Arsenal Being Plagued by Preventable Problems—Again and Not for the Last Time

Six games into the Premier League, Arsenal round out the top four with 10 points, six adrift of first-place Chelsea. With the impending clash with the league leaders set to take place on Sunday, the Gunners’ unbeaten run will be put to the test. While Wenger and his men have yet to lose a game in the league, their form is still nothing to write home about.

Following the 1-1 draw in the north London derby, Wenger declared his frustration at having dropped two more points, and was noticeably deflated when discussing the probability that he would have to do without Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere in the midweek UEFA Champions League encounter with Galatasaray.

On one hand, it’s difficult to fathom the idea that being unbeaten in one of the most demanding leagues in the world through six games can trigger dissatisfaction. Teams would kill to be in that position. On the other hand, and in Arsenal’s case, it’s perhaps justifiable considering the points they’ve already squandered.

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Whether it’s Olivier Giroud scoring a last-gasp goal to steal a point at Everton or conceding a late Martin Demichelis header on another set piece, that’s four points dropped in those two games alone. It may be too soon, but don’t call me crazy to be this critical. Come next May, the Barclays Premier League table won't lie.

When trying to dissect Arsenal, we have to consider how far they’ve come since even the end of last season. There isn’t too much cause for alarm just yet, but time and time again it seems as if most of the Gunners’ problems are preventable. Preventable, but also a recurring dilemma.

Take Tottenham’s goal, for example, in last weekend's draw. In the buildup to the goal, opposing goalkeepers Hugo Lloris and Wojciech Szczesny emerged with the ball in their hands in somewhat similar fashion. With Danny Welbeck, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla cutting out the options for Spurs to play out of the back, Lloris was wary of this and opted to punt the ball.

On the other end, Szczesny comfortably collected Christian Erikson’s tame free-kick just before and appeared to have the same idea as he sprinted to the edge of his area looking to perhaps catch Spurs on the break, but retreated instead.

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At the time, I don’t think the Arsenal back line would have been bothered if Szczesny went long to find Welbeck. You could say that Kieran Gibbs, who was too far up the pitch when Mathieu Flamini was caught in possession, was out of position, but he also saw the danger of Mauricio Pochettino’s high-press system. Based on his positioning, he would have rather preferred the rest of Arsenal’s back line to clear its line.

Instead, Szczesny rolled the ball out to Calum Chambers, who passed to Per Mertesacker, who then found Flamini, who was squeezed by Christian Eriksen.

To be fair, had Arteta been in the same position, I don’t doubt that he would have lost the ball as well. There’s been so much talk of the lack of power and punch in Arsenal’s defensive midfield position, but, beginning from Szczesny’s ball out to Chambers and Mertesacker’s pass to Flamini, I’m not convinced that playing out of the back was the right option in this scenario. It cost Arsenal a goal, a gratuitous one at that, and ultimately led to the Gunners having to chase the game.

So while I scrutinize this moment in the game, I revert back to my original query. How far has Arsenal come?

Some would say the activity in the transfer window still leaves the team shorn of defensive alternatives, now having to cope with the loss of full-back Mathieu Debuchy to injury. If you cast transfers aside and the debate about whether or not Wenger should permanently situate Ozil in his familiar role as a traditional No. 10, there is a collective and onerous theme running through this squad.

I have no problem with that, as Ozil can’t give you a proper 90 minutes elsewhere and still needs protection. But how do you protect a player with the likes of Ramsey and Wilshere in the vicinity when they want to do exactly what Ozil does? Arteta is what he is and will not get better. I think we all know that.

Now, with the prospect of a Champions League game against Galatasaray, we know that Ramsey, Wilshere and Arteta are injured once again: A theme that Arsene Wenger was going to get to the bottom of based on all the injuries last season. I am not a doctor, but I do play one on TV. I will just look at simple logic.

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When you rattle off all the technical and diminutive players in the squad that base their game on quickness and fast-twitch muscles and then combine that with the physical and fast-paced nature of the Premier League, perhaps you will understand what’s at play here.

A couple of quick suggestions: William Carvalho had a massive game against Porto on the weekend, even though by his own admission he has not found the perfect form yet. The protection he would have given Arsenal, had Wenger signed him over the summer, is immeasurable. I thought that Welbeck was a good buy but not exactly what was needed.

A club like Arsenal needs to be deeper in that position, and while I am in the Portuguese buying spree I would suggest that Arsenal don’t haggle and pay the asking price for Jackson Martinez as he possesses all the attributes that a lone striker needs to have. All. Not to mention that I think that Mr. Wenger knows that and would want him.

Please do not remind me in the comments that Alexis Sanchez can play there as well. He is a wide player that can sometimes play there in emergency only, but you already now that.

Arsenal's other issues are well known but strengthening these two areas would help immediately. 

For years, when the generation of the Invincibles dominated the Premier League, ruthlessness ran through the blood and veins of players like Patrick Vieira, Martin Keown and Tony Adams, to name a few. Space on the pitch was hard to come by with players of this caliber bearing down on you. They never gave their opponents an inch.

More often than not, Arsenal is the favorite to win in almost any Premier League match. But there is a delicate, yet patent difference between winning respectably and winning mercilessly. The Arsenal I once knew never would have stood for the latter, allowing teams to find their way into a match.

Perhaps one of the most frustrating parts of Arsenal for some of you is the fact that they have a way of bouncing back when they are on the brink. Usually we talk about Arsenal finishing in the top four and getting out of the group stages in the Champions League. But after the loss to Dortmund, in comes one of those matches that Arsenal almost must win.

At their best, the Gunners are wonderful to watch, but you never know what you are going to get. The list of injuries is long already and on paper this is a Galatasaray team that is capable of causing a surprise. If Arsenal win, the depth of the team will be hailed to the heavens. The trouble is that Arsenal are deep in all the wrong places. 

If this article sounds familiar to you, don’t fret. It is worth reminding some of the same themes until people listen.