Not so long ago, Emmanuel Eboue, Arsenal’s ebullient right-sided utility man, put in a commendable performance against Barcelona as he filled-in at right back for the suspended Bacary Sagna.

He may have been perceived as a weak link before the game, but it was Gael Clichy on the left who was responsible for Barcelona's away goal.

But despite his impressive display and his overall decent form this season, not to mention the raft of injuries at Arsenal subsequent to that memorable night, Eboue has barely featured.

In the time since beating Barcelona, Eboue has been an unused sub against Leyton Orient, Stoke, Birmingham in the Carling Cup final, Sunderland, Barcelona in the return leg, Manchester United in the FA Cup, West Brom and Blackburn.

So presumably, he hasn't been injured.

Instead, Wenger has put his faith in the pedestrianism of Tomas Rosicky, Abou Diaby and Denilson.

To further illustrate this point, the one and only time that Eboue played a full 90 minutes during this period, the Gunners beat Leyton Orient 5-0 in an FA Cup replay.

Kidding aside, keeping Eboue on the bench has also restricted the dynamism of Samir Nasri to the right, a position that Eboue could have filled and allowed the Frenchman a broader remit from the middle of the park in the absence of Cesc Fabregas.

Wenger, however, persevered with Rosicky and company, despite the disastrous Birmingham final—a defeat which appears to have left Arsenal mortally wounded.

When he did change things up against West Brom, Wenger threw an understandably below-par Aaron Ramsey (in his first Arsenal start since recovering from last year’s broken leg) into the Fabregas role, leaving Nasri on the right and Eboue on the bench.

By no means is Eboue some kind of panacea for Arsenal’s recent poor form—he certainly has his own flaws.

However, he provides a little something different from Wenger’s usual modus operandi, which only seems to work when Arsenal are on top form—a much needed injection of direct football.

You can understand why Eboue didn’t start against Blackburn. Most of the 11 that played so well in the run up to the Carling Cup final were available. However, a listless and underwhelming Arsenal needed, as is so often said, a Plan B.

If Eboue isn’t a complete Plan B, he is at least something of an alternative.

He isn’t the best passer of a football at the Emirates, but he’s hardly the worst. He’s a skilled dribbler—a dying breed, you might say—and a pacey outlet. Something Arsenal have needed badly in the absence of Theo Walcott.

Eboue, 27, is something of an elder statesman in this squad and one of the few with the courage to try and gee up his teammates. His energy can be pleasingly infectious, but it has been confined and apparently unneeded by his manager.

Heckled by Emirates crowds in the past, he has won back their support, not out of pity, but because of a bloody-minded determination to repair his reputation and show the club what he’s really about.

Arsenal would do well to stop licking their collective wounds now and follow his example—but they might just need him on the pitch to do so.