Nasri Time

- There are too many things about the Barcelona match that one can write about. I'll limit what I write here, so I can leave some material for the match preview on Tuesday. I will address a couple of things that are relevant to tomorrow though.

- Not enough credit is being given to Arsenal for their fight back. I've heard the word "lucky" thrown around frequently. There have been suggestions that Barcelona eased off the pedal and allowed us back into the game. What really happened is that we woke up. The first twenty minutes of the match was a Barcelona masterclass, but our players were simply hypnotized and did not play up to their capabilities at all. Once Theo blazed past Maxwell (an astonishing 23 mph run), the point got across that Barcelona were mortals. It's like the scene in Rocky IV where Rocky finally cuts Ivan Drago. From that point on, the match was nearly even.

- The fight back essentially reversed the Birmingham vibes. We did to Barcelona what Birmingham and West Ham did to us earlier in the year. Approaching Wolves, we have to understand as a team that being ruthless is the final step to becoming world beaters. As much as I hate United, they understand that all too well. Ideally, we'd want to put Wolves away within the first thirty minutes. That probably won't happen, as Wolves have hit some form and to their credit, they battle.

- No Cesc. No Arshavin. No van Persie. No Gallas. To that, I say two words. No fear. I wrote a text message to a friend about how pumped I am for the Barcelona return leg. He wrote back that he's scared. What kind of attitude is that? What is there to be scared about? We may or may not win a trophy. The last twenty five minutes of the Barcelona match may have been our high point of the year. But we don't know that to be true. If sports were entirely predictable, it's impact would be largely diminished. I have no fear. This team has no fear.

- Samir Nasri now will get to operate in the role where all Arsenal midfielders want to operate. Nasri was once regarded as one of the finest young talents in the world. So was Abou Diaby. So was Tomas Rosicky. Yes, I'm concerned about our injuries, because we don't have very many players left. But the players we have left should still be enough to handle Wolves comfortably at home. Nasri was an inspiration for Marseille, when the team was carried by him. He was impressive against Porto. He has a spark that is bigger than his frame. He's coming into his own, and what we need to see now is consistency.

- Manchester United play Chelsea today in the early kickoff. Wenger stated that mathematically speaking, he wanted a draw. Simple math there, a draw would mean four points dropped opposed to three. I also would not mind seeing Chelsea win, as they still have to go to Shite Hart Lane and Anfield. In contrast, United have to play Manchester City in a derby and Sp*rs at home, but they've also lost Rooney for a few matches.

- We must win all six matches to keep the pressure up. Ancelotti himself targeted 86 points as the number a club needs to win the league. Six wins would give us 86 points.

- With the injury estimates, most of the injured players have been ruled out for the year. Were we to reach the Champions League final though, we'd conceivably have Cesc, Arshavin, van Persie, and Gallas back fit. I'm just saying.....

Master against Pupil

Last night was a strange game. At times the game was a mismatch with Barcelona clearly the wearing the trousers. The game will mainly be remembered for the first 20 minutes and the last 20 minutes.

The first 20 minutes was a Barcelona gang rape. The only positive to take from that period of the game was the outstanding display by Manuel Almunia. This man alone kept Arsenal in the tie in the first half. He was brilliant. I felt like groveling to Almunia over my criticism of his mistake against Birmingham City. But at the start of the second half he showed me the "other" side of his game - making a dreadful error with his positioning for Barcelona's first goal. It was shocking.

Saving penalties and shot stopping are all well and good but keepers earn their corn from their positioning and dealing with crosses.

Almunia is not the complete package. He is like the photograph above - his game doesn't match up.

But then Barcelona's goalkeeper wasn't much better. He will look at Theo Walcott's goal with embarrassment. The combination play for Walcott's goal was simple yet superb. So was the timing of Walcott's run but his shot was average. It was put into the net by the forearm of Valdes. Ex- Arsenal and England midfielder David Platt said that Walcott shooting early probably helped him score, but Valdes deep down knows that he should have done better.

