So today we face Bolton as proper football returns – I’d say I am looking forward to the game but by the time I actually get to watch it early on Sunday morning the score will somehow have filtered down to me, spoiling it somewhat.

Despite what some people say, it is not going to be the easiest game we have ever faced at the Emirates. Bolton won’t go with the physical approach that was so common with Sam Allardyce and Gary Megson but they won’t surrender like Blackpool did.

They aren’t all that bad going forward either and have players that can get a goal out of nothing, Ivan Klasnic and Martin Petrov are their main dangers you would thing, and the robust Kevin Davies down the middle. I don’t like his style of play but you have to say he does it better than most in the Premier League. He is effective.

It is worth baring in mind that most fixtures after internationals are sluggish at the start at best, don’t go to the Emirates expecting a demolition derby because I very much doubt that is the case, Bolton will attack but they haven’t forgotten how to defend and believe me, they will test out our defensive partnership with long passes down the middle of the park.

Big game for our little Russian

Then again it has to be said that a team who want to be champions have to beat the likes of Bolton, no disrespect, at home. It must be remembered that they are not all that different from the side that went 2-0 up at the Emirates last season and we fought back to win 4-2. I tell you what, I had to follow that game on Twitter and it drove me crazy with disbelief when I saw the score-line just 20 minutes into the game.

Whilst defensively the boss’s mind is effectively made up for him with the injury sustained by Tomas Vermaelen on international duty, the midfield is an area where he will have to pick wisely. You expect that Cesc Fabregas will get his first start in front of the Emirates crowd this season whilst Diaby and Song will make up the other two midfielders. The boss seems to prefer playing Diaby in the ‘box to box’ role – his power and ability to move the ball in tight spaces probably supplements Cesc and Song better than Denilson would with his simple play but hard running. Diaby suits that position just fine, as long as he doesn’t get lazy and complacent which are words that have been used to describe him before.

Now up front. Chamakh will play down the middle, I’m sure of that. Arshavin should also start on the left leaving the question – who will play on the right? Nasri, Rosicky or Eboue? I’d plump for Eboue, he will offer something different, a bit of pace, power and he likes to run at defenders rather than pass round them, and I mean that as no insult.

It leaves a bit of a conundrum for Carlos Vela though – it is about time he got a chance after a productive pre-season where he actually looked fit and on the verge of finding some very good form. He got a couple of goals and it will have got his confidence up; at this stage of his development he needs gametime and if he isn’t going to get much of it you have to wonder just what he is going to have to do. Last season he had a sniff at a chance but didn’t take it, this term, given a chance, I think he will take it.

Seeing him in pre-season changed my opinion a bit, he had a bit of zip about him, a hunger that I hadn’t seen previously. He has so much talent and it is about time it was proven to the fans, the manager and himself that he can be an outstanding footballer.

Looking ahead at the game; I hope in the end its a comfortable win. For the first time this season we have three games in a week and a game that doesn’t require the players to give it the full beans up to the 90th minute would be quite nice considering most of them will hardly have had a training session together in a couple of weeks.

Momentum is key too, we have a 100% record so far this season, lets keep it that way.