always pick up points because of their character while Chelsea appear to be the best group of players in the Premiership. At this stage if I had to stick my nose out I’d probably say Chelsea out of the two of you, yet it could all change very quickly. In terms of Arsenal, things are certainly not over. If we get a result against Chelsea and are within 5 or 6 points of the top of the table after the Liverpool game then we stand a good chance. Our run-in is ridiculously easy compared to United and Chelsea and our recent run of results, prior to the weekend, shows we have the squad capable of putting a good run together. Bendtner will be back, reports are van Persie will be back in March and we will finish strongly.

STR: You’d drawn two of the past four in the run up to playing United but you’re right, things do change very quickly in the league. But if Arsenal are trophyless again this season, how long will Wenger have? It’s hard to believe that the last time you won a trophy was when we were robbed in the 2005 FA Cup final. It feels like forever ago though, given that we have won three league titles, the European Cup and two League Cups since then. It is interesting to note that since winning his first trophy in 1990, Fergie hasn’t ever gone longer than one season without winning something. How many seasons will Wenger get?

AW: The thing about Wenger – which I think United fans would understand abovemany others – is that his impact cannot really be measured simply by trophies. Sure, we want to win. Sure, we don’t want to be a feeder club or just a club that is worried about finances or blooding young players. But in a long-term way that is what the club and Wenger have decided to do and the fans must be patient with him to ensure he gets sufficient time to see his plan come to fruition. For me it’s not really about trophies, it’s about developing squads of players to their peak every three or so years and having a really good run at the title. That was what was so disappointing about last season. We were so close to the league in 2007/08 that to see us lose key players and basically have a year of no progress last season was disappointing. If we’d hung on to Flamini and Adebayor hadn’t had his head turned then we would have had a chance. As it is this season is pretty much what I expected last season and perhaps the next one will be our best shot at the league.

Have your say on the interview with Scott by leaving a comment.

“Whilst their players were disappointing, you have to wonder what their manager was thinking. I think today was a better performance than the European game, but they weren’t too dissimilar, so why hadn’t Wenger worked out what they were going to have to do stop us? Surely he isn’t naive enough to think we were incapable of pulling out such a performance without Cristiano Ronaldo, so why hadn’t he put something in to stop our brilliant counter attacking?”

It begs the question: if a Manchester United fan knows how to stop their team’s attacking weapon that then why doesn”t Wenger?

An unavoidably ugly, ugly report to follow soon.

Have your say on Arsenal’s 3-1 loss to Manchester United by leaving a comment.

It is a little bit en vogue to criticise Eduardo at the moment.

“He’s a passenger” is the thing you hear the most these days. “He’ll never be the same as he was before his injury” is another thing you hear a lot, not to mention “He’s just not sharp enough anymore”.

However those comments tend to ignore the increasingly important contribution that Eduardo has made to the team over the past month.

You want evidence? Just read the words of Walter Broeckx from Untold Arsenal on the issue:

Let’s look at his contribution over the last games over the last month. Against Hull he scored our second goal that made us certain the game was ours.  In the game at Portsmouth he scored the first goal with a deflected free kick.

In the West Ham game he made the winning goal and that is all you can expect from a striker I would think. In the Everton game he hadn’t the best game of his life but who from our players had ? And in the last game at Bolton he gave both assists to our goals and was called a passenger by some pundit.

So three goals in the last month, the same number in assists over that period. Well dear pundit and moaning fans, I think it is good value for money.”

Three goals and three assists is indeed a good return for a month’s worth of football even if he doesn’t always look to be contributing much.

A couple of weeks ago I predicted Eduardo to enter a purple patch and go on a goal rush. While that hasn’t quite happened just yet the signs are still good that such form is just around the corner.

Thoughts?

Have your say on Eduardo’s form by leaving a comment.