TWO MINDS: Chris Kamara made the most of a rare seat on the ‘Soccer Saturday’ panel:

There was a time in my career when even as a Tottenham fan I felt that Arsene Wenger was a bit special. Today I feel, probably like Wenger feels, that he is oh so close from putting it all together. The trouble is that he just can’t find the right formula, writes The Secret Footballer.

“Over the last few years, the rivalry between the two sets of fans has become intolerably hateful.” 

Departed midfielder Francis Coquelin says there is no crisis at his former club.

His Valencia contract contains a buy-out clause of €80million.

Arsenal duo Mesut Ozil and Laurent Koscielny have an outside chance of returning from injury to face Chelsea on Wednesday.

Arsenal 1 West Ham 0: Arsenal, even with 11 changes and one eye looking over their shoulder at Liverpool arriving on Friday, are in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup and in with a chance of winning the trophy for the first time under Arsene Wenger.

Cologne 1 - Arsenal 0: Arsene Wenger saw his Arsenal side secure top spot in their Europa League group despite falling to defeat at Cologne thanks to what he sarcastically deemed a “very nice penalty”.

Olivier Giroud scored a stunning winner as a much-changed Arsenal side saw off 10-man Red Star Belgrade in their Europa League clash last night.

Olivier Giroud scored a stunning winner as a much-changed Arsenal side saw off 10-man Red Star Belgrade in their Europa League clash.

Arsenal are likely to be without Granit Xhaka for their Premier League clash at home to Manchester United on Sunday.

Usually I’d be positively bristling with anticipation at the prospect of getting round to the Arsenal, in the gorgeous spring sunshine, following the comparative purgatory of a fortnight’s international break.

Arsene Wenger will still be in charge when Arsenal play at West Brom again next season.

Premier League

Arsenal 2 Burnley 1

Arsenal 1, WestBrom 0: Relief. It’s lucky Arsenal have a hold over West Brom, having only lost once in 12 previous meetings with the Baggies.

West Ham 1 Arsenal 5: ALEXIS SANCHEZ is either playing for a move, or a new Arsenal contract. 

Arsenal 0 Southampton 2: Arsene Wenger’s EFL Cup gamble backfired in spectacular fashion last night as he made 10 changes to an Arsenal side that was comfortably beaten by Southampton, who made it through to the League Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1987.

If the Premier League were Monopoly, Arsenal played their ‘Get out of jail free’ card at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Sunderland 1 Arsenal 4: Arsene Wenger is the manager renowned for not seeing pivotal incidents during a match, but it was David Moyes who appeared to be watching a different game on Saturday.

Arsenal 6 Ludogorets 0: Bash out another win like this in Bulgaria in two weeks time and Arsenal will have all but qualified for the knock out stage of the Champions League for the 16th year running.

Arsene Wenger wants Arsenal to maintain their momentum in today's Champions League match against Basle at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsene Wenger is aiming to take another step towards guiding Arsenal to the top of their Champions League group when they welcome Basle to the Emirates Stadium tonight.

Sunderland 0 Arsenal 0

Of all the times, of all the places, for Alexis Sanchez to remind us all that world-class football can be played in an Arsenal shirt after all.

Arsenal 1 Crystal Palace 1

With Saturday’s encounter being our last ever London derby at the Boleyn, there was absolutely no way I was going to do the sensible thing and stop indoors to watch the game on the box, despite having been struck down by a debilitating lurgy last week.

For pretty much my entire adult life, I’ve been able to tease my Spurs mates that the world continues to turn on its axis, so long as their greatest satisfaction was the Gunners’ misfortune.

Following such a depressing week, with the Gunners spineless FA Cup capitulation and our almost inevitable Champions League demise, the doctor couldn’t possibly have ordered a better tonic than three points, a clean sheet and a man-of-the-match display from young Alex Iwobi at Goodison.

On a day when Arsenal were made to look like champions, Arsene Wenger suggested that possibility might be more realistic if the club’s supporters had kept the faith.

Arsenal  1 Watford 2

Arsenal 0 Hull City 0: Arsene Wenger has set aside thoughts of an FA Cup replay trip to Hull and back to concentrate on how to defeat Champions League holders Barcelona in the first leg of their last 16 tie tomorrow night.

The former Arsenal trademark of applying such relentless pressure, right at the death, so that flagging opponents inevitably succumb, seems to have become a rare phenomenon in recent times.

While the Gunners might have desperately needed to pocket all three points from our day out at the seaside, I’ll be delighted if the Cherries go on to consolidate their highly-prized place in the Premier League because the humble, yet most hospitable, environs of Dean Court is a very welcome addition to the top flight.