My previous article suggested that our recent run of good results were simply papering over the cracks. I tried to convince myself that I was just being pessimistic, but following yesterday’s defensive collapse, I have unfortunately been proved right. Again.

Sometimes as a fan you just get feelings on matchday. I awoke early Saturday morning with this deep dark fear of what was to unfold later in the afternoon. And as with many of these games with Arsenal in recent years it started very well. Moving the ball quite well over the worst pitch we have played on all year. Then the goal via Cashley, which was quite amusing I must add, and things were looking rosy. Then a piece of slack defending by our old friend Eboue and some p*ss poor positioning from our dodgy stand-in keeper, and the writing was on the wall.

Ok, we were missing Gallas, Sagna and Gael, but this is a squad game we play today. There is just no strength to our defensive depth. Wenger’s starting line up was also a little confusing too. Arshavin should have played. No question he has been a revelation since arriving in N5. Why no Song either? Has he not been our most improved player over the last few months? Sometimes it is very clear that Arsene actually has no bloody idea of his best eleven or formation for the really big games.

Against the best teams in Europe we need to defend better, be more compact as a unit, and attack as a unit. We did none of these things at Wembley. We now have a few league games to get this problem sorted before the BIG test against Man Utd. Starting Tuesday night. Playing the big boys is what our players should be dreaming about as professional footballers at a club like Arsenal.

We play the Perms Tuesday, Mancs three times over the next four weeks and the Chavs have to pay a visit to Ashburton before the season’s out. Plenty of time to prove some points. Let’s hope it is not five tests we fail as badly as the first. Dreams of silverware are again starting to fade and I can already see the paper speculation and hear the rumours about our best players. It could be another very long summer...