This left the Gunners searching for a captain, they needed experience so they picked basically the only experienced player in the squad (over 30) Manuel Almunia the goalkeeper.

I think Almuina is a lost cause in goals and that Arsenal need to look for someone with a bit more talent but i agree with the decision to give him the step in captain role as he is the oldest player in the squad and can guide the younger players.

He has spoken to the press about how Arsenal need to find that spark that has been seen so often over the past from Wenger’s teams especially from 1998:

“We aren’t in a very good position now and the main thing is for us to find our identity and the character that brought all the titles and trophies to this Club,” said the 31-year-old. “Once we find it we can talk about bigger things. The main thing now is to get three points every single game and wait and see what we can do in this league.

“[Our form] is better, it has been different and we are improving our behaviour on the pitch. We have shown good character but I think we can still give a bit more to find the real Arsenal.

“We are coming back slowly and we have better character and better spirit but there is a still a long way to go.”

He is right about there being a long way to go Arsenal need to lift but I don’t think they can pull it off like the class of 1998 did the strength is just not in the squad at the moment.

Chelsea v Juventus
Villarreal v Panathinaikos
Sporting Lisbon v Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid v FC Porto
Lyon v Barcelona
Real Madrid v Liverpool
Arsenal v AS Roma
Inter Milan v Manchester United

Looking at the draw you would have to say Arsenal got it easier than others but it is a tough competition and no opponent is easy thats why it is the best club competition.

AS Roma have been patchy in periods especially early on in the season but have come into a good patch of form while Arsenal have continuely been inconsistent which makes for an interesting encounter even though it maybe months away.

Arsenal should be coming into a more consistent period with the return of star players Eduardo and Theo Walcott and possibly Tomas Rosicky.

The return of at least two of these three players would be a real boost to a young and at times lost Arsenal team creating some of the classic mentality and style that Wenger has produced so often over the past 10+ years.

Without two of these players I see Arsenal really struggling with experience not really there I think the Italian team may just be that little bit too strong for the Gunners.

But as I said this is a long way away the Transfer Window opens soon which is really a window of opportunity for Wenger to grab some players to strengthen the languishing team of current.

Simpson has made an appearance in all three of the League Cup games(Carling Cup) scoring a goal against the full strength Wigan in what was a promising game for the young 20 year old.

Lets hope this young player sticks to his long term contract as so many players from various clubs love to sign a deal and leave within 12-18 months just because of the extra cash they can suck out of the system. Lets hope Jay is not one of these and develops into a first team player for the Gunners in the coming years.

In other low key news…

The Dubious Goals Panel has ruled Gael Clichy’s deflected effort against Stoke as a goal and Samir Nasri’s goal against Manchester United to not have hit Gary Neville with full credit going to the Frenchman.

CAPTAIN NEWS!

Cesc Fabregas has started his rehabilition by taking a break in Barcelona and has been recieving daily calls from the man who was involved in the tackle Spanish team mate Xabi Alonso here are his comments on the incident:

Since the Liverpool game, Xabi Alonso has called me every day,” said Fabregas ahead of the Portsmouth game. “He is very worried but I told him that he had nothing to do with it – he just tried to win the ball, the same as me, and these things happen as I say. As a footballer who is lucky to be able to play and enjoy what I do every week, you always take the risk that injuries can occur.”

On the aftermarth:

“When the tackle came in last Sunday I felt pain in my knee and when, as soon as I started walking, I couldn’t put my foot on the ground so I knew it was not good,” he said. “I was wishing and praying that nothing was broken but unfortunately it was. This is football though, worse things can take place in life and sometimes in your career these things will happen so this is my turn.

On how he considers himself lucky:

“I’ve been very healthy in the last five years, always being able to give 100 per cent in every game for Arsenal - I’ve missed very few games in that time so I have to be happy for everything and also not forget that this injury could have been a bit worse, so I have to feel fortunate for that as well.”

Portsmouth were definately playing for the point employing a 4-5-1 formation and never really attacking just sitting back and waiting for Arsenal to bring the game to them before trying to counter attack the Gunners.

With the defensive fraility of the Arsenal team these limited counter attacks nearly produced a goal but at the other end of the field David James was making every Portsmouth fan nervous with his horrible display of saves via crosses.

Adebayor had the best chances of the game missing two easy shots one from a denilson cross which was put on a plate for Adebayor only to somehow miss to the left in around the 60th minute.

Late on in the second half Nasri, Bendtner and Vela were trying hard to get the Gunners in front but just lacked the vital edge to score with Van Persie on the bench possibly injured.

In the 81st minute Arsenal gained a free kick on the left side of the field which Denilson brillantly whipped in for James to horribly misjudge and Gallas to head in with his no fear approach.

The remaining 15 minutes were played with confidence by the Gunners beginning to create better build up play and almost netting a second while comfortably dealing with Portsmouth attacks.

