The defence? No this is Arsenal’s real problem…
Much has been made of Arsenal’s fragility in both the goalkeeping and central defensive areas of the pitch. Whilst this is likely to be Wenger’s main area of concern in the summer (whether he actually does anything is another matter altogether) I feel that Arsenal have another weakness which certainly merits examination: I am talking about wide players.
On the surface Arsenal’s midfield appears to be their main asset. With the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Andrei Arshavin, Jack Wilshire and Alex Song the Gunner’s have a midfield that can, on its day, completely dictate a match. What they lack, however, is a natural left-midfielder whilst out on the right, the only viable option is Theo Walcott (and even he is naturally predisposed to the central striker position).
Wenger usually opts to play Nasri or Arshavin on the left and whilst they can produce good moments from that side of the pitch, they aren’t naturally inclined to that position and can sometimes seem out of place. Arshavin in particular has seemed sloppy on the left and it is becoming increasingly apparent that he is feeling more than a little dejected with the Gunners at the moment.
Arshavin’s natural position is to play behind the strikers and we have seen the best of him when he plays centrally. He even played as a centre forward for a few games last season when injuries forced Wenger’s hand and we saw him score goals and play with a comfort that comes from playing in the centre. Arshavin will always be capable of providing moments of magic (example: Saturday at West Brom) but he will never find his consistency playing out on the left.
Nasri is a similar case but he seems to be at least a little better equipped to deal with the position. Again though, he is naturally suited to playing in the centre and we certainly see the best results when he plays there. In the absence of Theo Walcott, Nasri has been starting on the right of midfield and as a result his impact has been drastically subdued. His form has dipped since the first half of the campaign where many were viewing him as the favourite for Player of the Year.
Arsenal have an overabundance of central midfield players. In fact, I would go as far as saying that Arsenal’s entire midfield feels more comfortable in the centre. This may suit Arsenal’s quick passing game but it limits any options when it’s not working and doesn’t leave any room for a plan B. If Saturday’s game at the Hawthorns taught us anything it is that Wenger seems to have accidentally stumbled upon the very plan B that pundits claim he has been missing.
By taking off Denilson (who needs to be sold) and Ramsey (who will eventually get back in the swing) and introducing Bendtner and Chamakh; Arsenal had targets in the box. Wilshire and Nasri proved more than capable in holding the central midfield allowing Bendtner and Arshavin and even Sagna opportunities to cross. Arsenal need this plan B and need to use it more often.
It is plain for all to see how well Walcott does his job on the right. He cuts through defenders on the right and puts in some good crosses or breezes into the box. He also creates more space in the centre which gives Fabregas and co. more time to shine. If Arsene brought in a left-sided Walcott in the summer it would both open up the play for the likes of Wilshire, Nasri and Fabregas in the centre as well as providing the Gunner’s with the width they desperately need.
Sagna can make good runs from the right-back position and with Theo Walcott fit Arsenal would see the benefit of this approach week-in week-out. On the left however, Arsenal don’t have that natural left-sided midfielder and Clichy is looking more and more sloppy as time goes on. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the left-back sold in the summer and have his position handed over to Gibbs who looks to be developing into quite a player.
In terms of potential targets there doesn’t seem to be many obvious options. Arsenal require a Gareth Bale type player but he is well out of their price range and on the wrong side of North London. Barcelona’s Pedro would be a very good option but again price would be an issue. The only possibility of that happening would be a swap deal with Fabregas which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.
Arsene Wenger has been keeping tracks on Eden Hazard for a long time and he could be a perfect fit, but the young Belgium recently signed a contract extension with Lille. One option that might sound laughable at first (but bare with me): Shaun Wright Phillips. Although naturally a right sided player, he has played on the left for both club and country. He would provide cover for Walcott and would be more comfortable on the left than any of Arsenal’s current crop of midfielders. He is out of favour at Man City and, of course, let’s not forget who his dad is.
Arsene Wenger’s main priority this summer MUST be the central defence. I really get the sense that he’s not going to budge on the goalkeeping situation and when Vermaelen returns he may not even look at defenders. Beyond that, however, a left-midfielder is definitely something to think about and could give the Gunner’s the adaptability that they sometimes lack.
Read more of Nicholas Edward’s articles at ‘This Is Futbol’
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arshavin has 11 assists and 6 goals i nthe premier league alone. more than VDV ,kuyt and nasri.
hes a clinical player, his passes are always to set up a goal, hes not a sideways player.
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Agree, to a certain extend. I never had the feeling that Arsenal’s problem (this season) was Defense or Goalkeeping as all the sheep bleat out. The problem seems to be attacking efficiency; too many chances lead to nothing.
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I agree, been saying a similar thing for a while too – maybe clichy left midfield with gibbs behind, as a short term solution. Arshavin has got great stats, but everyone knows he can do even better played in the right position
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Why does everyone spell defence as “defense”? If you want to support an English team then learn to speak the language!
