Arsenal Mini Revival Calls Into Question Arsene Wenger’s Policy

by Fotbulnary

Since Arsenal exited the last two cup competitions with defeats to Watford and Barcelona in the FA Cup and Champions League respectively, they have gone on to win two consecutive league matches against Everton and Watford scoring six goals without conceding any in return. However, these results while tingled with an element of disappointment for many of Arsenal persuasion, raises series of question in respect of how Arsene Wenger has approached his team.

When Santi Cazorla got injured in November, it was clear that his injury would affect Arsenal’s balance in midfield. In the match, Francis Coquelin’s injury also impacted significantly the way Arsenal operated in midfield. However, it was the layoff of Santi Cazorla that has impacted Arsenal’s overall performance because there is no other player in the Arsenal squad that offers what he did when he got injured. His ability to keep possession in tight spaces and under pressure was something nobody else could offer. And his attributes to stay deeper effectively made Arsenal’s midfield defensively balance when he was alongside Coquelin. His replacement in that position, Aaron Ramsey could not offer these attributes. As the Welsh midfielder lacked the discipline to know when to join the attack, and when to stay deep, and his propensity to give away possession made Arsenal to be susceptible to counter attack, because most of the giveaway was in the centre of the field. Arsenal was effectively disadvantaged with Ramsey and Flamini in the middle as opposition teams could easily press Arsenal high up the field because both players were not comfortable in possession.

Little wonder that, Mesut Ozil often went deep to pick up the ball from the defence, as none of Ramsey and Flamini showed up to pick it up because of their short comings. This left Arsenal with a creative deficiency upfront with a dysfunctional midfield that could not support the attack enough in the creative department, and at the same time they couldn’t protect the defence from pressure.

These issues made Arsenal to struggle since the turn of the year, as the team was effectively dysfunctional in virtually all it matches especially at home, where team could just sit back, and hit Arsenal on the counter attack. This tactics worked effectively with Swansea the chief beneficiary of this tactics in February. This was not helped by an immobile forward in Oliver Giroud that was out of form. The French striker is easily closed down on matches because of his lack of pace.

However, the two recent matches Arsenal or better still the last three matches if the Barcelona match is added to the list, Arsenal’s overall balance has returned because certain players have been removed from the team, while others whose attributes suits the team have been brought into the team. Alex Iwobi, Danny Welbeck and Mohammed Elneny have been the trio that has aided the fortunes of the team. To the extent that Alexis Sanchez has retained his mojo back after he was deployed to the right wing, with Iwobi on the left.

By February, Danny Welbeck was still not completely fit. But Alex Iwobi and Mohammed Elneny were part of the squad. With the performance of the Egyptian so far, it was bizarre that Wenger did not include him more in the team’s line up in league matches when he arrived in January. Because he has certainly offered something that Arsenal have been missing since the injury to Cazorla in November. It was the home leg against Barcelona in the Champions League when Wenger brought on Flamini when the Egyptian was on the bench that called into question Wenger’s approach in player’s hierarchy.

Arsene Wenger has always preferred seniority. With his preference of sticking with senior players even when they are under performing when other younger players are in the squad that had fared better. Joel Campbell has suffered from this severally this season. However, the recent relegation of Oliver Giroud and Theo Walcott and the promotion of Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi to the line-up means Wenger has decided to abandon this policy. Arsenal are now less predictable as a result with the pace and movement that the current front three offers.  

The injury to Aaron Ramsey means Elneny had to come into the team, it remains to seen whether he would restore the Welsh midfielder into the line-up when he returns. Yet a clue could be gotten from the line up against Watford last weekend, David Ospina was behind in the stick even when Petr Cech was fit. Instead the Czech International was on the bench.

Arsenal’s mini revival could have come much earlier in the year if Wenger had made more bold decisions of resolving the midfield imbalance before the season collapsed. What is left for the team is to finish the season strongly.