While Arsenal's victory away to West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday may have offered Gunners boss Arsene Wenger some respite following his side's unconvincing start to the season, there are still murmurings of discontent among the Arsenal fanbase. Many now feel that a change of manager is needed if Arsenal are to progress as a football club and an ominous banner was unfurled by disgruntled Gunners fans at the Hawthorns which read 'Arsene - thanks for the memories, but it's time to say goodbye'.
Major Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov also expressed his concerns regarding Wenger's leadership, stating recently that his stubborn approach is holding the club back. Wenger has been at the Emirates long enough to understand the demands of the Arsenal fanbase, and he must surely acknowledge the fact that lingering issues need to be addressed if his side is to have a successful season. Here are five things in particular the Gunners boss needs to sort out:
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON DANNY WELBECK TO SEE THE FULL LIST
[/ffc-gallery]
1. Defensive issues
The most pressing worry for Arsenal is the thinness of their options in the backline.
Four defenders left the club in the summer, with only two coming in as replacements. A spate of injuries in defence – including a long-term lay-off for new recruit Mathieu Debuchy – has meant that Wenger has for most of the season been unable to field his strongest back four, and their poor start could in part be attributed to a lack of familiarity.
He must target a central defender at the very least in the January transfer window to make sure that this problem does not persist for the remainder of the campaign.
2. Where to play Welbeck
Danny Welbeck has made no secret of his desire to be played in his favoured position as a centre forward since his £16 million arrival from Manchester United on transfer deadline day. One of the reasons why the England international decided to leave his boyhood club was his frustration at being played out of position, which, he argued, was to blame for his unremarkable goals return.
Although Welbeck grabbed the decisive winning goal against West Brom over the weekend, he was deployed out wide in the game to accommodate for Olivier Giroud. With the 24-year-old so determined to make his mark as an out-and-out striker, Wenger has a tough decision to make: does he continue to play him occasionally on the wing, therefore running the risk of making the player unhappy, or does he try to fit him in as a second striker alongside Giroud?
3. Ramsey's loss of form
So instrumental to Arsenal's FA Cup-winning season last year, Aaron Ramsey has found it tough to carry over his fine form into the current campaign.
The Welshman scored 16 goals in all competitions last season – despite missing 15 league games through a lengthy injury – yet he has struggled to dominate games this time around. It has been suggested that the midfielder is simply trying too hard to make an impact and that his form will return if he plays his natural game, while others maintain that the 23-year-old still hasn't fully recovered psychologically from the horrific leg break he suffered in 2010.
Either way, Arsenal are a much better team when Ramsey is on song, and Wenger must do his utmost to get last season's outstanding performer back to his best.
4. Settle on a best XI
So saturated is the Arsenal midfield that Wenger very rarely settles on a preferred combination of players for an extended period of time.
The injuries of Mikel Arteta, Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere may in fact be something of a blessing in disguise as the Gunners boss will at least find his options more manageable, yet when this trio returns, they will be fighting for a place in the four or five-man midfield with no fewer than eight other Arsenal players.
Constantly chopping and changing the side surely cannot be advantageous to Arsenal's chances; Wenger must identify his core starting eleven and stick with them as often as he possibly can.
5. Lack of consistency
The previous point goes hand-in-hand with this one: only once have Arsenal managed to secure back-to-back victories in the Premier League this season, and it is this inconsistency that has reduced them to playing catch-up already with Manchester United in fourth.
Getting anywhere near league leaders Chelsea is out of the question, yet by stringing a run of wins together – which will be helped if he allows the same starting eleven to play together week-in, week-out – Wenger can at least make a decent push for Champions League qualification for the 18th year in succession.
Got any questions? Follow me on Twitter @GruffuddOwen