I am all in favor of celebrities supporting charitable events and keeping commitments to such events. However, one can easily exercise a modicum of common sense before making such commitments.
Agreeing to referee a charity match, particularly in some other town, on the last day of the transfer window comes close to dereliction of duty, even in the internet age. That is exactly what Arsene Wenger was doing on Sep 1 while Arsenal failed miserably in closing the gaps in their roster. Of course, it would be a bit misleading to blame the events of Sep 1, since the failure actually spans the entire summer transfer window.
Who did we get and what does it say about Arsenal? We picked up Danny Wellbeck, not a bad player, one who might make the critics eat their words. The poor lad was labelled a C class player by NBCSN commentator Robbie Mustow. Rather harsh, I thought.
However, the underlying storyline can’t please any Gunners fan who realizes that Manchester United stepped in with impunity and grabbed our star striker, Robin van Persie and here we are coughing up real money (16 million pounds) for someone who (let me be the harsh one here) is essentially a reject.
Arsenal lack a goalscorer
The main complaint about Arsenal’s frontline isn’t about the quality of the players, rather it is about having someone who can put the ball in the back of the net with boring regularity.
The Gunners have enough talent on the frontline – Alexis, Sanogo, Campbell, Podolski, Walcott (on the rare occasions when he parts company with Diaby on the trainer’s table), Oxlade-Chamberlin, Gnabry. Welbeck is another talented player, but doesn’t come with that much needed chance conversion stat to have Gunner fans dancing in the street.
Arsenal signed Mnachester United’s Danny Welbeck on deadline day
What have Arsenal really lacked in the years devoid of silverware? Does winning the FA Cup mean those problems no longer exist? Most people have short memories after a victory, but the sad truth is we gave up two goals to Hull and squeaked through.
Fast forward to this season and we have conceded goals again to less than stellar opposition. Among the four lines (goal, defense, midfield and attack), our midfield is easily the strongest and yet, it is not strong enough. Our defensive midfielders are an elfin Arteta and an aging Flamini. Ozil and Cazorla are not the best at tracking back and persisting with their defensive tasks.
In the back line, we have magnanimously given away Vermaelen, without even a token substitute. After the initial euphoria of the swift acquisition of Alexis Sanchez and Debuchy, the rest of the summer was filled with that familiar sinking feeling as defensive talent flashed on the Arsenal rumor mill, only to end up with other clubs.
Arsenal missed out on bargains
We are not even talking big money – Garay at 7 million, de Vrij at about the same, Manolas lost at the very last minute, not to mention Schneiderlin, Carvalho (who both stayed at their clubs).
The unkindest cut of all was to see Alex Song go on loan to West Ham (if I recall correctly). If you look under the definition of no-brainer, you would see a fictitious headline “Arsenal acquire Alex Song on loan from Barcelona”. If Wenger couldn’t find the right holding midfielder at the right price, can you think of a better way to buy time and give the Gunners a realistic chance at the silverware that matters – the EPL and the Champions League. Heck, he already knows the system and, unlike many who have left, he wasn’t crying to leave.
It is seductive to look at the overall statistics of the Koscielny-Mertesacker pairing and think that our central defense is in good shape. However, if you pick apart their performance against our top rivals last year, you might edge closer to the truth.
Besides, anyone and his grandmother who watched the World Cup saw exactly how to go after Mertesacker. Most people remember Germany’s thumping of Brazil, but they lived precariously against Algeria, with simple balls over the top for their forwards to breeze past Mertesacker.
Leicester showed they had learned this lesson as Schlupp left Mertesacker in the dust. NBCSN commentator criticized Mertesacker for ambling back after being beaten. The sad truth is it looked like he was running at full tilt!
Ozil has looked out-of-sorts
Wenger’s response to all this was at least a step us from the infamous “We have Diaby”. This time, it is “We have Chambers”. Chambers has been a revelation, easily moving between right back and central defense. His reading of the game belies his tender age. Wenger states he can play at right back, central defense and holding midfield. Looking at how he has performed, I wouldn’t dispute that.
However, could Wenger be making the same mistake he made with Wojciech Szcz?sny? Throwing Szcz?sny into the starting lineup of a major club at twenty because he didn’t want to spend an extra two million on Mark Schwarzer, especially with a porous defense in front of him, probably prevented him from becoming a great keeper.
Season Prediction
Last year, I thought the acquisition of Ozil would lift us to fourth spot and that was exactly where we finished. (This year, Ozil looks completely lost and should really be benched). What are our prospects this season? It will depend on where we are at the next transfer window.
The Gunners will bleed goals and it isn’t clear where our own scoring is going to come from. Looking at the competition, Chelsea and Man City are a lock for the top two spots. Liverpool look good for third. Among the contenders for fourth, Spurs and Everton look strong. Man United present the biggest puzzle.
They have acquired great players, though many of them don’t seem to quite fit van Gaal’s 3-5-2. Moreover, his 3 at the back look particularly vulnerable. If the Gunners can somehow get to the end of the year in 6th the midfield and defense in the transfer window, they will make it to a CL spot. If the gap is less than 10 points, they could go as high as second. They should sneak into the second round of the CL, behind Dortmund in their group.
With January acquisitions, they could make it as far as the semifinals. How is that for a bold prediction?
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