Square One does not mean Dial Square. It does mean however that at the beginning of the season I stated three things:

1. Wenger had no natural goal-scorer
2. Wenger didn’t know what his best starting eleven was
3. The Premiership was for Arsenal to throw away this season.

The past few games, particularly Chelsea and the first leg Champions League semi-final underline these points quite well.

Arsenal’s recent Premiership form shows how they could have been in the chase for the title but needlessly threw it away in the early half of the season.

Matches against Chelsea and Manchester United underline the other two points. Eduardo is the club’s only natural goal scorer but has played maybe 15 minutes out of 180 essential minutes of football where Arsenal managed to score one goal.

Admittedly, it’s been poor defence that has conceded three goals but you certainly don’t win matches without scoring.

Diaby’s cameo role against Middlesbrough was impressive on Saturday. However, he was playing a Middlesbrough team vying for relegation, not Champions League glory. At Old Trafford he was shambolic, clueless and played for 90 minutes. During the second half, Fabregas ran the ball almost 40 yards when he could have passed far up the left wing for a rapid counter-attack.

Did he not do so because that player was Diaby?

In general Arsenal’s pass and move on the counter-attack was woeful and cost them an away goal. Ability or comprehension of the importance of keeping possession in the opposition penalty box was non-existent. It was unbelievable how Arsenal passed the ball out from the box, squandering possession instead of sending another player in the zone to unsettle the opposition defence – United by name and nature – and possibly even force them to concede a penalty at Old Trafford.

Vela should have been on the left. Walcott’s being played to often out of position to be consistently effective. He should have taken a shot on goal at the edge of the United penalty box during the first half, not try to pass to a well-marked Adebayor.

Has he lost his confidence to regularly beat the keeper?

Bendtner’s inclusion ahead of Eduardo was mystifying. Wenger’s faith in the Dane is more impressive than the player’s ability to turn a match around. If Adebayor matched Bendtner’s work rate, Arsenal’s season would be heading for an historic course. It doesn’t. However, whether the Dane can make the vital breakthrough in terms of goal-scoring to become worth his bacon is a different question.

As yet he doesn’t sizzle and his conversion rate is lean.

As for next Tuesday, one can almost imagine a pyrrhic Arsenal victory, a stylish 2-1 win with a United away goal dampening the fireworks.

Wenger will need to revisit Square One to find ammunition for Arsenal’s artillery cannon-fire if he wants to break United’s defence about three times. Arsenal’s faithful will expect no less.

One final point – if Arsenal is seriously recruiting a Human Resources Director – is it worth noting that only Almunia did anywhere near the job he was paid to do on Wednesday night?

Should a footballer’s remuneration be aligned to that of a salesman or executive... with basic salaries supplemented by bonuses or commission for each OPTA point, clean sheet, assist, goal, victory, and nothing for a defeat?