So I think we are very much out of the title race and now in the fight for fourth place yet again. How the season has changed!
Everton sit four points behind us with an important game in hand and so our clash with them this Sunday is a BIG one. A draw isn't particularly great as we need some daylight between us, therefore a win is a must.
We gained a draw last weekend against Manchester City, and after our performances against the big sides this season, and the strength of Manchester City, I thought we'd get torn apart. Credit to the players who put in a great show during this difficult time of the year however.
Flamini did particularly well and often looked to get forward when others wouldn't. I like how he takes things into his own matter and had a good game with one goal ruled out for offside, before grabbing our eventual equaliser which earned the point. I've said before on the blog he is a certain starter in the central midfield position, and I look forward to seeing him and Aaron Ramsey sit alongside each other when the Welshman is fully fit. Ramsey may start against the Toffees on Sunday as it happens though I don't expect to see him mirror the player we saw earlier in the season just yet.
On Thursday I read an interesting report from The Sport Review, and the article generally makes good points ahead of this weekend's fourth v fifth clash. They are in favour of a Toffee's win on Sunday and I don't anticipate an easy fixture at all from a Gunner's perspective.
As they state, Everton are over achieving this season and Roberto Martinez has done wonders, they are in-form, possess an extra incentive to finish in UEFA Champions League spot, and they face an Arsenal side headed by an under-pressure Wenger.
Wenger is under pressure in some regards, certainly to prove that he isn't just satisfied by a fourth spot place, and a lot of fans are again getting on his back. There will be even more calls for his resignation if we fail to win the FA Cup as well, as we head into the semi-finals as favourites.
I have a gut feeling we'll lose on Sunday with Lukaku playing a vital role. Something's say 2-0 but I do hope I'm wrong! Still we haven't lost to them in our previous two fixtures this season, and we eventually eased passed them in the FA Cup. But Goodison Park will be a tough place to go to, and the players really now need to prove themselves as a tough bunch if we are to get anything up there, and as the season draws to a close, with a UEFA Champions League up for contention!
Here's the full article from The Sport Review (opens in new tab).
Ramsey against his former side Cardiff City in 2013.
The critics were well and truly back out after the Swansea result in midweek. A 2-2 draw is useless to our chances of contending for the title. These are the games you don't drop points in if you're a side who really believe.
This season, like usual, we have missed several key figures currently Walcott, Koscielny, Wilshere, Ramsey and we no real recognised striker to back up Giroud, with Podolski playing on the wing.
I know Podolski was injured earlier in the season but now he is back and fit Wenger needs to have him as a starting player. Likewise I say the same for Flamini. Phil Thompson on Soccer Saturday this afternoon emphasised this point, with Flamini being our only midfielder who gets stuck in, breaks up play and can build from midfield. He is the kind of player we need more of, and for me, should be in contention for team captain over Vermaelen or Arteta.
I hold the view, sorry Arsene, that we are out of the title race. Will we get lucky and see the others drop points over the next couple of weeks? I can't see it at the moment; they are the sides who don't drop points when it matters. We are out of the title race and even chasing for fourth could be difficult with Everton playing well. It will be a huge game when we play them soon.
It's been a topsy turvy season when you consider the style of football we were playing, winning dirty too against sides, and being top at Christmas.
We really need more players in the summer and Wenger has to be much more tougher in his approach to getting big players.
But if we aren't going to bring in a new attacker (rumoured to be interested in Mandzukic though he'll probably prefer joining Chelsea) then we need another winger maybe as well as defensive midfielder (Bender maybe?) and right back, if not another decent centre back! Not too much to ask for.
If we are going to win anything now it's the FA Cup, but I don't even hold much confidence of beating Wigan in the semis now. If you're going to the games though don't boo the players. Things have turned on its head but they need support of the fans to keep going. And they will need all the help they can get against rampant City this evening.
So game number 1000 turned out to be one that Arsene Wenger will never forget - but for all the wrong reasons!
For us it was another thumping by a big side which pretty much says clear as daylight that we aren't exactly one of those.
It reminded me of the Liverpool game as we quickly saw ourselves fall behind by more than one goal, in fact finding ourselves 3-0 down by the seventeenth minute. Wenger had been adamant pre-match that his team were ready for this battle against Chelsea, but losing at Stamford Bridge leaves me no confidence in winning the war of the title.
