FAIRFURREN CESC FABREGAS!

And so you sailed away

Into a grey sky morning

Now I'm here to stay

Love can be so boring

Nothing's quite the same now

I just say your name now

But it's not so bad

You're only the best I ever had

You don't want me back

You're just the best I ever had

-Vertical Horizon

First things first, I harbour no ill feelings towards Fabregas. He is not deserting Arsenal, he is just going back home. Barcelona is where he grew up, where he learnt to play football, where he belongs. And eight (ultimately fruitless) campaigns is more than one can ask from someone destined to become one of the greatest playmakers in history. Anyone else would have left the first time Barca came calling. But credit to Fabregas, he was patient. He tried really hard for the Arsenal cause. Despite never having the teammates he deserved, he trudged on. There is no denying that ever single time he put on an Arsenal shirt, he played his heart out. He played through pain and injury. He played an entire match with a broken foot just to help Arsenal draw level with (of all teams) Barcleona. And that is the true mark of the man!

But it's sad nevertheless to watch a player with that kind of dedication and quality leave. All those defence splitting passes, all those spellbinding goals, all those heartlifting performances. And to think he hasn't even touched his prime.

Towards the end of the 1999 flick Fight club, Edward Norton’s character, in a moment of clarity tells Marla Singer: "You met me at a very strange time in my life!" In a slightly different context, that's exactly how I feel about Fabregas. He happened at a very strange time in Arsenal's history. Though he will always be regarded as an Arsenal legend, his stint lacked the one single yardstick that defines a great player: silverware. 

He joined in 2003 but was never really an Invincible. The 2005 FA Cup is the only medal that he won in eight seasons in London. Had he played in any other era at Arsenal, when trophies weren't so hard to come by, when there was genuine quality within the ranks, we would have seen the true potential of the man.

Football folklore abounds with stories of what might have been. This is one more chapter I guess. It is heartwrenching to see him leave. He was my favourite player since Thierry Henry. Hopefully Jack Wilshere will take over his mantle at Arsenal.

Fairfurren Cesc Fabregas. Thank you for eight years of magic. I hope you touch the skies. And I hope you return someday to grace the Ashburton turf. 

And even if you don't, you will always belong!

It's up for grabs now!

Hours remain before Arsenal take on Birmingham City at Wembley. Their first final since that fateful day in Cardiff in 2007. Six summers have passed since Patrick Vieira's last kick in Arsenal colours gave his side their last taste of silverware.

For a man who has won 3 Premier League titles and 4 FA Cups, Arsene Wenger has unfortunately had to spend a good part of the last half a dozen seasons baring the brunt of Arsenal's inability to win trophies. It's high time that stopped and just like his players, he will be desperate to get his hands on the trophy.

A cruel game football is as Cesc Fabregas will not get to captain his side for a cup final having pulled a hamstring in their previous tie. Theo Walcott, who opened his Arsenal account with a goal in the aforementioned final in 2007, is also out with an ankle sprain.

In Cesc's absence, Robin van Persie will lead his side out with a chance to finally win something. He will be flanked by the back-in-from Andrey Arshavin and Nicklaus Bendtner, who replaces Walcott. Birmingham will be especially wary of van Persie who is enjoying his best form in Arsenal colours with 12 goals in his last 12 outings. Arshavin's last goal was a winner against Barcelona and it doesn't take a goal to boost Bendtner's confidence.

Jack Wilshere and Alex Song will keep their place in the midfield while Samir Nasri will fill in for Fabregas. Wilshere, in his first full season, seems unfazed and has been in sparkling form and will look to put in another assured performance while Song will look to assert his influence in the midfield. While it is no mean feat to replace Fabregas, if there is anyone who can do it, it is Nasri, Arsenal's topscorer and best player this season.

Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny will continue at the back and will be supported by Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy. While the former two are steadily turning into a formidable defensive partnership, Sagna has been one of Arsenal's most outstanding players this season and Clichy kept Pedro Rodriguez quiet for 90 minutes just 10 days ago, something that will bode well for him in the final. Wojciech Szczesny will keep his place in goal. From playing for Brentford to taking on Barcelona in the space of a season and following it up with a cup final appearance ten days later is no ordinary feat for a 20-year-old, but then again this is no ordinary 20-year-old.

Arsenal have plenty of experience on the bench and if required can call up on the services of Marouane Chamakh, Tomas Rosicky and Abou Diaby, among others.

Birmingham play a physical game and will look to hoof the ball to their forwards. Cameron Jerome and Nikola Zigic are their two best players while Obafemi Martins lends more venom to the attack. Their midfield will have three former Arsenal players, Alexander Hleb, David Bentley and Sebastian Larrson. Each of them will have a point to prove to Wenger. Defenders Stephen Carr, Liam Ridgewell and Lee Bowyer will look to taunt the Arsenal players and nothing needs to be said about Ben Forster in goal.

Arsenal have already beaten Birmingham twice this season and despite the jitters of playing in a final, should make it three out of three. A win over Stoke City, another physical team who primarily attack with long balls, in their previous tie should hold them in good stead.

The recent inability to cross the final hurdle and the six-year barren streak will affect Arsenal mentally. They will also be weighed down by the favourites tag while Birmingham will relish being the underdogs, having last won a trophy in 1963. But if Arsenal keep their nerves, the obvious divide in class between the two sides will take them to victory.

Much has been said about how in these interim years Arsenal's maturity and resolve has  increased and how they believe that now they can go all the way. There has been a lot of talk about the evident potential in the youthful squad and how one trophy would unlock the doors to impending success in coming years. But the time for talk is over.

It's up for grabs now!