What Arsenal Need To Do To Win the League Next Season

What Arsenal need to do to win the league

Despite all protests and discontent, everyone knows that Wenger will stay at Arsenal for at least one more season. So after failing to win the league again, what can he change to see the league drought finally end and see him leave the club on a high? Obviously, these are my views and I don’t have much faith in Wenger and the board actually implementing any of these ideas, but hey, at least I could say “I told you so” when we come 4^th next season.

Mentality

There’s no doubt that the mentality of the whole club needs to change. Personally I think the board are to blame the most. They have said all the right things but have not really pressured Wenger for success and seem to be so in awe of the man that they do not hold him accountable for his mistakes. It doesn’t have to be made public, but it is my belief that people like chief-executive Ivan Gazidis need to have a quiet word with Wenger and stress that anything other than a big improvement will be considered a failure. Also, they need to remind him that they decide when he leaves or not, not the other way around. At the moment it just seems that Wenger has too much power in his position and he believes that everything he does is best for the club because that’s what everyone on the board tell him. It’s a false sense of security and it needs to end. Many point to Kroenke as being the problem, but if what Wenger said the other day about getting the full backing by Kroenke in the transfer market, then there’s not more that he can do as an owner. I’d rather have an owner that wasn’t that interested but provided money, than ones that think they football geniuses. Wenger needs to be prodded by the board in order to wake him up to the many failings and prevent the mistakes that happen year after year.

Wenger himself needs to change his relationship with his players. He is a manager, not a father. He shouldn’t defend and have belief in players that are simply inadequate for the squad. People like Ramsey and Giroud are not his children. They aren’t good enough and he needs to stop turning a blind eye just because he gets on well with them. He needs to be far more ruthless with his team and demand excellence week in week out. If this doesn’t change then of course the players will never stay motivated over the course of the season.

Tactics

For years now Wenger has tried to implement a total football approach with a lot of midfield movement and quick passing, and a sole striker holding the ball up and providing into passing lanes. However, teams know how to defend against Arsenal, as Wenger uses the same tactic every single game no matter the opposition. Too often, the ball is played side to side, back and forth, as the opposition puts nine or ten players behind the ball, stopping any kind of penetrating run and any ability to create simple chances. Arsenal simply struggle to score playing this way and usually only individual brilliance from the likes of Mesut Ozil or Alexis Sanchez breaks the boring monotonous football that has become custom in recent years.

In my opinion Arsenal need to stop trying to be like Barcelona, breaking down teams with endless possession and passing. It hasn’t worked, and to be quite honest we don’t have the players that suit the system anyway. With a lot of pacey wingers, it would be better to have a more direct approach, with the incorporation of wingers and one stand-alone playmaker in the middle. In theory this would allow the likes of Sanchez and Alex Iwobi to have more room to dribble and utilise their pace on the wings, while also freeing up space for Ozil in the centre. Let’s not forget that Ozil was at his best while playing this role at Madrid, providing the pinpoint pass to the likes of Ronaldo and Di Maria on either side of him that would often lead to an easy goal. At the moment he is struggling with the lack of movement and opportunities to play that vital pass. Likewise, Sanchez and Iwobi don’t fit the current system either. Sanchez is a brilliant player that should not be confined to passing the ball back and forth trying to spot an opening. Let the man run at defenders at pace, give him a chance on the break, let him force the issue. He looks frustrated and disgruntled and Arsenal should be worried about losing him in the summer. Iwobi is similar, and has shown his dribbling ability when given the opportunity. He gets really lost in games that are stagnant and slow as the last two fixtures against Sunderland and Norwich were. He needs to be either fed the ball out on the left, or make runs in behind the defence where Ozil can pick him out. At the moment, this pass and move in the final third with little penetration wastes the talents that Arsenal have.

Quite simply, Wenger needs to ditch his Barcelona-like philosophy and instead incorporate one like their fierce rivals Real Madrid. At the moment Arsenal are one world-class striker away from having their own big three, much like the Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale trio at Madrid. We have the pieces to make this team a title contender at the very least. All it takes is a few fresh ideas. Whether Wenger is the man to implement them is a different question, but it would be nice to see him realise his mistakes and try and fix them.

