Arsenal: Nasri Or Rosicky? Denilson Or Diaby? Analysis of Position Competition
Arsenal's immense squad strength was shown on Saturday when they benched Abou Diaby, Denilson, Samir Nasri, Carlos Vela, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy and still coasted to a well deserved 4-1 victory against a resilient Bolton team. It sounds even more impressive when you consider the fact that Arsenal's first choice striker Robin van Persie along with Theo Walcott, Nicklas Bendtner and the hugely talented youngster Aaron Ramsey are on the injury list for the Gunners.
There will be some sure starters in this Arsenal side like Cesc Fabregas and Thomas Vermaelen, but there will be a lot of competition within the ranks. Also, many promising youngsters like Craig Eastmond, Jay Emmanuel Thomas and Havard Nordtveit will look to make an impression whenever they get an opportunity to prove their worth.
Left Back Kieran Gibbs was given a start against Bolton and made an interesting point today. The young Englishman said "It is good for people to get a chance. Not only is the competition going to be good for Gael to play well, it is also going to be good for the club as well because we are both fighting to win help the team win something this year."
Gae Clichy will face tough competition from the England International, who will hope to impress the Gaffer with his performances. Like Gibbs said, the competition for places will only inspire better individual performances from the Gunners, which can only lead to better results for the club. In this article, I would like to analyse some of the intriguing competitions within the squad.
It is not possible to discuss all the possible competitions within the squad, and some notable absentees are: Sagna and Eboue, Almunia with the rest and Walcott with Nasri, Rosicky and Eboue.
Samir Nasri and Tomas Rosicky
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Samir Nasri was easily, Arsenal's best player in the preseason and great things were expected of him in this season. As fate would have it, he had to undergo a minor surgery, because of an injury sustained in the opener against Liverpool at Anfield. He was Arsenal's best player in that game until Tomas Rosicky was substituted in the middle of the second half.
Tomas Rosicky has had a host of injury troubles during his time at the North London club. But, after a lengthy period on the sidelines in the previous season, he is surely returning to his best form. The Czech International is a wonderful player to watch when he is on form. He can play on the wings or in central midfield, just like Samir Nasri, which only makes their competition even tougher. Rosicky was excellent against Blackpool and produced some magnificent through balls in the game against Bolton in this season.
However, both Nasri and Rosicky were not prolific goal scorers in the last season (though both of them were on the sidelines for a while) and they will look to contribute heavily to Arsenal's goals tally. Nasri will face tough competition when he returns but the Frenchman has the potential to make it his breakthrough season. Nasri has not been a prolific goal scorer but in this season, he has the opportunity to put an end to that fact.
This will prove to be one of the best battles in this season, should both of them remain fit for the better part of the season. They will both get their opportunities and the Gaffer might choose to rotate both of them in a bid to reduce their workload over the season, as both of them have sustained long term injuries in the past.
Denilson, Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere
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Denilson came on as a late substitute for Abou Diaby, who himself came on from Jack Wilshere in the second half of the game against Bolton Wanderers. It was the Samba star's first appearance of the season after struggling with fitness issues in the previous season. Now, it is up to him to make optimum use of the opportunities that he will get because of the injury to Diaby.
Denilson has been at the club for five years now, and has shown that he has immense potential. However, he has not convinced a large section of the Gunners' supporters that he can be a real star performer for the side. Denilson thrives when he plays alongside Cesc Fabregas and makes neat and crisp passes to the Spaniard, which can go unnoticed a lot of times. He does not make spectacular moves, but is a consistent player, who keeps the rhythmic flow of the passing game going for the Gunners.
Diaby is one of the more talented individuals in the Arsenal squad. It seems like he has recovered completely from his horrific leg break, a few years back. He is slowly establishing himself as a first team regular. He must learn to know when to make short passes without twisting and turning spectacularly only to lose the ball. But the guy is very talented and can make it big at Arsenal.
Jack Wilshere is touted to be the future of Arsenal. At only 18 years of age, he has creativity, vision and talent beyond his years and has shown he can rub shoulders with the big guys. His best position is when he is given a role just behind the striker in central midfield, but at the moment, he is deployed deep in the midfield by Arsene Wenger, who believes this will be a good learning experience for him in the future.
