What Arsenal Needs Right Now

There are some things in life that make you scratch your head in disbelief, others that leave you with a sense of bewilderment, and still others that throw you onto the the floor and leave you lying there in utter and complete bafflement.

The Arsenal performance against Villa at the Grove last Saturday would definitely fall into the last category. Another late take on the game, as I didn't want too much of a knee-jerk reaction. Sadly, though, the gloom still hasn't lifted yet.

I'm sure all of us Gooners the world over would have been beaming, uncontrollably so and taking the piss out of any Mancs in sight after the game just two Saturdays ago. I think it was Arseblogger who said "what a difference a week makes" after the Manchester United mauling, this on the back of a pathetic draw to the Spuds and a defeat to Stoke.

But it couldn't be more poignant to say "what a difference a week makes," now more than ever. Wasn't this the same team to a man that controlled the game so well against a Manchester United team and won all the plaudits? As rapturous as the win against the Manky Shite was, there were large portions of the Arsenal support who were happy, but more than happy we were hopeful. Hopeful that the team could kick on from here. That the confidence would be at an upswing after the uplifting win.

We were not going to come a cropper after this? Were we? We hoped not. But normal service had resumed against Villa, at least normal as this season goes. You could also replace the word "normal" with "unpredictable," and you know it.

The Villa game would be the litmus test of whether we had turned the corner and would kick on on from here on in. I think it would have been plain to any observer to see the sheer determination and drive lacking right from the off against Martin O'Neil's men. You could brush it aside, like I tended to do in the early stages and say, "Well, its not Man U this time round, so the boys will be up for it eventually, and get the job done."

When Almunia made the save you would get the feeling that maybe it was going to be our day. Or so I thought. I cannot really comment of the rest of the match till about the 70th as I could not catch a glimpse of it owing to some "electricity difficulties." But I am informed that it wasn't too much better from what I had seen.

I was hoping to see a revitalised Arsenal come out second half, and take control of the game. But, sadly, all momentum from the Man u game had just fizzled out, much like it had "fizzled in" before the ManUSA game.

Even at 1-nil down in the 70th, we didn't create too much. There was 20 minutes on the clock, surely more than enough time to get an equaliser and a winner too! But we lacked the verve and desire to really push on from there. A complete wet blanket. It can't be a personnel problem, can it? Surely not, at least I am wont to say, that it isn't. So what is it?

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