A big talking point was the sending off of Kieran Gibbs in the build up to Hazard's penalty and Chelsea's third goal. Oxlade-Chamberlain tried heading a shot away from goal but flung an arm out in the process, and the ball, heading wide anyway, brushed his hand. Andre Marriner, the game's referee, sent off Gibbs instead of Chamberlain who protested he was the culprit. Gibbs' suspension has now been overturned while both he and Oxlade-Chamberlain are clear to play against Swansea. It was deemed, quite rightly, that Oxlade-Chamberlain's handball was not preventing a goal-scoring opportunity as Hazard's shot was going wide of goal.
Kieran Gibbs.
I've said it before, and that's Flamini needs to start in the defensive / deep midfield position. He is a certain starter who has helped our defensive game out greatly and has provided exceptional cover. He gets the job done, much better than Arteta! I'd also like to see more of Serge Gnabry, and if the Ox had been suspended it would have gifted a wonderful opportunity for the young German midfielder to continue proving himself. After being named on the subs bench against Chelsea, I would hope he starts or features at some against Swansea, the side he scored our class second against in our 2-1 win earlier in the season.
So what does Saturday's loss do to our title chasing credentials (or what was left of them anyway)? As I said, this win sets us back in the chase for the Premier League title, and just securing a top four finish could even be a difficult task. Everton, in fifth, are by no manner a bad team at all especially under Roberto Martinez this season.
The players need to get it going against Swansea who never prove to be an easy side when we play them and a win against the Swans will get the players up for the Man City match next weekend. Needless to say it won't be an easy fixture and nobody can help but think that if we are slow out the blocks, we could see repeats of Liverpool and Chelsea all over again.
Our FA Cup semi final match against Wigan isn't far away either. Somehow we are the favourites to win the competition, but if we carry on the way we're going, Wigan might do the business over us like they did City. They aren't a bad side on their day at all, and I get the feeling we're not in for a comfortable finish to the season.
How we looked high and mighty fine earlier on in the season, but how quickly does football change over the course of that season. If we end up struggling for fourth, and trophy less, we have well and truly crashed and burned in style. If you have any faith for sale, I might need some.
I am one disgruntled Gooner, so I'll join the queue.
For consecutive years we had lost our top players in the summer (notably Vieira, Henry, Fabregas, Nasri, Clichy, Van Persie) but last year was different in the fact we held on to our best players and added a couple of extra faces too in Sanogo (who shows promise), Flamini and Ozil.
The rumours have already started though as to a couple of players particularly who may be on their way out of the Emirates this summer. For me I wouldn't be disappointed if both of them left the club, and they are Nicklas Bendtner and Bacary Sagna.
I'll start with the Dane by picking up on last week's reports that Bendtner travelled to Copenhagen without informing Arsene Wenger.
And he appears to have had the last straw with the Danish striker, who recently started for his country against England in an international friendly. In relation to his comments in the media, all the gaffer has done is reinstate that the striker's contract is up in the summer but that says it all and I think he's had enough of him, as have the fans.
This in turn though means we will be even more desperate for a recognised striker. We simply haven't been scoring enough goals, especially from our main strikers, and this summer we need to start actually doing more to bring in big names to get us those goals. Giroud may get a few but he is inconsistent and slow. Walcott is again inconsistent, he can't always finish, and Podolski is always preferred out on the wing but we know what he can do when he sight of the goal.
Nicky B back in the days before the excessive hair.
Sagna is rumoured to be off too as his latest reported wage demands are higher than what the board are willing to pay out. I'd be happy to see a replacement for Sagna, not that he's the worst player in the world at all, but we need someone fresher and younger (maybe someone who can cross a ball a bit better, and look more natural on the ball; I don't think his fair share of leg injuries have helped though). Carl Jenkinson can be a fairly good back-up but he's no way ready to be starting choice in my defence I'm afraid.
So who would be good enough to fill the void left by the French right-back who has interest shown in him by Inter Milan and Galatasary?
Nathaniel Clyne of Southampton is one potential target (he was certainly one of mine on FIFA...not that that means anything!) The 22-year-old has become an established member of the Saints' defence and he has bags of pace and good awareness.
Borussia Dortmund's Lukasz Piszczek is another rumoured target and I can see Wenger going for the Polish defender who would sit in front of either his Polish internationals of Fabianski or Szczesny. We've also been linked with him in the past so he should certainly be a name us fans keep an ear out for.
