Toothless Arsenal Display Shows Arsenal Need Transfer Reinforcements
Arsenal may have come away from St. James’ Park with three points, but Arsene Wenger will not have been totally satisfied with what he saw. Despite holding a one-man advantage for most of the game, it still took a Newcastle player to score the only goal that separated the two teams. Fabricio Coloccini prodded into his own net after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cross-shot. Watching from the sidelines, Wenger must now be pondering whether or not to delve into the transfer market before the impending deadline.
Wenger experimented with a different attacking shape against Newcastle, fielding Theo Walcott as the lone striker with Aaron Ramsey in Mesut Ozil’s customary position as No. 10. With both Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sanchez on the flanks, it was a side with plenty of pace that was set up to excel on the counter-attack.
However, Newcastle being down to 10 men completely changed the dynamic of the game. Steve McClaren’s men were forced to sit deep, which did not suit Arsenal’s speedy front line. They toiled to break down a resilient defence and ultimately needed Coloccini’s intervention to get the goal. Afterwards, Wenger seemed relaxed about the issue, telling Arsenal.com:
"It was a strange game. You play away from home, 11 against 10, and you know that they will play 15 yards deeper, you play 10 against nine in the final third, the crowd is behind their team which puts pressure on the referee, and then it’s very difficult. We didn’t find the space. They defended well and they’ve shown why they didn’t concede at Manchester United as well. We are happy to have the three points and to win 1-0.
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Nevertheless, he can’t have failed to notice Arsenal’s troubling lack of efficiency in attack. Since the start of the season, they have failed to offer the goalscoring threat for which they were once renowned. That may be partly due to rustiness, but a major acquisition could certainly help alleviate the issue.
Wenger may be keener on internal solutions than external ones, but that doesn't mean a new signing would not improve Arsenal's options substantially. The absence through injury of Danny Welbeck means that, as things stand, the Gunners look a little lightweight on the attacking front.
Talking to Arsenal’s official website after the game, Wenger stated his open-mindedness on the transfer front:
"We are open and we are in the transfer market. If we find an exceptional player in any sector, we will do it. At the moment I don’t know if something will happen or not."
He needn’t be quite so passive in his outlook. To an extent, it’s in his hands. If Arsenal need reinforcements, he should be more proactive in his pursuit of that.
A new striker would definitely be helpful. Walcott did not convince in his audition as a centre-forward, and Olivier Giroud’s second-half cameo was marked by one notable miss.
Last season, an uninspiring Arsenal performance against Leicester contributed to Wenger deciding to recruit Danny Welbeck from Manchester United. After a curiously average showing against Newcastle, he must be tempted to open his wallet once again. Arsenal need goals and guile, and it’s up to Wenger to identify the man to provide those attributes.
James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.
