Well it's gone and happened. Cesc is injured and it looks serious as well, by all accounts we're looking at months of him being out injured rather than weeks, which judging by how upset he was when he left the pitch on Sunday was what he was thinking as well. I hate to say I told you so but I did say in a previous article that if we ever lost him to an injury we would be in big trouble. Well I think we are now in that situation.

God knows what midfield Arsene Wenger will use at Villa Park on Boxing Day, it's too worrying to think about. We have just played Liverpool and playing against us was the midfielder we should have bought in the summer, Alonso. And how ironic that it should be him that was in the collision with Cesc. Lucky Arsenal huh? So Liverpool wanted £16million for him, so what? The guy is quality and plays centre midfield for the champion nation of Europe, how much did Arsene really expect to get him for?

This Boxing Day we face Villa who have in their midfield Gareth Barry - another quality midfield player who could do a fine job for us, but no doubt going for a price Arsene would I seriously doubt consider purchasing. What is worrying me slightly is the rumours that we are looking at Arshavin. God no, we have players like him falling over each other in our squad, Nasri, Fab, Rosicky?, Walcott.

What we need is a steely defensive midfielder, a chew ‘em up and spit ‘em out centre half. Maybe two of those while I think of it. Once again I ask the question all Gooners are asking, do we have money to spend or not? The Board says ‘yes’ yet Arsene Wenger treats it like his own money. We could get three players from West Ham, Green, Upson, and maybe Noble for a pretty good price but not an insulting one Arsene.

Just one more thing, I know this won't be a popular statement but maybe some time outside the top 4 is what we need to make Arsene and/or the Board wake up and realise what's going on here, because I think deep down this obsession with just getting a top 4 place, thus qualifying for the Champions League gravy train is where we are going wrong.

What if the Board are saying to Arsene Wenger, just get us in the top 4 Arsene, anything else is a bonus? It's tempting to say it's worrying times for our boys, yet I comfort myself by looking at the league table and see the Spuds still deep in the brown stuff despite their recent form, which won’t last forever, so life's not so bad after all fellow Gooners.

So I'd like to wish all my fellow Gooners a very happy Xmas and wish Cesc a speedy recovery, and that Arsene buys us some pressies in January.