Arsene Wenger Must Add Steel to the Arsenal Midfield

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

First things first, it was an amazing second-half of football, which was overshadows by the moronic antics of one crazy man. I'll get to him later but first let me say a few things on the footballing side of the game.

I must say that I wasn't really shocked that Arsenal lost at Eastlands on Saturday as the warning signs were already there for all to see.

The sirens went off in my head as soon as I saw the starting line-ups for both teams. Manchester City had a nice balanced team with Barry and De Jong anchoring in midfield; and Bellamy playing just off Adebayor. It was clear that Mark Hughes has done his homework.

Almost every Manchester City player was playing in his natural position.

On the other hand, Arsene Wenger has learned nothing from Arsenal's recent matches against the big four and still insists on playing his players out of position.

Cesc Fabregas turned up on the right with Bendtner and Diaby on the left. Can someone please explain to me why the boss keep playing Abou Diaby on the left when everyone can see that his best position is in the centre of midfield?  

He doesn't have the pace or the trickery of a winger and this makes it very easy for the fullback to shut him down. On Saturday, Micah Richards kept showing him the inside and his job was done.

Midfield Destroyer Needed Badly

Mark Hughes understands that grace and elegance alone would not bring a top four finish and as a result he has added the requisite steel needed in defence and midfield (i.e. Gareth Barry, Nigel De Jong, Kolo Toure, and Joleon Lescott).

This is exactly what was missing from Arsenal, especially in midfield.

Denilson, Fabregas, and Diaby are all great going forward, but they will never give you the discipline and physical edge you need to track back and close down opponents.

Song is the best option for the Gunners as a defensive midfielder, but there's not much he can do when he's facing two world-class midfielders in his position in the form of Barry and De Jong.

Having said that, Song's attempt to make a tackle on Richards for the second goal was simply pathetic to say the least. Also, Gael Clichy had an uncharacteristically poor game at left back, but the required cover for his mistakes was non-existent.

As a result, the usually solid pairing of Gallas and Vermaelen suffered from the lack of adequate midfield cover. The running from midfield from the like of Ireland, Wright-Phillips and Bellamy caused all sorts of problems for the back four.

Arsene Wenger must understand that you need some steel to go along with the beautiful football so that the more creative players can freely express themselves on the pitch. He must sign an experienced defensive midfielder in January.

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