Following our knock-out of the UEFA Champions League last week we now give complete attention to the Premier League and FA Cup. Our narrow 1-0 victory over Spurs yesterday (thanks to Rocicky's wonderful early strike and some good defending) keeps us up with the top four. Thank goodness we don't have to play Liverpool again this season who look likely to storm through the final stretch. Our title chances are looking slimmer, however we aren't 100% out of it, while we have a great opportunity to go all the way in the FA Cup and lift a trophy for the first time in nine seasons.
Sagna signed for the club from Auxerre back in 2007.
For the majority of this season, our defence has received much praise by Wenger and the media and quite rightly so. This is no doubt to the hard work of of Steve Bould behind the scenes and we have seen Koscielny and Mertesacker form a pretty solid partnership. The German has improved a lot since his arrival to the Emirates and looks to have adjusted to the pace of English football.
Of course there was one surprise transfer that happened last summer and that was the return of Flamini. I was actually quite happy Wenger decided to bring back the defensive midfielder, though our boss was a little reluctant. You can't however deny the impact he has had sitting in front of the the back four.
Okay, so we have had a couple of slip ups this year when you consider the number of goals conceded against Manchester City and more recently Liverpool, but Flamini's return from suspension for Sunday's FA Cup match certainly helped us to avenge the 5-1 defeat the week before.
Rightly so, though no offence to the Spaniard, but Flamini is often the preferred choice in the defensive midfield position, ahead of Mikel Arteta. Wenger made Arteta play in a more defensive position when he brought him in from Everton while at Goodison Park, he had a more attacking role that I think probably suits him better.
On Sunday however, the stats do not lie, and the duo combination of both Flamini and Arteta helped us on our way to helping the back four deal with Liverpool's threats going forward.
Mathieu Flamini (Zimbio.com).
In his BBC Sport column Robbie Savage notes Arsenal had much more of a defensive resilience against Liverpool in the FA Cup which helped us on our way to progressing to the next round. We played much deeper too compared to the 5-1 league defeat eight days previously as we learned from our mistakes. But having both Flamini and Arteta on form only boosted our defensive play this time around.
And like I said the stats don't lie. In Savage's report the statistics (source: Opta Stats) show with the pairing in games across the Premier League this year, we have won just about as many games with them together as we have without, while we've lost just one match when they have played together.
What is interesting is that, with them as defensive players, we have actually scored more goals (26) than when they haven't played together, and we've conceded far less too - probably the most important stat - conceding just nine goals as opposed to the 17 when they haven't featured together.
Against Liverpool on Sunday particularly Arteta's tackles were all successful while Flamini completed more passes in the opposition half with a high completion passing rate of 75%.
Their partnership has certainly helped us this year for sure but I'm still not sure Arteta is the man for the defensive midfield job when Flamini is either injured or suspended. I wonder if the 31-year-old may be looking to move on soon perhaps though with Wenger not so keen on keeping players over 30.
Mikel Arteta.
Personally I prefer Ramsey to Arteta and we've had much success with the pairing of Flamini and Ramsey too; it's a real shame the Welshman is still sidelined, considering his inspired form this season.
Tonight sees the return of the UEFA Champions League and we're in action against Bayern Munich tomorrow night (not that any of you will need reminding). For sure we go into the game as the underdogs but having Flamini available gives us a major boost. I should think Arteta or Wilshere will sit alongside him but after the duo's display against Liverpool, I suppose I'd have no qualms in seeing both Flamini and Arteta covering our defence.
I hope that Arteta though will be ready for the pace and sheer quality of Bayern's players. There is no room for error against the current champions!
For Robbie Savage's report on how Arsenal saw off Liverpool in the FA Cup, click here (opens in new tab) to be directed to the BBC page.
Arsenal v Bayern Munich during the 2012/13 season (Flickr.com).
I was unable to get out a post after the Anfield demolishing, though I think I'd have struggled to find the words following that game.
It's a result the players need to quickly put behind them and I am sure it is simply a one-off. As much as we were far from a decent team on Saturday we did at least do a little better in the second half which in itself ended 1-1.
Looking at the month, the Liverpool match was seen as the start of a difficult period and the way in which we fell at their feet does not bode well for the forthcoming fixtures, but with Manchester United rocking this season, we have a great opportunity tonight to respond.