Walcott scored with just over 20 minutes left and completely changed the game. Arsenal were in ascendancy and took the game to Barcelona. From being dead and buried Arsenal produced heroics similar to that of the fictional character Edmond Dantes in the book "The Count of Monte Cunto" and escaped to find themselves even at 2-2.

Like any battle, there were casualties. Cesc and Gallas are out for the season and Arshavin will probably miss the return leg in Barcelona.

However, there are some positives. Denilson looks more comfortable playing against a team with Barcelona's style. Nasri will now be able to play in his preferred position - the one vacated by Cesc. Walcott's pace really troubled Barcelona and stopped their attacks from the left hand side. Taking off Sagna and bringing on Walcott was a master substitution by Wenger. It has kept Arsenal in this tie.

The big question regarding the return leg is Sol Campbell. Will he start in the Camp Nou? Song is the only other option Wenger has. But with Cesc and Ramsey injured in midfield, Wenger may have no option but to play Sol as Song will be needed in midfield. One thing the Arsenal midfield did not do last night was close Barcelona down. What teams like Stoke City are very good at is closing opponents down and not giving them time on the ball. It could be argued that they are more effective when they don't have the ball than when they do. Barcelona showed that they work just as hard when they don't have the ball - denying the opposition time and space - but can be deadly when they do.

The next game is against Wolves. Mentally, this game is tough for Arsenal. From the highs of last night to the grit of the Premiership. It's like going back to work after being on holiday in the Caribbean.

That's why we need Sol.

Keep it Arsenal

Memories

We have seen proof tonight that football is not about predictable outcomes. It is about the unexpected. The excitement comes from a flash of brilliance, a goal made out of nothing, a result that nobody expected. It is about amazing feats. Football is about memories.

There is no doubting the heart of Cesc Fabregas. By extension, that big throbbing muscle that pumps life throughout his body does the same for millions of Arsenal fans. We will all remember this match but nobody will remember it better than our captain.

"Until the penalty, I was feeling quite good. It has been an amazing experience and I will remember it for the rest of my life." Cesc Fabregas

Whether he plays for us again or not this season (or in his career, for that matter), Cesc has become an Arsenal legend tonight. I don't use that word loosely. The man is a legend. End of!

Let's be clear, Barcelona can be beaten. And I say that knowing full well that our last line of defence (I refuse to call that man by his given name) is dodgier than dodgy. The belief in this team will take them far. I'm convinced of that.

Football has a way of defying the odds. Its unpredictable nature is second to none. I've seen some very dramatic and emotional matches over the years - France vs. West Germany (1982), and England vs Cameroun (1990) for example. This Arsenal vs Barcelona game now ranks amongst those matches.

No matter what happens going forward, I thank Arsene and the boys for providing the entertainment and the diversion from my daily routine that they've done this season. Beaten soundly by Chelsea and United. Embarrassed in the F.A. Cup by Stoke. Injury after injury, let down after let down yet they've kept the faith and battled on.

Some prefer less drama with their football but I wouldn't deny myself the joy I've felt watching us come back from down 2-0 against a Barcelona side that sometimes looked like they had 12 players. Our dogged persistence may ultimately not be enough to win us a trophy but that is the last thing on my mind tonight I'm so proud. If you are an Arsenal fan, you must be proud.

From the heights of relief and joy after seeing Cesc bury that penalty, I've read that he might be out for the season. Am I upset? Have I thrown glasses against the wall? Have I cursed at my neighbor's dog? No! No! No!

I have even more belief.

From William Gallas finally reuniting with Thomas Vermaelen just to see him stretchered off - season over. From exploding with joy at seeing us claw back into the tie to reading that Andrei Arshavin has done his calf and could miss up to three weeks. Am I upset? Have I thrown glasses against the wall? Have I cursed at my neighbor's dog? No! No! No!

I am overflowing with belief.

