The dreaded November 'curse' strikes again. And yet the worrying part is that we've let it become a 'curse', that Wenger's not learnt anything from it over the past few seasons and the team and fans have to endure it yet again.

I don't think there is anything 'new' I have to offer on the Arsenal-Chelsea debate or the other debates that have been revived since the Blues' 3-0 victory over the Gunners on the last weekend of November. This was our first home defeat since May when *surprise surprise* Chelsea thrashed us 4-1.

First things first - Chelsea were a class apart and thoroughly deserved their victory. Under Ancelotti's management, they have gone that extra mile and turned into the front-runners for the EPL title this season. It may be a bit premature to say this, but I don't think anyone will disagree with me when I say that the title is Chelsea's to lose. They have the tighest defence in the league, and after the 3-0 win, are tied first with Arsenal on total goals scored in the Premiership (36 goals) They also have the strongest squad in the league with some unbelievable depth which was showcased when they left guys like Malouda and Ballack on the bench! That blip against Wigan showed that they can be beaten but since then they've been in amazing form, and in his first season, Ancelotti has already beaten all the top 3 teams (Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool) And being blessed with a comparatively easier fixture list come January, the ACN shouldn't affect them too much. Though it'll be interesting to see how the absence of Drogba treats the Blues.

Secondly even though all the Chelsea players had a good game and worked efficiently as a unit, I am going to single out two players: Drogba and Ashley Cole. After his brace in the weekend game, Didier has now scored 10 goals in 11 games versus Arsenal ... a truely stunning statistic, more so when you consider it is against one of the top 4 and not a mid or lower-table team. Just like Chelsea have become Arsenal's 'boogey-team', so has the Ivorian become their 'boogey-man'. Defensive mistakes aside, his first goal was a superb striker's touch and the 25 yarder that followed, the icing on the cake.

Ashley 'Cashley' Cole did not really endear himself to any Arsenal fan with the manner of his exit to Chelsea, but I still think that the constant boo-ing every time he touched the ball was a bit too much. Credit to him however for using that abuse (And the firing Drogba gave him midway through the first half) as a fuel for a superb performance. Chelsea's first two goals came from Cole's crosses, and he was very good in defence as well.

One of the things that I hate about matches like these is the after-math - all the blogs and newspaper articles and so on - taking every tiny thing and blowing it out of proportion, jumping to conclusions and especially all the back-and-forth abuse and hate between all the fans. I mean banter's one of the integral parts of the footballing experience and one of the fun parts of being a hard-core fan, but when this degenerates into pointless abuse (which it invariably does) it goes beyond football and it's incredible to see the kind of hate that is directed at everyone, at the teams. Taking football seriously and passionately is one thing, but generating so much hate is another. Many people might say that I'm saying this because of all the stick Arsenal's getting, but I pride myself on seeing the reality and accepting when my team's done badly or deserved to lose, as much as acknowledging the good performances of the other teams. And I am the first to admit to the faults of my team and Wenger for that matter, however hard it may be.

Which is why, as much as it pains me to say it, I'm going to say that I'm disappointed in Wenger. Not that we lost, but that the match was pretty much an identical replica of previous 'Big 4' matches Arsenal's played in, where the result and the reasons for the loss were the same. So much for not repeating the same mistakes!

Another reason why everything I want to said has already been said before - by me in my previous columns, and everyone else ... which is why I'm not sure whether I want to waste space by repeating it:

(Monotone) Arsenal lack a strong presence in the team, they need to learn to defend better (especially on long balls) so that on days when they cannot score, they can at least play for a draw or plan to catch the other team on the break. Arsenal are missing a proper striker when RVP's not there (Vela's too young and Eduardo's nowhere near how good he was before his injury), they need a proper CDM. Fabregas should not be expected to do everything on his own. (Arshavin however needs to get back into first gear, he seems a bit out of it these days) The Gunners should not try and pass the ball into the net all the time and need to start scoring from a distance like they were doing in the first couple of matches this season. Teams like Chelsea have figured out how to win against Arsenal: sit back and defend well so that all of Arsenal's passing and ball-possession has no impact, and then catch them out on the break. We are missing physicality and an edge in the team, youth and experience, elegance and grit .. these combinations worked so well for Wenger in his earlier years as Arsenal manager and it is for everyone's good that he resorts back to it. Wenger needs to realise that as commendable as it is to deliver a top 4 spot, a CL/FA/Carling Cup quarterfinal or semifinal every season on a shoe-string budget, buying a select few players who are in the middle category when it comes to price or even splurging out a bi more for a quality experienced player will be worth it in the end and nobody's going to put you in the same category as big-spenders Manchester City as strengthening the squad is not the same to spending millions of pounds to buy a star-studded team, we need a stronger bench in case of injuries which are ever-present, we need a Plan B when our normal plan doesn't seem to work etc etc

It does make me wonder however, what the hell it's going to take for Wenger to open his eyes and see the reality? And the urgency of that thought is coupled with the fact that I know how little it's going to take for this team to be a true 'top team'.

Don't get me wrong, we're still very very good .... and one of the best sides in England, and even in Europe, but we have all the potential to be in that top niche where only 1-2 % of the teams are. And it's not going to take a massive shift in Wenger's footballing philosophy to accomplish that. Which is why it's so damn frustrating. Everything needs to be updated and refreshed to keep up with the times and the same with football. Nobody's asking Wenger to turn 180 degrees in his ideals and abandon the 'Arsenal Way' of football that he's been responsible for bringing into the League, just tweak them a little. And I think every Arsenal fan is despairing over the fact that it doesn't look likely, at least in the near future with Wenger stubbornly refusing to see things which are right in front of his eyes. I still respect him for what he's done for Arsenal since becoming manager, but he needs to act now if he wants any silverware at all. The team deserve it, and so do the fans.