Quiet day yesterday; some speculating who we would sign in the summer, some who we should sign in the summer, Arsene saying we’re not signing anyone because we have all we need. The joys of being an Arsenal fan, eh?

With nine games to go and Bolton imploding, a Champions League place is not secured yet but starting to look safer with each game that goes by. Of the remaining games, I would suggest that fourth can be secured with another four wins and perhaps three draws. The return of Adebayor gives more options to a severely depleted forward line and I suspect Arsene is going to use all bar the two games against Liverpool and Chelsea to look at players such as Diaby and Denilson further, in particular in central midfield. Which means the experiment with Gilberto at the back is likely to continue in some games. With two international games before the match at Anfield, you can guarantee someone or two are going to come back with niggles, knocks or aches and pains and be declared unfit for that match.

Is however, the time right to give all of the inexperienced players a runout? Should Djourou be playing more at the heart of the defence alongside Gallas as opposed to the Brazilian? It would seem to me that the midfield is pretty settled, Diaby did well in the games against Villa and Everton, breaking forward sensibly and sticking a foot in well when required. Yet Djourou and Senderos are being omitted, relegated to the Subs bench. Perhaps Arsene believes he knows enough about them, certainly from last seasons run in Europe and the Premiership in the second half of the season and earlier this season. Diaby meanwhile missed the best part of a year through injury so it is only right to see if he is the long term answer to the central defensive position in the side.

Indeed if Arsene decides to the last games of this season could be used to make the 4-5-1 formation work successfully away from home. In Denilson, Rosicky, Fabregas and Hleb there are four attacking midfielders who can be used in that formation with Diaby and Gilberto providing the cover for the back four. Of those two, only Gilberto really gets nosebleeds when he is to far up the pitch, ironic really considering he is the top scorer from that sector this season. Freeing Cesc from defensive duties would perhaps help bring out the best from the boy in terms of attacking returns. At Old Trafford, the formation worked; at Goodison in the Carling Cup, it worked. Baptista and Aliadiere never got to grips with the Premiership as a combination, some of the intensity lacking from their Carling Cup workouts. With five across the middle, there is flexibility for Arsene to continue to use Ljungberg and Baptista from the bench or from the start if injuries or fitness dictates. Given the fluidity that players interchange, their starting positions seem merely to be indicators for TV and Radio in any case.

Perhaps this would help the midfield in general perform more once they get to the area, knowing that they are expected to bring some of the goals. It is the one thing where they have fallen down this season. Each should be capable of providing between five and ten Premiership goals per season; this time round though, probably a combination of luck and confidence have made it less in this campaign. Adebayor seems to me to be the ideal forward for this to work, capable of good close control and deceptively quick, he can play the target man role simply because unless they are panicking, the team do not hoof the ball.

The likelihood is though that nothing of the sort will happen and 4-4-2 will remain for all of the games. Perhaps this two week break will benefit the players – a change is as good as a rest. In any case, international football ought to give William Gallas something else to talk about other than our own well-known shortcomings.