We weren't supposed to be left with a chance to further embarrass the La Liga, European, and World Champions, but by this time next week, we could be just 180 minutes away from a trip to Madrid. What a funny game football is! But first let's remember to batter Wolves and Coward McCarthy Saturday and then off to Camp Nou.

Keep the faith.

Glamour Tie

- The pre-match talk has focused on how both teams play an attractive style of football. What is annoying is when journalists call us Barcelona "lite". Despite adopting the 4-3-3 permanently this year, we're not merely a replica of Barcelona nor do we attempt to mimic their style of play. If they're talking about success, any team would have been Barcelona "lite" after what they accomplished in the past twelve months.

- Guus Hiddink's tactical master plan caused Guardiola to change his positioning of Messi for the Champions League final and the next season in La Liga. Hiddink deployed a right footed Bosingwa on the left flank. That cut out Messi's tendencies to drift inside, as opposite foot wingers are in vogue nowadays. If Messi got by Bosingwa, Essien was there to snuff him out. Chelsea did a good job on him last year, but an Iniesta thunderbolt prevented Chelsea from advancing to the final for the second straight year. The bottom line is, if you decide to take out Messi, it will leave others with more space and opportunities to bust you open. For that reason, Wenger has already announced that he will not man-mark Messi. I personally would have, but that means that Alex Song must be deployed in midfield to help zonally mark Messi. He is a supreme threat.

- Messi's elevation this year is due to the fact that he's playing more centrally this year. While operating on the right flank, your job as a defender should be to push him closer to the edge, so as not to let him pass the ball with his left foot or square up his body to take a shot. Now that he's operating in the middle, he has an extra option which makes it that much harder to defend. With Daniel Alves patrolling the right side, he has enough energy and threat to defend and attack with vigor. For that reason, Arshavin needs to be at his best tomorrow. He needs to provide real menace to Alves to prevent him from becoming an offensive force. Frankly, it's time for Arshavin to step it up. He plays better in the big matches, and his miss at Birmingham was the first time his error has led to dropped points. He'll be aware of that, and on his best day, when he's dribbling at a defender, Arshavin can scare people as much as Messi can.

- Zlatan was brought in as an attempt to provide a Plan B and variety to the attack. He was on a prolonged slump, but he has scored in the last two matches. He is the definition of a mercurial talent. He has all the skill, but I feel he lacks something that Eto'o provided to the team. That being said, he scored against Real Madrid and he's capable of hurting us in a real way. But a part of me would fear this Barcelona team more if Eto'o was still on it.

- Messi was rested last weekend. Cesc was banged up last weekend.

- Iniesta is out for the first leg. A lot of Barcelona fans have been complaining about Iniesta's form, and both Guardiola and Cruyff have launched attacks on him. He hasn't been at his best, but removing him from Barcelona's midfield takes away creativity from their team. They will probably field Keita along with Busquets and Xavi. That's more like a Premier League midfield, but they still possess the ball better than most.

- Abou Diaby must play in this match. He picked up a "knock" (of course he did), but he's come through training. Diaby is a player that Barcelona will not be prepared for. The way Diaby uses his body to shield players from the ball and retain possession, the way he quickly turns and swiftly dodges defenders, both things bring a smile to my face. He's direct, but he has a lot of skill people don't necessarily pick up on until you see him play. He's made one huge error this year (the OG against United), but he's been one of our finer players when he's played. He provides something different, and in a team, you need that.

- Samir Nasri was great against Birmingham until he decided to square the ball for Arshavin instead of chipping Joe Hart. We need to be ruthless. That's what the Champions League is really about, finishing the one chance you get. Still, I think he's coming on strong, and he'll be yet another threat on the right wing.

- We must defend like lions. If Sol is ready, we have no choice but to field him. Everybody needs to concentrate at all times. Maybe if Manuel is busier, he'll play better. That's all we can pray for at the moment.