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lee Reply:
March 24th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!
To just comment on the article, this is possible the best piece I have read on this site which generally has terrible ones.
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Some interesting theories. I do like the idea of creating more of a width at Arsenal. However, there is some flawed thinking here. For instance, when Arshavin was playing as a central striker, he wasn’t consistent and actually bluntly told the press it wasn’t his normal role and didn’t understand why he had been put there. Also Nasri has had an uneven season. It’s true he has the vision and skill to step into the Fabregas role but he doesn’t seem comfortable there and the placement leads to mixed results. The main reason being that he likes to beat his man and dribble with the ball. Nearly all of his praises were sung when he was playing the wide role. In fact he collected player of the month award when out on the flank and Cesc was in the centre. Arsenal are dependent on a fit Fabregas not just to pull the strings and dictate the play but he is the heart of that team and motivates them. He may not be a battle warhorse or a bloodied general like a Vidic or a Terry but he is a great thinker and he commands respect and results and galvanises that team. You only have to look at the results whenever he doesn’t play compared to when he does to verify that. If he departs then we will miss his frightening ability to pick a team to pieces sure, but most of all his and our only source of leadership.
His replacement as far as the captains armband is concerned should go to Vermaelen. He has proved he can fulfill the role admirably deputising on a number of occasions and also he was captain at his last club. However, there are continual doubts over his fitness as he has been out since September with a.troublesome achilles. There are murmers in the press that he won’t even make the start of next season. The main priority has to be the defence. Squillaci is simply not good enough. Koszcielny is promising but some of his decision making demonstrates his lack of experience at top flight. Djourou has had a very good season but unfortunately is too injury prone.Wenger should fork out the money for Mexes, Hangelaand or Cahill. Someone solid, good in the air and not afraid to tackle hard. We have missed a Tony Adams for a while. United have always had them from Palllister to Stam and now Vidic. We need a strong spine to compete consistently. I can’t see him breaking the transfer record to pay upwards of a necessary £16 million though. If he gets anyone it will probably be another budget Squillaci. After all he has some real dodgy defenders in the past, Luhzny, Stepanovs, Cygan, Senderos etc. As for keepers well in my opinion. Almunia needs to be put out to pasture, Mannone needs to be shipped out. He. needs to bring in someone proven and reliable. For me It’s either Reina or Steklenburg. However, he won’t get much change out of a cool 2002 mill for the priviledge of their services but an alternative would be a certain Nigerian, Vincent Enyeama who is currently at Hapoel Tel Aviv and a big money move would surely appeal. He made some outstanding saves in the World Cup and I think he would cost half the price of the other two. Sczesny has had a great debut and definitely has the talent but needs time to develop into a number 1.
As for outfield prospects. I don’t somehow think Barca are going to part with a prized asset such as Pedro. With the carrot of Cesc or not. He has had an amazing season hitting the back of the net more than ever. Besides I don’t think he would ever want to leave. He is the type of player who would want to finish his career there. Hazard looks like a good fit but with a lot of interest he will be undoubtedly auctioned to the highest bidder or go abroad. Wenger won’t ever pay a huge amount on someone unproven. I think Man City will snap him up they see themselves as a rival to Arsenal’s youth development scheme. Hence why they bought Adam Johnson and they would probably buy him to stop Wenger getting his hands on him. I think Arshavin will go this summer and his likely destination is probably a return to Zenit. Hopefully Bendtner will follow suit, apparently there is a lot of interest in the Bundesliga. Oh and whole heartedly agree that Denilson is dead wood and should be offloaded. Whoever goes though Wenger needs to realise, needs to be replaced.
The majorly overlooked point for me is the strikers role. We have a superstar in RVP but that’s when he’s not on the treatment table. Chamakh is lethargic and only excels in the air and Bendtner is deluded. We miss an instinctive finisher and for a team that plays fast attacking, pass and move football and creates chances for.fun, it seems ludicrous. The fact is we never replaced the ill fated Eduardo, who had just begun to shine when he suffered his career threatening injury. There are players queuing up to play for a club like Arsenal because of what I mentioned above and also because of Wenger’s reputation as a Manager and nurturer of talent. He needs to take advantage and pluck a ready made goalscorer of the same ilk as Torres or Drogba or Hernandez who is tiny but ferocious and knows where the goal is. Benzema is the ideal purchase he is a great finisher a cool calm and collective in front of goal and when Higuain is back will find himself surplus to requirements yet again. If we calculated how many chances Arsenal have squandered this season in front of goal, the tallied total would probably double our current goal difference.
In summary, with the right investment and alterations to the squad this team can go on to trophies and the major additions have to be a world class centre back and a world class striker.
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that would be that Japanese winger, Miyaichi
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