Arsenal and the Great Midfield Dilemma

There are fierce debates in the modern EPL as to who was the best central midfielder. Many would say that Roy Keane with his crunching tackles and fierce (occasionally violent) demeanor would easily take the title. A winner and a fighter at heart, he pounded through yellow cards and a stern Italian defense to get his team through to the 1999 Champions League Final where they would win without him due to his suspension.

But on the other side of that debate there is always Veira.

With all of Keane's brutality and desire, Viera had that and a skill set that would baffle any defense. As a captain he was Arsenal's best following Tony Adams, and his incredible versatility in both defense and offense meant that you could pair any midfielder alongside him and some sort of magic would occur. It's almost poetic that he be the one to score the winning penalty against Manchester United to seal Arsenal's last piece of silverware. 

Five years later and things have changed. Arsenal haven't won any trophies since that moment and have been in occasionally dire league form. Their mastery of passing and attacking have made them forces to be reckoned with in Europe, yet they consistently and painfully fall short at the key moments. This wouldn't be the first article to suggest that losing Viera meant losing out on the key cog that made Arsenal's midfield tick.

This is the first article, however, to suggest that the problem in the midfield may be their young Spanish superstar Francesc Fabregas.

By problem, I mean in terms of how to play with him. Fabregas is a tenacious, skilled, and frankly fantastic deep-lying playmaker. However, in pairing him up with midfield partners, Arsenal has gone through more players than they care to remember.

Edu couldn't work due to his attacking nature. Gilberto, who seemed like a midfield maestro next to Viera, couldn't stop a fast-break onslaught to save his life, and Flamini, with all of his hard work and determination, was not the powerhouse Wenger had anticipated.

But what should be even more displeasing for Arsenal fans to hear is that the answer to the midfield could've been in the youth program the entire time. Lassana Diarra was once an Arsenal player before being shuffled around the league and ending up at Real Madrid, where he has become the new Claude Makele. Would his speed and love of pure defense been the perfect foil to Fabregas's passing? The answer is most likely yes. Even the England U-21 starlet Patrice Muamba, who Stuart Pearce has lavished with praise, was once a member of the Arsenal Youth program. But the bad news doesn't end there.

Only yesterday it was reported that Filipe Melo, an Arsenal target and a player who's all—around abilities could've done immeasurable good to the squad, was snatched up by Juventus because Arsenal couldn't meet the highest bid. Sulmaan Ahman, a writer for goal.com, has said that this could spell the end of success at Arsenal. I wouldn't be as pessimistic, but then again, I'm not hoping for miracles.

While Wenger has fought for players like Diaby and Song to replace Viera, it's plain as day by watching the 2-1 Arsenal win over Chelsea at the end of November that they never will be. That game, although saved by the sheer artistry and will of Robin van Persie, was a mess to watch. There were times when you forgot Song was even on the pitch, and only Gallas and Djourou could stand by to hold back a Chelsea barrage. That isn't even close to what Arsenal needs, an all—around combative player who can break up plays and actually compliment the decidedly specialized talents of Fabregas.

The most damning remark came from a very polite and frank Thomas Sorensen of Stoke following their victory over Arsenal:

"They are a fantastic football side, but they are just lacking that bit of physicality.
When Chelsea came here, they matched us in the challenges, but Arsenal weren't quite there. That's the difference. They lack that bit of spine you need."

There are reports that certain players have been targeted. One is Gokhan Inler, a big, strong and combative player who can also get the flow of the game moving again. Another is Lorik Cana, a big Albanian national who seems to want to win more than Djibril Cisse wants attention for his hairstyles. There are even suggestions that Miguel Veloso could be a target.

Whoever the player is, Wenger has the nightmarish job of trying to find a player who can compliment Fabregas and also screen the defense. Good luck to that, because as of yet in English football, the only player who could manage that with any level of success is the man pictured above.