- The tie will come down to who controls the ball better. Both teams rely on heavy possession to wear the opposition down. Naturally, whoever is playing at home will probably enjoy more possession. I expect us to shade them 55-45 in the first leg, and them to outpossess us 60-40 in the second leg. Can we maintain our composure, avoid mistakes, and strike some killer blows at the Emirates? Can we withstand a surge at the Nou Camp, one that will undoubtedly come? We shall see.

- For Cesc, this tie means everything. When we played them in the Champions League final, it was Thierry's team. Barcelona was also Ronaldinho's team. Now, with his peers in direct view, he has to show that he is one of the best players in the world too. I don't think the result has any impact on what he'll do after the season ends. They'll come for Cesc, but I have the feeling he's going to stay. And if we show the world that we can compete with Barcelona, why would he want to leave?

- The final note is about Thierry Henry. I don't know how much he'll play, but he can be a useful weapon for Barcelona. Pedro scores in big games, and that's his main asset; he's a goal scorer, but Henry would provide creativity that Pedro cannot give. For that reason, I'm glad Thierry is so beat up about playing us. It will affect his form. If I was Pep, I don't think I could play him, but I'm sure we'll give him a warm welcome. But after the referee blows the whistle, he's just another Barcelona player.

Time to Concentrate on Wednesday

The last minute equalizer by Birmingham was like watching the woman of your world being shagged by a dog and realizing that she's enjoying it. Heartbreaking!

It's hard to shake off a result like this, especially when Nasri and Arshavin should have killed the game off by the time Birmingham had scored. But then the calamity of errors that resulted in Birmingham's equalizer was a lot worse.

It's injury time and the Birmingham keeper punts the ball from inside his penalty area to the edge of Arsenal's. Diaby - who had another great game - poorly positions himself and fails to head the ball away. The ball then bounces and causes panic resulting in pinball style football. Sagna is left marking three players. The other defenders are ball watching and no one picks up Phillips who is harassing Arsenal like a dog chasing a cat. The end product of this moment of nervousness is Sagna blasting the ball at Phillips face and the ball looping into the goal. It was a fluke goal and route one football at its purest.

However, the goal should have been ruled out for offside. Christian Benitez was a yard offside when the ball hit Phillips in the face. But the assistant referee must have deemed Benitez not to be interfering with play or that his position was not gaining an advantage. It was officiating at it's worst. A joke decision that has caused millions of people around the world serious depression.

Then we have Manuel Almunia.

Let's start with positives regarding this man.

His penalty save against West Ham last week was a huge factor in Arsenal winning that game. No doubt, Almunia is very good at saving penalties, but he's also very poor at punching and commanding his penalty box.

Lesbians have more presence in a box than Almunia.

At the end of the first half Almunia came to punch a high ball, but the lightweight didn't punch, instead he fucking jabbed. The ball landed 10 meters out at the feet of a Birmingham player who skied it. He got away with it this time but on Wednesday if he does another "jab" then Henry or Messi will be waiting to punish him.

There's nothing we can do about our goalkeeping problem. The back-ups are also prone to errors and the transfer window is closed. Right now Arsenal fans are like the poor citizen who can't afford a lawyer so has to make do with the overworked and sub-par state provided attorney. Facing life in prison, fighting for the title or facing the World Champions on Wednesday, Almunia will have to do and we will have to pray.

So let's get positive.

We like football because its unpredictable. Leeds knocked out Man United in the FA Cup. A French team will be in the Champions League semi-finals and Portsmouth are in the FA Cup semi-finals. It's a strange season.

Man United face Chelsea on Saturday. Hopefully, Chelsea will win. They will drop points after they play at Old Twatford. Man United look less likely. Chelsea have a week off. Man United face Bayern Munich in Germany. They have been lucky this season. I hope it runs out. The law of averages says it will.

