Gilberto - Back in action at last

I can't join in the complaints of my fellow Gooner's about the state of our midfield or the weakness of Jose. I can't get excited about the pathetic refereeing or the lack of chances we created. I'm not even remotely worried about another missed opportunity to show Europe what we are made of.

It's not that I don't care enough - nobody who saw me wearing my voice box out in the North Bank could doubt my commitment to the team - but there was a development before the match that has made me not-so-quietly confident about the rest of the season and next. Perhaps we may only win the FA Cup; perhaps we may go through a season empty-handed for the first time since 2001, but the beautiful game that Arsenal typified throughout last season looks back on with the return of our midfield ‘invisible man' - Gilberto.

The rumours spread throughout the North Bank on Wednesday that Gilberto may be making a much-anticipated appearance on the bench. There was a time, of course, not that long ago, when Gilberto's presence was more a cause of discontent than hope. Well, he never gets ‘stuck in' like Vieira and he hasn't got the skill of Thierry. Really, what's the point of having a Brazilian World Cup Winner if they aren't able to score audacious back-heels or win ‘World Player of the Year' awards? You think Brazil, you think Pele, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo; you don't think quiet, unassuming and ‘back to basics'.

Indeed in Brazil Gilberto is termed the ‘Invisible Man' because in a team full of superstars you would be forgiven in forgetting he was there - but when he isn't there, even the World Champion Brazilians notice it. He exudes calm, he takes responsibility for himself and for his team-mates and I am yet to see another professional footballer thank the referee after being booked. He is, put simply, the antidote for the modern footballer.

The vast majority of Arsenal fans have never been able to appreciate his performances. At the beginning of this season, with the absence of Vieira, all the plaudits found their way to a certain 17 year-old. Gilberto had worked hard to make a very talented but very young Cesc look world-class; the role of protector coming easily to a man whose very nature seems unselfish. With Patrick's return you would be forgiven for believing all our midfield worries had dispersed. Gilberto found himself with a career-threatening injury and an undetermined spell on the recovery table but it was okay, we had Cesc, Patrick and Matti - we'd cope and really, is he that important to the team anyway?

Time has shown, however, that the Brazilian is not only important to the team but integral to it. Flamini and Fabregas have done phenomenally well but there has always been something missing. Around our annual November slump, fans began to mutter ‘if only Gilberto was fit' and ‘we'd be top of the league without his injury' yet, as far as I can tell, no-one has quite understood why we have missed him so much. It's true - he doesn't turn a game like Dennis and he isn't as commanding or authoritative as Sol. Yet without him, we lose some something so intrinsic to our game. Without Gilberto, Vieira looks lost and Cesc looks nervy; without his height, we look edgy in set pieces; without his simple passing, our trademark fluent football has become stilted.

More importantly, perhaps, is we have lacked his intelligence. It seems increasingly rare that we can use that word to describe a Premiership player but Gilberto is an astoundingly intelligent player; a quality best demonstrated by his ability to make the difficult appear painfully easy. He doesn't tackle because he doesn't have to - he reads the game in a way comparable with Tony Adams or Dennis Bergkamp; he doesn't rely on step-overs or back heels because he can be just as effective with the simplest of touches; he doesn't attempt to score spectacular goals because he is too busy setting up others. He is a model professional and it has taken a lengthy absence from the side for the majority of Arsenal fans to take notice.

His return to the side, whenever it finally is, will show how much the fans have warmed to Gilberto. Of course, it won't be long before the cheers die down and Arsenal fans everywhere begin questioning why he is on the team sheet. He will, before long, merge back into invisibility and be busy silently pulling the strings which make the Red Machine work. Now doubt the Vieira we saw last year will return with Gilberto and the defence we have seen struggling with set-pieces all season will look more assured - I for one will know why. So excuse me if I can't get too distraught about the Champions League exit but our boy from Brazil is back and that is enough to put a smile on at least one Gooner's face this week.