Well what can you say? For most Gooners the first three games in this difficult run have gone as expected, a draw at the tough to visit Villa Park followed by defeat against United and Chelsea. Needless to say losing at home to Liverpool (which would put them only two points behind us!) is unthinkable… we need to win and make the gap eight points again.

Defeat is difficult to swallow in such games for different reasons. Against United we simply didn’t show up and at Chelsea we did, but with no end product and more poor defending. What is also difficult to take is that many Gooners, myself included, are starting to doubt Wenger and how much further he can go. It seems quite clear that he is allowing things to slide (which he wouldn’t have done in the past) based on the idea he wants to prove everyone wrong and win the “moral war” by winning with youth, good football and profitable transfer windows.

However, I can’t help but feel the players also need to stand up and be counted; they should also take a large portion of blame. Against United, nine of the starting eleven where part of what is many people’s first choice Arsenal team - Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy, Fabregas, Nasri, Song, and Arshavin. The only changes would be Diaby for Denilson and RvP for Rosicky. The same could be said for the Chelsea game where ten of the starting eleven were first choicers with the only change being RvP for Theo. So yes, I acknowledge Wenger should have bought a new striker in January, but what has gone so wrong with the other ten positions?

At the start of the season this was essentially the same team. We were winning well and fans were confident of trophies. The formation is the same now as it was then, but the big difference is tactics… or lack of them. Back in August we worked hard with high energy levels. This meant we pressed high up the pitch, winning the ball back quickly to stop counter attacks and attack as a team early. Yes we weren’t keeping clean sheets but the goals against were usually consolations and from set pieces. However, now we do not press or close down, we do not tackle and we do not win the ball high up the pitch. Instead we back off and retreat, letting teams break at us with pace and freedom. Goals conceded are now the first and second of the game which is too much to come back from every time, and near impossible against any of the ‘big four’. In addition if we do win the ball back, it’s in our half, often close to edge of our area. So our attacks are slower, we have to counter from deeper which means teams have more chance to get back in numbers or break up the play before we go any further.

And why is all this happening? Tiredness of a thin squad? Injuries hampering the ability to rotate? No, for me it is confidence; too many players are in poor form. Where is the Almunia who kept out Lehmann? Where are the Clichy and Sagna who got into the 2008 Premier League team of the year? Where is the Nasri who scored two against United? And so on, finishing with Arshavin who is being wasted down the middle while RvP is out.

So yes Wenger has a lot to answer for, and many people to now prove wrong. But it is also time for the players to take some responsibility and actually earn their ridiculous salaries. When in form, we praise the players for being great, but when they are off form and not performing, or in some cases not even showing up, we seem to let them off lightly and blame Wenger, saying he has assembled a team of useless men. A middle ground between improvement by both players and manager is needed… sadly it’s all too late as far as season 2009/10 goes! At least domestically… Madrid here we come?… says the man who always tries to keep his glass half full :)