There is no doubt that this season, Arsenal have been outstanding. It is a testament to the performances of the squad to date, and most of the playing staff have been excellent this season. We have Szczesny who has been, for me, the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, and Mertesacker and Koscielny who have been outstanding in central defence. Gibbs has been excellent, as has Monreal when he’s been called upon. Sagna is firmly established as one of the most solid right-backs in the league, and Carl Jenkinson has done well when he’s been asked to come in. The young right-back still has a lot to learn but isn’t playing as badly as people have been making out.

In midfield, we have such a great range of options. In the “defensive midfield” position, we have Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini, both accomplished professionals and players, who always give 110% and lead by example. In their own ways, they are leaders on the pitch.

In the more attacking roles, we have Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla and Mesut Özil, as well as About Diaby and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain when they return from injury.

Up front we are relying heavily on Olivier Giroud. Lukas Podolski is still out injured but like Theo, is more suited to coming in from the wide positions.

Despite our perceived strength and depth this season, recent performances have suggested that Arsenal are getting tired. That is not a criticism, but a reflection on our success this season and the quality of opponent we’ve had to face so far. Unlike Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham, we’ve had to face teams of the calibre of Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Marseille in Europe. We’ve also had to play Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham in the domestic competitions already – and have Manchester City and Chelsea again in the coming weeks.

And if that wasn’t hard enough, then our “reward” for amazingly getting out of the “Group of Death” in the Champions League is to face one of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletico Madrid, Bayern Munich or Paris Saint Germain.

So as the squad is getting stretched and the games are coming thick and fast, the difficulty of the matches is getting harder as well. And with the level of performance dropping in recent weeks, and Christmas just around the corner, I think it is vital that Arsene dips into the January transfer window and strengthens the squad.

It doesn’t have to be a blockbuster signing, or a signing that costs £50 million. We saw when Jose Antonio Reyes arrived in the January of 2004, that an injection of quality can get us over the line. Mesut Özil did it for us in the summer, and the fact is we will need it this January.

If we finish the 2013-2014 campaign something like 5 points off the top after a lethargic finish to the season, then we really will be kicking ourselves for not spending in the transfer window.

So the big question is who do we buy?

With Theo Walcott back and Lukas Podolski on the way back, people will say the striker position is well-catered for but I disagree. I’d class them more as “wingers” and I don’t think they’re capable of playing the lone striker role for any real amount of time. They could probably fill in for 4 or 5 games but if Giroud gets injured then we’d have real problems.

So for me, a decent striker would be top of the list in January. They don’t have to be the quality of Luis Suarez for instance, but someone decent. Nicklas Bendtner is not in that category and is not the man we should depend on if Giroud is unavailable. And the fact of the matter is, Giroud looks tired and if we want to get the best out of him for the remainder of the season, then he needs to be rested every few weeks. He is a player that gives 110% every single game and at this rate he is going to be out of gas by Christmas.

So what do you think? Do you agree that we’re running out of steam and need reinforcements in January?

Or do you think we’re fine as we are? Leave your comments below.

Regular readers will know that I’m not a fan of Alan Shearer. His views this season that he doesn’t believe Arsenal are genuine title contenders is something that has annoyed me and he has the personality of a brick wall. However, for possibly the first time ever, I finally agree with him on something.

He’s come out and said that there should be “zero tolerance” when it comes to match-fixing, and I completely agree.

Match-fixing goes on everywhere and we’ve already seen and heard about high-profile cases in Italy, Germany, Brazil, China, Hungary, Turkey, Finland and South Africa but to name a few.

The problem is, football betting has become so comprehensive now it’s untrue. Whether you think gambling is wrong is another issue, and I will admit I’ve put a bet on or two in the past. But what is crazy now is that you can get on absolutely anything on a single football match – whenever I put a bet on it will be for the final score or first goalscorer, but now you can bet on who gets a yellow card, how many corners there are, the list is endless.

And with this, are more ways to make a quick buck by picking up a yellow card or giving away a freekick. The main reason for match-fixing is greed on part of the players, and the ability to make quick and easy money. In a game which is already flooded with money, in a way I suppose it was inevitable that match-fixing would come to England.

There are a lot of issues to consider – the ethics of gambling itself and what should the authorities do if they find players guilty of participating in match fixing. Gambling will never go away as it’s big business, and with the relaxed laws you see gambling adverts in between (as well as before and after) any televised football match.

But back to the specific problem, and Alan Shearer is right about having a “zero tolerance” policy. Any player found guilty of taking part in match-fixing should be banned from football for life, across the world.

The only way to deter players from being stupid and taking part in something which ruins the integrity of the game is to threaten them with their livelihood. At the moment, there are no real consequences (Bruce Grobbelaar and Hans Segers got off lightly) and players would think twice before jeopardising their whole career for a quick buck.

You would have to think that if the players who have been arrested are found guilty, then they would need to be made examples of.

With Manchester United and Chelsea losing to Newcastle United and Stoke City respectively, and Manchester City drawing against Southampton, Arsenal had a great opportunity to go 7 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

And with 9 minutes of yesterday’s encounter remaining, it looked like Arsenal had managed just that. But just 4 minutes after opening the scoring Gerard Depardieu popped up with the equaliser.

But with seconds remaning, Olivier Giroud almost scored a dramatic winner with a stunning volley which smashed against the bar.

If that went in, it would have taken the roof off The Emirates.

Some Arsenal fans are pleased that they managed to eventually break down a stubborn Everton side, and that Arsene Wenger “went for broke” and went with an almost game-changing triple substitution. It was Rosicky who chipped the ball into the far post, and Theo who headed across the danger area for Ozil to score.

But others are frustrated at having the win within our grasp, only for us to concede an equaliser soon after scoring. For me, Everton are one of the best footballing sides in the Premier League this season, and both sides showed a lot of attacking possession.

I more than anyone was frustrated at conceding after we should have “seen it out” but it wasn’t as if we dominated the game and gave away a sloppy equaliser. Everton came at us all game and there were other times in the match where they probably deserved to score.

As it is, objectively a point each was probably a fair result. Obviously we would have loved to hold on and take home all 3 points but as this Premier League season has shown, anything can happen. Some of the points Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City have all lost this season have been shocks but yesterday wasn’t one of them. Everton are a top side and don’t forget we have a much more demanding schedule than they do. I believe that in retrospect, people will see this as a good point.

Another criticism was our defending for the goal. I think that’s a bit harsh as Szczesny and the back four in 2013 have been pretty much impeccable. Jenkinson did well in Sagna’s absence and Gibbs has been excellent also. We all know about the Mertesacker-Kocielny partnership and the Big Pole has really matured into one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.

So there’s a lot to be positive about. How many Arsenal fans would have believed this summer that on December 9th we would be 5 points clear at the top of the league? I think it’s safe to say, that the total number would have been zero.