Formation

I actually like the 4-2-3-1 formation that Arsenal play with. It’s the same one that Madrid usually employs with the lone striker and three in behind, as well as the two central midfield players controlling the tempo and forcing the issue. Here’s the formation here, which also shows the ability of the wing backs to make attacking runs.

For me, it’s simply a change of tactics combined with a few new players that will make this team great. This might seem crazy, but I actually think Arsenal could be better than Real Madrid. Here’s why. The Spanish giants may have some of greatest players in the world, and even of all time, but their Galatico philosophy has led them astray in key areas, most obviously in midfield. They have bought too many playmakers for the positions available (as has Arsenal) simply because of the name on the back of the shirt. The reason they struggled earlier in the season was because they were playing the likes of Modric and Kroos alongside each other in central midfield. Neither player has any defensive capabilities, which led to them conceding too many goals. However, since Zidane has taken over, he has found success in employing a defensive minded player in Casemiro alongside one of those deep lying playmakers. This has seen them narrow the gap in the league to just one point and see them favourites to reach another Champions League final. Casemiro’s ability to win the ball back from the opposition and allow the likes of Modric to distribute the ball forward has seen the team improve tenfold.

Arsenal on the other hand already have a couple of solid ball-winning midfielders in Coquelin and Elneny. They are no worse than Casemiro and to be quite honest are probably better at this point in time. The Gunners will have to sign another deep lying playmaker to replace Santi Cazorla in the long term, but the pieces are there, they just need to be put together.

Players

The current squad doesn’t need a total overhaul, but signings do need to be made, and players do need to be let go. Firstly, let’s identify some players that need to be moved on this summer.

                Players to sell

-          Theo Walcott – Sorry but the time has come to let him go. He’s paid too much and there are better players in his position. Also throw in the fact he’s got no heart and is injury prone and it sums up his disappointing career. Probably won’t get much for him, but who cares to be honest.

-          Olivier Giroud – I’ve hated Giroud since we signed him, not just because he’s not world-class, but because he doesn’t fit our style of play at all. I don’t know why Wenger hasn’t come to realise we aren’t West Ham firing in crosses to a target man, but who knows what goes through his mind anyway. To be fair to Giroud, he’s not actually as bad as he looks at times, he just doesn’t fit in Arsenal’s team.

-          Aaron Ramsey – I hate Ramsey more than Giroud, which is hard to do. I haven’t ever rated him and aside from that one fluke season what has he done? Wenger likes him because he tries hard, but it’s obvious he isn’t good enough for the side. He slows down play because his vision and passing ability is lacking, which often stops any kind of fast break opportunity that we have. Hopefully a team will be stupid enough to pay a lot of money for him.

-          Per Mertesacker – It’s hard to let go such a nice guy and one whose performances haven’t been that bad. But unfortunately the BFG was never gifted any ability to run, and with him now on the wrong side of 30, his problems will just get worse. Also need to open up a squad place for a better centre half to come in.

-          Kieran Gibbs – Not good enough fullstop.

-          David Ospina – I don’t want him wasting the best part of his career warming the bench for Arsenal. He’s a good player who deserves first team football.

-          Mathieu Debuchy – Injuries have taken their toll I’m afraid. Time to move him on.

-          Yaya Sanogo – I hoped he would find his way but he hasn’t. A shame really.

 
Players to bring in

Obviously there’s going to be a big midfield clearout this summer, so that becomes a priority alongside the striker and centre back positions. I’ll mention players for each of those positions as well as ones that would benefit the team and style of play that Arsenal SHOULD be playing.

Strikers (sign one of the following)

Karim Benzema – World class despite the controversy surrounding him at the moment. Obviously has played in the 4-2-3-1 formation alongside Ozil before, and could be ready to step out of Ronaldo’s shadow.

Gonzalo Higuain – Banged in over 30 league goals this season at Napoli. Imagine how many he could get with Ozil providing for him.

Romelu Lukaku – Strong, quick and solid. Proved he can score goals in the Premier League even when his team is struggling. Still young with room to improve.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Obviously a world-class complete striker. Available on a free. Would be an absolute steal if Arsenal could pull it off.

