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 4th
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.