When Arsenal won the title in 1989, they won it with a keeper similar to Almunia - John Luckic. During the run-in that season Arsenal played away to Man United. Tony Adams put Arsenal 1-0 ahead with a diving header. The win was on the cards until late on in the game a Man United cross hit Adams on the head and looped into the Arsenal goal just like it did at St Andrews on Saturday. The own goal by Adams earned him the nickname "Donkey" by The Mirror and was cruelly chanted by opposition fans.

Now opposition fans chant "There's Only One Ryan Shawcross or Martin Taylor" eulogizing players who've broken the legs of Arsenal players.

Winning a trophy this season would cause serious depression to these mindless inbreds in the same way that Obama winning the Presidential election has caused massive despair on cunts like Rush Limbaugh.

Keep it Arsenal

Post Match View - Birmingham City F.C.

We began the game with a one touch clinic. And yes, it was effective, not just pretty but unproductive. Abou Diaby and Tomas Rosicky were particularly effective throughout. They combined well at the near post but Diaby's shot from close was deflected wide for an early corner in the 2nd minute.

Diaby was highlighted recently on our site for his improvement this season. Rightly so! His display yesterday showed increased strength, fine technique, and the kind of presence that allows Cesc to play farther up the pitch. Rosicky was involved in this game more than he has been since his injury nightmare. His touches, his vision, and his runs reminded us that he used to be a top, top player.

I was pleased with their contributions overall. Sadly though, neither could find a way passed Joe Hart. Hart kept his team in the game.

We've had chances to score more goals. Birmingham did as well but it's fair to say that Arsenal were the more dominant side over the 90 minutes. Theo Walcott started on the right and could have benefitted from a defensive mistake on 18 but for the intervention of the alert Joe Hart. Hart played a pretty good game.

I can't help but feel that maybe Arsene rested Eboue for the Barcelona match. Liam Ridgewell clattered into Theo on his first touch the last time we played Birmingham. I need convincing that Theo wasn't playing with that incident in his mind yesterday. He looked tentative. On 5 and on 7, he could have shown more strength if not more determination to keep the ball. He did have a penalty shout on 10 but the ref didn't see a need to point to the spot.

Sol headed high from a corner on 24. Clichy received a yellow for being named Geal on 29 - I couldn't see any other reason for the card. Pat Rice even got involved with a heated few words for the fourth official, such was the absurdity of the warning. Theo got behind the Birmingham back line on 29 but was thwarted again by the impressive Blues keeper. Hart's focus throughout the game was at times exemplary.

James McFadden and Cameron Jerome threatened at the other end on 31 and 32. We were equal to their efforts but not as comfortably as I would have wanted. Birmingham were determined to make a fight of it. For all the good Diaby provided, it was his hospital ball that got Cesc a knock on 35. Arsene has complained that the tackle was high, which perhaps it was, but I would remind Abou to leave that kind of pass out of his game.

Jerome turned Sol on 37 but as they entered the Arsenal 18, it was Sol who made the last touch on the goal-bound effort. I was beginning to see too much of Birmingham at our end. On 39, Theo got off a fairly tame shot after good work by Rosicky. It wasn't the kind of effort that would trouble Joe Hart. The Blues keeper was almost always there when needed in this game.

Howard Webb does not impress me. In fact, no English ref does. I ran into a guy after the game who reminded me that we've had our share of bad experiences with that bald fuck. On 42, it looked like Stephen Carr brought down Nik Bendtner but Webb didn't see it as worthy of pointing to the spot.

Clichy put in a good, deep cross on 43 but it amounted to nothing. Meanwhile, Chelsea were doing useless Villa up the wrong 'un. By the way, have I mentioned that Aston Villa and their manager are as useful as an automobile with no steering wheel? Martin O'Neill is just a bag of foul air. We can thank him when Scum finish fourth and start chirping about how they're going to conquer Europe.

0-0 HT

Business as usual to start the 2nd Half. Rosicky shot saved on 46. Vintage Diaby turn and shot saved on 55. We were definitely in a tussle though. Needing all three points, I wondered if Nik or Cesc would provide that much needed moment of inspiration. The latter surprisingly was allowed to return rather than taking the rest of the day off with Barcelona in sight. That knock to his knee concerned me and will do until I've heard that he is fine.

