3 Christmas Wishes for Arsenal Fans
It’s looking like a good Christmas for Arsenal fans. Having dispatched Manchester City 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium, the Gunners sit second in the Premier League, four points clear of their Etihad rivals.
Although Leicester City currently occupy top spot, there is a quiet confidence that Arsenal have the quality to overtake them before the end of the 2015/16 campaign.
They might just need a little help along the way. Arsenal have a history of falling away when the title race reaches its climax, and it's a habit they’ll be desperate to shake in 2016.
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In this piece, we identify three wishes the Gunners faithful will be hoping and praying are granted this Christmas.
1. January additions
Arsenal fans won’t mind if their Christmas presents from Arsene Wenger are a little delayed—after all, the transfer window does not open until January 1.
Last summer, Arsenal did not buy a single outfield player and only recruited goalkeeper Petr Cech from Chelsea.
Although Cech has proved to be an outstanding addition, the annual injury crisis in north London has left the squad looking a little bare in some areas. That needs addressing as soon as possible.
The most obvious position that requires attention is defensive midfield. Arsenal have lost both Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla until the spring, and they are currently deploying a makeshift partnership of Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini.
While the Frenchman has performed surprisingly well, he is no long-term solution. Arsenal must seize this opportunity to recruit someone who can provide ongoing cover and competition for Coquelin and dove-tail effectively with Ramsey.
However, there may also be an opportunity to strengthen in attack. Danny Welbeck shows no signs of recovering from his ongoing knee cartilage problem, leaving the Gunners a little short of firepower.
It’s possible Wenger will look to find a short-term solution to make sure they have the requisite ammunition to fire them to the Premier League title.
Speaking to BeIN Sport (h/t the Daily Express), Wenger seems to acknowledge the necessity of doing business in January.
He said:
"Yes, we are short and the number of games we have to play in January are very important.
God knows how we will come out of the Christmas period, with a lot of demand on the physical front so we need to do something.
I would love to give you names, downstairs in the bar with a coffee but not in front of your camera.
"
Wenger tends to prefer to do his business in the summer, but it sounds as if he recognises that he has little choice this January.
Irrespective of whether Arsenal add an attacker, they absolutely must sign a midfielder. If they don’t, they can kiss their hopes of the Premier League title goodbye.
Arsenal have a fantastic opportunity to push on and win the league—failing to do the necessary business to prop up that push would be utterly negligent.
2. Mesut Ozil to remain fit
Amid all Arsenal’s injury problems, there is one player the fans will be desperate to see remain fit: Mesut Ozil.
The Germany international has been in astonishing form this season. In fact, he’s been outstanding for most of 2015.
After a difficult first 18 months with Arsenal, he has steadily found his feet and is now the Premier League’s foremost creative player. This season alone, he has racked up 15 assists in the league. At this rate, it is simply a matter of time until he breaks Thierry Henry’s Premier League record of 20.
Arsenal dare not think about coping without him. He is so important when it comes to giving the final ball. Having finishers is worth nothing if they don’t have a player who can put them in a position to score, and Ozil has an almost supernatural ability to conjure chances from nowhere.
He’s not the most spectacular player on the eye—his game is principally about simplicity. Rather than overcomplicate matters with elaborate tricks, he focuses on finding and exploiting space. Ozil’s game is as much about what he does without the ball as with it.
However, he can be devastatingly effective in possession. It’s the weight of his passing that is particularly superb. When Ozil finds a team-mate, they rarely have to break stride—let alone alter their course.
The good news for Arsenal fans is that Ozil is doing all he can to ensure he remains in top condition. Speaking to German magazine Kicker (h/t the Guardian) about his upturn in form, he said:
"The biggest change started when I was injured last year and I changed my diet and started to look at the small details in my life. For example I started to have physiotherapy on my days off and made sure I had a good sleep. That is crucial over here [in England]. It is the fastest league in the world and we often play twice a week with no winter break.
I also missed football a lot when I was injured and I don’t want that to happen again. That’s why I am doing everything I can to avoid it now.
"
That will be music to the ears of the Arsenal fans, who don’t watch to contemplate an Arsenal XI without Ozil.
If the Gunners hope to end the season with silverware, his performances will surely be integral to their chances.
3. Sergio Aguero’s injury problems to continue
It might not seem a particularly festive thought to wish ill-fortune on another innocent individual, but Arsenal fans must be acutely aware that their chances of Premier League success are definitely related to Sergio Aguero’s fitness levels.
If the striker can stay fit, Manchester City will be confident the Argentinian can fire them to the title. However, Manuel Pellegrini’s men do not look nearly as dangerous without him.
At his best, Aguero is the league’s deadliest marksmen. He is exactly the sort of centre-forward Wenger would love to add to his own squad: mobile, clinical and intelligent. He is unencumbered by Olivier Giroud’s lack of pace or Theo Walcott’s inconsistency.
His one issue is his vulnerability to injury. Just as Aguero builds up a head of steam, he tends to succumb to another muscular problem. It must be as infuriating for City fans as it is a relief to the Arsenal supporters.
Aguero started in the recent defeat against Arsenal, but he looked far from his sharpest. Arsenal fans will be hoping that continues right up until May.
What would your Christmas wishes for the Gunners be? Let us know in the comments section below.
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.
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