We have seen the journeys that Oliver Giroud, Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla have been on and they are different players today than they were back in August. Although I haven’t the foggiest what is going on with Lukas. How long has this injury been a factor? Anyway, that is another talking point

Finally I have some time to write so I get kitted up in my Arsenal gear from head to toe, frantically rushing to catch today’s blogging train only to turn up and find out that the Arsenal party has been canceled due to an international break.

As is the case with these things, there is not a great deal of new stuff to talk about regarding the Arsenal. Szczesny’s daddy has come to his son’s aid, throwing bombs at the feet of Arsene Wenger and some gossip about Barcelona being interested in Thomas Vermaelen but quite frankly, I cannot digest that story right now. It is like being handed a plate of fried chicken and rice at 6.30am. Save that until later please.

As for Szczesny’s father, I don’t know how much of a case he has because I do not have any of the facts to judge the situation but in my ever so humble opinion it would probably be better for his son and his team’s sake if this sort of stuff is kept private. Give Arsene a little tinkle on his mobile and have it out with him, failing that send him an abusive text message if you must but blabbing your ‘mowt’ to the media is a tad unnecessary. Maybe it is because at the end of the day my concern is of the teams well being rather than one individual.

Call me old fashioned (on second thoughts, don’t) but I quite like the good old fighting for your place back at the training ground story, rather talking to anyone who will listen and publish a story.

Since we reverted back to a defend first game plan, it got me thinking. At the start of the season when we had a similar approach and defensively it worked a treat, the trouble was at the other end. I vividly remember the players continuously talking about the team shape, the team shape, the team shape. What was being asked of the players meant that they were not able to support the forward players and we ended up finishing games with chances that you could count on one hand let alone goals. I can totally understand and thumb up the decision to abandon ‘project bus park’ and instead be positive in our approach to winning games.

Clearly there is a balance to be found and that remains Arsene’s most difficult task in my eyes. The way we are spoken about defensively by most is somewhat exaggerated in my book. Well not just in my book but when you compare us to those in and around us we are no worse than the rest.

We focus so much on our own team and the errors we make, which I agree are too many (I know you have heard the story of the unforced error) that we tend to throw our hands up and wish we defended like everyone else, even when we have a better record defensively than many that you wouldn’t expect to be the case.

I have said from day one that I think our problems are at the other end of the pitch and it is that end that has put us in the position we are in today. Look at Manchester United, they are a prime example. They have been worse than the worlds most terrible defence of all time.. ever. That is Arsenal if you haven’t already been told yet they are 7 thousand points clear at the top. That is because they score goals consistently. They have let in one less than us but have scored 14 more than us to date. This is not even mention that we have had some high scoring wins which means our goal for record against others is even worse.

We try and complicate the game too much with attacking and defensive statistics, at the end of the day it is about winning football matches, which means scoring more than your opponent. Collecting as many three points as you can will determine how far up the table you finish.

We switched to a positive team who would take the game to our opponents but the issue was that most of our attackers were new players. New to Arsenal and also new to the league. Both needed their own adjustments and acclimatisation.

We have seen the journeys that Oliver Giroud, Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla have been on and they are different players today than they were back in August. Although I haven’t the foggiest what is going on with Lukas. How long has this injury been a factor? Anyway, that is another talking point altogether.

Having said all this, I am more than happy to revert back to a more defensive approach and before you call me a hypocrite let me explain why. The team we see today isn’t an attacking work in progress, well to a degree it is but they have come a long way since they walked through the doors at Highbury house to sign their own personal tings.

Partnerships have been forged, understanding of each others games have come on leaps and bounds. Whether that be Theo and Giroud, Santi and Wilshere or Podolski and Gibbs. Our attacking game has improved so we should be more able to pick our attacking moments just as we did at Swansea where the home side failed to have a shot on goal during the 90 minutes.

