talkingOfArsenal.com

The price clubs play for dropping out of the Premier League has resulted in the so-called lower-table teams, adopting measures to increase their chances of staying up.

And who can blame them? And certainly, Wenger doesn't.

One of these measures (apart from being out-and-out physical as sides such as Bolton and Blackburn have adopted), has been to park 12 (I include the visiting teams manager) men in front of their goal, leaving the home team to find the initiative to penetrate.

This isn't a phenomenon that is exclusive to Arsenal. Both Manchester Utd and Liverpool, both to a lesser extent, have also been been given a taste of this - in Manchester Utd's case, this has resulted in some late, late 1-0 wins, whilst with Liverpool, they've also suffered a few surprising draws at home.

The question is - what can be done about this?

Various suggestions including no points for a goalless draw, an extra point for the winning team with a 3-goal difference have been touted, but although they may well work, I can't see the rules of the points system being changed at this stage in order to 'facilitate' more attacking football.

I guess in Arsenal's case, our long list of creative players shacked up with the medics hasn't helped - our seasons fortunes would certainly have been different had the likes of Fabregas, Rosicky, Diaby, and Eduardo been available for even half the time they've spent injured.

I'm not sure I buy the argument of acquiring more players, it's not the answer to all our problems.

Add to that a combination of opposing outfield players taking positions behind the ball, and our squads current lack of confidence going forward (at the back Toure and Gallas seem to have their positional play sorted out), has seen Arsenal drop points (through draws as well as losses where opposition teams have taken their chances and then closed up shop) where we might have expected to take all three.

And it seems Le Boss (if you read between the lines in the article above) has accepted that this will be the way things are going to be going forward - that teams will come to Arsenal, and "park the bus" so to speak.

In my opinion, the way only way we're going to stop this is to, as Wenger says, somehow "punish" teams that adopt this approach.

That will be easier said than done, however with signings such as the very creative Arshavin, with players like Fabregas and (dare I say it!) Rosicky to come back, our creative flair in the middle of the park should soon be restored.

You can be sure as I type this and as you're reading this, Wenger's scheming to overcome this new trend.

C'mon you Gunners!