January 2008 seems like a long time ago. Arsenal were top of the Premiership, Emmanuel Adebayor was a hard working goalscorer whom the crowd adored and Tomas Rosicky was in the Arsenal starting line up. A lot has changed in the time since the Czech midfielder last kicked a ball in anger. Arsenal threw away the title in 2008, slid down to a fourth placed finish in 2009, then our Togolese striker chose to move to Manchester City for the glamour, glory and ambition (not money) and, in doing so, became public enemy number one at the Emirates.

Yet Rosicky is now back and ready to combine his creative powers with our captain (and his best friend) Cesc Fabregas. This must come as a massive boost for Arsenal, one that potentially overshadows the sad injury to Samir Nasri in pre-season. Rosicky is second only to William Gallas in terms of experience in our probable starting eleven. He has 67 caps for Czech Republic, many as captain, and was wreaking havoc against opposing defences in the Champions League for Sparta Prague and Borussia Dortmund before some of our first team squad were even out of nappies!

Rosicky was integral to some of the brightest Arsenal moments post Henry, Vieira et al. At the beginning of 2007-08 he formed a formidable foursome in midfield with Cesc, Fla-money and Hleb. We all hope to see Arshavin exceed Hleb’s achievements as a roaming creator at the club and, if only Arsene would dip his hand into his pocket to buy a suitable replacement for Flamini, we’d have every chance of emulating that remarkable surge to the top of the table in 2007.

Let us not forget that towards the end of that particular season many critics suggested it was the absence of Van Persie and Eduardo that was the primary reason Arsenal fans were mourning the loss of another title challenge (and bemoaning the club’s injury record), such was our profligacy in front of goal in four consecutive draws against Birmingham, ‘Boro, Wigan and Villa. Yet I believe that the absence of Rosicky was just as important in the team’s slump in form. He is a player that keeps the ball moving with one touch passing and relentlessly forages the pitch in search of space. Fitness permitting, he is sure to be a key player as his elegant style matches the spectacle of football that Arsene loves best.

In addition, Rosicky can be a key factor in dousing the tabloid rumours of a departure to Barcelona for our much loved Captain. His close relationship to Cesc will surely ensure that we keep hold of the little Catalan for a while yet, should their on-pitch relationship prove just as harmonious as their friendship. He can provide the glue that joins together the neat yet ultimately fruitless passages of play, so often witnessed by Arsenal supporters in recent times.

I accept I may be getting ahead of myself; I concede 45 minutes against Barnet hardly constitutes a title challenge. Yet at Underhill I witnessed a hungry player, who looked determined to make up for lost time by snapping into tackles and seeking to combine the play with the wily Arshavin. He did not resemble a player devoid of competitive football for 18 months. Let’s hope that these early hopes are not dashed and pray that our Czech and his mate unite to bring a long awaited trophy to Arsenal.