Suarez sour note, Captain Jack, no price to pay for Perez

Luis Suarez won't be joining Arsenal. That's for sure. The reason I say this is because I just had a flashback. Do you remember when Steven Gerrard was on the brink of joining Chelsea? Suddenly, the Liverpool skipper had a dramatic change of heart.

We'll never know exactly what happened then, but Liverpool are still considered by some as the biggest club in the world. Their fans are pretty special, judging by what I've heard from players who have played at Anfield. If Liverpool fans want you to stay, it must be hard to say 'no'. Therefore, it's no wonder that Suarez has changed his mind.

Meanwhile, Gerrard is talking about Jack Wilshere becoming the next England captain. Our midfielder seems a natural for the armband, so unlike some people, I'm not too perturbed by this 'news'. He'll need to grab the Arsenal captaincy first though, and I won't be surprised if that happens next year. However, Per Mertesacker must be a contender too, once Mikel Arteta (and perhaps even Thomas Vermaelen - remember him?) relinquishes the responsibility.

Finally, midfielder Sebastian Perez has failed to win a work permit, so won't be joining Arsenal. The Gunners boardroom must be rejoicing as they seem to be guarding the purse strings in the way that our defence should be guarding our goal.

No CJ in Roy's squad

The only Arsenal representatives in England's latest squad are Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott. It may be a blessing in disguise that Carl Jenkinson has missed out as we don't want him getting burned out. He played exceptionally well against Bayern Munich and deserved to be included by Roy Hodgson.
Roy was disappointed he couldn't call upon Jack Wilshere and said: 'To find we can't use him is a major blow - but we still have a strong squad.'

It's a trip to Montenegro first on Tuesday followed by another World Cup qualifier in San Marino. Let's hope our talismanic forwards don't get seven shades of a substance that is rarely grey kicked out of them in either game. All we can hope for is a clean bill of health for Alex and Theo!

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Mission Difficult

It's going to be 'Mission Difficult' tonight, not 'Mission Impossible', according to Arsène Wenger.
I think it's 'Mission More Than Impossible' with our weakened team.
Most startling is the news that Jack Wilshere is out until the end of the month with an ankle injury. He may be back for the Reading game. Not before.
Szczesny is out also. He's been under enormous pressure, so Mannone will have the job of picking the ball out of the net. You never know, he might actually keep a clean sheet. I'm not writing off Vito yet. It could be "'V' for Victory" unless it's 'F' for 'Failure' and Fabianski gets a run-out!
Victory is hard to imagine without Cazorla. He's out too, I've heard, although I didn't see that on the official website. Another absentee will be 'the possibly perennially crocked' Podolski.
Still there's hope! The Meerkat has been found! 'Come in number 23, I need you for the 70th minute and to keep the bench warm with your meerkat fur.' I won't call him Arshavin, as that might remind Wenger not to pay him.
Wenger is more likely to turn to his 'Unholy Trinity': Rosicky, Diaby and Gervinho. That's 'triple jeopardy' to me, but we're virtually out of the competition so there's nothing to jeopardise. All 3 have had their moments, but they have been fleeting. I've lost the faith in them, but Wenger persists with footballing disappointments. While he does that, we'll keep having disappointing results.
Wenger usually sees the light eventually: hence the departure of Denilson. He had his moments too, but how many games did we carry him in?
So despite Galatasaray scoring 3 in Gemany last night and Barcelona overturning a 2-goal deficit, I can't see us emulating both of them. Not with this team, anyway.
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Wenger should get one over on Tas this Sunday!

The Metro will successfully incense most self-respecting Arsenal fans, by choosing a best XI from north London today.

Obviously, Gareth Bale has to make the team. Few would argue with that. But I'd take Giroud over Defoe any day, although I used to be a fan of the England international, I don't think he's as good as he was.

Gibbs is the only Arsenal defender to make it, and the only other Arsenal players selected are Theo, Cazorla and Wilshere. So we get 4 out of 11! That's scandalous! We deserve at least 5 and probably 6. I'd stick Arteta in there, and (including Giroud) that would make 6.

