Strange kind of game yesterday at home to Liverpool. Neither side impressed greatly, and frankly neither looked like champions in waiting. Still, you can have duff performances and win a title as long as you get some results in the process. So job done for Liverpool.

I won’t be over-critical of Arsenal for their failure to create many chances whilst they had eleven men on the pitch. Liverpool are not the same as West Brom, Hull, Wigan and Aston Villa – all sides Arsenal struggled to create chances against. Liverpool are Champions League level. The problem for the Gunners is that if they don’t up their game soon, then it’s a standard they might drop from, both in terms of taking part in the competition and the quality of their football.

Captain Cesc Fabregas attempted to show the way with his commitment. He’s out for at least three weeks as a result. Maybe the rest could benefit him, but obviously there’s concern over his knee. It didn’t look good as he left the pitch.

I was listening to the commentary on the radio (BBC 5live) as I watched the match at the stadium. Alan Green had the nerve to criticize the home fans for pressuring the referee! I have never heard such a biased commentary in all my days. Never seems to be an issue for him at Anfield! In truth it was good to hear the crowd get on the ref’s back – it’s the kind of hothouse atmosphere that helps the team. And that was before the sending off. Adebayor was undoubtedly physical, and there is an argument that a devil’s advocate could make that he may have been guilty of foul play with use of his arm to fend off his marker in the exchange that led to his second yellow. But it was never a booking. He used his trailing leg to try and protect the ball but it wasn’t being aimed at the defender’s leg. Bad decision.

Still, it galvanized Arsenal’s spirit and – even if they didn’t create many chances, they finished the game creditably and managed to take a point. Liverpool fashioned better opportunities and exposed that the home side’s defence is still highly vulnerable. Robbie Keane’s goal was proof enough of that.

Arsenal have three players capable of providing either guile or pace unavailable through injury and they are suffering as a result. Now they are without Fabregas too. The younger players who could come in and possibly provide something different – Vela, Ramsey, Wilshere – obviously aren’t trusted by the manager, which begs the question what the point is of putting them in the first team squad. Start filtering them in as there seems little chance of the current options (Nasri excepted) doing anything beyond the turgid displays witnessed too often this season.

Eboue, Denilson, Song and Diaby could go down as Wenger’s version of McGoldrick, Hillier, Morrow and Carter 15 years on, but at least they were in cup winning squads. I suspect all four will start at Villa Park on Friday.

We go into Christmas at least avoiding a defeat, something Spurs fans can’t say. But Villa fans will be enjoying their dinners on Thursday. The Boxing Day match is now massive. Losing would be a huge dent to the hopes of the customary Champions League qualification. And with the carrot of fourth place who is to say Villa won’t spend more than the Gunners in January.

Arsenal have half a team at the moment. The squad is the weakest it has ever been during Wenger’s time at the club. The Liverpool game merely confirmed this. Elements of commitment, but little quality. I actually wonder if Arsene Wenger can acknowledge to himself how badly it’s all gone wrong. At Monaco, the end came when he dispensed with the experienced older professionals and relied too much on younger players. He’s not without form. The board have allowed it to happen because the balance books are still looking good. Let’s see what happens when the middle tier renewals come round in spring. Danny Fiszman has shown he can be ruthless. If the right replacement became available, then he might be ruthless again.