Areas Where Arsenal Are Actually Worse Than Last Season

In almost all respects, Arsenal appear to be a better team than last season. Defensively they appear more efficient, and in attack, they are able to call upon a Mesut Ozil who is in the form of his life.

The Premier League table tells its own story—the Gunners currently sit top of the pile, with Arsene Wenger on course to win his first title in over a decade. 

However, closer examination shows that there are a couple of areas where Arsenal are not quite as good as they were last season. In both cases, there are explanations—but it’s intriguing to observe that not everything is quite as rosy as it was 12 months ago at the Emirates Stadium.

Protecting the back four

In the last few weeks, Arsenal’s midfield has become perilously porous. The recent FA Cup victory against Sunderland was a case in point: Despite getting the win, Arsenal’s back four was frequently exposed by a side not known for their penetrative attacking play.

The fact is that Arsenal desperately miss Francis Coquelin. Although he was not in place for the entirety of the 2014/15 campaign, his breakthrough into the first team around Christmas was the turning point in Arsenal’s season. 

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Coquelin provided exactly the sort of effective midfield screen that Arsenal had missed since the days when Gilberto Silva, aka the "Invisible Wall," patrolled the area between the midfield and the back four.

Coquelin is a different style of player—while Gilberto’s game was based principally on positional intelligence and intuition, the Frenchman has a more all-action, combative approach to the position. Nevertheless, the effect is the same: The defence have the added security of a player dedicated to snuffing out danger protecting them.

The rise of Coquelin was very surprising, given that in his youth he’d occasionally appeared in a more advanced role. He adapted his game to suit Arsenal’s needs.

Speaking towards the end of last season, Wenger told Arsenal's website:

"

I think he analysed well what he is good at, defending in midfield. He was in between the playmaking position and being a box-to-box player, but he is not that—he's a sitting player who can win the ball.

He restricted his game to that and you make success in life with what you're good at. You don't have all the qualities but you have to express what you're good at and he's good at that.

"

Coquelin kept his place for the 2015/16 season and started well enough, suggesting his form in 2014/15 was more than merely a prolonged purple patch. However, Arsenal have since been robbed of his services by a knee injury sustained in a typically enthusiastic challenge at the Hawthorns. 

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

The problem is that there’s no adequate replacement for the 24-year-old. His attributes are almost unique within the Arsenal squad.

Currently, Mathieu Flamini is the man charged with assuming his responsibilities, but he is inferior to the younger Frenchman in several respects. The 31-year-old struggles to cover as much ground, he’s less disciplined about his deployment and he lacks Coquelin’s surprisingly good spring and aerial ability.

The other two alternatives currently available to Wenger have their own problems. Mikel Arteta is plagued by injuries, and even when fit, he seems to struggle with the physical challenges of the role. Calum Chambers is being groomed as a potential option, but his lack of experience in midfield counts strongly against him.

Ariel Schalit/Associated Press

It appears Wenger is trying to amend the situation by recruiting a new midfielder. Per Sky Sports, he stated that he was “optimistic” of completing a deal for Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny this week. 

Elneny is more of a box-to-box player than a traditional holding midfielder—but then, as Wenger attests, so was Coquelin.

The Arsenal boss must be hoping the Basel man can emulate Coquelin’s metamorphosis into a pure ball-winner to provide Arsenal’s defence with the protection it requires.

Getting the best out of Alexis Sanchez

Ozil has rightfully drawn plenty of plaudits this season. The German playmaker has been in inspired form this season, transfixing the eyes of a nation with his mercurial ability to create chances almost at will. If he continues at his current rate, he will smash the Premier League record for assists and be one of the favourites to land the coveted Footballer of the Year prize.

Last season, Ozil wasn't even near the discussion for any of English football’s major individual awards. However, one Arsenal player was: Alexis Sanchez

With Ozil’s star on the rise, Alexis has had to play more of a supporting role this season. The irrepressible Chilean has, at times, been unusually subdued.

Stephen Pond/Getty Images

Let’s be absolutely clear: He’s still been good. He has a decent record of six goals from 13 Premier League starts, with a very impressive three strikes in five UEFA Champions League fixtures. He remains an integral part of Arsenal’s attacking machine.

However, he’s not quite been the explosive force he was in 2014/15. Last season, he was a one-man wrecking ball, dismantling defences single-handedly. However, that kind of performance has been a less common occurrence this season. Although Alexis remains thrilling to watch, his star has not shone quite so brightly.

LINDSEY PARNABY/Getty Images

Perhaps that’s largely because Arsenal haven’t needed him to be. With Ozil in such magnificent shape, and the likes of Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey providing crucial goals, the Gunners’ reliance on Alexis has not been quite so great.

Alternatively, he might simply have been feeling a little jaded. Alexis’ schedule in the last 18 months has been incredibly hectic, and he didn’t get any real pre-season because of his participation in the Copa America. The Chilean has missed the last few weeks with a hamstring problem, and Wenger seems keen to ensure that this time he is not rushed back too early.

If Arsenal can get a rejuvenated Alexis back in 2016, their attack could soon be firing on all cylinders once again.

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.