Now that the season has ended the time to analyse what went wrong is upon us. As has been the case for a few seasons now we have threatened to challenge for the title but have come up short. For the last couple of months it has become clear that the squad has not been up to scratch. We were throwing away points like they were going out of fashion. The one that sticks in my throat the most is the collapse at St. James Park. Four nil up at half time and flying the points should have been in the bag. However during a spell where Djourou got taken off injured and Diaby got sent off, our lead slowly ebbed away. It seemed as if the player’s heads were on the coach down the M1 and not on the game. There was panic in the team and it spread to all of the players. The confidence had gone, and even with a 2 goal cushion the result was on the cards. Some could point to the substitutions as to our downfall – taking off Arshavin and Walcott and replacing them with Eboue and Rosicky seemed to change the shape and pace of the team.
This failure to kill off games is nothing new. We have been doing this for a while. We were two nil up against Spurs at home and lost that one with the same symptoms on display. We looked in control in the Carling Cup and then gave away a silly goal to lose the game. Why does this keep on happening with this group of players?
What type of player to go for?
It has been said all season our defence is weak and there is no leader at the back. That is all well and good and I would agree that it seems we need big strong commanding defenders that organise the other players, but would they have stopped the collapses we seem prone to? By nature big commanding defenders are not as quick and prefer to play a deeper line when defending so they can see danger in front of them. Wenger seems to like quicker ball players who prefer the high line. Can Wenger work a system to use a player like Samba or a Hangeland? Both experienced Premier League players. Both over 6 foot 4, both commanding in the box and vocal. These are the type of players we have been linked to for a long time and the fans have been crying out for. Wenger has faffed around players like these claiming they are too expensive and stubbornly keeping his cheque book tucked in his back pocket. Fans seem to be attracted to players like Samba and Hangeland as they have Premier League experience and so believe they would do a great job playing for Arsenal against other Premiership teams. However the real question is, could these players play the Arsenal way? Could they or Wenger change to improve what we already have? By having a Samba or a Hangeland what other changes would Wenger need to make to his team? Would he have to revert back to a 4 – 4 – 2 with wingers that track back, or could he still play a 4 – 2 - 3 – 1 as he has done this season in the main?
Who we should go for?
Personally I would look to bring in players that can play the Arsenal way. You do not need Premiership experience to make a mark in the Premiership. The likes of Vidic, Kompany and Luiz have been bought by our rivals and dropped in the deep end and made a real impression. They were bought as they complimented the way their team plays. It is clear the signings we made last Summer were a mistake. Neither Squillaci or Koscielny are cut out for the Premiership. Squillaci is too slow and his decision making is poor. Koscielny seems quicker, but he is not strong enough and loses concentration at key times. Size and strength should not be seen as a blocker to a potential signing. I would be tempted to go for Gary Cahill. I believe he has the size and the pace to play for Arsenal. I was most impressed with his performance for England. The other player who has been linked many times to Arsenal is Sakho from PSG. He has leadership qualities and he is now a full international, ahead of our last Summer signings. I would not be upset if last season summer signings were replaced by Sakho and Cahill and believe this could provide us the base we have been crying out for.
Between the ears
In my opinion the reason why we have come up short is simple – individual errors. We have lost points due to individual errors. We might have finished 12 points behind Manchester United, however I am sure we can all easily recollect 6 or 7 games where we threw away silly points. Why do our players switch off during games? They seem to have improved in the critical games (except the Carling Cup) but have lost points against lesser teams. Wenger is very astute and sees himself as the Professor, interviewing each new recruit to ensure their personality is a fit for the club. It is easy to come up with the line that players get paid too well and therefore they are not fighting for a position or a win bonus and don’t hurt when they lose. I don’t buy that, I am sure someone like Wilshere will earn less than Eboue, but Wilshere seems to want to win (at all costs) where as Eboue and others seems happy if we win lose or draw.
As Wenger approaches the close season and identifies new recruits the mental strength and “will to win” should be examined. We want true winners in our team, we want a competitive environment where players feel their place is under threat from others. Every chance should be seen as a “must make”, every goal conceded should hurt all of the players, not just the keeper as he picks the ball out of the net. I believe in the main we have a good core of players in the squad, some of the “rotten apples” need to be replaced and the new recruits need to have a positive attitude to challenge squad members that are comfortable. It does not matter where you are from or where you have played, but what is going on between your ears.