Theo wasted a good opportunity on 59 with a weak cross. Even with numbers back, Birmingham would have struggled to deal with the ball if it were better placed. Disaster nearly happened three minutes later. Clichy was beaten by Roger Johnson to a Barry Ferguson free kick. The shot struck against the post. We were spared.

Nasri and Arshavin came on for Rosicky and Walcott on 69. Bendtner headed wide on 70 from a Diaby effort. What was actually a deflected ball for a corner a few minutes later was not spotted by Webb or his assiatant. Instead, Nik was made to look foolish - the guy next to me calling him a donkey - as the ball looked quite playable. It first seemed like he was not anticipating its arrival but a better view showed that a man in a blue shirt did make contact.

Nasri had a chance from close on 73. Hart was equal to it. To be fair, it was straight at him. Nevertheless, Joe Hart was there again for his team when called upon.

A potentially season-shaping whistle was blown on 76. I am convinced that Cesc's challenge to win the ball that Abou Diaby shot into the Birmingham goal was not a foul. I am convinced that if an English player had won that ball in the same manner, for a team other than Arsenal, the goal would have stood. I am convinced that the challenge is nothing more than what the English manager calls a robust challenge.

IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO ME IF YOU AGREE OR NOT. I DON'T CARE IF YOU FEEL THAT I AM ON MY ANTI-ENGLISH HORSE. THAT WAS NOT A FOUL AS FOULS GO IN THE EPL.

I wish the people who judge these tackles as fouls or not would make up their minds. Are they robust, good old English challenges or are they fouls? Just be consistent, PLEASE.

Regardless, we got our goal and really should have been ahead comfortably by the time it came. In fairness, we also had further chances in the latter stages of the match to bury them but wasted every one. It was a brilliant goal. That must be said. It came after the kind of run that we'd like to see from Theo on a regular basis. Samir Nasri cut in from the right. He entered the Blues 18 with determination, purpose, and power before unleashing a low drive that even the excellent Joe Hart could not deal with.

0-1 AFC

The celebration behind Birmingham's goal showed what that goal meant to the boys. All the hard work and effort was finally rewarded with nine minutes of regular time to go. Surely we'd done enough to make it seven league wins in a row and stay apace with Chelsea and Manchester United.

You have probably noticed that I haven't mentioned Eduardo or revenge or anything associated with that infamous day from two seasons ago. As happy as I am that the man has returned from that horrible experience, I feel that the matter at hand - winning the title - is far more relevant at the moment. We've come very far. Even Old Red Nose is starting to chirp a bit. He's definitely concerned that another red-shirted team could place its ribbons on the trophy in May.

We have to take our chances for that to happen. We cannot expect to get away with missed opportunities like Arshavin has done on 90. We cannot make poor decisions like Nasri has done on 91, passing when he could have had a go. All this occurred after Cesc peppered Hart's hands on 89. I suppose the knee is ok. Let's hope.

You might have read here that we are all in agreement at 1886 - our goalkeeper situation is a disaster waiting to happen. We have not failed to give credit when it is due. That saved penalty against West Ham was tremendous. However, the overall impression of the neutral is that Arsenal are a flawed team with little chance of winning the title because the last line of defence will ultimately let them down.

I am not sure how much blame to apportion to our goalkeeper for Kevin Phillips's late equalizer. It was something of a freakish nature but he did get his hands on the ball. It was freakish but he did make it more difficult than it had to be. I was not a goalie so it's hard for me to think like one. I'm afraid that maybe it's equally difficult for our no. 1 to do so as well.

All is not lost. Let's hope United and Chelsea kick lumps out of each other next week. Let's hope there are multiple red cards on both sides. Let's hope they draw 0-0.