We have been playing good football on the whole this season and have done well to be in with a real chance of winning the Premier League for the first time in a while. Saturday lunchtime however showed why we may end up behind the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea though as collectively we just never looked up for it.
With Flamini missing through suspension there was no cover or communication at the back while our back four were unable to cope with Liverpool's attacking threat. The midfield were undone and closed down at every opportunity by the hosts, Ozil looked particularly poor, and Giroud had no service to do any potential danger in their half.
For me Arteta proved exactly why he should not be a defensive midfielder but as I said, it was not an individual performance that let us down here - apart from Wilshere and Oxlade Chamberlain, nobody looked up for this and even with the lack of service for Giroud, as a Premier League forward he still isn't good enough to be a leading striker for our club. Ozil has continued recently to show he isn't worthy of the £42m price tag - is he missing the winter break he became accustomed to Spain? He looked to have settled in straight away when he moved to Arsenal on transfer deadline day but we've seen nothing of the player as we did then.
Fortunately, Flamini is set for his return against United tonight where our defence will be up against Rooney and Van Persie; no easy task after being undone against the attacking force of Liverpool just days before! Still, I believe that was a one-off, as for however good Liverpool were, we certainly played a part in their demolition job.
Still we have the chance to prove this as a one-off when Brendan Rodgers' side travel down to the Emirates Stadium for the F.A Cup on Sunday. But before then we have the big match tonight and a chance to gear ourselves up, and make the Emirates a real fortress this month!
Sturridge was one of the scorers in Liverpool's 5-1 win at Anfield.
Wow...so we cut it fine in progressing to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, but we're through and now have a mass of tough matches as we look to see in the new year.
Perhaps not helped by Arteta's sending off, the thoughts of playing Manchester City next on Sunday, or knowing simply a draw would have been enough for top spot, we were undone eventually by Gonzalo Higuain and Napoli.
Rumoured as one of our major transfer targets last summer, Higuain gave Napoli the lead in Naples on Wednesday night, before Jose Calejon chipped in a last gasp second, but still we qualified from the group in second place with Napoli looking ahead to Europa League action instead.
Gonzalo Higuain opens the scoring.
Borussia Dortmund beat Marseille 2-1 in the other group match, scoring the winner in the last minutes, which edges them in front of us on goal difference. Of course for us, as runners up, we now have to face the reality of playing either Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG, Atletico Madrid, or last year's winners Bayern Munich and we shall find out when the draw is made on Monday (16.12.2013).
I've heard Arteta's tackles were "needless" which resulted in his two yellow cards. I feel the Spaniard is not on par with Flamini in the defensive midfield position and I would certainly continue to pick the Frenchman over the Spaniard any day of the week. Having said that I guess Flamini can be a little reckless but he gets more stuck in with a hard but fair mentality which we haven't seen for some years in an Arsenal midfield.
We just had to make sure on Wednesday night that we didn't lose by more than three goals and when the second went in, our hearts both slowed right down and quickened in pace all at the same time. But the referee ended the game to the delight (sort of) of Arsenal fans (perhaps more relief) that we had progressed to the knock-out rounds.
Face of disbelief: Arteta feels the bookings were harsh.
Yes it will be difficult whoever we face but we have done well to be in with a chance of facing those clubs I listed earlier, considering I and a lot others, thought we would struggle in our group as of match-day one. We've proved fans wrong time and time again this season though, so we should take confidence despite Wednesday night's disappointing scoreline.
Of course Wenger has enjoyed reminding us all of the fixture congestion and the trip to Manchester on Saturday will have been in his mind when picking his side to play against Napoli. After City on Saturday we play Chelsea the following Monday (23.12.2013); the first time we have a whole week between fixtures since our loss to Manchester United. 65 hours separate our kick offs from Naples and Manchester and it is certainly going to be tough for us, especially when Manchester City maintain a 100% home record so far this season!
With a trip to Etihad Stadium followed by our home match against Chelsea, we travel to West Ham and Newcastle in the Christmas - New Year week, before hosting Cardiff on New Year's Day. Our F.A Cup campaign will begin against our greatest local rivals Spurs three days later, before we play against Villa; the side against who our season began.
