This is becoming a theme for us over recent years and it has to be said, it doesn't seem to take much for us to slip into old, bad habits. In seasons gone by we generally start the season with all the improvements we hope to see from our team, we get all optimistic and then we get a couple of injuries and it seems like the players forget all of the key defensive improvements we have made at the beginning of the season.
We have all seen the importance of pressing the ball when trying to get it (Barcelona have implemented this brilliantly over past seasons), yet we seem to have begun to stand off the opponent and allow them to play again. This is all good if the team wants to go away, sit deep and hit a team on the counter-attack (Liverpool away). We were extremely resolute against Stoke which did hinder us as an attacking threat but we looked organised, drilled, confident and disciplined.
FRAGILE
 |
| VERMAELEN: LOW ON CONFIDENCE |
A few weeks down the line and we look "fragile", a word being bandied around a lot at the moment and even in the most unfortunate circumstances this word should not be affiliated with the calibre of players we have. Our captain, Vermaelen is arguably the most fragile of all, contributing to a lot of poor goals being conceded and clearly not being an advocate of paying attention to key details. He has started hoofing the ball quite regularly and been shunted out to left-back - telling signs that his confidence has been badly shattered. Wenger has confirmed that Vermaelens confidence is low, ‘I think what has happened to him in recent weeks has affected his confidence.'
Even more alarming is, this is during a season where we are expected to improve defensively as we have now acquired a defensive connoisseur in the shape of Steve Bould. He has been brought in to address these lingering issues that have halted our progress for many years. I would expect Bould to be mentoring our centre-backs but the only 1 to have excelled is Mertesacker, who has been a rock for us. Is this down to Bould having a better understanding of Mertesackers style? Or maybe the fact the defender is simply already a proven international defender with the composure and a better understanding of what is needed to succeed at Arsenal?
 |
| ARSENE WENGER |
Arsene Wenger is an attack-minded coach. Nobody has ever had the privilege of calling him a negative manager but what he is seemingly lacking is the tactical nous needed to shuffle the team around and get us playing in order to get the 3 points and move on to the next game. 2-0 up vs Schalke and then Fulham should be followed by a comfortable performance where we totally take the sting out of the game by using our experience. Instead, we need more of a cushion to keep us from throwing the points away, which of course, we did.
Wenger has in the past, suggested his teams will win as long as they play to their strengths. Unfortunately this is not the case anymore as the quality is not the same. We are lacking the similar quality to absolutely dominate games, pass teams off the park and wear them down.
However, in Wengers defence, the team is a very new team and still adapting to each other as well as the Premier League and its robust demands. After being out for 524 days, Wilshere explained, “we still have a lot of new players. I have only played with them three times and we feel we are getting better and better as a team, and that we are bonding. Hopefully things will just get better from here."
BALANCE
Our team is lacking the physical balance needed in midfield, we have a particularly small midfield which is not the strongest. The man held responsible for restoring any balance in our midfield is Diaby and its not a coincidence that since his injury we have performed poorly. I'm of the opinion that the Wilshere-Arteta-Cazorla will not work how we would all love it to as it is too small and our biggest hope of it working is that the players find a much-required cohesion to dominate the ball and retain it under pressure. Our tallest midfielder, in what many would class as our best midfield, is Mikel Arteta at 5ft 9 ins. This is causing us to not retain the ball well under pressure and is allowing us to be overpowered in midfield. This is where the "fragile" problem stems from.
Wenger has put all of his eggs in one basket with Diaby and clearly it has backfired. His physicality occupies players from other teams and enables Cazorla to find space. Cazorla is the man we need to get on the ball and make things happen. For this purpose in itself, Diaby is key. When he doesn't play, the balance needed for a defensive game where teams get stuck into us or want to play a game of football against us is gone. Where is the protector or midfield general we need? Where is the runner in midfield? The legs of the midfield? It sounds like an out-dated requirement but it isn't (ask Barcelona, who bought our midfield hard-man). |
| MAROUANE FELLAINI |
The blend in the team is not quite there in a number of positions. I actually feel our defence is the most complete part of the pitch for us although there is clearly a problem with defending in our team, but its exactly that - the team. I wouldn't put the blame on the players, they don't buy themselves' or pick themselves'. Wenger has to address the balance and wisen up tactically.
