There is one historical statistic that definitely puts Arsene Wenger's team out of the race. There has never a team that loses five games before Christmas and goes on to win the title. It is also clear that the inconsistency that slept with Arsenal last season has come back for more. They have not had a decent unbeaten run.

One cannot even talk lack of quality at Arsenal but maybe the stubbornness of Arsene Wenger. From the players he signs and develops, one might be forgiven to conclude that Wenger is obsessed with foxy players. For the most part, the team is full of foxes. Wenger needs to sign some tigers for his midfield and a couple of "route one bombers" upfront. While the team can play good football, it appears that it has a difficult time stopping the opposition from playing.

Arsenal is crying out for players in the mould of Gattuso or Edgar Davids in his prime. The kind of players who will not let the opposition knit seven passes in a row. As a result unlike the other teams in so called top four, Arsenal has a weak belly and even the so called small teams have taken advantage of this weakness.

Upfront a couple of direct 'bombers' with constitutions similar to Drogba or the now retired Batistuta will do Arsenal a world of good. The presence of tigers and 'bombers' will also will allow the team to vary its style if need be. How may times have we seen games in which Wenger's foxes move the ball and achieve nothing and then frustration sets in.

There can no doubt that Wenger is good coach. But to take the team much higher, he needs to bring more balance into the team. From the rumours and news we have heard since the opening of the transfer window, it seems Wenger's approach will not change.

However, as the season stands, Wenger has in way achieved something that he failed to achieve last season. Arsenal has so far won the big battles, they have registered upset wins over Manchester United and Chelsea and drew with Liverpool. This is a positive he can build on.

One cannot conclusively assert that Arsenal will win not win the league, but they really have big mountains to climb in this regard.

Tags & Keywords : arsenal, gunners, arsene wenger, english premiership, transfer market