The game and goal was no where near convincing for a struggling Arsenal outfit still a massive 10 points behind league leaders Liverpool but it does give them hope after a series of poor results.

A win is a win that is the way Arsenal are taking it but they look like a team that will struggle against anyone that puts up a real fight like anyone inside the top 10.

Wenger’s comments on the key absence of Van Persie:

“I took the decision not to start him because he was on the edge because he gave absolutely everything on Friday. I didn’t want to take a gamble to bring him on because in cold weather like that he would need a long warm-up and I believe it would not have been alright.”

Lets hope that is all that is wrong with him and not another injury to a depleted Arsenal squad.

So next week Arsenal take on Bolton at home another must win game but also another game where the Gunners may struggle to play the traditional style that we have seen for the last 10+ years of the Wenger rein.

After a thrilling game of local football a fellow Melbourne fan also a Villa fan alerted me to the score a 2-2 draw away to Villa it was there and then that I knew our title hopes were basically over.

I will not go into the game as it has already been covered http://arsenal.blogsfc.com/night-knight-all-title-hopes.html but the aftermarth of the result.

Arsenal have been reduced to a club not currently worthy of the top four with injuries and suspensions and an extremely young group well and truely taking its toll.

Arsenal’s goal is still the title in the eyes of the players, owners and manager but a more realistic view is a top 4 finish that guides them to the Champions League.

This is why the clash with Portsmouth is so important?

A mid table team against a ‘top 4′ heavyweight that needs to get a win to put its season back on track ahead of the new year and transfer window.

A win that will help Arsenal stablize their league position by staying in 5th place keeping as close to the top 4 as possible while keeping away from the 5-10 ladder scrap that goes on each season.

For the match against Pompey I have summed up what I think will be some of the key match ups of the game.

Goalkeeper v Goalkeeper: Manuel Almunia v David James
A key battle in any game the power of the goalkeeper. Both keepers have had reasonable seasons with Almunia statisticly on top due to being at the ’stronger club’ with James having much more pure ability just lacking some form.

Almunia has not been great in goals showing a lack of willingness to dive for the ball or position himself correctly throughout the season which is why I think they should show him the door but he is what we have at the moment and he is the stand in captain so lets hope that makes him step up to the world class stage set by keepers like Cech, Schwarzer and co.

Central Midfield: Denilson v Papa Bouba Diop
With the absence of Fabregas Denilson is going to have to step up against a bigger defensive minded opponent in Diop. It will be a key clash as the Gunners were lacking depth in the middle of the park with Fabregas playing so without him it will be quite a challenge which Denilson showed he could handle in attack by scoring a goal against Villa but Diop may cause a few more problems.

It will be a fasinating fight for possession in the middle of the park with the smaller sized Denilson really going to need to outsmart the bigger Diop.

Strikers vs Ex Gunner: Emmanuel Adebayor v Sol Campbell
Adebayor makes his return from suspension against Sol Campbell a proven campaigner it will be a tight battle with the outcome probably leading to a goal or a clean sheet in one way or another.

Adebayor should have the pace and assistance of Van Persie to give him the edge but an experienced Campbell could cause some major headaches for a weakened Arsenal team.

Prediction: Arsenal 3 Portsmouth 1

10 points behind 1st place, lying in 5th, half way through the season, we are in no way mathematically out of the running, but with a number of long-term injuries and a lack of experience, I do not feel we have the resources to claw ourselves back into contention. 

The new addition to the injury list is captain Fabregas, who picked up an injury in last weeks draw at Liverpool which will keep him in the stands until April. In previous seasons we would have plenty of back-up such as Gilberto Silva or Flamini, but now we are struggling for somebody to directly replace him. Denilson and Song appears to be the obvious central midfield partnership but both lack strength in tackles, defensive covering ability and experience. I also feel Song, although versatile, does not yet have the skill to be in the starting eleven. Aaron Ramsey would also fit the bill but again lacks the experience to partake in a title push.

The Villa game started quite shakely for the Gunners with Villa hitting the woodwork three times in the first half, t Arsenal went in ahead at the break after Denilson pounced on a defensive error just 5 minutes before the interval. Abou Diaby then doubled our lead four minutes after the restart after some excellent wing play by Emmanuel Eboue. However Gabi Agbonlahor then won a controversial penalty which Gareth Barry converted. This almost brought the managers to blows with Wenger incensed by the decision. 4 minutes were added on after the ninety, again dubiously, which i when regular bench-warmer Zat Knight scored a late equaliser on a rare start. This was a goal which I feel has not only been the story of our season, but has shown other clubs where our  weaknesses are.

I do not think our season is over, we are still in the Champions League, have an relatively good draw in the FA Cup and still have a chance of getting a decent Premier League position. I simply feel our chances of winning. All we need to do is step back and look at previous games to see mistakes, work on defence, and hope we have no more injuries. With Eduardo’s return immanent, it may not be long before our season picks up.

