How Can Arsene Wenger Improve His Arsenal Squad Without Spending Millions?

It’s Christmas time, and the January transfer window is about to open. It remains to be seen whether or not Arsene Wenger will loosen the purse strings to bring Arsenal fans a belated gift.

He desperately needs defensive recruits, but he may choose to hold on to his cash until the summer. Will Wenger spend big, or will his transfer policy be comparable with the miserly meanness of Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge? 

Wenger himself insists that he is not afraid of splashing out when required. He recently said, per ESPN:

"

I've said that many times, without any doubt: if we find the right player we will do [a deal].

There's a huge difference between the perception that people have of me: I'm not scared to spend money.

It was periods where we had not the money. What I don't like is to spend the money I haven't got. What I fought against is to spend money that would put the future of the club in danger. Now I have money. No problem at all.

"

However, the economist in Wenger will be pleased to know that there are plenty of tweaks he can make without even opening his cheque book. Arsenal can improve on the training ground as well as the transfer market. 

One area ripe for advancement is set pieces. Liverpool’s late equaliser in the recent Premier League clash demonstrated the problem perfectly.

At present, Arsenal operate a zonal marking system. However, that setup can be guilty of aiding in the absolution of individual responsibility. In man-to-man marking, it’s always clear who is tracking each opposition player. Zonal marking is much murkier.

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At Anfield, both Calum Chambers and Nacho Monreal clearly spotted the run of Martin Skrtel, yet neither was willing to leave their zone to stop it. Technically, they could argue, they were doing their job. To a degree, they're right: they stayed in their zones. However, zonal marking requires flexible thinking. It's not as simple as just standing in your allocated zone—you need to adjust to the opposition's positioning in the moment. Arsenal's players don't seem to have the requisite experience and understanding of the system to do that. It’s a mess, and one that can only be sorted by hours of rigorous work at London Colney.

The set-piece problem is not solely a defensive issue: Arsenal have problems with dead-balls at both ends of the pitch. The Gunners seem to win countless corners without posing a threat to the opposition goal, often failing to clear the first defender. That can’t be a problem of technical quality: Arsenal have players with the skill to put a ball pretty much wherever they want. It can only be down to a lack of practice.

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Wenger does not tend to concern himself with minutiae such as set pieces. However, investing time in that area would improve Arsenal’s defensive solidity and attacking threat. It’s a no-brainer. 

He might also be advised to spend some time working on team shape. Arsenal have changed their formation with unusual frequency this season, and it has impacted upon the team’s structural integrity. 

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That much was evident at Anfield, when Liverpool’s attacking midfielders were able to find acres of space between the back four and Mathieu Flamini. Wenger needs to coach his side on how to compress the game and ensure their opponents do not get too much space. 

It’s seemingly simple stuff, yet Arsenal have historically struggled with the basics. Arsenal’s fans will be clamouring for new arrivals, but that’s not the only way Arsenal can progress. Wenger and his staff can make incremental but effective improvements with disciplined work on the training pitch. Signing a new central defender will do little good if he is dropped in to the current chaos. Signings are not always the only answer.

 

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.