By so many the football that Arsenal play is considered to be beautiful – and when the team is at full strength and in form there is nothing wrong with that statement. However when we are not at full strength or out of form which is, lets face it, the majority of the time the football we play is not only hugely frustrating but also incredibly predictable.

Teams know that most of our players can’t hit an accurate cross so they are more than happy to give us space to run down the outside because they know that nine times out of ten, the player on the ball will come inside, into the most crowded area of the pitch.

The sideways passing that was on offer on Sunday afternoon was a beautiful thing to watch if the goals were situated at either end of the halfway line but it didn’t even threaten to break down an Aston Villa team who are actually pretty poor. It just seems that Arsenal have been worked out, teams face up to them and test them, when this happens there is no response.

Wenger looks perplexed and let down, the players look unmotivated and shirk the responsibility – all except the brilliant Robin van Persie that is. We have to look at things in the cold light of day, this team still isn’t very far off but it seems we have reached an impasse, the gradual improvement model isn’t working – the gelling of a team over several years creating loyalty and a very healthy green profit number – a tweak is needed, but the question is, who, what and where needs to be tweaked.

Wholesale changes would make everything more turbulent. However, we must move fast with no room for sentiment. Several need to be shipped out, or even loaned out. Talent needs to be brought in, one in defence, midfield and attack if I had my way. A bit of fresh blood, some competition and just generally putting the cat amongst the pigeons and letting players know they have a fight on their hands for a place in the starting eleven.

There are question marks over three of our first choice starters, Gael Clichy seems to be leaving and that is a move that I don’t really have a problem with. Samir Nasri however still has not signed his contract – if he has to be sold this summer I will be livid because this should have been sorted absolutely ages ago, someone at the club has made a big mistake and it will cost them financially either way – if Nasri stays he will be on over inflated wages, (the figure is a big one), and if he goes we will make a loss in all probability. The last I heard it was all agreed and it was just a matter of getting the ink on the page – the thing is, the writing on the paper is nothing if the players scribble is not on it too.

And we all know about the Cesc Fabregas situation.

There is a lot to be cleared up and not a lot of time to do it in. Both on and off the field major changes could well be made. The people making the decisions had better be on the ball because if they are found wanting, the consequences next season of not sorting this mess out could be very costly indeed.