For now let us hope to see our gap at the top of the league increase with a point or three gained against City, and await our fate in the Champions League last 16 draw at he start of next week. The match tomorrow kicks off at 12:45pm, UK time.
Old Boys: Former Gunners Song and Nasri during an Arsenal v Manchester City fixture.
No Arsenal fan will need reminding of tomorrow's big Premier League clash against the 'mighty' Manchester United.
I use the word mighty very loosely based on David Moyes' side's season so far. They currently lie in eighth position in the Barclay Premier League, eight points behind us who are enjoying life at the top.
Wenger has called things weird without Sir Alex Ferguson in charge of Manchester United but the Red Devils will need to give David Moyes some time to take control of a club of such stature. To be fair to the Scot, he's been doing okay of late - some kind of revival perhaps?
There is still plenty of football to be played and so likewise, Arsenal haven't won the title yet. That would be ridiculous to claim with Liverpool only two points behind at the moment. Chelsea's 2-2 with West Brom this afternoon however helps us to see off other competition for another couple of weeks, but we have to start off by going back five points clear of Liverpool, and then extending the points difference.
We'll take confidence from having been resilient against Borussia Dortmund in the week and gaining our revenge over the German side, following the unfortunate 2-1 loss last month, and our 2-0 win over second-placed Liverpool last weekend.
Javier Hernandez, who Wenger has pretty much denied interest in, may start tomorrow against us with Welbeck sidelined through injury. I'm sure he'll feature at the very least, with Rooney and Van Persie however the likely pairing, and I'm sure I speak for all Gooners who will hope our defence give the Dutchman a torrid time. Flamini could be back tomorrow which will certainly be helpful against United's attacking force.
I'll be keeping up with the Hernandez talk. As I've said before he would be a great asset up-front, particularly with Walcott, Podolski and Sanogo (though is he as useless as Bendtner and Park?) injured. He's hinted at his intentions of leaving Old Trafford but is yet to speak about the issue in the media.
In other news BT Sport have announced their winning bid in providing all Champions League TV coverage for at least three years from the start of the 2015/16 season. As if there wasn't enough money in football, they are taking away the free-to-air coverage of the Champions League meaning there will be only international matches available on ITV, while if you are a sky customer, you'll be losing all Champions League coverage too. It's frustrating as football should be free for all to view but money rules I guess which is the sorry state of the industry. You'd hope Sky would consider lowering their sports package by then due to the competition but I very much doubt that will happen!
With that off my chest,the game tomorrow kicks off at 4:10pm GMT, and is live on Sky Sports...although some of us have the unfortunate reality of being at work which sort of sucks! I'm sure I'll enjoy the result either way though. 2-1 Arsenal win!
It was a good weekend results-wise for Arsenal, not only beating second placed Liverpool 2-0 themselves, but Chelsea lost unexpectedly against Newcastle, while Spurs could only draw with Everton.
Highlights (foreign commentary) from Saturday's win.
In doing so it's a wonderful sight to see us edge just that little more out in front of Chelsea and Liverpool who sit second and third respectively. Beating Rodgers' side on Saturday shows Arsenal are up to the challenge this year by beating the bigger clubs when we have a full strength side out.
We certainly made the most of Liverpool's three at the back system in the first half and it certainly helped us gain momentum. We played the game our way and attacked really well. Cazorla's goal was well taken, albeit through a little luck with his initial header rebounding off the post, but you need that sometimes.
Arteta was in for the instrumental Flamini in the holding midfield role again and he deserved much praise for his display on Saturday. While many questioned Flamini's return to the Emirates, he has helped to boost Arsenal's defensive qualities and organisational play. We've certainly missed him over the last couple of weeks but Arteta was on top form on Saturday in his stead which is promising for a side who lack a lot of strength in depth.
The ever impressive Aaron Ramsey grabbed his tenth goal of the season and potentially another goal of the season contender at the same time. As great as it is for us and for Ramsey, our attackers aren't the ones scoring the goals. Giroud, as much as he has grown more confident in England, still needs chance after chance after chance to put the ball in the back of the net.
The French striker has eight goals to his name but this isn't the kind of stat seen by top class out-and-out forwards. And we can't call upon Bendtner or Park who are far from showing the qualities needed to even play football if I'm being totally honest! Other than Thierry Henry and what Van Persie showed during his time here (when he was fit at least), we haven't had a top class striker who has lit the Premier League alight in recent years. Having said that, he holds the ball up well and brings in others to join attacks but we would be much more ruthless if he didn't need X amount of shots before converting one to a goal himself.
