Alex Song you silly, silly boy. We really could have done with you right about now. Alex Song and Emmanuel Frimpong love it up em in a cold, windy, rainy, slightly cloudy, mildly frosty night in Stoke and they would have given our team a nice strong defensive platform to build on, instead we are clearly a man down. I dread to think what will happen if we suffer any midfield injuries tomorrow. Manuel

Look who has returned to the party? Our good old chum, injury.

Injury had been making fewer appearances than normal last season and I was kinda hoping that he had lost a little bit of interest with us and was on the way up to Manchester to pay them a visit. That would be too much to ask for I guess. Injuries are making a somewhat delicate situation considerably worse.

Before the season had begun, we had already lost Abou Diaby due to an ankle operation, one that I hope finally solves the poor guy’s problems. Yeah, I know that may well be wishful thinking but you have to hope that something at some point will change his luck. How we could have done with a Diaby right about now, even if it was for three games before breaking down again. Or is three games in a row a little wishful thinking?

Then Mr Arsenal picks up a knock. No, not Robin but the other Mr Arsenal, Sir Jack of Wilshere. I am rather annoyed about that injury I must say because I tell you, with the pre season behind him he was about to fly out of the traps faster than Theo latching onto a through pass. Instead he is walking around with a boot that is clearly too big for him.

Wenger seems rather upbeat about his recovery but excuse me for reserving my excitement until he is actually seen running around the pitch, dropping his shoulder one way and scooping the ball to the opposite side. I love that little fella, I tell you.

Alex Song you silly, silly boy. We really could have done with you right about now. Alex Song and Emmanuel Frimpong love it up em in a cold, windy, rainy, slightly cloudy, mildly frosty night in Stoke and they would have given our team a nice strong defensive platform to build on, instead we are clearly a man down. I dread to think what will happen if we suffer any midfield injuries tomorrow. Manuel Almunia as the creative midfielder perhaps?

So yes, we are stretched, down to the bare bones and all the rest of it. It is not ideal to be going into the game tomorrow with such little experience throughout the side but that is bearable, it is the second leg of the Champions League qualifier that is the real risk but I guess Arsene wouldn’t have imagined that we could have suffered so many injuries in such a short space of time.

Currently we have Gibbs, Djourou, Song, Wilshere, Rosicky, Diaby and Gervinho all unavailable for the game tomorrow, that is seven first team players. We have also sold or loaned out a further five in Cesc, Eboue, Denilson, Vela and Clichy. Expect that to rise to six anytime soon as Nasri looks close to heading out of the door, even if he is included in the match day squad for tomorrow.

So to sum all of that up, it is worrying that we are thin on the ground (going cliche mad here it seems) and in the short term it COULD be a problem, even a big problem if we do not see off Udinese but after having read the blogs and listened to the podcasts etc, I wonder why so many people are so final with everything. I have to glance at my phone and check that my phone isn’t actually broken and the real date is actually September 1st.

‘This squad is just not good enough to get into the top four’
‘We are going to finish sixth’
‘How can Alex Chamberlain be counted on to be a regular starter’

These points would all be totally valid if the transfer window was sealed, bolted and chained up. It isn’t, if you push the handle down, it will open.

So why hasn’t Arsene got all his business done so far when we really need him to?

Who knows! I certainly do not know the facts.

I do not know which of his targets are available right now.

I do not know which clubs are holding on for larger offers,

I do not know if Arsene will not be able to bring in all his targets in with the price tags currently hanging over them. Perhaps player x,y and z can all be purchased now but if we wait till the price drops then we can include player w.

I also do not know if the board have said ‘Oi, Arsene! You have x to spend now but y to spend if you get a result in Italy on Wednesday’

A fat load of speculation, but I am guessing that it is the same for all of us. What I do know is that judging by previous history, Arsene has worked three different ways in the transfer window.

Early bird

Targets obviously sourced early, probably moves started way before the summer had started. Players like Tomas Rosicky, Laurent Koscielny, Thomas Vermaelen and now Gervinho were all brought in very early during the transfer window.

Fashionably late

This is where we are at the moment and none of us like it too tough. But we have to remember that we are not the only one’s playing this game of transfer brinkmanship. There are several reasons why clubs wait as long as possible before making their move. One because it weakens the hand of the selling club.

A big factor is also that clubs who operate in a different world are watching very closely at the clubs who have a track record at finding top talent i.e. us. Once we contact a club about the target that we have watched for months and months, Manchester City or Chelsea slam down a larger briefcase packed with fiddy notes inside. Arsenal have had to learn to wait for the financially doped clubs to run around throwing money at all and sundry before making our moves when City and Chelsea are tucked up in bed sound asleep.

Cast your mind back over the years. Diarra, Denilson, Baptista, Gallas, Squillaci and Silvestre (thanks to the Twitterverse for the recap)

While all those names may not get your collective juices bubbling, it is proof that plenty of Wenger’s work has been done late in the day.

The Chequebook is closed

Every Arsenal fan’s worst nightmare. ‘If we find the quality then we will do it but I am happy with the quality of the squad’

Cue an article about how Henri Lansbury is ready to make the step up on Arsenal.com

We have been in this situation before, we have wanted a new face to supplement the squad but Wenger either hasn’t been able to or hasn’t wanted to bring in new personnel.

Stop panicking, we haven’t been in a position where we have let five or six players leave the club in one summer. This is not the same situation as a fan wanting Loric Cana or Miguel Veloso and not getting him. This is completely different. Wenger knows we need to strengthen the squad, the board know that we need players and that will happen but just probably late.

So whatever the reason is, we are probably waiting until the latter reaches of the window, with our list and chequebook at the ready. Players are probably going to have to rush to the airport to fly over and take a medical and we might have to wait until the morning after the transfer window is shut to see if any Diarra’s or Denilson’s slipped through without anyone noticing.

Let us all panic together about our games against Liverpool and Udinese but please hold fire about our season prospects. We will not know this until all the final pieces have been clicked together.

Back tomorrow with pre Liverpool stuff.