ARSENAL SANDWICHED BETWEEN GREATNESS AND A FIGHT FOR FOURTH PLACE

FOR the past five years Arsenal have been a team in transition. The team Arsene Wenger had built up by the turn of the century was nothing short of outstanding. He had the skill and trickery of Robert Pires, the guile of Patrick Vieira and the flair of Thierry Henry.

All have since left the club along with Ashley Cole, Kolo Toure, Gilberto Silva and the retirements of Dennis Bergkamp and Ray Parlour. Wenger has spent these last few years building the team back up to a standard which he believes can bring the glory days back to the club.

They have struggled to find the funds for him to go out and buy ready made quality and so has been forced to bring in younger talent and rear them - something which is not unfamiliar to the Frenchman.
Newer first team players such as Abou Diaby, Samir Nasri and Nicklas Bendtner all clearly have the talent to play in an Arsenal team but consistency is a key issue with all three. Nasri, compared recently to Pires by Arsene Wenger, undoubtedly needs to score more goals to complete his all round game (Nasri has netted five times in 32 games this season).

This season, in many ways, has been a disaster for the Gunners. They failed to win any silverware for the fifth year running, have been comprehensively beaten (in terms of score line) by both of their main rivals, lost to North-London rivals Tottenham who at this stage of the season can still mathematically finish ahead of Arsenal, and finish the season with a whimper and an injury table full of what might have been.
Now, Arsenal are sandwiched between having that little bit extra and winning the league title, or dropping in standard and having to fight for fourth place. Who knows, that little bit extra could have been and probably would have been a fully fit Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas all season. Football fans are terrible for dwelling on the past and what could have been - none more so than the long suffering fans of Arsenal Football Club.

Those who see a team on the edge of greatness, but who fall at the second to last hurdle, losing many brave men along the way. Those who become frustrated with their managers lack of activity in the transfer market - but know they could never stay mad at him for too long. Those who feel like tearing their hair out when the team insist on their one dimensional "pass it into the net" style of play - but not one fan would have it any other way.

Arsenal play beautiful football - everybody knows that, but the two games against Barcelona were - to use an old cliché - like watching men against boys. They were taught a lesson in how to play free-flowing attacking football over those two legs, and it hurt. Winning just one game (a last ditch 1-0 against Wolves) in their last six including the two against Barca, Arsenal's season has come to a damp end like a whoopee cushion running out of air. After the first big loud noise, there’s only enough air left to make a small hissing sound at the end.

If Arsenal are to push on next season and reach that much anticipated trophy which has eluded them for so long, Wenger must delve into those deep pockets and find the funds to bring in two or three top quality additions to his squad - and hope that next season brings a little more luck with injuries.