In contrast to their Premiership form, Arsenal are top of Group B after beating Sparta Prague 2 – 0. Thierry Henry made his return from injury a little ahead of schedule when Jose Antonio Reyes came off after 15 minutes with a suspected fractured rib (later to be diagnosed as only being bruised). Wenger had been planning to give Henry a 30-minute run out, but was forced to change his plans.

Henry was clearly thrilled to be back playing. With practially his first touch he volleyed the ball goal-wards, with a deflection sending the ball out for a corner. Shortly afterwards he was on target, with an excellently taken goal. Toure sent the ball upfield, and Henry controlled it behind him with the back of his heel, before turning and bending a shot with the outside of his right foot into the far corner of the net.

Henry made it a pair in the second half when he latched onto a great bending pass from Pires behind the defenders and slotted it past the keeper to make it 2 – 0. In the process, he also broke Ian Wright’s goalscoring record for the club, having now scored 186 goals. Henry has done this is six seasons, and is likely to build on this total to set a record that will take some beating.

The Group B table is:

OK, I’ve been busy with my MBA studies, so I’ve been neglecting this blog. To start catching up, here’s a summary of how Arsenal have been doing in the Premiership in September and October – not so good. Here’s the results so far:

And here’s the table as it stands today:

So, two wins, a draw, and two defeats see Arsenal in 8th position, 14 points adrift of Chelsea, though with a game in hand. Many people have conceded the title to Chelsea already, and if they maintain this form they will be worthy champions.

Arsenal’s dip in form is related to the fact that Henry has been injured, and has been joined by Ljungberg, Hleb, Cole, and Campbell. In Henry’s absence, Reyes and van Persie have been given a chance to step up to the mark. Despite lots of attempts on goal in the matches so far, they have failed to deliver.

Additionally, Arsenal’s tradionally solid defence has been looking decidedly shakey of late. When Campbell plays they are better, but Toure is getting caught out too often, and they lack a certain assurance. This may be due to a lack of support in midfield. Pires in particular doesn’t support his wing-backs as much as he should, and Flamini and Fabregas don’t have the same defensive capabilities as Vieira and Gilberto.

At this stage in the season, a strange sense is settling on me. I’m still optimistic that we can improve and get back to the top end of the table. However, overtaking Chelsea is becoming a larger obstacle with every game, and it really is up to them to lose the Premiership. There’s a real sense of transition, a sense of building up to next season – the first in the Emirates Stadium. Wenger has asked us to trust him, and most Gooners will do so. However, expectations have been set high by previous season’s performances, and if Wenger fails to deliver something this season, how long before the knives come out?