Lost in transition - no excuses, Wenger has to bolster his defence

However, picking through the carcass of another empty season may prove more painful than usual for Wenger, especially if Manchester United trample his team's fading morale into the dirt at Old Trafford on Sunday.

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Sure, he can find droplets of goodness in the progress of Cesc Fabregas, the promise of Theo Walcott or Emmanuel Adebayor's willingness to inherit the burden of leadership up front from Thierry Henry.

He can savour morsels like the victory over AC Milan, a 21-match unbeaten run at the start of the season or an improved points tally in the Barclays Premier League.

But, unlike in previous seasons, he cannot simply toss the remains into the dustbin with a professorial shrug that says: maybe next year, when this brood are a little older and wiser.

A failure to convert promise into trophies was down to "a lack of experience, that's all," according to captain William Gallas, who is 30 years old and has won two Premier League titles with Chelsea and 60 caps for France.

For most of the season, Wenger has chosen to operate without the vast experience of World Cup winner Gilberto Silva and Jens Lehmann, two survivors from The Invincibles campaign of 2003-04.

Kolo Toure and Gael Clichy have also won the Premier League.

Manuel Almunia is 30, Tomas Rosicky is 27, Alexander Hleb is 26, Bacary Sagna is 25.

As Rafa Benitez pointed out, this team are not a bunch of novices.

Wenger's squad lacks the depth to rotate without weakening the team and Arsenal's intricate style of football makes it harder to simply slide rough-'n-not-quiteready players in and out.

"How could I know Rosicky, Eduardo and van Persie would all be injured at the same time?"

was Wenger's reasoning for not shopping in January.

But many pundits had warned much earlier in the season that Arsenal had nowhere near the back-up players available to Manchester United or Chelsea, so it cannot be claimed now that this is simply being wise after the event.

It has been in defence where his slender resources have been most ruthlessly exposed.

The injury to the rock solid Sagna last month forced Wenger to split the central defensive partnership of Gallas and Toure.

The manager was happier to move Toure to right back and bring the unconvincing Philippe Senderos into the back four than risk Justin Hoyte.

Arsenal's run of two wins in 12 games dates back to that FA Cup drubbing at Old Trafford, where Wenger must take his team again on Sunday, with confidence ebbing away.

"It will be hard to bounce back," said Gallas after the defeat at Anfield. "Morale is low. Nobody expected much from us at the start of the season and we have overachieved but when you get this far it still hurts."

At first, Gallas stepped impressively into his responsibilities as captain but his emotional personality, typified by a tearful tantrum at Birmingham and gloomy reactions to defeats at Chelsea and Liverpool, raise questions about his long-term suitability.

Wenger will head towards the summer in search of defensive reinforcements and a new goalkeeper but must also consider whether to change his captain again. Perhaps it is time for young Fabregas to take the armband and become a leader.

The manager will have the full backing of the board, the players and the supporters as he plots his next moves, something which makes him the envy of his profession.

"The boss knows the answers," said Adebayor. "He knows what to do and what's needed to win. We are disappointed but we will be back in the Champions League next season."

Arsene knows. There's the trust again.

But Arsene also knows Arsenal cannot wait for another three years for their next trophy.

He knows time is running out for this team to complete its transition.

MISFIRING GUNNERS

Arsenal's record since they won the 2003/04 Premier League by 11 points:

2004/05: Lost to Bayern Munich in last 16 of Champions League, second in Premier Lge, beat Man Utd in FA Cup Final on pens, lost to Man Utd in qtr-final of Carling Cup.

2005/06: Beaten 2-1 by Barcelona in CL final, fourth in PL, lost to Bolton in FA Cup 4th rnd, lost to Wigan in CC semi-final.

2006/07: Lost to PSV in last 16 of CL, fourth in PL, lost to Blackburn in FA Cup 5th rnd, lost CC Final to Chelsea.

2007/08: Lost to Liverpool in CL qtr-final, currently third in PL, lost to Man Utd in FA Cup 5th rnd, lost to Spurs in CC semi-final.