It is how I would like to see this team continue for the most part away from home. Without wishing to sound like a broken record, I am intrigued to know how the team will set up against Reading at the Emirates. Surely it cannot be the same as it was against Bayern for example. `

I cannot imagine both teams running back towards their own goals at the kick off with the ball being pushed around gently in the center circle by the wind. That would strike me as a Rafa Benitez thing to do. Games like against Reading at home, we will have to force the issue, we may see a tad more protection from the in between midfield player but I expect our full backs to play high up the pitch and our high line to be on show, allowing us to play in their half of the pitch. Maybe not though, we shall see I guess.

This kind of brings me back to my earlier point about us not being good enough in attack. Individually, I like the attacking players we have although as a team I think we have a few problems with balance. For example, when Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott play we have a direct channel to score from both sides. Both can assist also but when they are both playing we lack creativity and both players can disappear from the game. We move Santi to the left and replace someone in the middle with someone like Rosicky (I wish), Wilshere or Ramsey and our build up play is better, interchange better, create more chances with through balls etc but then we miss another forward who can score goals. It is a real dilemma I feel, it also seems as if Arsene isn’t always sure which way to turn.

It hurts my head, I kinda want to know what our best team is and sorta stick to it but I am a little off key like that. It disrupts my poor little brain. I think we need another player in the attacking positions, someone with that something special about him. A player who can win games on his own and also make Santi Cazorla a better player. A player who can drop off the front and create something or get on the end of moves.

I am very impressed with Giroud and it is easy to forget that it is his first season but he needs someone else fighting for his spot. Ok, I am being polite. Giroud needs to fight for his place to get back into the team because we have someone else who is another level above. If Giroud continues to improve at the rate he has already then hey, it would need a marvelous player to keep him out of the team for too long.

Did you see the under 21s beat Man U last night? Hector Bellerin was impressive and scored the winner. I like the look of him, haven’t really seen a great deal of him to be honest but he looks technically very good for a right back.

I must say, it is an attacking frustration of mine and has been for some time. Defensively I love Bacary Sagna to bits, he will remain as the best right back in our history during my supporting life and that includes Lee Dixon for me. But I can’t help but feel in so many games we are missing a trick, especially at home. How many times have we seen a few passes in our midfield only for the ball to be switched out to the right and there is either Sagna or Jenkinson in absolute acres of space usually up against one left back who has trotted out to cover the space. What usually follows is a pointless cross to nobody or a pointless cross that is blocked. Basically it is all a little pointless. It is not their fault, they are defenders by trade. Gibbs on the other side is better at beating his man but it feels as if that side is not used anywhere near as often. A stats boffin can correct me on that if I am incorrect but that is what it feels like.

In the last few years we have seen Dani Alves for Barcelona become almost as important a weapon as one of their attacking players because in the same way, he finds so much space making runs from deep. The difference is, Alves is an attacking player who can exploit that. He can turn you one way, then the other and drive into the box from a wide area.

Someone like Hector Bellerin may correct this issue in 2-3 years, less if he is lucky and improves considerably but you cannot expect him to make such a leap that is even if he makes the grade at Arsenal but what about Oxlade-Chamberlain? I am talking about only specific matches. Blackburn Rovers at home in the FA Cup was a perfect example of this. A team that would have very little possession and would defend deep, occupying the Arsenal attackers in front of them but giving space for Chamberlain to be one on one with his opponent. It was the same at Bradford. When I think of that game, I think of Sagna receiving the ball, steadying himself and crossing into the box. How many defensive tackles did Sagna have to make outside of our penalty area? Not many I’d guess.

Given how Arsene uses the Dutch approach to developing players by sticking them into different positions to improve different aspects of their game wouldn’t this be good for his progression? Now obviously you don’t consider such madness in games against good teams, especially away from home but I wonder if he would have made a difference in games where we just could not get the all important first goal.

You are more than welcome to frown at this suggestion. I have noticed that fans tend to have these funky ideas in their heads and it makes total sense at the time. I remember arguing against the Vermaelen at left back argument before he ventured over there for us. That argument has since been replaced by the Vermaelen in midfield debate. Not having that either personally but yeah, I could be way off with my ramblings.

Ok well, I didn’t expect to flap my gums for so long, so I shall close the laptop before I send you all to sleep.

Until the next time.