Suffice to say, it's a little worrying that after winning our first three games we spent a chunk of the second half of Matchday six asking what the score was in the Braga game. To be honest, I'm not too fussed we didn't win the group.

Sure, we could have ended up playing FC Copenhagen but equally we could have ended up playing one of the Milan teams. There are no guarantees in the Champions League draw and AC Milan are looking pretty imperious at present.

More to the point, playing Barcelona is something we should relish - not something we should be upset about. The 2-2 draw last season was one of the best matches I've ever been to. I, for one, am delighted we drew Barcelona. Of course we could have drawn Schalke; but it's doubtful I would have been so excited to go there that I'd have booked flights within an hour of the draw, as I did with Barcelona. Barca are the best team in the world, and playing 180 minutes of football against them could be the making of this Arsenal side.

For all everybody remembers us being annihilated in the Nou Camp last year, we had Silvestre in defence, and no Song, Fabregas or Van Persie. Barca's form is impressive but that doesn't mean we can't beat them. On the contrary, we scored three goals against them last year and they even conceded to Theo. That alone should give us hope.

Do we go into this cup tie as favourites? No, but it's not as if things would necessarily be better if we'd won the group. We lost to West Brom and Spurs at home - nothing is certain with this Arsenal team, and we might well have lost to a smaller team.

The weird thing about this Arsenal side is anything can happen. Barcelona lost to Hercules. Admittedly we lost to Spurs, but still...

Messi running at Eboué is enough to scare anyone, but Samir Nasri is right up there as one of the best players in the world at the moment - lets see him, Cesc and everyone show the world. We are The Arsenal. We can win. Vamos.

Keep the faith.

Former Arsenal defender Gilles Grimandi could be on the verge of becoming the club’s next assistant manager.

The 40-year-old, who is currently employed as the Gunners’ French-based scout, revealed at the start of the season that he had begun his relevant coaching badges with a view to managing in the near future.

Arsenal’s current #2 to Arsene Wenger is Pat Rice, who has been rumoured to leave his post at the end of the season.

Grimandi was one of Wenger’s first signings at Arsenal, joining from the manager’s former club Monaco in June 1997 for £2.5m. He left Highbury in 2002 for a very brief spell at the Colorado Rapids before returning to France.

He played 84 matches for Arsenal in midfield, right-back and centre-half and won the Double in 1998 and again in 2002.

Christopher Samba, who has been one of the Premiership's most consistent defenders since his move to Rovers in 2007, has expressed his disappointment of the treatment of former Blackburn manager, Sam Allardyce who was sacked by the new Indian owners.

After an outburst in a national newspaper this week, the Blackburn captain looks set to put in a written transfer request with the hope of quitting Ewood Park in January.

'If this is the way the club's going to be run from now on, I don't want to be part of it and I want to leave,' he told the Sun.

'As captain it's very difficult to say this but I've thought long and hard about it. Nobody in football understands the decision to sack Sam.

'We could have been relegated last year and Sam saved the club, so how can he be treated like this now?'

Despite Arsene Wenger suggesting last month that Arsenal would not enter into the transfer market, recent comments attributed to that Wenger could suggest he will look to add to his squad - if he can identify a player who will add another dimension to his squad at the right price.

Samba is valued at around £8 million by Blackburn Rovers, if Wenger is interested in adding Samba to his defensive options, he will no doubt face competition from other interested clubs.

Harry Redknapp has been a known to be an admirer of Christopher Samba for some time now - with speculation suggesting that the Spurs boss had a bid for the centre-back rejected by Rovers in the summer.

We'll just wait and see what happens in January.

He hasn’t got the pace of Messi, the skills of Ronaldo or the goal scoring record of Frank Lampard. So what puts Cesc Fabregas up there in the top tier of the world’s greatest players?

The answer might seem obvious – his passing ability.

Fabregas is the fulcrum of Arsenal’s team. Think; you are a team mate of Cesc Fabregas. Every time you want the ball off him, you know it’s going to arrive at your feet inch perfect. It gives both players and fans assurance and confidence when he is on the ball. His passing prowess can dictate the pace of a game and in the past couple of seasons, he’s added goals to his game too. But, has the young Spaniard played up to his potential yet this season? I don’t think so.

Daily rumours concerning Fabregas and a move to Barcelona, as I’m sure every Arsenal fan will know, were rife this summer. And though some fans may have forgiven the Arsenal captain, I believe that the transfer turmoil of last summer is still affecting him. Like Ronaldo in his last season at Man Utd, Fabregas hasn’t had a smile on his face this season. And, although I’m aware he has had a number of injuries and is fatigued from the World Cup, his performances have been lacking too. It makes me wonder; is there something behind the unhappy face that we don’t know about?

