Bleacher Report - Articles by Ameya Sarda

Arsenal's Problem of Plenty

Ameya Sarda — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:09:34 -0400

It’s a problem nobody’s talking about. It’s the problem nobody ever thought they’d be talking about.

On the face of it, Arsenal’s squad has a number of issues that require attention. The midfield is marred by inexperience, with the manager still looking for “one more body” (which, at the time of going to press, was touted to be Kop favorite Xabi Alonso); the defense has also seemed understaffed, with cover for the first-choice quartet proving woefully inadequate in the last season.

But what I’m going to talk about here is a problem that supporters have not known over the past few seasons, hence their inability to recognize it.

Yes, it is the Gunners’ very own Problem of Plenty™.

Every Big Four club suffers from it. Chelsea has more midfielders and defenders than anybody (including Chelsea supporters) cares to count. Liverpool can’t get enough of defenders, and if the seemingly endless Gary Barry Saga ever comes to an end, expect more rides on Rafa’s Rotation Merry-Go-Round in its all-new, middle-of-the-field edition. Even Old Trafford plays host to one midfielder too many.

The pack of chasers, led by Tottenham, hasn’t been too shy of playing in the transfer market either, and no time has been wasted in loading the squad rooms to the brim, finances permitting.

But Arsenal, the Premier League’s answer to the stingy, hard-bargaining, deal-snatching, prudent-to-the-point-of-pain Jews of Antwerp, have found themselves in the middle of a glut of strikers. Yes, too many s-t-r-i-k-e-r-s. There, I’ve spelt it out.

Before you decide to give your comment-shaped knives a much needed taste of Blabbering Blogger Blood, please do me a favor and read the rest. After all, you’ve come this far.

Keep in mind that when one talks of a glut, one means that, given a fully fit squad, there is a genuine problem in selecting a player for a particular position from amongst the options available, as all of them are more-or-less of the same level of competence.

In such cases, the manager usually tries to devise formations and styles of play where he can accommodate all the quality that he has in front of him, or simply plays them out of position and hopes that they will adapt. So we have Owen Hargreaves playing on the right of midfield, Michael Essien playing at right-back, etc.

Arsenal, at last count, have five fully fit players capable of playing down the middle, in front of goal. Those players are Carlos Vela, Theo Walcott, Robin Van Persie, Nicklas Bendtner, and Emmanuel Adebayor.

One feels for the sixth (Eduardo), who’s due to join them by Christmas.

No other team in the Premier League has so many players vying for a chance to lead the line in attack. The fact that Robbie Keane, who was a decent 20 goals-a-season forward at White Hart Lane, has been judged worthy of a 20 million-pound move to Anfield just points to the paucity of good attacking talent in the League.

As I feel all that steel caressing my neck, let me make it clear that while the first-choice pairing is most probably going to be Adebayor up-front with Van Persie just behind him, things can change very rapidly once the season gets going. Vela, while being impressive in the friendlies, will most likely be confined to Carling Cup action this year.

Bendtner, however, is a totally different case. The tall, strong Dane has improved by leaps and bounds since last season. He is good on the ball (better than Adebayor), has great vision, can link up play, has an almighty jump (remember the goal against Tottenham?), and can be very handy as a target man in the box.

And, what about Walcott, who has been staking a claim for a place up-front since April this year. The pace has been supplemented with better ball-control, better balance, and greater strength to handle the physical challenge posed by defenders. All attributes which came to the fore in that run against Liverpool in the Champions League.

Given, he’d been playing on the wings for most of last season, and will probably do so in the beginning of the new one too. However, he has competition there as well, with Emmanuel Eboue, Samir Nasri, Tomas Rosicky, and even Armand Traore finding favor with Arsene Wenger for positions on the flanks.

The problem here has two sides to it.

First, what happens when a player like, say, Van Persie, gets injured, and is replaced by somebody like Bendtner? If the Dane revels in the position and does really well, then the Dutch forward will have a tough time getting back into the team.

Second, how long can a player with undeniable quality like Walcott be confined to the role of the Super-Sub, before he begins to feel a touch restless. Surely he’s done enough to deserve a place in his preferred position?

Come December, with Eduardo’s return, the problem will only be exacerbated. What shape will his comeback take in the face of such competition?

