What a season eh?

Officially just over half of the season gone and currently, well before this weekends set of games anyway, Arsenal are top of the Premier League.

Who could have predicted that after the 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa on the opening day of the season.

On Monday night, Arsenal have their chance to exact their “revenge”, and a win at Villa Park will see us regain top spot (if Manchester City and Chelsea do what we expect and win against Newcastle United and Hull City).

But our road to the top of the table hasn’t been all plain sailing.

We’ve suffered big injuries this season to big players, like Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Abou Diaby, Thomas Vermaelen, Lukas Podolski, Tomas Rosicky, Mesut Özil, Mathieu Flamini, Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta, Olivier Giroud, (and don’t laugh) Nicklas Bendtner during the course of the season so far.

And the biggest problem that seems to be concerning Arsenal fans is the striker situation.

Olivier Giroud has cemented himself as the man we can’t do without. He has improved on his scoring record already this season, and proved to be a valuable member of Arsenal’s first team. But after that, what are our options?

Nicklas Bendtner represents our best like-for-like replacement, and to be fair to him he has scored vital, opening goals for us against Hull City and Cardiff City. He has had his problems in the past but seems to have got his act together in some sense. But after injuring himself against Cardiff, he’s out for a couple of weeks.

Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski are two players would could fill the striker void for a few games, but Theo is out for the rest of the season which is devastating news. I don’t care what people say, having Theo injured is not good news at all and there is no silver lining to that situation. He offers something unique to this Arsenal side, and in several games this season (Manchester United away for example) someone with his guile and pace was badly needed to open up the game in our favour.

Lukas Podolski’s return is a massive boost, but it’s unsure where Arsene’s preferred position for him is. From the left, his pace and extremely accurate crossing is the perfect foil for Olivier Giroud, and he has shown that he can score goals from any distance. Hopefully, with Theo out Lukas gets more of a chance in the first eleven.

Serge Gnabry and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are both young players with a lot of pace, but aren’t in the same mould or position as Theo. They are deeper, midfielders who like to play further back. They also have a lot to learn and don’t have Theo’s composure in front of goal so it would be unfair to put any real pressure on them.

So what happens if Olivier Giroud gets injured? And Nicklas Bendtner isn’t performing?

We are weak in terms of backups but maybe that doesn’t matter. I’ve mentioned several times this season that it might not matter if we don’t have backup for our strikers. Spain have shown in Euro 2012 that teams, if they have the midfield personnel, don’t need to start with a traditional striker.

On that day against Spain, they started with a “midfield” of Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Xabi Alonso, David Silva, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas. They played some excellent football and in that game they, having some of the best passers in the world, managed to have a whopping 65% possession. That’s against an Italian side which is hardly a minnow in International terms.

So why can’t we do that? Our midfield roster, when fully fit, looks like this:

Mikel Arteta, Mathiew Flamini, Abou Diaby, Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Serge Gnabry, Tomas Rosicky, Mesut Özil and Lukas Podolski.

Out of the 11 options available to us, 10 would be regularly available (minus Diaby of course) and from those, I would say that at least 7 of those are top, top class. And of course, we have one world class operator in Mesut Özil who is more than capable of pulling the strings.

Tactically, playing with 6 midfielders would be a big advantage for several reasons. Firstly, defending teams would have no idea who to mark, as the midfielders would be moving all around the pitch and would have no fixed position. Also, unlike in other leagues in Europe it has never been done in the Premier League before, at least not by a side who are so good in possession as Arsenal.

To make the system work, you need players who are willing to run beyond the oppositions defence and players who are willing to provide width. Without this, playing with 6 midfielders becomes boring and ends up self-defeating – in the end it just becomes to congested in the middle of the pitch. When Spain tried this with Italy they had these problems, as they fielded too many playmakers. Arsenal however, have midfielders with pace and an eye for goal.

Lukas Podolski can certainly provide width and definitely has pace, as does Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Serge Gnabry. Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey are more central players but have shown already this season that they are willing to run beyond the main striker and get in behind the defence – and they’ve scored goals already doing this. Santi Cazorla and Mesut Özil are your more typical playmakers, who will pull the strings in the middle of the park.

And of course we have Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini who are the anchors in our midfield, protecting the back four and organising the team from a deeper position.

So has Arsene considered this yet? Maybe not, but it would definitely be a unique way to win the Premier League and give opposing teams something else to think about when they play Arsenal.

With the devastating news that Theo Walcott is now out for at least 6 months, our luck on the injury front gets from bad to worse.

At the start of the season, we suffered a terrible injury to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, About Diaby was once again out for a prolonged period and last week we saw our only real backup to Olivier Giroud out injured with an ankle problem after scoring a huge goal against Cardiff.

Now, the only other real option we had to play up top if Giroud was out for any reason, Theo Walcott, has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament on his left knee.

Nevermind about England, this is a huge blow to Arsenal’s title chances.

Aaron Ramsey is also out, Giroud and Özil have been missing through illness and I have no idea what’s happened to Yaya Sanogo.

