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Riding high on top of the table at the turn of the year, Arsene Wenger‘s rejuvenated Arsenal looked to accomplish what it had failed to do in the past ten years. Arsenal were were the team to beat and it looked certain that they would carry their impeccable form all the way to lift the Premier League title 10 years after the infamous ‘Invincible’ squad achieved the same feat in an extraordinary fashion. But come mid-April Arsenal find themselves in a more or less familiar situation, battling for a top 4 finish.
Purchase of German international Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid did have a significant impact on the team’s mentality but ever since the turn of the year, they have lost that edge. Crushing defeats at the hands of Liverpool and Chelsea and a below par performances at Goodison Park and Britannia stadium effectively ended their title challenge this season.
Despite having a talented squad with the right mix of experience and young talent Wenger has yet again failed to live upto the expectations leaving the faithful Gunners in utter frustration. But it is not really rocket science to understand where the 64-year old French manager went wrong.
1) Poor transfer window yet again
In the summer transfer window Arsenal were linked to a host of players and with a whopping 70 million pounds at his disposal, it was expected of Wenger to complete some top notch signings to rejuvenate his squad and add some experience to the team. Failing to sign an experienced striker (which was pretty much the top priority for Arsenal) and instead addition of Arsenal old boy Mathieu Flamini for a free transfer meant an unproductive summer transfer season for Wenger’s team.
Inspite of realising the importance of signing a striker Wenger stood by his transfer policies and once again his reluctance to splash the cash costed him dearly. Finally in an attempt to make up for his mistake Arsenal signed Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for a whopping 42.5 million Pound. Signing another attacking midfielder in the form Mesut Ozil despite having the likes of Tomas Rosicky and Santi Cazorla in their ranks was something that perplexed many Arsenal fans.
Come the winter transfer period, Wenger gave a repeat performance of his abysmal summer transfer window. Odds were in favour of Arsenal signing in-form Athletico Madrid striker Diego Costa but the deal broke off anyhow. On the last day of the transfer window Wenger made a last ditch attempt to sign Lazio striker Mirsolav Klose but failed again to land the prolific German international. Instead Arsenal signed a relatively unknown player by the name of Kim Kallstorm from Ukranian side Dynamo Kiev on loan. All in all Wenger’s reluctance to spend big money in the transfer window combined with his poor transfer policies cost Arsenal dearly this season.
2) Getting the tactics wrong
Olivier Giroud
To be honest, no club deserves to win the Premier League if they get thumped by their title contenders on more than one occasion. Losing 6-3, 5-1 and 6-0 all in one season to Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea respectively only meant that Wenger left his tactical mind at home during big games.
Playing Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky on the flanks, substituting Giroud with an inexperienced youngster Yaya Sanogo during the crucial stages of the game with Manchester City and resting Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal’s best CDM by a country mile) in the games against Chelsea and Liverpool are an evidence for Arsenal’s tactical failure this season.
But by far the most bizarre decision taken by Wenger was to play Alex Oxlade Chamberlein, an attacking winger by trade, in a Central Midfield role against Chelsea. What was he thinking? Wenger should realize that if he is serious about winning the title with Arsenal then he needs to get his tactics right in games that actually mattered.
3) Poor squad rotation policy
Mertesacker and Koscielny
I fail to remember the last time either Koscielny or Mertesacker were rested for a Premier League game and Vermealen was given a place in the starting line-up. Or Carl Jenkinson given a nod over Bacary Sagna for the right-back position. In contrast to Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City who regularly rotate their squads to give time to rest to their players, Wenger has stuck to the same starting eleven with the exception of one or two changes for almost the entire season.
Players like Olivier Giroud, Santi Cazorla and the defensive quartet of Mertesacker, Koscielny, Szczesny and Sagna along with midfield players like Mikel Arteta had been regular starters for Wenger’s the entire season. It is evident that owing to insufficient squad rotation, players have been struggling to give decent performances on some occasions.
Giroud looks tired up front, Arteta has been unable to live up to his own standards and the defense has been very leaky of late. Wenger needs to improve his squad depth, work on his rotation policy because he cannot rely on a particular bunch of players for a very long time. Maybe for a change give Vermealen a place in the Defensive midfield ahead of Arteta ?