It’s obvious that Fabregas yearns for his career to end up in Barcelona. But this season, we were promised professionalism and a fully motivated captain. We’ve got the professionalism, but that’s it. With his injuries behind him and a few games under his belt, I really do hope that Fabregas can turn up at the Nou Camp, wearing the red of Arsenal, and produce a match winning performance. We all know he’s capable.

However, though Fabregas has been lacking the passion that the team has needed this season, especially in big games, you can never underestimate the talent of the Arsenal playmaker. He’s an important cog that makes the Arsenal team tick like clockwork. Let’s hope he finds that motivation and leads the team like a true captain for the rest of this season. There’s nothing better for the Gunners than a smiling, fit Fabregas.

Promising Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli, having won the Italian publication Tuttosport's Golden Boy award earlier this week, taunted midfielder Jack Wilshere.

The award is to celebrate Europe's top young footballers, and Wilshere came second in the poll.

Balotelli, an Italian international but has struggled to cement his place in City's starting XI, said: "What's his name? Wil...? No, I just don't know him, but the next time I play against Arsenal I'll try to be careful.

"Maybe I could show him the Golden Boy trophy and remind him that I won.

"For 2011 I want the Premier League - to continue the tradition with Inter that saw me win the last three championships - and the Europa League, a trophy I'm yet to win and that surely we are favourites for."

Wilshere refused to rise to Balotelli ill-mannered taunt, simply saying on his Twitter account: "Would just like to say how honoured I am to have got 2nd place in the 'golden boy'! And like to thank everyone who voted for me!

"And would like to congratulate Mario Ballotelli on winning it, even if he dont no who I am! He is a top player!"

Captain Cesc Fabregas, a world champion with Spain, responded to Wilshere's tweet, saying: "Don't worry, we know who you are and that's what matters most.

"You play week in week out and that's the most important, trust me!"

Голкипер Лукаш Фабиански и полузащитник Абу Диаби залечили свои травмы и теперь готовы помочь "Арсеналу" в предстоящем матче Премьер-Лиги против "Челси".

Напомним, что в предыдущем поединке против "Манчестер Юнайтед" ворота "канониров" защищал молодой Войцех Щесны. Фабиански же так и остался на лавке запасных, не сумев в срок залечить травму бедра.

Несмотря на то, что Щесны очень неплохо провел тот матч, он все же будет вынужден уступить свое место Фабиански - именно Лукаш является номером один "Арсенала" в нынешнем сезоне. И если Лукашу гарантировано попадание в стартовый состав на дерби против "Челси", то о Диаби такого не скажешь.

Абу отсутствовал с 16 октября из-за травмы колена. Его возвращение добавить конкуренции в средней линии команды. Главный тренер "канониров" Арсен Венгер признался, что у обоих футболистов были шансы принять участие еще в субботнем матче Премьер-Лиги против "Стоука", но он был отменен по причине непогоды.

"Почти все поправились. Они были с нами еще перед матчем против "Стоука" - включая Диаби, Фабрегаса, Ван Перси. Фабиански тоже. У них появилась еще одна неделя, чтобы подготовиться к матчу и поработать над физической формой. Конечно это им поможет".

"Так что сейчас нам не хватает лишь Вермалена, Альмунии и Кирана Гиббса. Скорого их возвращения ждать не стоит - не раньше Рождества - и тогда все наши игроки будут здоровы".

"Я бы сказал, что Вермален окончательно будет готов сыграть в конце января. Его физическая форма недостаточна, и над ней предстоит поработать. Этот процесс займет 3-4 недели. Он уже начал занятия и смотрится неплохо", - сообщил Венгер в интервью официальному веб-сайту клуба.

Добавим, что "Арсенал" сыграет против "Челси" у себя на "Эмирэйтс" в понедельник вечером.

Полузащитник "Арсенала" Джек Уилшер ответил на слова легионера "Манчестер Сити" Марио Балотелли на вручении итальянцу приза лучшего молодого футболиста Европы.

"Я хочу поблагодарить каждого, кто голосовал за меня! И я хотел бы поздравить Марио Балотелли с победой даже если он не знает, кто я! Он - отличный игрок!", - заявил молодой англичанин.

Главный тренер лондонского "Арсенала" Арсен Венгер отказался отдавать в аренду римскому "Лацио" форварда Никласа Бендтнера, передаёт Imsouting. 22-летний датчанин, который долго восстанавливался от травмы паха, редко выходит на поле в этом сезоне. Венгер предпочитает ему в передней линии Маруана Шамаха.

Ранее сообщалось, что "Лацио" рассчитывал арендовать Бендтнера до конца сезона с возможностью выкупа прав на него.

Тем не менее, наставник "канониров" дал понять, что ни один из игроков "Арсенала" на данный момент не продаётся.