Yesterday’s 4-0 victory over Wigan very much confirmed the Premier League as a division of three sub-divisions. Those with regular Champions League participation that pay the best wages (my belief is that you can pretty safely add Man City to that group now), those with ambitions to break up the elite group at the top of the table (principally Villa, Spurs and Everton) and those with ambitions to simply remain in the division.

I’ve previously referred to Tony Adams’ belief that if they beat the bottom ten teams home and away, a team will pick up enough points from their remaining eighteen matches to win the title. I am currently clinging onto this idea as the only way Arsenal will triumph in the league for the first time since 2004. And, in fairness, Wigan were dispatched with little trouble. They looked a poor side, which surprised me as I thought Roberto Martinez has the potential to be a very good manager. However, Arsenal too, were fairly poor in spite of winning convincingly.

There was a lot of sloppiness, a lot of errors. The kind of football that will be punished by better teams, as we witnessed last weekend at Middle Eastlands. The fear is that the team are not able to miraculously rid themselves of this tendency to lose possession a bit too easily and leave themselves exposed at the back.

Cesc Fabregas seems to be playing a bit half-heartedly at the moment, as if his mind is elsewhere. I think the transfer window just gone might be the straw that broke the camel’s back for him. We all know that the squad needed investment. A portion of the £40 million raised by the sales to Manchester City was used to buy Vermaelen and improve the contracts of certain existing players. But a lot of money was left over. Whether this was not spent due to Wenger’s stubbornness or the Highbury Square debt matters not just now. Arsenal started the season with a self-imposed handicap and their chances of winning a trophy largely depend on luck in the cups. Too many individuals in the team are simply too error-prone to win the title.

So Fabregas, having tasted success with Spain (the 2005 FA Cup win a distant memory), almost certainly wants more and fully realizes that the club he captains are in no position to satisfy his desire to be a winner. And he’s playing like a man who is not committed. And frankly, I can’t blame him. The fans are as frustrated as him that the club – whilst charging such high prices for admission – cannot buy a couple more players of the quality of Arshavin and Vermaelen. Or at the very least give more exposure to some of the promising British youths currently getting splinters in their arses.

Perhaps things will change. Perhaps the team will rediscover their early season discipline. Perhaps minds will once again prove very focused. Perhaps the club will be fortunate with injuries once the current bunch of absentees return. Perhaps Tomas Rosicky will once again be a regular starter. He has the kind of experience and composure that is so evidently absent in certain of the younger players.

One encouraging thing about yesterday’s game was Alex Song’s ability to make a couple of telling fouls near the centre circle when danger threatened. Nothing wrong with a little cynicism as the great Milan side of the late 80s/early 90s Wenger so admires will tell you. Some steel is certainly required to win trophies, alongside the occasional foray into the dark side.

The team has begun a run of matches against opposition they should be able to take care of without too much difficulty, but one hopes they do not approach the task with the complacency we saw in Liege during the week. Let’s see if they can pick up the points on offer and get a bit of momentum going, rediscovering the good habits we know they are capable of. Consistency is vital to make up for the points dropped in the two visits to Manchester. Consistency is also vital to the psychological belief of the side. I’d also like a bit of consistency in starting eleven selection and less rotation. Ok, injuries make this a little inevitable, but I’d like a settled first team with people coming in when required to plug the gaps. Let’s see how Arshavin, Van Persie and Rosicky look together with Song, Fabregas and Denilson as the trio behind them, fitness allowing. Banish Eboue and Diaby to the bench and use Eduardo, Walcott and Bendtner as impact subs. This assuming we are going to stick with 4-3-3. There’s also Samir Nasri to come back in time - who might do a better job than Denilson.

Perhaps with some consistency of selection the team might start to look less ragged. In isolation, the 4-0 victory was just fine. But it also provided warnings for tougher days. Let’s hope that the tapes are analysed and the lessons learned.

Stan Kroenke sat next to Peter Hill-Wood to watch this match. It was his second in-the-flesh experience of watching the team of which he is the largest single owner. The previous time was the dour 1-1 league draw against Liverpool sandwiched between the Champions League quarter final legs in the spring of 2008. He sat next to Keith Edelman that day. 4-0 at home probably looked quite good to his untrained eye. Don’t be fooled by the scoreline Stan. There is investment needed in the team rather than Arsenal Holdings PLC shares.

Kevin Whitcher is the co-author of ‘Arsènal: the Making of a Modern Superclub’. The book can be bought by onlinegooner readers in paperback direct from the publishers with a £1 discount offer on the already discounted price. To take advantage of this offer, Click this link, select ‘buy now’, and on the next page you will have the opportunity to enter a promo code. Enter the word ‘gooner’ here and the amount is recalculated to £4.99. So, a £1 saving. Postage and packing (£2.49 in the UK) will be added before you complete your order.