Yet in the last three games Arsenal have scored 10 goals, and has scored three goals, or over, in more games than any team in the Premiership. One can't help wonder if Wenger isn't toying with the idea of abolishing the striker as a pure positional role. Of course he hasn't planned that, it has happened by accident, as did the emergence of Flamini two seasons ago. But already you can hear him asking why does Arsenal need a striker when the teams with strikers have not scored as many.

 Of the 51 goals scored only 15% have been scored by orthodox strikers, in fact the centre backs have scored almost as many with Van Persie 7 Bendtner 1 total 8, Gallas 3 Vermaelen 4 total 7.

However the biggest provider of goals is not a striker or a centre back, but a midfielder, Fabregas on 9 goals has 17% of the tally. Although Portsmouth are not the sternest of tests there was some concern that without Fabregas, and no strikers, Arsenal might fail to score. However the midfield kept up its prolific scoring rate, Eduardo got lucky with his free kick, but Nasri's goal was sublime, and his first of the season.

The other major source of goals, Arshavin with 6 failed to find the net, as hard as he tried, and he did try. Diaby continued his rich scoring streak against Villa and has 5 goals.

Without van Persie

For a while van Persie was the lone striker, and he hit a rich vein of form with his assists (7) just as important as his 7 goals. Even with him playing goals by midfielders were more numerous than "striker goals". Immediately after his injury the goals dried up and something very unusual happened, Arsenal failed to score for two games in a row against Sunderland and Chelsea.

Was this due to his absence, or was it fatigue after international week? I think it was a combination of both; the break did not give Arsenal time to readjust to the new situation. A new shape was needed and Wenger hadn't quite decided what it was.

Abolished the striker?

Wenger seemed to have found the right shape against Stoke with Arshavin playing as striker, and a variant worked just as well in the second half, but not in the first, at Liverpool. Against Burnley the system faltered, but picked up again for Hull at home. However, the severest test was Villa, when without Fabregas, although dominating, the team was not quite incisive enough. When Fabregas came on the impact was devastating, it was a whirlwind of a performance. Nonetheless Fab had taken advantage of a solid platform provided by a team playing at its best.

This takes us full circle to Pompey, for the first twenty minutes I thought I detected some crab football, but then I have always been a heresy hunter. There would be no Fabregas to sort it out, but two players took it on themselves to make it more direct, Nasri and Ramsey. True Song was playing well as sweeper, but it was Nasri in a free attacking midfield role that made the team more direct. At times he seemed to reprise Fabregas's role against Villa. Maybe the team has learned from its captain.

Song, Nasri and Ramsey were all worthy of a Man of the Match award, and what they proved is that Arsenal can carry on scoring without strikers or Fabregas. Of course it won't always be as easy as it was against Portsmouth. The Guardian trumpeted, "Who needs Fabregas", but Wenger is probably thinking "who needs strikers"

This team has become the many headed hydra, cut off a limb and one grows back, lose a goal scorer and another takes their place. When no one individual is responsible for scoring then all individuals are responsible. There is nothing new in that, after all its how the French won the World Cup.

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