Most of all, let's hope we sort out our keeper situation next summer, no matter what we do this season. We are at a point where our manager's legacy could be damaged severely by the failure to address this undeniably damaging situation. It is dire. Just look at how Joe Hart has done, creating a platform for them to stand on and mount a late rally. He hasn't let anybody down.

Keep the faith.

Foreign Managers

- It's been nearly two years since we've been to St. Andrews, the place where Eduardo had his leg destroyed by Martin Taylor. Revenge is not in the cards. Like Cesc says, a victory is more important because it'll help us win the title. We have to put the past behind us, as nothing has changed outside of the club. Teams still aggressively have a go at us, as they feel it's their best course to try to stop our football. However, our team has firmed up, as noticed by McLeish himself in his press conference.

- We threw the title away against Birmingham, but not for the reasons that are oft cited. Many Arsenal bloggers love bringing up the William Gallas incident, but I side with Wenger on this one. While you do not want a professional doing that, we didn't lose the title because of that and it showed that Gallas cared. I've said that before, and I'll say it again. The reason why Birmingham cost us the title is because we dropped four points against them while in a winning position. They were a relegated team, so we dropped points we definitely should not have. We lost the title by four points. Do the math.

- Alex McLeish suggested that foreign managers like to pressure referees into calling the games in their favor. The managers he cited were Arsene Wenger and Rafa Benitez. Doesn't Alex Ferguson badger referees every week? Essentially, McLeish is saying the same cliched "they don't like it rough" crap that everybody likes to throw around when teams face us. He said we have nothing to worry about from Birmingham, because he sees them sometimes as "too soft." Well, if that's not a sneaky way to fire up his team for today's match, nothing is. So essentially after one of his players crippled Eduardo, he's suggested that they should go in hard once again. Good job McLeish.

- McLeish also suggested that Howard Webb was strong enough to ignore the outside influence and call a fair game. It's too bad Webb is one of the worst English refs.

- Meanwhile, Ferguson had a go at the FA for not adding another game to Vermaelen's ban after his failed appeal. He was talking about the fact that Rio had a game added on. The difference? Rio's ban was based on violent conduct with clear video proof. Vermaelen's was for a professional foul that many have deemed as harsh. Seems fair to me. What I like about Taggart's complaint is that he's worried about us again. I like that. I like that a lot. I crave the days where Taggart and Arsene are ripping each other to shreds.

- Martin Taylor is now at Watford. I would not be surprised to hear Martin Taylor chants tomorrow. Meanwhile, for Eduardo, sure he's walking (and let's be thankful for that). But is he close to being the same player he was when he got crippled? The answer sadly is no. That's not to say he can't get that form back, but there are noticeable differences. He shies away from challenges, and that prevents him from being clinical. I don't know if he'll ever be a top class striker again (even if he has scored great goals for us in his return). That damage still lingers. We were robbed of his services when we needed him. That affected our title chances as well that year.

- If this was any other mid-table team we were facing, we may take our eye off the ball and prime ourselves to play Barcelona. With the Eduardo incident, that is almost guaranteed not to happen. The players will want to win this game and put the events of the past completely behind them. They will show up to play.

- Birmingham had a good early season spell, but with their dependence on older players, they were naturally going to fade. They do have very energetic strikers though and good crosses from Arsenal reject Sebastian Larsson. Their centre-back duo is amongst the most reliable in the League. This will not be a stroll in the park, but the momentum must be kept.

- Aston Villa play Chelsea and Bolton play Manchester United. The sooner we get in front of these guys, the better. I don't want to rely on results much longer.

- Tony Pulis moaned about having Mike Dean ref their game. He drafted a letter citing incidents where he felt Dean was too harsh on his team. He told the head of the refs, Mike Riley, about it. What the hell does he expect? To avoid Mike Dean all year? If Arsene Wenger had done this, he'd be murdered by the English press. What a cowardly complaint by Tony Pulis.

- I don't know if he'll even get in the game, but if Eduardo scores a goal tomorrow, I'm going crazy.