I agree with most others that Wenger still needs to spend on another striker. With Podolski and Walcott still sidelined (and Walcott again needs chances after chances to find the net), Wenger needs to spend big on a household name up front. Of course we had our chances over the summer but then the signing of Ozil wasn't too bad I suppose. But other big names which circulated round the media and in an area we lack in disappeared in Higuain, Rooney and Suarez. Chelsea were reluctant to loan out Demba Ba to us but then Wenger wasn't prepared to match their £3m offer for the move.
I've always liked Javier Hernandez at Manchester United and he's not exactly been a starting choice for them over the years. He's even doubting his future at the club (Telegraph.co.uk - opens in new tab). He's still experienced and is a great striker, often finding goals when he gets chances. I'm surprised there wasn't a Van Persie for Hernandez offer when we sold RVP to the Red Devils, and if the latest news is true, Wenger needs to listen and make a move for the Mexican!
Arsenal travel to Borussia Dortmund for tomorrow night's Champions League encounter. Hopefully we'll be the team to come away with something this time. At the Emirates last month we were robbed by one-counter attack move and we were much the dominant side, particularly in the second half. Hopefully we can take our momentum and confidence to Germany and have our revenge.
Still, Dortmund won't be make things easy at their place but we've an undefeated-away streak to maintain!
Arsenal 2-0 Napoli: Arsenal celebrate their 10th successive win of the campaign as I look back over Arsene Wenger's reign in charge of the Gunners.
Tonight's 2-0 win against Napoli was the perfect way to celebrate Arsene Wenger's 17 year mark at the club.
The magnificent Mesut Ozil scored a beautiful goal to open his Arsenal account, before teeing up Giroud as Arsenal emphatically saw off their Italian opponents making it 10 consecutive wins.
They are now top of Group F with six points from a possible six, on the day where in 1996 a certain Frenchman was introduced as the new boss at Highbury. Nobody would have predicted the success that would follow under his reign.
Oozing with class: Mesut Ozil scores his first Arsenal goal in the 2-0 win against Napoli
Not particularly well known around the world as he is now, Wenger had managerial and coaching experiences with AS Cannes, Nancy, Monaco and Nagoya Grampus Eight before joining his friend David Dein at Arsenal, where he replaced Bruce Rioch.
He arrived at Highbury inheriting a side with the likes of Bould, Adams, Parlour and Wright, to name a few, and other world class talent would later arrive.
In only his second year in North London, Arsenal did the double with Wenger (and it wouldn't be their only double winning season as we well known). They finished top with a mere point more than Manchester United with players such as Overmars and Petit enjoying their opening seasons in England.
Wenger continued to attract big names to Highbury in Vieira, Bergkamp, Henry, Pires, Ljungberg...I could go on! But Arsene is known for nurturing talent and Thierry Henry is perhaps the obvious example to choose here.
The French winger, as he was then, joined the Gunners from Juventus, but Wenger knew him from his managerial days at Monaco where Henry had played. Arsene was keen to bring in the 22-year-old Henry as a replaceent for Anelka...and the rest is history as they say.
Thierry Henry, one of the best strikers ever to grace the Premier League, signs for Arsenal in 1999.
Arsenal did the double yet again under Wenger in the 2001-2002 season: another magnificent achievement for the club but something perhaps just as great was only two seasons down the line. The Premier League was won in 2002, rather significantly perhaps, with Wiltord securing a win and the title at Old Trafford!
Two years on then and having moulded into a striker and with support in the likes of Bergkamp, Vieira, Ljungbery and Pires, Thierry Henry and co completed what only Preston North End had done 115 years before, and went the whole season unbeaten in the 2003-2004 campaign.
Wenger suggested his side could do this only the year before, but we'll let The Professor off for being a year out. Maybe he might predict something similar again soon? They remained unbeaten going into the 2004-2005 season, and the Invincibles as they became known as, finally managed a staggering 49-game unbeaten run which ended in October 2005.
The club weren't able to maintain their title the following year but instead lifted the FA Cup, with a penalty shoot-out win against Manchester United. The winning spot kick that afternoon, proved to be the last kick in Vieira's Arsenal career. Thus began trophy-less Arsenal.