But the bottom line is, Theo’s injury has forced Arsene’s hand. He has to buy in January. There’s no doubt about it.

There is no way in hell he can leave the January Transfer Window and possibly believe that we would still be able to fight for the league. We’ve come this far, so it would be devastating if we didn’t kick on and really challenge.

We all know Chelsea’s weakness – Jose Mourinho repeatedly tells anyone who will listen – and you can be sure they will be strengthening with a top striker in January.

Manchester City have the strongest squad in the league, and Liverpool might invest in a central defender. Up front, they have no worries with Luis Suarez in sensational form.

Manchester United will apparently only spend big in the summer, so it depends if Moyes has already written this season off.

But Arsenal are top of the league and in with a real shout of challenging for the league. But in recent weeks, we were 5 points clear and now only one above Manchester City. We need to kick on and it would be suicidal if we didn’t sign a quality striker who could lead us to the title.

Will Arsene do it? We’ve supported Arsenal long enough to know that if you were a betting man, probably not.

But how much money do Arsenal have to spend? That’s another question we don’t know the answer to. All summer we heard about the massive spending power we had, and now we’re in January all of that talk has stopped. Have we spend all we can already? Or do we have another big war chest for January?

Who knows, and I guess we’ll have to wait and see!

As news of Eusebio’s passing has rocked the football world, one of the greatest footballers to grace the game has left us. He scored an amazing 9 goals in the 1966 World Cup, and is rightly remembered as one of the best players to play the game.

Eusebio’s club record saw him score a staggering 748 goals in 733 games, and with Benfica he won European Cup and Portuguese Championship 10 times. He also won the Ballon D’or in 1965.

Pele’s club record was almost as impressive, with the Brazilian managing to score 626 goals in 669 games. He won the Copa Libertadores twice and the Brazilian Championship 6 times. He also won South American Player of the Year in 1973.

If you compare International scoring records, Pele scored 77 in 92 games, and Eusebio 41 in 64. But when it comes to International success, no-one rivals Pele.

He won the World Cup 3 times, in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

There is no doubt that both players were two of the best players the world has ever seen, so it depends on your perspective. Does playing in Europe make a difference? And does playing in a phenomenal Brazilian national side help? Eusebio only managed to play in one world cup as Portugal would fail to qualify while the Black Panther was still playing International football.

What do you think? Leave your comments in the section below.

Normal service is resumed somewhat, as Arsenal beat West Ham 3-1 at Upton Park, and Liverpool lost 2-1 at Manchester City. Manchester United rallied to beat Hull 3-2, Chelsea churned out a 1-0 win against Swansea and Everton suffered a shock defeat to Sunderland at Goodison Park.

Below that, are Newcastle United who we face tomorrow. They struggled in the early part of the season but now sit in 6th place in the Premier League and unfortunately for us are in a rich vain of form. But more on that later.

I caught most of the Manchester City v Liverpool encounter and although City are invincible at home, for me, Liverpool were unlucky not to get something from that match – and I thought that they did enough to win the game.

Suarez is in phenomenal form and caused City all kinds of problems. Along with Coutinho and Sterling, they created 4 or 5 really good chances which on another day (and if Suarez was on the end of them) they would have scored them all. It was definitely the toughest game Manchester City have had at home and Liverpool were unfortunate.

It’s a wide-open title race and Liverpool have shown that they are right in the thick of it.

One thing Brendan Rodgers did blame though was the referee. Sterling was flagged offside in a pivotable moment in the game and replays showed that he was a good 2 or 3 yards onside.

And that got me thinking about the Chelsea game where Mike Dean officiated. I had an online poll to see whether Arsenal fans thought he was a fucking wander, and 98% thought he was.

We’ve all seen the win percentage for Arsenal when Mike Dean referees our games, and compared to the other top sides, it is unbelievable. So when you see Mikel’s attempt to take off Arteta’s leg and Walcott’s blatant penalty appeal turned down, you have to wonder.

Arsene has had integrity when it comes to referees, stating publicly on one or more occasion that he feels it is inappropriate to do what Alex Ferguson used to do all the time, which was to publicly call out the referee before the game, and “hoping” that the referee would have a good game before it kicks off. That puts pressure on the referee and that’s why Old Trafford is notorious for a lot of dubious refereeing decisions. Arsene Wenger has stated many times that before the game kicks off, he has no idea who the referee is.

But maybe it’s time to stop being so nice. If Mike Dean is the referee in one of our games we should question his record. He clearly has a huge problem with Arsenal and some of the decisions in the Chelsea game were criminal. But as usual, it gets brushed under the carpet and a potential 3 points goes begging.

Anyway, onto football and Arsenal beat West Ham with a slightly nervy 3-1 win. We dominated the first half but did our best to try and not score by as many different methods as possible. How we didn’t open the scoring in the first 45 minutes was baffling.

Then as expect, we got the kick in the teeth we usually get when we spurn our chances. West Ham scored through Carlton Cole just after the break and that gave us an uphill challenge.

