Stephen Bradley

During an international break, the only thing that usually commands the attention of a club's fans is the continued health of its players.

Last Sunday, when Arsenal's team selection to face Manchester City was announced, there were two immediate reactions of disbelief.

After drawing 0-0 at home to Red Star Belgrade on Thursday night, Arsenal have secured qualification to the knockout stages of the Europa League with two games to spare, and did so without risking any of their big names players in the process. Job done, right?

Is it possible to be both optimistic and pessimistic about the same thing at the same time?

If you had asked Arsenal fans back in August to list any reasons that might cause Alexis Sanchez to want to leave the club, how far down would David Ospina have been?

After an encouraging first start of the season, it is clear that Jack Wilshere is an attacking midfielder now. This is a BIG problem for Arsenal.

With Arsenal recording their lowest ever home attendance against Doncaster on Wednesday night, you may or may not be shocked to learn that Stan Kroeke's other teams are facing similar issues.

Over the last few years, I have bemoaned Arsenal's resistance towards changing the way they play depending on the opponent they face.

I've had the pleasure of being able to write for DailyCannon since April 2011. Having an opinion is one thing, but being able to reach such a wide and knowledgeable audience on a regular basis is quite another.

There were two things we learned from the Stoke defeat last weekend. When everything goes to plan, Arsenal can play exceptional football. But when something very slightly alters that plan, everything falls apart.

Arsenal won their first league game of the season last Friday, despite playing a winger at left–back, a left–back at centre–back, another left–back at centre–back, and without the services of their captain, best centre midfielder and best attacker.

Just as Arsenal supporters got all the stress out of their systems from last season and were able to recalibrate their hopes and dreams, the new campaign is set to begin.

Here comes the money! Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain for £198m in cash, up front. And he'll make another £180.7m in wages for the next five years.

Alexis Sanchez has one year left on his Arsenal contract, and has given no indication that would suggest that he intends to extend that.

There is one question that lies at the heart of Arsenal's transfer activity so far this summer; why have they let so many of their key players run down their contracts?

It's so early in the summer, I haven't yet even built my fantasy team that I will inevitably lose interest in by October, yet Arsenal have already just played their first match of their pre–season, a leisurely 2–0 win over Sydney FC.

Alexandre Lacazette is an Arsenal player. I'm not going to lie, it feels a little surreal typing that first sentence.

So, it's the end of June, and we still have no idea as to whether Alexis Sanchez will be playing for Arsenal next season or not. Huzzah!

It's been just over a day since Arsenal's fixture list for the 2017–18 Premier League season was announced, there really is only one way to describe it - perfect. Here's why

It's only been 11 days since Arsenal's final game of the season finished with a big German holding a small pot, but that's been more than enough time for the relentless and merciless machine that is the transfer rumour mill to take over our lives and our social media feeds.

So, the last few days have been pretty quiet on the Arsenal front, huh?

With the 2016–17 season almost at its end, enough has been factored out to figure out what resources Arsenal will have available to them next season, and what they need to do to improve on this year's disappointment.

If I were to tell you at the start of this season, that Arsenal wouldn't win the league BUT would give the league champions their biggest drubbing of the season, take four points off Manchester United, finish top of their Champions League group, thrash Stoke 4–1 away and beat Manchester City in a neutral venue in May, where would you assume Arsenal would finish in the table with a resumé like that?

Since moving to the 3–4–2–1 system after losing 3–0 to Crystal Palace, Arsenal have played six games, won five and conceded only four goals.

A lot will be made of Arsene Wenger finally being able to get one over his long time rival and nemesis, Jose Mourinho, but in truth, this match was less about the result and more about how much Manchester United did to secure a 0-0, and how Arsenal were fortunate in the manner of which they broke the deadlock.

So. Where were you last Sunday when Harry Kane took a dive after being tripped inside Arsenal’s penalty area?

Three at the back. Three games. Three wins. Does this mean Arsenal are back on track?

'Even at my age, you can change.' This was what Arsene Wenger had to say after beating Middlesbrough 2−1 last Monday, after being asked about...

There was a moment during the 3–0 loss at Crystal Palace on Monday which summed up Arsenal's current problems so perfectly, no protest or chant or tweet or YouTube video could improve on it.

All we have to do is wait for Arsenal to do something, all whilst Arsenal are waiting for someone else to do something first.

If Alexis does decide that he's better off elsewhere, then what? Does it matter who Arsenal sell Alexis Sanchez to? Is Alexis Sanchez irreplaceable?

So, Arsenal lost again at the weekend, they've lost four league games out of five for the first time under Arsene Wenger, they're six points behind fourth place, and the manager is about to sign a two-year extension that pretty much only he and the board want him to sign.

Why Chelsea thrived and Arsenal died after October's 3-0 win

Liverpool away, Bayern Munich at home, Lincoln City at home - three games in eight days, yet in reality it is so much more.

Thanks to Southampton having the audacity, cheek and sheer nerve to progress all the way to a cup final that they knew was on the same weekend as their game with Arsenal, the Gunners, and ergo, all of us fans, now have a week without a game to watch.

So. Now what? That, is the only question that was left needing to be asked after Arsenal's second-half capitulation in Munich on Wednesday.

Well, it's finally happened. We've finally run out of things to talk about.

Arsenal's infinity staircase strikes again

There have been approximately 1.5 million articles written about Granit Xhaka in the last 96 hours (that number is courtesy of The White House) and this is one more to go on the pile that is adding up almost as quickly as there are reasons to loathe Piers Morgan.

There were two main takeaways for Arsenal to mull upon after a comfortable 4-0 win at hapless Swansea last weekend.