It felt like we were trying to breeze through the game playing our way in second gear and it did not work in any area of the pitch. Either that we were trying to or just could not muster much more. We are now in December and chunks of our squad have missed large portions of the season. Debuchy, Koscielny, Arteta, Özil, Walcott and Giroud are all first or second (at the most) choice players and they have all been absent for significant parts of the season so far, whilst the likes of Rosicky, Campbell and Podolski do not figure in the managers plans very much these days for different reasons.

The biggest news is that Mathieu Debuchy is back in the side after his long term injury, the news is even better when you consider that Laurent Koscielny is being rested tomorrow so he can deal with the busy Christmas schedule. Alexis Sanchez has been knocked on the head unconscious and left at the training ground so he doesn't run onto the plane. He won't be happy when he wakes up. As we are hit with midfield injuries, there isn't a great deal Arsene can do. Such a shame for someone like Tomas Rosicky who has been twiddling his fingers on the bench all season and now he can play, he can't because like half of our team, he's crocked.

So what happens when one of those players is not available? Let us start with Laurent Koscielny as he has had big problems with an achilles problem. Summer signing Calum Chambers is our next centre back in line but obviously with the injury of Debuchy he has been needed at right back, it will be interesting to see who Arsène turns to at centre back now that the Frenchman is back. I say that because Calum Chambers plays very much in the mold of Per Mertesacker. The stopper role, winning headers and holding his position while Laurent Koscielny would be the player to put pressure on the striker and dispossess the ball. When we have seen Per and Calum together this season they have not really clicked as a partnership

 Arsene keeps banging on about how its difficult after a World Cup, and I do really believe that is the case. Many players have not had much rest at all and it is beginning to show a lot. Additionally, there are more teams that are capable of going anywhere and winning (eg. Southhampton, Swansea, West Ham this season) so the league is much tighter

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The guys once more talk about what went down in Stoke City (of all places) on Saturday afternoon. Elliot (@YankeeGunner), James (@Goonerfanatic49) and Paul (@Poznaninmypants) give their views on where it all went wrong on a cold, December in Orc-land. The Podcast is now available on iTunes so click that link to take you to the iTunes page. You can also download the MP3 file just right click and save as Mac users need to do whatever you Mac users do to achieve the same goal. I'd say you're more qualifed than myself when it comes to that.

Arsene has made a couple of changes for the match away at Stoke. Laurent Koscielny has been rested due to the ongoing achillies problem. Due to Monreal being out, Arsene's only option was to bring in Hector Bellerin and move Calum Chambers alongside big Per Mertesacker. I thought Danny Welbeck would be kept in this one due to his height but he is rested to the bench following a couple games where he hasn't been at his sharpest. So Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain keeps his place and Oliver Giroud starts as centre forward. Alexis Sanchez keeps his place in the team.

But enough of all that, looking at the team news doesn't bring much joy this morning. Injuries are relentlessly attacking us once more. Nacho Monreal has torn ankle ligaments. Yaya Sanogo who had just returned us back on the treatment table once more along side the experienced Tomas Rosicky. Poor old Tomas by the way, it's so very sad to see him cast aside the way he has been. If his injury issues are not too serious then we can expect a return to full team duties soon with the amount of fixtures we have stacked up over Christmas.

Newcastle will come into the upcoming trip to Arsenal as the in-form team, as Pardew has managed to transform their fortunes – and his own – in wonderful fashion. They have transformed from a team that could not buy a win to one that have shot up to 7th in the table and level on points with the Gunners. Five consecutive victories lifted the doom and gloom around St. James’ Park, with Pardew going from a manager on the verge of being sacked to a manager who can do no wrong. However, they are the onl

We have had to get used to Arsenal football without the former Montpellier striker due to an unfortunate injury that was picked up at Goodison Park early this season. That is as good a place to start as any. I for one, was very excited at the prospect of seeing Alexis Sanchez start at centre forward with the Frenchman relegated to the bench. On paper we had a player who was strong at everything that Giroud was weak at. Fast, mobile, able to create chances out of nothing. Yet our attack simply did not function at all. Until half time when Arsène uncharacteristically made a switch at half time removing star signing Alexis in place of Giroud