Well the International friendlies seemingly proved to be our nemesis yet again, this time taking out our hottest striker Robin Van Persie. But its not as bad as we thought it to be initially. The official statement released by the club says that RVP will be back in action in six weeks contrary to the mammoth 3 months initially feared. But nevertheless his dazzling left foot won't be there to haunt the defenders for a little while so we need to look beyond him and personally I am optimistic about the attacking threat we possess even without the Dutchman. 11Gunners explores..

The onus will fall on Eduardo's shoulders and he is more than capable of leading us from the front. In fact this may just be a blessing in disguise for him. Ever since his career threatening injury, he has remained on the sidelines and now he finally has his chance when the coveted role of center forward will be thrust upon him. He might need some ramp up time but once he gets going, he can make RVP wait on the bench, such is the caliber of the Croatian.

Getting back into the groove is also Theo Walcott. He can be in contention for the big game against the Blues on 29th November. Though Bendtner's absence now hurts more after the RVP incident, we all know Andrei Arshavin can step to the front role as gracefully as anybody.

We have shown impeccable form this season but our real test lies in the offing. What Van Persie will miss are the important Premiership clashes with Chelsea and Liverpool and the hectic Christmas period. On the brighter side, he'll be back for the "Season defining weeks" as we have fixtures lined up against Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool at the end of January and onset of February.

We have enough ammunition in our Arsenal to carry on without Van Persie, but from the Arsenal fan community to Persie-

"Get Well Soon Robin!!"