Where do I start? Let’s begin with the benefits of chucking the FA Cup v Stoke last weekend. I’m sure we can all agree that the point gained out of the six possible in the two fixtures since fully justified the manager’s decision to leave out so many players from the starting eleven at the Britannia. To think, had Arsenal given some credibility to the competition, then we might be a point worse off in the Premier League.

Here’s a wonderfully profound text I received from Seva, a Russian Gooner. “Arsenal tried underdog’s shirt – a perfect fit”. Here’s another from our very own blogger Simon Rose: “Amateurs 1 Professionals 3. We feel inferior so we play inferior. Why cross the ball for 15 minutes without Bendtner? Imbecilic. Keeper a must”. Nani took a lot of credit for United’s opening goal, but the bottom line is that his shot was a cross until the Spanish waiter flapped it into his own goal. What is it about Arsenal players wanting to score for United?

Let’s face facts here, United could easily have left the stadium yesterday having scored six. There was no solidity, intelligence, cohesion and at times plain bottle to the Gunners’ defending. They were shocking when not in possession of the ball. Alan Hansen described Gael Clichy’s efforts to prevent the third goal as the ‘worst defending I’ve seen in 50 years’ or something similar. I know there’s a desperate desire amongst the fans for Clichy to succeed, due to the player he replaced in 2006, but even if he’s showed hints that he could develop as well as Ashley Cole did, it simply hasn’t worked out. I’m not sure he’s ever been the same player since that game at Birmingham City in 2008.

Arsenal have got to a position where they could have challenged for the title by outscoring the opposition in spite of rarely looking competent when not in possession of the ball. Thing is, you can get away with gifting chances to some teams, because they are not good enough to take advantage often enough to win the game. But against the likes of United, you will get punished. I had no doubts before kick off that the home team would not keep a clean sheet. The only real issue was how many Wenger’s players could score. And on that level, United gave their hosts a lesson in finishing.

What was frustrating was that for the last ten minutes, encouraged by a goal, Arsenal actually had more of a go at United in terms of positively trying to create a bit of havoc in their area and the visitors wobbled. They had a central defence of Wes Brown and Johnny Evans, one of those Brazilian twins at right back and were frankly there for the taking if Wenger’s team had the right approach.

However, Arshavin is not much of a team player, so he created opportunities – at least one of which he should have laid the ball off to either Nasri or Fabregas – that created some ‘oohs’ in the stands, but these were not really team moments. Just a guy who trusts more in his own ability than that of his colleagues. I think there is a lot of that in the squad at the moment. That sure isn’t the hallmark of winners.

The transfer window closes in a few hours. Wenger’s words about only buying if it would improve on what he already has kept ringing in my ears while the game was in progress yesterday. And if he is being serious, then I think it’s time that the manager’s abilities to judge a player – and indeed the budget being used on the scouting network – were called into question. The manager and the scouting staff supposedly meet every season to go through the squad position by position and see what is needed. Maybe it’s time to let a disgruntled punter or two address the gathering.

Still, it’s not all bad news. An open top bus parade is scheduled for the end of May in which the manager and directors will be displaying their profit and loss accounts between the stadium and Islington Town Hall.

What should worry the board now is the fact that the middle tier renewals take place in February and March each year. As head of UK marketing Angus Kinnear has admitted, “The 51,000 (ordinary) seats we have on top of those 9,000 (middle tier seats) are just a bonus.” In other words, the club level and hospitality boxes are utterly integral to Arsenal. These don’t sell, the club’s ambitions take a significant dent. Buying Andrey Arshavin last season created enough of a buzz to sell a proportion of these seats, but I’m hearing that the ordinary season ticket waiting list has now been closed. I wonder if this might be so that applicants are told that the only way they can get a season ticket now is to buy one in club level. Or maybe I am just being cynical. Certainly, the middle tier has become a tougher and tougher sell, the longer the team have been in the stadium. The correlation between that and the lack of silverware is pretty damn obvious.

Let’s just look at the bigger picture to give the rose tinters their moment. The manager is of the opinion that 82 points will be enough to win the title this season. Arsenal have 49 from 24 matches. There are a further 42 points up for grabs. Wenger’s men can finish the season with 91 points, or to deal with something vaguely within the realms of reality, they can afford to drop a further nine points and – in the view of the deluded one – still be champions. I think it’s pretty much a given by now that Chelsea will win next weekend, meaning Arsenal have six points to gift away between February 8th and May.

If you want my opinion, one of Chelsea or United will win the title with more than 82 points, probably Chelsea. In fact regular Gooner writer Charlie Ashmore, who has a lot more belief in the manager and the players than I do, expressed the view before the United game that winning at Stamford Bridge next weekend was a lot more important than beating Ferguson’s men, and that we could afford to lose yesterday as he felt United were more likely to drop points as the season progressed. There looks no doubt now that Arsenal’s next encounter has become a must win game, and hopefully they will surprise us.

However, in truth, I can’t see how a team that has defended so appallingly all season (and indeed the one before) is suddenly going to pull it all together in seven days. The transfer deadline is at 5pm today. Maybe the club have bought someone while I have been avoiding the news. Maybe David Villa and Luigi Buffon will be unveiled at a shocked press conference this afternoon. Maybe I will enjoy a night of carnal hedonism with Halle Berry and Jessica Alba. Maybe Arsenal will win something this season. All within the realms of scientific possibility. Not very likely though.

Sometime Gooner contributor Greg Tyndall said to me after the defeat yesterday, “I’m looking forward to reading your editorial tomorrow”. I responded, “I’m not looking forward to writing it”. A final word from the Highbury Spy – ‘Tell all the Arsene Knows brigade that you’re not being negative, you’re just expressing the view of the vast majority of Arsenal fans’. It certainly gives me no pleasure to write this stuff, and I can fully understand why people don’t want to read it. Maybe next Monday I’ll spare you by just limiting my regular offering to three words that I kept hearing yesterday after 4pm: Not good enough.