But credit to the lads, they rallied and hit back with 3 good goals. The equaliser came when Theo weaved his way through the West Ham defence and his tame shot managed to find its way through, but I wasn’t complaining. The Podolski’s long awaited comeback made the difference – his cross resulted in a collectors item through Theo Walcott’s header and then the German lashed in a really fantastic shot into the bottom corner for Arsenal’s third.

A great win, all three points and Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League. A good Boxing Day all round.

And on Sunday we see Arsenal travel to St James’ Park for a tough game against Newcastle. In the form table, they sit second, managing to rack up 13 points from a possible 18. Manchester City are top with 16 from 18, and Arsenal 6th with 11 from 18.

As I’ve already mentioned, Newcastle struggled a bit at the start of the season but have really found their feet now. Their form at home is excellent, having beaten Chelsea and drawing against Liverpool and Southampton. They have a lot of players who can cause problems and their confidence is sky high after smashing Stoke City 5-1.

So it will be one hell of a tough game for us.

Jack Wilshere is back which gives us more options in midfield, and apart from a few nervous moments the partnership of Mertesacker and Vermaelen looked pretty solid against West Ham. Upfront Arsene will have to choose carefully however as Giroud looks well off the pace (whether that’s down to quality or fatigue) and for me, Podolski has to start in the central striker position. With Özil and Theo in support, they should be too much for Newcastle United.

After the performances of Arsenal over the last few weeks, it’s clear that  Arsene Wenger needs to bring in another striker. Olivier Giroud, depending on who you ask of course, is either not good enough to fire us to the Premier League title, or knackered. Either way, another forward option is needed if we are to seriously compete at the top of the table up until May.

So who can we get in? I have looked around the different European leagues and had a look at who we could try and sign in the January Transfer Window:

1. Robert Lewandowski

What a coup this would be. It seems as if Robert Lewandowski is dead set on moving to German rivals Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund are adamant that he won’t be moving until the summer.

However, this for me would be a huge signing – not just in terms of making a statement of intent but for his sheer prowess in front of goal. For me, he is one of the best strikers in the game at the moment. He’s only 25, the perfect age for a Wenger signing, and got his best years ahead of him. With him in the Arsenal side, there’s no doubt he would be a massive hit in the Premier League. He is that good.

The rumour mills have gone into overdrive, saying that he’s on the top of our striker list and we’ll be putting in an opening bid of around £15 million in January. While that sounds good, there are a few stumbling blocks which make this move unlikely.

Would be move to another Champions League club in the middle of the season? Dortmund are into the knockout rounds and he’d miss those games, and obviously couldn’t play for us in the Champions League. And he’s already stated he wanted to move to Bayern several times, meaning that he is most likely settled in Germany and has no intention to move from there.

And could we afford his wage demands? One thing we do have in our favour is our strong German continent, as well as a couple of Poles in our squad for good measure.

Likelihood rating: 20%

2. Diego Costa

There have been a few rumblings about the Atletico Madrid striker and the replacement for Falcao (well, they did play a season together) has scored 19 goals in 17 league games. Like Lewandowski he’s only 25 and is a powerful, clinical striker who knows how to find the back of the net.

The fact that he is being courted by both the Spanish and Brazilian national sides, and is making a big name for himself in Europe make this move hugely unlikely – mainly because all the top sides will be after him.

Unfortunately, a pipe dream.

Likelihood rating: 5%

3. Vincent Aboubakar

Never heard of him? He’s the Cameroonian striker playing in Ligue 1 for French side Lorient. He’s currently the third top goal-scorer in the French league with 11 goals, behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and ahead of Monaco’s Radamel Falcao.

He’s a big, no-nonsense striker who is powerful and doesn’t mess around. I’ve seen him a few times and he reminds me of a young Didier Drogba.

He’s only 21 one, comes from the French league (we all know how Arsene likes players from France) and wouldn’t cost a huge amount, probably something in the region of £12 million.

And he’s not an established world class striker so wouldn’t be commanding a starting place ahead of Olivier Giroud.

He still has a relatively low likelihood rating however as no-one has linked him to us and I just looked for him myself.

Likelihood rating: 30%

4. Jackson Martinez

Never heard of him either?

He’s a Columbian striker who currently plays for FC Porto in the Portuguese Premiera Liga.  He’s currently the second top goalscorer in that league, and is 27 years old.

FC Porto have reputation of signing strikers who end up being sold for massive amounts in later years, such as Radamel Falcao and Hulk, and obviously have a talent for finding good South American forwards. So why wait until they sell them to Atletico Madrid or similar sides and then sell them for upwards of £40 million?

Likelihood rating: 10%

5. Adrián Ramos

Another Columbian, this time from the Bundesliga. He’s also 27 and currently the joint top scorer in Germany alongside Robert Lewandowski. And the fact that Hertha BSC are 6th in the league makes the goal tally even more impressive – added to the fact that he’s virtually scored almost half of the teams goals this season as well.

Again, he’s big and powerful, and scores a lot of goals from set-pieces and crosses. He has a bit of pace as well and could definitely do a job for us.

Likelihood rating: 10%