What next for Arsenal after derby defeat?

Arsenal visited neighbours Tottenham last night and came home pointless after a 2-1 defeat. It was a vital game for both sides but it was Tottenham who came out on top.

Arsenal were missing some big players but Tottenham just wanted the win more.

Rivals

For long periods of the season Arsenal looked miles behind leaders Chelsea and Manchester United but somehow they had caught up after their two rivals suffered some poor results.

However Chelsea have undergone something of a recent resurgence and overtaken Manchester United at the top.

The turning point in the season for me was Chelsea’s 2-1 victory at Old Trafford. The fact that Arsenal have failed to claim results against the other two could prove vital come May. They currently find themselves six points behind leaders Chelsea and two behind second place Manchester United with just four games remaining.

Injuries

Arsenal are currently missing the spine of their team, in defence William Gallas, midfield Cesc Fabregas and in attack Andrey Arshavin. Any team would miss players of their quality and Arsenal simply don’t have the strength in depth to effectively replace these stars.

They suffered another blow with star centre-back Thomas Vermaelen hobbling of with a calf strain in last night’s clash. He could now also miss the rest of the season, along with Fabregas and possibly Gallas.

Fabregas is a vital cog in the Arsenal machine. Without him the team struggles to make an impact on the opposition. His absence was noticeable last night, although Tottenham do have a superb defensive record at home and defended superbly.

Goalkeeper

There are times when I wonder quite how a team of Arsenal’s class has a keeper as poor as Manuel Almunia. He has made numerous gaffes in his Arsenal career and it’s surprising that a manager of Arsene Wenger’s vision hasn’t been able to sign a better keeper.

The Spaniard can’t really be blamed for either of Tottenham’s goals last night, although he would have been disappointed at being beaten from such a distance out for Tottenham’s first goal, Danny Rose should be given the credit for a fantastic strike. His tendency to make mistakes must make his defenders nervous.

Surely this summer Wenger will go out and sign a top keeper. At the moment there are numerous keepers in Spain, Germany and Italy that could do a far better job than Almunia. To be a truly top class team you need a reliable keeper and I don’t believe any Arsenal fan could say he inspires confidence.

Defence

This summer Arsene Wenger must also strengthen his defence. The likes of Sol Campbell and Mikael Silvestre are just not good enough for a top team anymore. Even William Gallas can appear vulnerable at times.

Thomas Vermaelen has been one of the buys of the season but next season he may have a new central-defensive partner. Sol Campbell was only ever signed as a backup but he has had to play far more games than Wenger would have liked. His age has now caught up with him.

Summer

It looks as though their title challenge is over for another year and Arsene Wenger’s thoughts will be turning to the summer. He received a boost with the news that European champions Barcelona don’t intend to make a summer move for captain Cesc Fabregas.

He now has to analyst what areas of the team need improving and look to strengthen his squad. Wenger is not a manager who likes to splash the cash, even when he has it available. The question is how much the Frenchman will have to spend this summer.

He will need to make some key signings this summer if they are to challenge for the Premier League title next season. If Wenger signs players in the right positions then they could challenge Chelsea and Manchester United for the Premier League crown next season.