Mikel Arteta and Edu have taken an enormous gamble in entrusting our goals to Alex Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah.
The two strikers may sit at opposite ends of their respective careers but they have shared a struggle in front of goal this season, something which is of enormous concern to anyone who holds out hope of Arsenal achieving a European place.
While there may yet be a corner to turn for Nketiah – young as he is – we have to play the hand we currently hold and, right now, it’s not a particularly strong one. Nketiah and Lacazette represent something far short of the straight flush we need them to be.
The disappointment of dropped points at Burnley a few weeks ago was offset by the hope, if not the expectation, that the final weeks of the transfer window would at least yield some reinforcements for the second half of the campaign. Alas, despite our widely-reported efforts, it wasn’t to be.
And it seems that a temporary fix, a back-up option to the strikers we failed to land, wasn’t considered worth it. Not even a loan deal. That’s quite some show of faith in this Arsenal side and in our front two in particular.
In many ways, therefore, the visit to Wolverhampton on 10 February will set the tone for the remainder of our Premier League campaign.
If we can get our young midfield firing and carrying the fight to our opponents, we may yet have enough to offset the glaring hole that exists at the top of the pitch. However, it is also eminently possible that we will simply see more of what we witnessed against Burnley.
Sometimes, when things don’t quick go for you, you need your striker to dig you out of hole, you need him to take that one chance that drops his way and bury it. In Lacazette and Nketiah, we don’t have that type of striker – at least not one anywhere near consistent enough.
At his scintillating best, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang could win games on his own and, in fact, did so on many occasions. The very best players can. With his departure, however much he may have declined, we can say that quality no longer exists in our front line, an element of danger, of unpredictability, has been removed. We are an easier problem for teams to solve.
So much rests, then, on what happens at Molineux. Can Arteta instil enough belief in his young side? Can he get them in shape and on message for all 17 matches that remain? Can he do enough to offset our weaknesses to accumulate enough points? Much will be revealed.
The winter break came at a good time for Arsenal after a pretty torrid January and it is to be hoped that the trip to Dubai and chance to recharge will allow the Gunners a chance to reboot and reproduce some of their best form when they return to action.
And while the contribution of our midfield will be of huge significance, all eyes will be at the top of the pitch. Will the gamble pay off or is this turn out to be one hell of a busted flush?
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