The cause of the injury was purely in the spirit of the game with no harm intended by Xabi Alonso Fabregas’s Spainish team mate but it has once again left Arsenal in a bad position with so many key players on the injury list.

Fabregas will basically miss the rest of the season a blow that will be hard to take for the squad and manager Arsene Wenger as Fabregas was the key man of the midfield but he has tryed to put the injury in the best light but his disappointment is visable in his comments.

“The news is not good because it is a partial rupture of the medial knee ligament which is taking three to four months injury time,” revealed Wenger at his pre-match press conference. “We count four, we know he will be working very hard to come back earlier but I count four months.

“How much [we will miss him] is difficult to say, the only thing we can say for sure is that we will miss him of course. We have to find a way to compensate for the fact he will not be on the pitch, and give everybody a bit more. I am sure we can deal with it. When he comes back he can help us to get over the line in the final months.

“It is a blow [to lose him] of course, but we can show we have the strengths to deal with it. Of course it is a blow to lose Fabregas in the middle of the season - for four months - but it is a good opportunity to show we can deal with it and have the needed strengths.”

It is going to be quite hard to cope without him it doesn’t matter what the manager says they were already struggling in the centre of midfield with Denilson and Fabregas not really working well together it leave quite a challenge for any new player to establish a hard to find partnership.

My tip is Aaron Ramsey will take the place to start off with and hopefully can cement his spot but he is only young and not too much can be expected of him in his first season at the Emirates.

Arsenal hosted Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium looking to push back into the top 4 and title contention but it was once again not to be.

Arsenal took the advantage first when Robin Van Persie trapped a delightful long ball before taking on a man and finishing it with his right foot quite a sight.

But the defensive frailties once again showed when Liverpool poked a long ball forward which Robbie Keane run onto and buried to tie the scores just before the break.

CAPTAIN FABREGAS was another of Arsenal’s casualties going down in a 50-50 tackle with Xabi Alonso to end his game via a knee ligament injury.

The 2nd half had plenty of action most of it at Liverpools attacking end with Arsenal creating small chances a Denilson cross/shot went wide just before Adebayor got sent off to put Arsenal on the back foot and get Arsene Wenger into the mood in picture.

Liverpool were generally on the attack for most of the second half with Almunia very busy at the back making a few good saves but the accuracy of Liverpool was the key to the draw with Agger firing from 25 out missing by a hair to El Zhar 90th minute header that narrowly missed the post.

Wenger would be standing back once again wondering why everything went wrong after grabbing an early lead very frustrating for the experienced Frenchman a problem in recent weeks.

The hope of the campaign now lies in the next two games this week if Arsenal manage to grab wins they keep the hope of the League alive.

Adebayor was sent off in the 62nd minute after recieving his second yellow with the scores tied at 1-1 a massive turning point in the game that had everyone upset(Well everyone Arsenal).

Adebayors comments on his card(2nd yellow):

“I hope when the referee goes home and watches it on the TV, he will see it was a foul, but I didn’t deserve a card,” said Adebayor. “It was a mistake from him.

“He said it was for the leg but if I don’t put my body in there I would never score a goal in this League.

“We have to protect the ball, which is normal, and that’s what I tried to do.

“The defender [Arbeloa] threw himself on the floor as if I put a knife in him.

“Of course I’m annoyed. We are all here to play and if you win or lose you have to do it with 11.

“I cannot say he cheated but what he did wasn’t fair play at all.”

And the referres are ment to get respect on the field how about off it you recieved the card get on with life Adebayor you got a massive extra load in the pay packet after having a sook and you go out their get sent off.

If Adebayor does get off it will be a nice boost to the injury striken side in a busy week but rules are rules and they should be followed FIFA(Ronaldo Lovers)!

Eduardo fractured his left fibula and dislocated his ankle in the match against Birmingham and missed plenty of football including Euro 2008 but he is on the mend and recently took part in a reserve game.

Eduardo played the first half in a reserve game against Portmouth before coming off with a hamstring complaint and is looking to make it back to the first team in early 2009.

“I am feeling very happy to have started my first game in 10 months,” Eduardo said. “I hope I can do more, and that next time will be better. I just felt something in my hamstring, but in two weeks, I will be all right.

“The injury was very hard for me, but I have had to forget everything bad in my life and went to do some treatment in Brazil where I saw my family and friends, which helped make me strong.”

“I need more training and games, and if everything is OK, then hopefully in two weeks I will be ready to play,” Eduardo said. “I just want to play like I did before, but maybe I can be better.”

Eduardo joined Arsenal from Dinamo Zagreb last season and scored four goals in 17 games along with a strong performance in Croatia’s Euro Qualilfying to put himself on the world stage now everyone hopes he can get back to his best and fire Arsenal up the ladder.