All the three of them have got good chance of holding down that remaining spot in the midfield, with Fabregas and Song being regular starters. At this stage of the season, Diaby looked like he could cement his role there, but his injury will open up a great opportunity for the returning Denilson. Wilshere will get his opportunities, but will find tough competition from the experienced duo.
Laurent Koscielny, Sebastien Squillaci and Johan Djourou
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Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci were brought in this summer in a bid to bolster the defence following the departures of William Gallas, Mikael Silvestre and Sol Campbell. Thomas Vermaelen is the only remaining centre back from last year, which leaves the other spot open for competition.
Koscielny was brought in from Lorient and seems to be a very talented youngster, but he is inexperienced at the highest level. He is a brave lad, and is not afraid to put in strong tackles, but needs to bulk up to avoid being muscled out by strong strikers. Also, he must cut out silly errors like the one against Bolton, which did not prove to be too costly if he wants to establish himself as the first choice Centre back.
Squillaci is an experienced defender, bought at a real bargain at around 4 million from Sevilla by Wenger. He is another astute signing by Wenger and he has good aerial ability, physical strength and anticipation to make it successful in the Premiership. Squillaci had a good debut against Bolton and should he continue to produce such performances, it will not be a surprise to see him starting alongside Vermaelen on a regular basis.
Johan Djourou is finally back to full fitness following a long spell on the sidelines due to injury, because of which he has moved down the pecking order. Tall and strong, the young talented defender has the faith of the manager, who has high hopes for the defender.He will find it tough to break into the starting eleven on a regular basis, but over the period of the season, he will look to do well with the opportunities that he will get.
Koscielny and Squillaci will compete strongly for a spot in the starting eleven, alongside Thomas Vermaelen. The next few matches could determine who will be Arsenal’s regular defensive player to partner the impressive Belgian.
Kieran Gibbs and Gael Clichy
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Gael Clichy is Arsenal’s longest serving player in the present line up, but he will face stiff competition from young England International Kieran Gibbs for a place in the starting eleven. Already the quality of these two Left Backs has forced Armand Traore, to go out on loan to Juventus for this season.
Clichy has been one of the most consistent performers for Arsenal in the past and has established himself as one of the Premier League’s best Left Backs. He has improved a lot in the last few years, and still has scope to develop. He has been an integral part of the Arsenal set up ever since the acrimonious exit of Ashley Cole and has firmly cemented his spot as the no. 1 Left Back.
Kieran Gibbs was unfortunate to be injured for a large chunk of the last season, but he looks to have recovered well and looks sharp and raring to go. He makes marauding runs down the left wing, and causes problems for defenders with his overlapping runs. He is also competent in defence and is not afraid of tackling hard, when required.
Wenger has promised to use Gibbs this season, even if it means playing him in midfield. Arsenal are fortunate to have two quality Left Backs in their squad and they will push each other to perform well at the highest level, to hold down a starting spot in the line-up.
Marouane Chamakh, Carlos Vela and Nicklas Bendtner
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Marouane Chamakh was brought in from Bordeaux in the summer to give Arsenal an extra attacking option, which could prove the edge in the title race. He has blended seamlessly with the squad and just four matches into the season, he has established himself as a regular in the squad in the absence of Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner due to injuries.
Chamakh is a relatively fit player, who has great aerial ability, which was missing for most part of Arsenal last season until Bendtner showed some of his potential. Chamakh is a great team player and works hard to maintain possession. He has a good first touch and brings with him a lot of experience and fighting spirit. Though he seems to be thin, he possesses great strength and cannot be muscled out easily.
Bendtner was a revelation last season and he popped in with a number of important goals, which proved to be the difference in a lot of games. Standing at 6' 4", he provides Arsenal a plan B and wins a fair share of the headers. The young lad has an eye for goal and good positioning ability. He has his flaws and has had more than his fair share of criticism, but being the confident lad he is, he can silence his critics with his performances.
Another young Arsenal striker is Carlos Vela, who undoubtedly possesses a lot of talent, but has failed to produce consistent performances. Vela opened his account for the season, when he scored against Bolton after coming on for Chamakh. The youngster will hope to get more opportunities to impress the manager and hold down a spot in the starting eleven.
Chamakh has established himself as a starter in the absence of Van Persie and Bendtner, and has impressed in the matches he has played for Arsenal. But he will face healthy competition from Bendtner, once the Dane regains his fitness. Vela will get his chances, but it will be tough for him to cement his place in the squad.
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