The late draw against Liverpool at the Emirates in midweek is still playing heavily on my mind. Winning at Blackpool means very little if you cannot follow it up with victories, especially when your opponent equalises in stoppage time. Next up we have a big match at Tottenham where we really need a victory. If we manage to take the lead we really need to hold onto our lead this time.

We have been in free fall since that terrible day at Wembley against Birmingham City and the players look way below par right now. Cesc Fabregas isn’t leading by example and Samir Nasri’s form has vanished down the toilet.

We need to step up and show some balls *echo ‘balls’ until fade*

This time last season we were pretty much exactly going through this funk give or take a few days. At half time in our next game against Tottenham we lead 3-1 and played some fantastic stuff only to be pegged back in the second half and draw the game 3-3.

We had players in the squad who were all but packed and couldn’t wait to get out of the Arsenal dressing room for one reason or the other. We had characters like Samir Nasri and Nicklas Bendtner that we had to turn to in order to snap us back into shape. I call those two the ‘gum chewers’

Players who have talent but ultimately only really give two hoots about themselves and the ballon bloody d’or.

As you are all aware of, much weeding and replanting took place over the summer and today we have a much healthier tree with clean fresh roots. But as we witnessed against Queens Park Rangers a few weeks ago our Arsenal sometimes makes you double take and think you have Samir Nasri still in the side not challenging for headers in must win games.

It is here where we are going to miss Mikel Arteta almost as much as his quality on the ball. I can only speak for myself but 90 minutes of football has shaken my confidence. Pre Wigan I knew we were in for a tough game but we are Arsenal, we have beaten Manchester City at home and the Emirates had transformed from library to fortress since our demolition of Spurs. Beat Wigan and beat Chelsea and we are home free, slippers time, cuppa tea and an expensive Cuban cigar that you sort of smoke but don’t inhale for some reason.

That is how it played out in my head and there was no reason why it should play any other way. Yes, it is certainly that complacency word that we are all too aware of. That is what got to me but I don’t believe that was the issue for the team against Wigan. Our game just did not pick up and without our game we went to pieces.

Doubts have appeared, our opposition on Saturday have just had a morale boosting victory against the best team in world football, that after beating Tottenham 5-1 at Wembley. Tiredness does not exist when you get results like that.

Let us visit our fears for a moment and Chelsea defend in numbers, the Wigan game is still on the Arsenal players mind and we cannot break them down. Our passing is slow and the crowd is on our backs. Five minutes left on the clock John Terry heads past Szczesny from a corner kick. I know, I know I am sorry but bear with it for a minute. Tottenham beat QPR 3-0 at Loftus road and Newcastle and Pappis Cissie grab a 1-0 victory at home to Stoke later in the afternoon.

The league table and remaining fixtures will look like this

Two defeats on the spin, a trip to Stoke while our rivals have winnable games. The mental momentum has swung and it is 2010-2011 once again.

Here is the good news. I am not writing about the past like I did in the start of this piece. At the end of the season I am hoping to write something very different. This is not the gum chewing Arsenal, this is the Arsenal of togetherness. The Arsenal that has bounced back from adversity many times in the space of nine months.

After an awful start to the season, we had lost 4 games in 7 league matches which included the infamous 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford and the 4-3 shambles at Ewood Park. After losing 2-1 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane in October we went on a 10 game unbeaten run in all competitions, winning 8 of those games. A narrow defeat against Manchester City in the Carling cup.

Another dip came about at the end of December, the absence of every single available full back at the club hit the team badly and offensive and defensive performances suffered which cost us points. We stabilised briefly when the full backs returned until that woeful display in Milan, losing 4-0 was huge in such a big game. It would have taken a lot of character to have come back from such a defeat and this squad showed they had just that. Seven straight victories is nothing whatsoever to be sniffed at. The blip at QPR was followed by a more than convincing 1-0 victory against Manchester City and all their many millions.

Losing at home to Wigan is unwelcomed and concerning but this team have proven that they can dig in and pull out a big performance when the pressure is on. I hoe they can do that again come Saturday lunch time. Characters like Robin van Persie, Thomas Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna, Andre Santos, Yossi Benayoun and injured players such as Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker have brought about a different attitude in the dressing room, the players now look at themselves when something has gone wrong, something that the gum chewers failed to do.

This is why I expect us to dust off the Wigan match and restart against Chelsea, I want the players to puff out their chests and show everyone the fight that they have shown to get us from the bottom end of the table to the top three within months of football.

Arteta is a blow but we have dealt with injuries to players throughout the whole season and frankly we should be used to it now. We have enough quality in this squad to deal with the absence of Mikel Arteta.

Arsene has today confirmed that Abou Diaby will be in the squad for Saturday but he urged caution which pretty much guarantees Aaron Ramsey’s start in place of Mikel Arteta. Francis Coquelin who didn’t feature in our recent friendly is still a week away from returning to the squad.

Arsene is also only looking at third place and that is not unexpected. Arsene is a huge believer in the powers of psychology, it is why he always talks about his players looking at what is ‘in front of them’ rather than dwelling on what has already happened, especially if what has happened was negative.

Every team minus the two Manchester clubs would switch league positions with us at this stage of the season. We have the points on the board and it is in our hands. I am sure Arsene will be stressing that point to the players, while this is the case we have to look after our own destiny.

I gave the worst case scenario earlier in the article but if we beat Chelsea and QPR beat Tottenham then we will be in a great position with three games remaining. I have enjoyed watching Newcastle and they are in great form but looking at the games they have left, I would be astonished if they finish in the top four.

In other news Andrey Arshavin has been speaking about his difficulties at Arsenal and he also did not know why he wasn’t picked to play. I find that quite interesting because he has said himself that he hasn’t found form or consistency for sometime.

We laugh and joke about players coming back as new signings but if Arshavin did return in the form that saw Arsene whip out his heaviest cheque book or perhaps even debit card then he really would be like a new signing. With Lukas Podolski (I hate saying this) supposed to be joining the club in the summer, I just cannot see any room for Arshavin in the squad especially as without any new recruits, he wasn’t getting enough game time.

Wherever he ends up I hope he regains his form and enjoys his football again, as long as it isn’t at a rival of course. Those are the terms Andrey. He is a great character, something different to the norm and while there have been lows, we all know the highs he has given us since signing for the club.

Right, I think I have more than waffled on enough for today. If I could fast forward until lunchtime tomorrow, I think I would. Although I wouldn’t be able to bring you a match preview which you will find tomorrow morning if you so wish.

’till then.