Finally, someone from Arsenal has said something other than that we have “great potential” and we are “building for the future”.

Fabregas has come out and said Arsenal lack that winning mentality.

I for one am glad that the players have finally stopped spouting the same old rubbish. I used to visit the official Arsenal website on a daily basis to find out the latest news but now I can’t stand it, and haven’t visited for months. The Arsenal website is just a mouthpiece for all of the tripe that comes out of Arsene’s mouth. I finally got tired of reading how much potential this side has and most of all, all of the ridiculous excuses we’d have for throwing away games.

Arsenal have the amazing ability to blame everyone else except themselves.

Maybe if Arsenal started looking at themselves a few seasons ago we wouldn’t be where we are today.

I’ve said Arsenal have lacked that mental strength or winning mentality since 2008 (and probably before that) and it’s nice to see someone within the camp finally admit it.

I wrote this in November 2008 after Arsenal lost to Stoke:

“Giving away stupid points away this season has come from immaturity and complacency. Against Fulham it was just a general all round poor performance, but points dropped against Hull City and Spurs were from a lack of mental strength. Where is the ability to kill a game off? Where is the maturity to know that if you’re a goal ahead and can’t get another then keep hold of what you’ve got?

“There are no excuses, especially when last season we had no problem winning games by closing out the game. Giving away two goals in the last few minutes of the match would have been unthinkable last year.

“I think the big problem is that watching Arsenal this season, there are worrying signs of weakness which you just don’t see in previous title-winning campaigns. Could you see the Arsenal teams of old with Vieira and Adams in the side capitulate like we did against Spurs? When you see your side literally throw away points then you can only fear the worst.”

We play Spurs tonight who are fighting to get into the Champions League again next season. I use the word “fight” because that’s what Spurs will be doing. It’s a North London Derby and they would love to end our slim title chances.

But what Arsenal team will turn up?

The problem is even if Arsenal show commitment, desire and that “winning mentality” that has been lacking this season, it’s a case of too little too late. We’ve thrown away too many silly points already this season.

Against Newcastle last night, I just wanted Manchester United to score.

The draw last night just prolongs the agony that Arsenal fans have to suffer, until finally we know mathematically that Arsenal haven’t done good enough to win the league.

That’s the big question.

I’m extremely excited about the massive game on Wednesday, and like every Arsenal fan I believe that we can get a result against Barcelona. Of course, this belief is against what the rest of the watching world will be thinking.

But Arsenal on their day can beat anyone, even Barcelona.

The problem is since last season Barcelona have got even stronger, if that’s possible. David Villa has joined, replacing Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi has got even better. And I’m sure most of you would have seen the Barcelona v Real Madrid game earlier on in the season, in a game most are calling the greatest ever.

So Arsenal have a massive task on their hands.

But how can Arsenal do what only one other team has done this season and beat Barcelona?

Well Arsenal will have Van Persie who is in the form of his career, and we all know they are concerned by the raw pace of Theo Walcott. Theo’s form has improved drastically this season as well and hopefully Arsene will start him on Wednesday night.

Apart from Theo though I can’t really see how we’ll get the best of Barcelona!

What do you think?

Manchester United (Old Trafford, Manchester)
Premier League Fixture – Matchday 17
Monday 13th December 2010
Kick Off: 8pm – Live on Sky Sports 1

Let’s look at the different areas we usually take into consideration when previewing a game:

The Bookies:

Depending where you look, Manchester United are roughly evens, Arsenal are 3/1 and a draw is around 2/1. 3/1 is pretty high for Arsenal and on their day I believe we can beat anyone, with the possible exception of Barcelona.

The Form Book:

This is an interesting one.

In the last 5 games (home and away) it is Arsenal that have the best record overall in the league with 4 wins and a defeat, giving us a total of 12 points from a possible 15. Manchester United are a close second, with 3 wins and 2 draws, giving them 11 points from a possible 15.

But when you look specifically at home and away form, then you are dealing with the two home and away records in the league. Manchester have the best home record this season, with 7 wins and a draw from 8 games. They are undefeated in all games this season but away from home they have struggled, with only 1 win and 6 draws.

Arsenal on the other had have struggled at home (with defeats to Newcastle, West Brom and Tottenham) but have the best away record in the Premier League, with 5 wins, 2 draws and only the 1 defeat. So this game is a match-up between the best home team and the best away team.

As the old cliché goes, something has got to give!

The Referee:

The referee assigned to officiate this match is Howard Webb. I’m not sure what his record is for Manchester United, but at least he is a referee that doesn’t shirk the big decisions. At Old Trafford the main concern I have is over the big decisions, such as penalty incidents and whether they will be awarded to us if they are a blatant foul.

The good, and bad news, with Howard Webb is that from the last 9 Arsenal games he has refereed we have won 6 and drawn 3. The last game we lost with Howard Webb as the referee? Manchester United at Old Trafford in April 2008…

The Top Four Hoodoo:

Our very poor record against Chelsea and Manchester United over the last few seasons has been well-documented and the fact is that in the last 10 games against those sides we’ve failed to win any, losing 9 of them. And in the last 9 games we’ve played at Manchester United we’ve lost 7 of them. Arsenal are going to have to break a trend if they want to get anything from Old Trafford. Both Manchester United and Chelsea aren’t as strong as they were in previous seasons so if Arsenal are ever going to beat them, the time is now.