So despite all the successes, then came the downs as well. 2006 saw Arsenal make a step-up with the big sides in Europe, and for the first time in their history, made the final of the Champions League.
Sol Campbell headed Arsenal in front as they gave their all against Barcelona in Paris. The crazy yet much-loved Jens Lehmann was sent off in the first half forcing Arsenal to play with ten men for the majority of the match, and many still question Arsene's decision to bring off Pires that evening. Eventually, a fatigued Arsenal were undone and Barcelona won 2-1 to lift the trophy.
Disappointment: Champions League defeat
Since then Arsenal have made finals such as the League Cup in 2007 and 2011 but have fallen short while there have been no more Premier League titles to add to their trophy cabinet either.
There is no doubting it has taken time for Arsenal to settle in their new home of the Emirates Stadium. Highbury, in my opinion, remains the home of Arsenal but the Emirates has slowly grown into the hearts of fans since its initial opening in 2006. It is a wonderful stadium but the debt it accumulated had been a crucial factor in Arsenal's ability to spend in order to keep up with the other big clubs in modern football.
Top players have also gone year on year and Wenger has come under huge scrutiny for his attitude in the transfer market. Vieira started the trend having left at the end of the 2004-2005 season, followed by Henry, Nasri, Fabregas, Cole *cough*, Song, Van Persie etc. But this season we have seen the return of Flamini and Wenger finally splashed the cash on Ozil as they look to be considered one of the big threats in the world of football.
However, Arsenal's defence and midfield has more maturity, organisation and stability this year with Flamini's return and with former defender Bould returning to Arsenal in a coaching role. Ozil has to be the signing of the summer and he has been influential in the midfield, with the rest of the squad oozing with confidence and playing world-class football once again.
There is great positivity around Arsenal these days, as they look to master the style of football we haven't really seen for some time at the club. There are signs this could be a promising year for the club, but they have to maintain this fine form.
Arsene's contract runs out at the end of the season, and all those shouts for a change of manager are now gone. Whatever happens between now and next summer, who could really imagine an Arsenal without Arsene Wenger at the helm?
The Professor has kept Arsenal in the Champions League
every season since he has been in charge.
The season may only have recently started but assessing early progress, albeit with five games played, is worth it.
Looking back on the club over the last eight years is hard. But with the difficulties faced, for Wenger and the side any apparent progress being made now should be taken little by little.
By this I feel the club's aims and goals should be short-term and assessments made in short intervals. We have seen sides go up and down in form, and despite fans being hopeful the side can keep things going the way they currently are, nobody would be foolish for thinking a dip could occur at any moment.
At least for now, the side appear to know each other and this comes from Wenger being able to maintain his starting players for the first time in years. Not that we need reminding but in the past top players in the likes of Vieira, Henry, Clichy, Nasri, Fabregas, and Van Perise have all left, questioning the sides abilities to challenge with the best.
A poor start against Villa seems a long, long time ago
So in assessment of this early milestone, what has happened at Arsenal so far?
It began with the usual; fans (including myself) demanding for Wenger to spend what is demanded on world-class players. Nothing happened among all the media talk of Higuain, Suarez and Rooney and I saw the team struggle in their pre-season tournament against Napoli (2-2), before losing against Didier Drogba's Galatasary (1-2) at the Emirates Stadium.
Two players were brought in ahead of deadline day in unknown young striker Yaya Sanogo, and there was a welcome return for midfielder Mathieu Flamini. He's been a solid establishment in the Arsenal midfield behind Ramsey, and our attacking force while Arteta has been sidelined through injury.
Speaking of the midfield, Ramsey has been exceptional and few would have expected this of the 22-year-old Welshman following a disappointing season last time round. He has relished in his starting opportunities with goals spread out across the Champions League and Premier league. He currently has six goals to his name this season with three in the league - one behind Giroud, who leads the Premier League's top scorers alongside Aston Villa's Benteke - and there appears to be no stopping the former Cardiff player.
I mentioned Arsenal's poor displays in their pre-season tournament hosting Napoli and Galatasary and they certainly weren't up the opening game of the campaign at home to Aston Villa. They lost 3-1 that day, with some calling it probably the worst league display from Arsenal for some time. Of course the first game of the season is difficult for all teams, who go into the new football year fresh and on level terms, but that afternoon appears to have given Wenger's side the kick up the backside that they needed. Would we be on the high we are now if not?
