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Words of consolation for Eduardo, who broke his leg in a horrendous tackle by Martin Taylor, continue to pour in, regardless of club rivalries. It is a heart-warming gesture and I am glad to read Eduardo’s positive statement after his surgery - he is determined to overcome his injury. His fighting spirit comes as a relief to all, me included, who are still haunted by the dreadful image and feared the worst.

I always believe only the sickest minds will attempt to harm a fellow professional footballer to the extent of crippling him forever. Accidents in contact sports like football are bound to happen and proposing “life bans” on aggressive tackles which go awry is extreme. But that is not saying we should condone the brutal conduct. In the words of Wenger, you only need to kill a person once and he is dead.

Among the top four, Arsenal are the hardest hit by the “Get in their face” strategy. Premier League teams have wised up when clashing with sleek opponents like the Gunners - the earlier you ruffled their feathers, the faster you gain an advantage and control the game. So it isn’t much of a surprise that the offense took place only three minutes into the match.

Is it mistimed or malicious? Well, to call it as we see it, that foot with studs up was nowhere near Eduardo’s ankle. It was over the ball and delivered purely to hurt and intimidate the opponent. As fate will have it, it yielded a tragedy.

For a long time, football in England possess a high tolerance for ruggedness and many dangerous tackles (without casualties) were waved play on. Entertainment takes priority over interruption of play, especially when a 1 to 1 situation with the goalkeeper is possible.

Nothing wrong with that since some negative teams prefer to break up the tempo by committing fouls so that they can take their time to reorganize and close gaps at the back. The trade off for fluency instead of a card-riddled game is that some illegal tackles go unpunished, under the pretext of physical approach.

It irks me to browse through certain articles which jumped to Taylor’s defense and celebrated Wenger’s retraction, it seems like Taylor is the one who is victimized. How can it be Eduardo’s fault for being too quick footed? Steve Bruce also added his two cents to the controversy by questioning if the tackle even warranted a yellow card. Well, if the referee has made a mistake there, then football is seriously not worth my time and effort.

To be fair to Taylor, many of the testimonies about his character and discipline record can stand up to scrutiny. By paying Eduardo a visit in hospital and sending his best wishes, he shows he has no malicious intent and is truly distraught by the whole incident. His concern was a simple act but yet, something which not every footballer will be willing to do.

Eduardo aside, Arsenal look extremely vulnerable. It doesn’t take a genius to see their title hopes are on a slippery slope. FA Cup elimination, followed by handing the advantage to AC Milan in the Champions League and managing only a 2-2 draw (thanks to a late penalty) at 10-man Birmingham City, the rewards from all the hard work are frittered away.

Manchester United completed Arsenal’s misery by reducing the gap to three points after thrashing Newcastle 5-1. It wasn’t much of a fight as the Magpies have not won since Kevin Keegan’s return last month and garnered just three points from the last 30 on offer.

Arsenal had looked on course for their fifth consecutive league victory when Theo Walcott scored his first league goals early in the second half to put the Gunners 2-1 ahead. However, James McFadden equalized for Birmingham in the 95th minute to spoil the party. He had earlier converted a beautiful free-kick in the 28th-minute after being bundled over by Mathieu Flamini.

When the penalty was awarded, Arsenal captain William Gallas could not contain his anger and kicked a hole in an advertising hoarding. Deserting his team, he slumped on the turf and appeared close to tears at the final whistle. Deplorable, I say. Where is the much vaunted character in the Gunners? As a captain, he is supposed to lead by example and not crack under pressure or disappointment. The mistake by Clichy was awful and it is likely that Gallas frustration is directed at his own team mate. Well, it won’t stop Clichy from his goofs again.

In the darkest moment, the team expects a strong motivational character to rally them, but when they see their petulant captain wallowing in self-pity, how are they going to muster the never-say-die attitude?

Arsenal also have been too generous of late, missing about a dozen gilt edged chances in this match. Bendtner was conspicuously absent from the thick of action. Or did Adebayor ignored him on purpose and refuse to let him have a shot at glory? I hope not as this is not the time to let personal grudges get in the way of the team’s fortunes.

The return of Robin Van Persie is the best chance for Arsenal to rediscover their lethal form. He is back in training this week but fielding him without a full recovery may have dire consequences, similar to their downfall after rushing the half-fit Henry back for the PSV game last season. Arsene Wenger may have a reservoir of talent two years down the line but he is woefully short of ammunition this season.

The midfield is not in the best shape either. Diaby and Rosicky are injured with Eboue suspended. Gilberto or Denilson are the only viable candidates. The former will be a natural choice if not for an alarming drop in form this season. Denilson can help out in attack but he is likely to start on the bench after returning from a hamstring injury.

Facing Aston Villa in the sanctuary of Emirates Stadium could be the perfect way to regain lost ground but Martin O’Neil’s men are no pushovers, especially when European qualification is at stake. Villa are clinical from set-pieces and with Arsenal’s shaky defense, it is crucial that the pairing of Adebayor and Bendtner achieve a comfortable goal difference. Else, I suspect one of them could be offloaded at the close of the season.

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