The Real Problem For Arsenal: Where Is The Movement?

I like Arsenal. I love Arsenal. They are not playing very well at the moment and are drawing a lot of criticism. But this is the time when the youngsters need support.

I trust Arsene Wenger completely. I think the Gunners' style of play and passing has been amazing over the years. And that is all down to Wenger. He is a magician. Even I criticize some of the players, but I trust Wenger's judgement more than my observations.

The pundits keep saying that the pleasing football that Arsenal play is not enough for them to win titles. On the contrary, I think they are not getting the results because they are unable to play their trademark football.

Clever off-the-ball movements were at the heart of Arsenal's game. Where are they? The creative spark and the flowing football have been missing this season. That is worrying me more than the results. This is attributable to the absence of many creative players because of transfers or injuries.

Let's wind the clock back a year or two. Thierry Henry, who was voted the best Arsenal player ever by the users of Arsenal.com, left for Barcelona in the summer of 2007 breaking the hearts of the Gooners. But the young Gunners stepped out of his shadow and arguably played even better. Arsenal came very close to winning the English Premier League. They were soaring high in Europe, as well (the defeat of AC Milan at the San Siro is one of the best games of Arsenal that I have seen). But a slight dip in form, a series of injuries and some poor refereeing left the fans wondering over another trophy-less season.

And worse things followed. Aleksandr Hleb and Mathieu Flamini left for more "illustrious" clubs. Nothing has been the same since.

Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo have been long term absentees due to injuries. They continue to be. They have been joined by Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott. This absence of main creative players has left a void in the team.

The midfield is completely different from the one that played last season. Samir Nasri has been promising. Robin van Persie is the savior for the team at the moment. But the game has changed. And all this was not helped by Wiliam Gallas' outburst.

So something is missing certainly. And Wenger hopes to find this something in Arshavin. I'm really excited about him. The injured guys should return in some weeks as well. So I hope they start playing the way we all love to see them. Forget the results. They will follow suit once their game gets back to normal. I just want to be mesmerised by the fast, fluid football!

What do you think?