Simon Rose is spot on, as ever about the Stoke game in his consistently excellent blog. Le Boss had some difficult selection decisions and he can be forgiven for prioritising the upcoming crunch sequence of league fixtures. However, he has been badly let down by some of his selections and some familiar weak spots in the side.

I found Vela’s and Walcott’s performances particularly disappointing - no make that sickening. Both have much to prove in a World Cup year besides which, there are regular opportunities for attacking roles in the Gunners’ starting XI which they should be desperate to fill. These will of course disappear any day now when Le Boss splashes the transfer cash and the formula for turning rocking horse sh*t into renewable green energy is patented. Anyway, while neither of those two are exactly six foot plus brick outhouses, they could still demonstrate some fighting spirit by showing for the ball, tackling back and refraining from whining at the ref and worse, team mates at every opportunity.

Hope is fading for me that Eduardo will recover his spark and reproduce the explosive finishing of old, but at least he gets stuck in and fashions openings for his team mates. Surely that’s not too much to ask our World Cup wannabes to do and I pray Walcott is not going to turn into a Bentley.

Fabianski was another disappointing lightweight and clearly ‘bottled’ Stoke’s opener. It’s time to find a real keeper by which I mean someone who stops bread and butter shots and crosses, dominates the six yard area and marshals his back four. I’ve read Mannone has signed a new contract today but all three of our front line keepers are interchangeable flappers who inspire absolutely no confidence in either their team mates or the fans in the stands. This between the posts shambles is offending on a serial scale and has to be put right if Arsenal are to consistently win and even challenge for titles. Enough.

For a club of Arsenal’s stature to go into several fixtures without a recognised striker is also bewildering. I hope Bendtner repays Le Boss’ faith with some goals but these were not exactly flying into the net before his injury. Anyway, for all that chuntering, “In Arsene we trust” and here’s to some inspirational performances in all the cracking matches we have in front of us in the next few weeks.