And then Transfer Deadline Day happened.
Arsenal's capture of Ozil has been compared to that of Dennis Bergkamp's.
He's become an instant hit, nicknamed the Wizard of Oz.
The capture of Mesut Ozil has been praised continuously. I mean, everyone knew of his abilities and world-class status, but he looks as though he has been playing in this Arsenal side for three years, yet along a few weeks. Lacking in muscle perhaps, but he has all the attributes of a real world-class playmaker and is doing what he does best, with three assists in two games already.
Former Gunner now-turned-coach, Steve Bould, took to helping the defence at the start of the 2012-13 season but I don't think it really clicked (and not that the media talk of a rift between Wenger and Bould would have helped). Something seems different this year however, despite there still being some vulnerabilities, but they are a much more organised side while defending more solidly as a team and this is encouraging.
The first of the two North London derby's is out of the way, with a win for Arsenal, assisting them in the current four game unbeaten run in the league. Add to that their Champions League wins over Fenerbache and Marseille bringing their total unbeaten streak to seven from a possible eight. The Gunners have also won their last ten away games on the bounce; a run which dates back to their 2-0 win against Bayern Munich in Germany in March.
We're five games in and Arsenal begin their League Cup campaign away to West Bromwich Albion (WBA) tomorrow night (25/09 - 8pm k/o GMT) before they travel to the South of Wales to play Swansea on Saturday night (5:30pm k/o GMT), enabling them to increase their unbeaten and away streaks.
All the players are doing well but I still wonder how they will fair against Manchester City or Chelsea. Manchester United have been iffy, but they are the might comeback kings, right? They always turn things around. Still, we shall see what happens when the fixtures come round and as the season progresses.
Whatever may be around the corner, the fans and the players are jubilant with the form they find themselves in. Long may it continue, but let's assess that at the 10-match milestone.
The BBC's Premier League table can be viewed here.
The draw for the Champions League Group Stages has been concluded placing Arsenal (seeded 1st) in Group F alongside Marseille, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli.
This will prove a stern test for the Gunners who have often had little trouble in qualifying to the knockout rounds of the competition. Of course I don't think there are many fans who believe the club have the capabilities to win the Champions League just yet, but I am concerned, looking at Group F, that Arsenal will even be able to go on past the groups.
Arsenal struggled against Napoli in the Emirates Cup earlier in the summer, as both sides battled to a 2-2 draw (which included a Giroud overhead kick). Of course that was pre-season and Arsenal didn't look ready for the new season at that point, as proved two weeks later in their opening day disaster against Aston Villa.
Higuain featured that afternoon; the striker reportedly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, before moving to the Italian side. He was booed, and I am sure he will be again when the sides meet in the Champions League. They looked good on the attack, showing the vulnerabilities in Arsenal's lacklustre defence.
Dortmund meanwhile have the likes of Subotic, Hummels, Bender, Blasczczykowski, and Lewandowski and German teams, as we are seeing, are making names for themselves in modern football. They finished second in the Bundesliga last year and were runners up against Bayern Munich in last year's Champions League final which they lost 2-1. Of course the last time we came close to the cup was the final of 2006, but let's not linger our thoughts there.
Flamini re-signs on a three-year deal
In other news, Flamini has signed for the club, making his second spell with Arsenal. He had been training in pre-season after completing his contract with AC Milan, who he signed for in 2008. The 29-year-old is a versatile midfielder who can also play at either left or right back, and I think all Arsenal fans will be pleased to have him back.
Of course supporters still want money to be spent, but time continues to be against Arsene, who has reiterated he is still looking to spend big before Monday's deadline.
2013/14 Champions League Group Draw:
Group A - Manchester United; Shakhtar Donetsk; Bayer Leverkusen; Real Sociedad.
Group B - Real Madrid; Juventus; Galatasary; Copenhagen.
Group C - Benfica; PSG; Olympiakos; Anderlecht.
Group D - Bayern Munich; CSKA Moscow; Manchester City; Viktoria Plzen.
Group E - Chelsea; Schalke; Basel; Steaua Bucharest.
Group F - Arsenal; Marseille; Borussia Dortmund; Napoli.
Group G - Porto; Atletico Madrid; Zenit St. Petersburg; Austria Vienna.
