With the club promising cash for January, Eduardo coming through the reserves match unhurt and Flamini speaking about Arsenal’s start to the season, we know that this Sunday afternoon we will find out whether the small glimpse of hope remaining for the title race will fade away completely or light up as it did after the win over Manchester United.

As always, let’s go step by step. With ten points from the top, the away match against Chelsea is a must-win one, of course. It’s not just about the title race actually, it’s also about sending a clear message to all those who believe we are no longer top-four material in England. Such a message was sent when we played Manchester United thanks to Samir Nasri, who together with Emmanuel Adebayor and Bacari Sagna should make his comeback from injury on Sunday.

Whatever happens, we would then have to look forward and news of today is that in January there will be money to, as chairman Peter Hill-Wood told Arsenal TV:

Absolutely. There have been suggestions that we keep stopping him from buying – that is not the case. Wenger is very sensible with the way he approaches the transfer market, he’s not going to buy anybody just because the press or fans say he should. He’s only going to buy somebody if he thinks they’re going to improve what is a young squad but a very talented one.

“He certainly has got money if he wants to spend it.

We heard these words before, more than once, yet Wenger also kept his pocket closed despite the need of signings. Let’s hope in a different story this January because it seems as if the squad is still suffering from the loss of Hleb and Flamini. The Frenchman, incidentally, did speak about our current state of form and Cesc’s captaincy as he said:

I am not surprised by the choice. I have talked with him [Fabregas] a bit about it and he is very happy. It is great for him, for the club and for the fans. He is a big player in that team. I think he deserves it.

William Gallas wanted maybe a reaction from his team-mates. It is never easy to know what to do. Maybe it will be positive and there will be a reaction from the team.

Big clubs can have difficult periods. But there is a lot of quality at Arsenal so I am sure they will go forward. The important thing is to keep working hard and I am sure they will be okay. They have some amazing players.

Meanwhile, ahead of the match, Felipe Scolari followed on Terry’s policy who believes Arsenal are not yet out of the title race as he was full of praise for Wenger:

I play this game against one of the men I like very much. I have known Arsene 10 or 12 years now. I met him in Japan and we are big friends. I like him as a coach and I think if I chose five coaches in the world he is one among the five. His team play good football. It’s very difficult to win because they play beautiful football.

[The title race?] Here in England you never say I am champion before the last game. Even if you’re 15 points clear with five games to go, you’re not champions. You’re only champions at the end of the last game.

Our coach knows the importance of the match as well and he highlighted the fact that a defeat would definitely kill all our title hopes, when he said:

We want to get back into it and the only way to get back into it is to win the game on Sunday. We know that direct confrontations with top teams become vital when you are in our position. I believe seeing the other teams play, we know we can beat them and that is the only way to get back into it.

We are written off, so that is why we want to go into this game on Sunday believing we can beat them, because we know we can. We know Chelsea are a great side with great players but, at the end of the day, you beat them if you play at your best. I have known him [Scolari] for a long time and I believe he has done well. He has experience and has dealt quite well with the problems he faces here.”

There’s nothing like a must-win away match against Chelsea to pump our players up and I expect all of them to get out of the gates like lions, ready for the battle. Especially Adebayor, this is one match in which he has to show that he still has something to give to the squad and that is why I would start like this:

Bendtner may have scored the most important goal of the season so far, on Tuesday, but I simply can’t see him and Emmanuel doing well against Terry and Alex. We need speed and creativity, and Carlos Vela can produce that.

Finally, something to cheer about. Eduardo did play the reserves match he was scheduled to feature in and it seems he came through that without any particular issues. We’re waiting for you ‘Dudu’!