The Defence:

This is the main concern for Arsenal. Going forward we are as good as anyone and with Samir Nasri playing the best football of his career so far we are always a threat. So don’t be surprised if Manchester United single him out for some “rough” treatment.

But at the back, it is a really worry. If United are on form and sharp then it’s going to give us all sorts of problems. I never thought I’d be saying this, but Fabianski has pretty much kept us in a few games this season with some vital saves. Against Wolves was a prime example, and even against Fulham last week we needed to call upon his services far too much for my liking. And when you consider that was against players like Kamara then somehow I don’t think Rooney, Berbatov or Nani will be quite so accommodating.

Although I feel that he had a good start to the season, I think Koscielny has struggled recently. Squillaci is also hit and miss and personally I would be more comfortable with Djourou at the back. Whenever I’ve seen him (the away games against Wolves and Everton come to mind) he has been excellent. He makes good recovery challenges, is strong in the air and has good positional play. Even more importantly he makes vital interceptions. If we start with a defensive partnership of Squillaci and Koscielny then I will be concerned. The form of Nasri has masked the deficiencies at the back and I just hope that Arsene has noticed this and comes up with a way of sorting this problem out.

My solution would be to play Djourou alongside the lesser of two evils, Squillaci.

The Gut Feeling:

Call it blind optimism or plain stupidly, but I think we can do a job at Old Trafford. Of course, I realise that it is one hell of an ask and it will take some luck but if Arsenal are focused and give 110% then anything is possible. As so often with these big encounters, the first goal really is crucial. If we get it, then we will need the second but if United score first then it will be a massive uphill battle.

We’ve been hanging onto games recently (and just about come away unscathed) and in a weird way that might have prepared us better for any possibly onslaught United might throw at us. Our problems this season haven’t been from collapsing at the end of matches, but conceding stupid goals and having to chase the match. And hopefully the lesson against Tottenham will finally be learnt.

Although he hasn’t scored for a while and his form isn’t great, my biggest worry is Wayne Rooney.

He always seems to do it against us. He scored his first ever Premier League goal against us (that stunner into the top corner against David Seaman), his first Premier League goal for Manchester United against us and his 100th league goal against us! And just when you think he hasn’t battered us enough he scored in both Premier League games against us last season.

If you’re a betting man, a Wayne Rooney goal might be worth backing.

Tottenham Hotspur (White Hart Lane, London)
Premier League Fixture – Matchday 34
Wednesday 14th April 2010
Kick Off: 8pm – Live on Sky Sports 1

Regular readers of this blog will know that I put a massive emphasis on the last 12 games of the season

When I did the whole “Arsenal Title Charge” thing the size of the task Arsenal had in front of them was clear. For me, to stand any chance of winning the league they would have to win all of the remaining 12 games. For any team to go on a run like that would be special, but for a severely depleted Arsenal squad you were asking for miracles.

Amazingly though, they did manage to win their first 5 games in that run, pulling out gritty performances against Sunderland, Stoke, Burnley, Hull City and West Ham. They threw away 2 points against Birmingham, but managed to beat Wolves with another last minute winner.

Despite the loss of Van Persie, Gallas, Fabregas, Song, Arshavin, Rosicky, Diaby and Ramsey over these games, they have had the character to get the results. I am still gutted about the blip at Birmingham, but overall you can’t help but have admiration for the players.

Whether Arsene should have strengthened in January is a question for another day but the fact is we’ve had terrible injuries and still managed to be in there with a shout. I do think the dropping of those 2 points against Birmingham are probably now going to be decisive but the recent run has been nothing short of miraculous.

And that’s why I’m so proud of the team, whatever happens now.

The flip-side of course is the feeling of disappointment, as this was a big chance to win the title for the first time since 2004.

There is no doubt that this has been one of the weakest Premier League seasons in a long time. Whether that’s because the top teams can’t afford to break the bank and spend big anymore is debatable, but the fact is Arsenal are 3 points off the top despite having Van Persie, Fabregas and Gallas out for long periods of time. That is essentially the spine of the team.

And that’s why it’s disappointing. If the footballing God’s would have been slightly more favourable to us, Van Persie wouldn’t have got injured on International duty. I have no doubt whatsoever that if he was fit this year we would be a good 10 points better off and league champions. Van Persie was that influential. He didn’t just score vital goals, he made them as well but more importantly he was a leader on the pitch.

He was the focal point of how we attacked. Literally, it was like Manchester United losing Wayne Rooney. So when you look at it like that, it’s amazing what Arsenal have done in his absence.

So onto the game against Spurs.

The bookies have Arsenal has favourites at 5/4, Tottenham are 11/5 and a draw is 9/4. That to me is a surprise, considering Arsenal’s massive injury list, and there’s no doubt Tottenham will be like a wounded animal after the humiliating defeat to Championship side Portsmouth in the FA Cup.

In our favour though is our excellent recent run in the league (21 points from a possible 24) and the fact that Spurs just can’t beat us. But I don’t think that’s any reason to underestimate them – they would absolutely love to end our title chances, so I believe it will be probably the biggest test so far from our last 12 games.

Peter Crouch was terrible against Pompy but we notoriously struggle against height and balls in the air so he could do us some damage. Any with Harry Redknapp not being the most tactically adept manager he’ll favour just pumping the ball into the box, Wimbledon-style.

Anyway, we will just have to wait and see what happens.

It’s a massive game, and 3 points are essential if we want to keep the pressure up on Chelsea.