The finesse around goal will come with experience, and hopefully so too will the ability to focus for the whole 90 minutes. Those late goals (oh those late goals!) have killed us.

A papercut is about the only injury Thierry hasn’t suffered this season. At least he won’t be risked again this campaign.

Let’s remember something. For all the yammering about Arsenal’s inability to score this season, things are simply not as bad as we all think they are.

Total prem goals for ManU: 66 / Chelsea: 50 / Lpool: 44 / Arsenal: 50.

Total conceded goals: ManuU: 19 / Chelsea: 19 / Lpool: 20 / Arsenal: 23.

Total goals for all competitions–ManU: 86 / Chelsea: 87 / Lpool: 68 / Arsenal: 80 (and 5 own goals).

Also, at this time last year, Arsenal had scored 43 goals and conceded 22.

Not all that shabby for a club with such poor finishing–and without two of its best strikers for half the season.

Given the club’s many problems this season–world cup, new stadium, massive injuries, new squad of young players getting used to each other–it’s amazing that Arsenal haven’t done worse. How would ManU and Chelsea have fared with all those problems simultaneously?

Also, everyone’s saying Wenger should buy some new striker, a big name player. Even if he could afford a guy like Eto’o, how long would it take for him to adapt to England? How long did it take for Drogba to adapt? Before this season many Chelsea fans were dismissing Drogba as worthless. Look at one of the world’s finest strikers–Scheva–struggling all year long in his first year in England.

What needs to happen is for our current strikers to mature. That’s what happened after the club’s FA cup defeat. Poor finishing followed by greatly improved killer instincts for goals the following season — by the same strikers who’d failed in front of the net the previous season.

Arsenal has a great future.