"A Different Arsenal"

I am quite frankly fed up of all the hype surrounding big games, pumping myself up for a memorable occasion, with a cacophony of similar emotions shared by family, friends, and of course the mouthy Arsenal FC crew. I don't know about you, but it is becoming rather boring, the build-up, the readiness to realise potential, the match day nerves, only to fall flat on our faces against a fellow "big team" who are in reality superior opposition.

As I mentioned last week, the Champions League semi finals were our one chance for Wenger to be vindicated in his quest for realising our undoubted potential and strength, to kill off any lingering doubts that we are a big club, but only a second-rate one. To put us back on the map right at the very top when compared to our opponents and against the other two semi-finalists.

Sadly, as I sat and grimaced through the match at Old Trafford, at least certainly for the first half-hour, the painful realisation crept in on me and must have amongst many of you passionate Gooners out there- we are probably not as good as the Manchester Uniteds and Chelseas of this world, and we have been cruelly found out! As Rooney, Ronaldo, Anderson and many others ran rings around our clueless defence and outmuscled our flimsy midfield, creating chance after chance, chances they may yet hopefully regret, many questions ran through my mind. I asked myself then, and I plead with you all to ask yourselves now, that's if you already haven't done so- when are we to finally class ourselves as ready to challenge for top honours? When can we go into a semi-final against Chelsea or Manchester United and know that we will be equal to the task?

Indeed, there is also the possibility that the first leg defeat to the European champions was a mere blip. A defeat that any team can suffer at such a late stage of the season, especially when considering it was away from home. However, we were meant to be the team in form, remember? The team ready to put paid to United's hopes of two consecutive continental crowns, and most importantly, ready to wipe out years of underachievement and criticism and nagging doubt.

But the match last Wednesday, coupled with the FA Cup defeat to Chelsea, perhaps suggested that our defeats were in no way an unfortunate coincidence.

Starting with the selection and tactics, Wenger opted to deploy Fabregas and Nasri in similar ways that had worked so effectively against Middlesbrough

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