Welcome to another weekend, for some of you good people it means you can relax, maybe enjoy the match with a beverage or five. For others it means work. It is the first time in a while where I will be missing an Arsenal match but I will watch it in full later tonight, probably. As long as we are not tanked 10-1.

So, it is Wigan again, the third time this season and probably the last. The general vibe seems to be that this should be a pretty easy game and I agree with that, but we do have an annoying little habit of  making things ten times harder than they should be. Hopefully we retain the core of the team that beat Leeds on Wednesday night and just make a few light changes around the edges to keep it quite fresh.

It gives a decent insight into who are the real key and fittest players. van Persie is probably our best forward, yet he is rotated in and out because of fitness. Chamakh is ten times fitter than van Persie but hasn’t had a run of games for a while and it shows. Just how should we use the Dutchman, and how do we keep Chamakh and Bendtner sharp?

I have often been criticised for supporting Arshavin and Bendtner too much:- my views is that a player can’t have too much support, especially when they are in a rut of bad form and need help getting out of it. It is far more constructive than shouting abuse. However, there was a little spark in Arshavin against Leeds and I would be interested to see if he starts on the left and Nasri slotted into the middle, providing his ankle is ok, and giving Cesc a rest.

For me Nasri is a more important player than Cesc right now, he is in better form and far more effective. That is a testament to Nasri and not a dig at Cesc who I think is really starting to pick up when it matters.

Theo and Alex Song are also key, both are in very good form and we need to keep them in the side as much as we can, Ipswich must be in the managers thoughts just a little though. Wembley is 90 minutes and two goals away… do you save a player for that game in the hope they can win you the game? It is a dilemma.

Like I seem to say for every game – the right attitude wins it for us, and that is why not chopping and changing the team today is so vital.

Moving onto the topic of our defence I am not all that convinced that we will sign anyone. That is certainly the mood of the fans, too. After the early excitement with Wenger declaring he was looking to bring in a player it really has ended up a bit of a damp squib. There were tenuous links with Jonathan Woodgate yesterday but I think it is a non-starter, what is to be gained out of it really?

Cahill is not going to come to Arsenal, and certainly not this month. We have made absolutely no enquiries about Samba and the Dunne story is laughable also. I can’t see anybody arriving at all.

Clarification:

Yesterdays news about Eden Hazard created excitement and a little bit of silliness aimed in my direction once again. I got the news on good authority and wouldn’t have published it if I didn’t.

The provisional agreement regarding personal terms isn’t down on paper and was done with Lille’s blessing. Arsenal have to be offered Hazard if a club bids for him other than Arsenal. There is an agreement in place between Arsenal and Lille that we have first option on him.

Hazard wants to move to Arsenal. Arsenal clearly want Hazard. Lille want what is best for the player, and that is Arsenal. Hence the permission given. They also want a good price, hence the big opening asking price. Its the transfer game and it is as clear as mud.

I’m not totally convinced that he will actually come. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if Arshavin returned to form and Wenger added Sanchez Watt to the first team squad next season as cover on the left.

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So I have got that out of the way. Enjoy your Saturday.