Alexandre Lacazette – Had a pretty successful season for Lyon despite injury. Might want to see how he goes at the Euros before making a move.

Central Midfield (sign two or three of the following)

N’Golo Kante – An absolute workhorse for Leicester this season. Could really provide some much needed heart to a team sometimes lacking in motivation.

Ilkay Gundogan – Brilliant distributor of the ball. Could be interested in a move away from Dortmund this summer. Only doubts are his niggling injury problems.

Oguzhan Ozyakup – Young Turkish talent has played well for Besiktas the last couple of seasons. Has an Arsene Wenger feel about it as it’s a bit left-field.

Granit Xhaka – Powerful midfielder with the rare ability to go both forward and back. Could be available for a reasonable price.

Miralem Pjanic – Very classy playmaker with a good long shot on him. Have watched him play live in a preseason game and looks like a great player to control things in midfield.

Radja Nainggolan – Underrated power player in the midfield. Like Xhaka, can go forward and back. Unfortunately it would probably take a big sum to remove him from Roma.

Axel Witsel – I thought he had a really good World Cup in Brazil, and was probably one of Belgium’s best players with Kevin De Bruyne. Certainly looks like a player that can control the midfield tempo well.

Saul Niguez – An exciting talent. Scored a magnificent goal against Bayern in the Champions League and has had a great season for Atletico. Apparently he has a release clause in his contract, but we’ll find out in the summer. Otherwise he won’t be cheap.

Grzegorz Krychowiak – Absolute beast for Sevilla the last couple of years and would provide some heart and passion for Arsenal. Should come at a reasonable price and might be keen on a move to a top team.

Central Defence (sign one of the following)

Kostas Manolas – Brilliant season for Roma. Probably have to fight off some other top clubs for his signature this summer.

Medhi Benatia – Could be on the way out if and when Hummels moves to Bayern Munich. If that does happen then Wenger should sign him up immediately. Has proved his worth when fit.

Raphael Varane – Tough to force Madrid’s hand without the player himself wanting to leave. But he could be tired of seeing Pepe and Ramos muck around game after game knowing he could do a better job. Would certainly get an opportunity at the Emirates.

Shkodran Mustafi – Arguably the best player for a poor Valencia side this season. With European competition pretty much out of the question for the Spanish side, Mustafi could be keen on a move to a top European club in order to further his career and try cement a starting spot in the always competitive German side.

Diego Godin – One of if not the best centre back in the world right now. Would take a real effort to try and secure his signature, but it would show some real ambition if they could at least pursue him. Would be a true leader of men in Arsenal’s fragile backline.

Other signings that could improve the squad

Aaron Creswell – Has had a great season at West Ham. Would provide competition for Monreal and certainly an improvement on Gibbs. Good at going forward which is an important part of an Arsenal wing back. English as well.

Ryan Bertrand – Same as Creswell, would be an upgrade on Gibbs and strengthen the left back position depth-wise.

Andrija Zivkovic – Now this is one of my own personal preferences. Saw him play live at the U20 World Cup last year as he led Serbia to the final and upset Brazil. Baffled at the fact no one picked him up last year. He’s a right winger that is brilliant on the ball and can play a great pass. Would be a buy for the future, but I believe it would be a great signing.

Youth players that should be promoted

Jeff-Reine Adelaide – Proved his talent in preseason. Should be promoted to the first team and given an opportunity considering all the midfielders leaving this summer.

Daniel Crowley – When recalled from a loan spell at Barnsley, manager Lee Johnson claimed he was the best player he’d ever seen. Needs to be given a shot.

Vlad Dragomir – Still only 17 but I’d like to see him at least have a run in preseason and maybe get some chances in cup games if playing well.

These are my thoughts on the club at the moment. It would be great if things could change so that the fans could be rewarded for years of disservice. Arsenal have the money to sign big players and if their ambition is to win the league, then they should go and get the necessities to do so. In short, some accountability, acceptance of past mistakes, and a willingness to change are all key factors in seeing the Arsenal finally lifting the Premier League trophy after all these years.