2011 has been an eventful year for the Arsenal faithful, a rollercoaster of sorts. From being on an overall high with what was a potential quadruple as the year started, ending in yet another trophy-less year, the familiar feeling of frustration seemed too much to take for some of our key players. Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri left, leaving our midfield in dire need of reinforcements, seen when our entire team capitulated against Manchester United at Old Trafford, 8-2.
Undoubtedly, the lowest point of Arsenal's year.
Reinforcements came in the nick of time – Yossi Benayoun, Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker, Andre Santos, and Ju-Young Park were brought in to add to the previous additions of Alex Chamberlain, Gervinho, and Ryo Miyaichi. Questions were asked about whether all these players were good enough for Arsenal – whether they were panic buys, and not long-term solutions to Arsenal’s perennial problems. And there was the small proportion of “fans” who believed that the time for Wenger to leave Arsenal had come. Bear in mind, it was a small proportion – most fans (myself included) knew that Wenger had to stay. There weren’t, and still aren’t too many managers out there who can replace and replicate what Wenger has created at Arsenal.
Fast forward to present day, and we are back in contention for a top-four spot. Granted, we did not take advantage of Chelsea and Liverpool’s slipups on Boxing Day, but it is easy to ignore the fact that we’ve come back from quite literally the relegation zone, back up on the right half of the table. Gervinho, Arteta and Mertesacker were thrown straight into the first team and have hit the ground running to some extent, the latter still getting used to the pace of the Premier League but seems to be coping well. The rest have shown signs of talent (Chamberlain in particular), but will take time to adjust to the style of play and more importantly, need more first-team experience.
Alex Chamberlain has undoubtedly been Arsenal's youngster-to-watch this season.
While Wenger has proven yet again that his management skills are undoubtedly competent, I still believe that there is work to be done before we are anywhere near the level of teams like City or United. We’ve got a great squad at the moment, as shown with our win against Chelsea earlier this season and our overall revival, but our over reliance on Van Persie to score goals is to some extent, undeniable. Marouane Chamakh is yet to find his form; one can only hope that he will be able to do so when he goes to represent his nation in the African Cup of Nations in January. And as for Ju-Young Park, well we’ve seen him on the pitch for Arsenal as often as Piers Morgan cracks a wise joke – almost never. The chances of us seeing him play in an Arsenal shirt are more likely in January, but with rumors flying about Thierry Henry returning to Arsenal for two months, he may not get the chance he deserves to prove himself. I honestly think he deserves a chance to show his talent – he has put in solid performances for South Korea and has the ability to shine at the club level as well.
Park Chu-Young deserves a proper chance to prove himself at the Emirates.
As for Thierry Henry, there is no doubt that every Arsenal fan I know wants him back – and I have to admit, the idea of him back in red and white is tempting to say the least, but bringing Henry back for two months is not a permanent solution to our lack of depth up front. He is 34, and while he has been wowing the folks in the US (including myself – give this a read) with his amazing goals for the New York Red Bulls, the chances of him coping with the speed in the Premier League are slim, and more importantly, he will not be available for Arsenal after this short 2-month period – some of our most important games will be in the months of March and April, and we must have enough options in attack to cope with any injury scares. This is why I believe we need to go out and either buy a new striker, or Wenger must work his magic to bring Chamakh back to his best – this is assuming Park finally gets his chance and makes the most of it. What is for sure is that we need change up front – we cannot rely on RVP for an entire season because there will be instances where he may not be at his best and may not score – our recent games against City and Wolves are perfect examples.
Robin Van Persie cannot be the sole consistent striker in Arsenal's squad.
Besides this, with Sagna, Jenkinson, Gibbs and Santos all out – we lack all our specialist fullbacks. This problem must be addressed in the January transfer window, considering the possibility that Sagna will be the only player out of the aforementioned four that will be available for first-team selection by the end of January. Arsene Wenger has talked about dipping into the loan market, but it remains to be seen which player he will end up bringing on a temporary basis. There has been speculation of Wayne Bridge moving to Arsenal, but for now, that is what it will remain – speculation. Wenger has denied making an enquiry for Bridge, but it would be foolish to assume that Wenger will not bring in any fullbacks in January – Djourou’s positioning and overall comfort playing as a right-back can be best put in one word – awkward. And while Thomas Vermaelen is doing a fine job at left-back, one has to take into consideration the dire situation Arsenal’s back four would be in if any more of our defenders get injured over the next month or so.
Injuries to all our specialist fullbacks, including Bacary Sagna has left us in dire need of reinforcements.
And that’s that. Our midfield, at least in my opinion, seems to be doing great, and will only get better with the return of Jack Wilshere – which is why there is really no need to touch upon this topic. Our defence is pretty much set once we bring in reinforcements for our fullbacks – who may these reinforcements be is a good question that I believe is a tough one to answer. Sure, you could mention certain players just like any website would – but there is no real credible information about who Wenger may be interested in. Our attack either needs reinforcements of the permanent type (sorry Thierry Henry fans, but I believe Titi deserves to come back to Arsenal as a coach and advisor; not as a player), or Wenger must give Park his chance to prove himself, and simultaneously do whatever it takes to help Chamakh find his form in front of goal.
Bringing King Henry back to the Arsenal is not a permanent solution – and therefore must be ruled out.
While these changes might seem small, I believe that they are all it will take for us to bring ourselves as close to the league leaders as possible. Wenger said after the City game that we were out of contention for the League – and he might be right. But all is not lost in the Champions League and the FA Cup – Wenger must focus on either, and concurrently keep Arsenal on a good run in the league to secure either 3rd or 4th place, and with it, yet another year in the Champions League.