And although Wenger's under fire, I don't think I could prefer AVB as boss. He's not done anything yet in the English game and he sounds too much like a cartoon Tasmanian Devil to be taken seriously in my opinion.

Arsenal's midfield should adjust to Theo

No matter how you spin it, 2013 has started disappointingly, with 2 points dropped at St Mary's. With all due respect, Southampton are relegation fodder, so we should be looking at maximum return against them. Still, we didn't achieve that against Blackburn last season, so we should almost expect to slip up against the 'lowly lights' of the Premier League. Theo Walcott put the ball in the net, but it was ruled offside, which brings me back to my favourite subject: the winger-cum-striker. One of the issues at stake, when considering Theo's ability to play upfront, is our midfield's willingness to play the right kind of ball to him. At Arsenal, there is a certain penchant for playing balls to feet, especially now the visionary Cesc Fabregas has gone. Santi Cazorla is well capable of playing passes for Theo to run onto, but it's important that all of our midfield adjust to playing to Theo. It shouldn't be the other way around. So next time some 'informed' fan tells you that Theo will never be a striker as long as he's got two holes for nostrils, ask them about the service he gets. This guy managed three goals versus Newcastle without the best of service and was unclucky not to notch another against his old club, Southampton. Never forget, striker rely on service, and often that area has been lacking, despite all the efforts of Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta. The irony is once the midfield adjusts to Theo, the England international will no likely be off elsewhere on a free transfer where he'll be valued as a striker from the start. Meanwhile, let's get goals out of him while we can!

I'm no AKB but stop this Wenger witch-hunt!

It's a feeding frenzy! Knee-jerk reaction city! And it's unhealthy. I'm certainly no Wenger apologist, but calls for Wenger's head seem premature. Yes, it was humiliating getting knocked out of the Capital One Cup. And yes, something is terribly wrong at the club, right now. Strange things are going on. Podolski has been 'under the weather' (which sounded like a new definition of 'pathetic fallacy' to me) and has not been the same since. Arshavin has disappeared under mysterious circumstances, amid news in the Metro that he will never play for Arsenal again. Why? What has the meerkat done wrong? Too many Compare The Market commercials? Who knows? Also, who knows why Theo Walcott hasn't signed a new deal yet. Is it because Wenger won't play him as striker? Is that the same thing that has caused Podolski to become 'under the weather' and to lose his form? The phrase 'architect of your own downfall' comes to mind, when discussing Wenger, right now. But Reading and Wigan away are his main concerns for now. It's all about the next game. Surely, two wins and six points will change our negative perceptions. Meanwhile, 51% of ESPN viewers in a poll say Arsenal should decide Wenger's future in May. I think that would be fair. Pep Guardiola would probably be a good fit, when it comes to a successor, but there's no guarantee that he would hit the ground running. Especially not with this team. Having said that, Arsenal looked like Barcelona-lite versus the highly-placed WBA with a midfield triumvirate of Arteta, Cazorla and Wilshere. Take one of the trio out of the equation and we end up with an unholy trinity! Okay, that's a bit hyperbolic, but we certainly don't dominate games with Coquelin (for all his merits) in there instead of Arteta. So the return of Arteta could make all the difference. Oh, and Giroud, if he recovers from his back injury. These two players are key to our success. Gervinho upfront is an experiment that hasn't worked enough to justify sticking with it. Wenger's stubborn belief in Gervinho as a striker will make us lose points and players, as Podolski and Walcott become frustrated watching the Ivorian miss more than strike in front of goal. Let's hope Wenger wakes up and smells the coffee. He can still turn this season around. I'm not expecting a trophy now, but (like Wenger) I'll be satisfied with 4th place. Anything less than that, and I'll consider calling for his head too.

Does this Arsenal team have top-four quality?