Make no mistake; Wenger is in a very happy situation. He’d rather have too many than too few. Nevertheless, it represents a potential problem in the future and it’ll be interesting to see how the Professor will deal with it.

Bringing Back The Boro

Ameya Sarda — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:12:33 -0400

In the summer of 2006, when Steve McLaren embarked on a career in national management which was singular in its appalling mediocrity, he opened the door for a man who shall, as I proceed to stick my neck out, become one of the greatest English managers in history of football.

At the time, not much was known about Gareth Southgate the manager, but Gareth Southgate the footballer was firmly etched in all English minds as the guy who had THAT penalty against Germany saved in the Euro '96 semi-finals.

Not many could remember the towering defender who was captain of two Premiership clubs, had 57 international caps, and who, playing in his first season for Middlesbrough, had achieved the remarkable feat of going through an entire season as defender without getting a single yellow card.

"Such is life—you play for 15 years and people remember 15 seconds of it," he said.

However, in his third season as manager of The Boro, history promises to be much kinder. There is something new about this team, one which finished 12^th last season, 13^th the one before that, and has been an almost constant presence in the lower half of the table since the 1999-00 season.

The focus is on the long term, and Southgate has publicly committed himself to Middlesbrough, refusing to use the club as a “stepping stone” in his career. "If I'm here in five years, then brilliant because that means we are doing it right.” But before we start applauding him for his loyalty and commitment, it is important to understand that what this statement implies.

It implies that Southgate believes that his team will, in the next few years, perform on bigger stages, compete for higher positions in the table and win medals and trophies. He is betting on his own managerial acumen to guide and nurture it towards the goals mentioned above.

To put this in perspective, when a Mark Hughes leaves Blackburn (seventh in the league) after five years as manager to move to Manchester City (ninth in the league), it is an admission that he can achieve more with the latter, and that he had probably done all he could with the former (the money, of course, is a factor too).

Like most clubs in the lower half, Middlesbrough has had its own share of financial problems. Club attendances have been low, with stadium utilization being one of the lowest in the league. The squad is decidedly thin, and injuries have had a huge impact on their league and cup fortunes.

For the first game of the 2007-08 season, the club had to do without five of its centre-backs, all injured. In spite of issues related to both finances and fitness, Boro managed to improve their league position, but the highlight of the season was their performances against the Big Four.

Most Boro supporters will remember the 2-2 draw against Manchester United in April and the 2-1 win against Arsenal, which was followed by incredulous message board postings:

“If Boro can play like this against Arsenal, why do they go missing for the other games?” asked a confused supporter. And that is where the problem lies for Southgate and Co. His squad has been found out in the rough and tumble of the league, and the FA cup loss to Cardiff City, after Manchester United and Chelsea had been eliminated, only served to lower morale.

To his credit though, the signings have been astute, indicating the presence of an efficient scouting network, and have brought reinforcements in key areas. The club’s record signing, Afonso Alves fills the role of skilled, tall, strong centre forward who can shoot with both feet.

With six goals in 14 games, and two in the match against Manchester United, he looks like the leader of the line who can productively use the service provided by the excellent Stewart Downing and the fast, hardworking Jérémie Aliadière on the flanks.

Sanli Tuncay looks adept in the second striker role, as he showed in his Euro ’08 performances with Turkey. The summer has seen the promising youngsters Didier Digard and Marvin Emnes join the club.

In addition, the highly prolific Academy keeps producing players of the caliber of David Wheater and Adam Johnson, both of whom will have huge roles to play in the defense and on the wings respectively.

As always, squad depth will be an issue. Defensive cover is sparse, and with the departure of Rochemback, Mendieta, and Boateng, the centre of the midfield could do with some backup. The lack of a clear No. 1 in goal is also a cause for concern. The sale of Lee Cattermole to Wigan Athletic should give Southgate an option to probably bring in one more player.

The overall strategy then, is of building a team which plays high-tempo attacking football, by bringing in a shrewd mix of young talent and experienced performers, while nurturing and promoting the Academy products into the first team, all within the constraints necessitated by the club’s finances.

No wonder then, that when the FA were searching for Steve McLaren’s successor for the position of coach for the English football team, Arsene Wenger felt that the 37-year-old, with only two years of experience as manager of a Premiership football team, was capable of doing the job. As far as recommendations go, this one should top the list.