After the debacle against Swansea, I've been hitting the Twittersphere big time, discussing the merits of the first XI. I still maintain Arsenal have enough talent to finish in the top four. Marc Ollington of The Gooner disagrees. So let's break down the team: Szczesny: Today's performance suggests that he is good enough to play for a top-four club. He made some impressive saves and only made one mistake, when he kicked the ball into touch after a misunderstanding with Jenkinson. But how many keepers are better than him. Lloris, Cech, Hart, Schwarzer, De Gea, Krul, Ruddy, and Jaaskelainen may be better. Jenkinson: Could you see him walking into one of the top-3 teams? Erm, no. How about Spurs. Not really, as they have Walker. So he's not top 4. Yet. Like Szczesny, he could be at that level in a year or two. Mertesacker: Maybe I'm crazy, but I think he'd get into a top-4 team. He's got a lot of caps for Germany, so that says it all. Vermaelen: He'd be able to play in any top 4 team, I feel. Gibbs: I really rate him. He's not as good as Ashley Cole yet & he's not at the level of Patrice Evra. Leighton Baines is better too, but I think he'd just about squeeze into a top-4 team. Walcott: His pace and finishing are huge assets. He's good enough for any Premier League team. He'll go to a higher placed team when he leaves Arsenal, so that will prove it! Arteta: Well, he's better than Michael Carrick, so that logic means he's good enough too! I'm worried he's playing too many games, given his age though. Cazorla: Clearly, he's good enough for any Premier League team. He's a bit off colour, right now, though. Wilshere: The same as Cazorla, except he's been off for ages through injury, so it's unfair to heap too much pressure on him. Gervinho: I'm not sure he's good enough for a midtable team, let alone one pushing for Champions League qualification. Podolski: Today's performance suggests his nowhere near good enough, but he just need a rest. You don't win 100 caps for Germany if you're not top-4 material. Subs: Giroud: Looks sharp, despite limited opportunities. Definitely, top-4 level for me, but not as technically good as Robin van Persie. Oxlade-Chamberlain: He's good enough, but he's out-of-form. He'll bounce back, but he needs time. Rosicky: Not convinced he's good enough nowadays. He used to be, but he's too injury-prone. So, I reckon 8 of the starting XI are of the required standard, 2 are quite close and 1 is nowhere near. That should be good enough, but Arsenal's problem is form not class. Wenger needs to inject some confidence into this team and then we'll be seeing so good performances again. But he will need to add to the squad or this could be a disastrous season. Marouane Fellaini will do!

Go fourth & multiply Arsenal's funds

Fourth is the new first (when it comes to signing players and the bank balance) and conveniently that's where we sit right now (albeit temporarily) after a tough 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers. It was made extra tough by the referee's performance. Although he did send off a player near the end, he allowed Rangers to get away with only standing 8 to 9 yards away when Arsenal were taking freekicks. The referee, Anthony Taylor, even paced out 10 yards, yet still allowed the wall to stand one or 2 yards in front of where they were supposed to be. He completely lost control of the players. Despite Rangers' league position, no one should think they are definite relegation fodder. There's a lot of talent in that expensively assembled side, so despite their poor start I don't expect them to go down. Arsenal, meanwhile, huffed and puffed, which was to be expected given recent form. Arsene Wenger made a couple of changes to the team that lost to Schalke. Sagna and Wilshere were welcome returnees, with Coquelin and Jenkinson making way. Many thought Jenkinson should have kept his place in the side, and I would considered playing Sagna at left back instead of Santos. However, I remain convinced that Santos will return to his best after a few more games. Going forward, there are few better left backs than Santos. From a defensive point of view, some would argue there are few worse. Personally, I think Santos's problem is fitness. He's a clever player, who knows where he should be positionally, but he can't always make up the ground because of his lack of match fitness. Only games will improve him in this area. Mannone had a good game in goal, and provided a last-ditch save to keep the goal intact when it looks like we would give up two points. Sagna played remarkably well for someone who has been out so long, and the same goes for Wilshere. The two centre backs, Mertesacker and Vermaelen, were mostly solid, while Santos had a lot to do, but did most of it reasonably well. However, it can't be forgotten that most of QPR's attacks came down his side. That can't be a coincidence. Ramsey on the right had his moments, both positive and negative. A couple of stray passes and everyone on his back. Somebody shouted out: 'Taxi for Ramsey'. But he stayed on for the full duration of the match, and showed impressive energy levels and will be credited with an assist for Arteta's goal. Apart from scoring, Arteta was underpar. Not bad, but not at his best. The same goes for Cazorla, who didn't play like a player of the month. Still above-average compared to other Premier league players though. Podolski started brightly, but faded as the match went on. As we all know, he's been playing with an injury, so that's no surprise really. Giroud improved as the game went on, and was instrumental in the goal. He's also not too shy to shoot, and given our poor record upfront the season, he has to play. The substitutes, Walcott and Arshavin, certainly made a difference, with the little meerkat crossing for Giroud's header, which led to the goal. Gervinho's injury, while regrettable, may lead to Theo Walcott getting more opportunities to play, so that could be a blessing in disguise, especially as the England winger is yet to sign a new deal. It was great to get some good news, after two back-to-back defeats. Any win is a good win when it's a local 'derby', so I was delighted with three points. I was less than delighted in midweek, when chairman Peter Hill-Wood said at the AGM: 'Thank you for your interest in our affairs'. It was yet another PR gaffe that we've learnt to expect from Arsenal's equivalent of Prince Phillip. Still, it was a pleasing end to the week, so well done to the team for bouncing back! Let's have more of the same against Reading.

Arsenal diary - back to winning ways

Post match: 3-1 v Olympiakos, with Arsenal's new predator, Gervinho, scoring one and setting up Podolski. Sub Giroud provides for fellow sub Rambo to make a sloppy performance look better than it was. Talk about flattering scoreline! Missing Mertesacker, who's out with a virus.

Pre-match: Jenkinson is wanted by Finland and to my surprise I'm hoping he'll choose England instead. Let's hope Roy calls him up. Just a month or so ago, I wasn't sure he was good enough for Arsenal and now I'm thinking England! You're as good as your last game or games in Carl's case.
Wenger is right to point out the positives v Chelsea and say that 'what was not good is easy to correct'. Bring Per back!
Arsenal are 10/11 to beat Olympiakos tonight, but it's not going to be that easy. However, the Chelsea defeat may pump up our players and get them extra motivated. 2-0 I reckon to Arsenal.

Monday - a media circus turned out to see Jack Wilshere's comeback game against WBA's U21 side. We lost 1-0 but Jack looked tough enough to be ready for a first-team return, judging by the way he handled some sturdy physical challenges. He looked a bit ring rusty though, but you'd expect that given the amount of time he's been out of action.

Right now, we sit in 8th, 2 points behind our next opponents West Ham, who beat bottom club QPR convincingly away from home 2-1. It's going to be tough to beat the Hammers with Sam Allardyce in charge and like us, they've only lost once so far this season. I predict a draw.

Also above us at this stage are: top-of-the-table Chelsea, who won't stay there long unless I'm very much mistaken; Everton, ditto; Man U, who are looking shaky; Man C, no surprises there; Spurs, boo hiss, but playing well; WBA, a surprise package so far but set to slip down the table I reckon; and the aforementioned Hammers.
I still say we'll finish 3rd.

Arsenal's new number 10 should RVP leave

While we're still in the dark about Robin van Persie's contract negotiations with Arsenal, it's always good to hear what the fans are saying. I just heard Tim Stillman on the Arseblog podcast make an interesting point about RVP possibly seeing out his contract. Tim says if that happens, then the onus is on him to stay fit. The only thing is how can you legislate against injury? Especially if you have a chocolate leg. In the fast-and-furious Premier League, you're only a stray tackle away from being crocked. Just ask Aaron Ramsey and Abou Diaby. Unfortunately, I think the club will have no option but to sell RVP if he refuses to sign. We have to think of the future and if we can get £20m RVP, we could draft a decent-ish replacement, surely?

Meanwhile, former Gunner Patrick Vieira reckons we have to avoid letting RVP go. The story in The Telegraph goes on about how Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere may also leave if RVP leaves this summer. The way this club has being run, perhaps we shouldn't be too alarmed by that. As long as we bring in large amounts of money that is re-invested in the squad, I don't have a problem with that. What worries me is the club putting profits before points. Last season's disastrous start showed the dangers of asset-stripping (allowing Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri to leave without replacing them) and surely the club has learned from the experience.

Maybe that was why we bought Lukas Podolski. It's a bit early in the pre-season to be allocating squad numbers, butI'm predicting he'll be the new number 10 if the RVP saga isn't sorted out soon.