Arsenal's Midfield Conundrum: Who Should Start Alongside Fabregas and Song?
Arsenal are fortunate to have a very strong midfield and boast a host of talented and creative players. We all know a good midfield is the key to success for a club, and the Gunners have had brilliant midfielders like Gilberto Silva and Patrick Viera in the last decade, one of the main reasons they have had such success.
Captain Cesc Fabregas is Arsenal's best attacking midfielder and the leader of the team. He is the creative spark of the team, and possesses the brilliance to lead Arsenal to glory. However, he has recently been bothered by worrisome hamstring strains, but when the Spaniard is fit, he occupies the central attacking midfield role. He is Arsenal's most influential player, and scored the highest number of goals, as well as produced the most number of assists, for the Gunners last season.
Alex Song is a vastly improved player in recent seasons, and has carved out a name for himself. He has established himself as a tough tackling, uncompromising midfielder, and is really effective in breaking up opposition attacks. He provides an excellent shield to the defence, and is one of the most valuable players in the side. Song has shown more attacking intent, this season, and is developing as one of the most complete midfielders in the Premier League. Song has scored vital goals, this season, and supporters will hope he can continue his excellent form.
Arsenal play in a formation that involves three central midfielders, and with two of the three places sealed by Song and Fabregas, there is immense competition for the third place. Jack Wilshere, Denilson, Abou Diaby and Aaron Ramsey are comfortable playing in central midfield, and also, Samir Nasri and Tomas Rosicky can play in the central role alongside Fabregas and Song.
In the following sides, I will present to you the six competitors for that third place, and please comment on who you think will be the best choice for Arsenal.
Abou Diaby
1 of 6
Abou Diaby is a talented midfielder, who is experienced in the Premier League, and has been an integral part of the team in recent seasons. The lanky Frenchman provides a good physical presence with his height and aerial threat, and also possesses the skill to get past opposition players with ease.
However, he has shown a tendency to show all his superb skills only to lose possession instead of making the simple pass to keep the game flowing. He is reluctant to shoot, and does not provide a great goal scoring threat from midfield. But, the Frenchman has shown that he is one of the talented midfielders at Arsenal, and when he is in form, he can be inspirational for the Gunners.
Denilson
2 of 6
Denilson is a young, talented midfielder, who still has a long way to go in realising his immense potential. The Brazilian midfielder has shown glimpses of his class, but has been inconsistent and has not been hold down a starting spot in the Arsenal team. He has good understanding of the game, and makes important interceptions to break up opposition plays. He also has a good passing range, and keeps the play simple.
However, his attacking forays are not incisive, and he is not very creative. His passing consists mostly of sideways passing, and he needs to improve his defensive discipline and should not get caught out of position. He can shoot from range, which is an advantage, an d he does have good potential, but he will need to improve an be consistent to regularly start games for Arsenal in the future.
Tomas Rosicky
3 of 6
Tomas Rosicky has been one of the more loyal players for the Gunners, and the Czech International is finally in good shape after being affected by various injuries. His sharpness seems to be returning and his creativity can unlock the tightest defences. However, his inconsistency and his slight dip in form has led to him being benched in favour of talented youngsters like Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri.
Rosicky is comfortable in the center and on the wings, and his versatility is an advantage for the Gunners. His creativity and vision can help Arsenal expose defensive frailties of the oppositions, and he can still be a good option in central midfield, though it remains to be seen whether Arsene Wenger will trust the "little Mozart" to play alongside Fabregas in central midfield.
Samir Nasri
4 of 6
Samir Nasri has been one of the star performers in this season, and he deserves to start every game for Arsenal on the basis of his recent performances for the Gunners. He has matured, this season, and has added a lot of goals to his cabinet. He is currently Arsenal's top goal scorer with 7 goals in the season, which is in stark contrast to the last season when he managed a paltry 5 goals.
Nasri is comfortable playing on the wings and in central midfield. Fabregas' injuries have led to Nasri taking up the central attacking midfield role, in which he has excelled in some games, but Wenger has not tried a combination of both Fabregas and Nasri in central midfield. Nasri and Fabregas are both very influential for the Gunners and the could form a formidable partnership in midfield. However, it could leave Song and the defence exposed as both these creative players are very attack minded players.
Jack Wilshere
5 of 6
Jack Wilshere has been one of the revelations of the season and has produced numerous composed and mature performances which is pretty exceptional for a player of only 18 years of age. Wilshere has started in a lot of games, this season, and has come a long way in terms of development. The left footed creative midfielder has played deep in midfield for the Gunners, and has pulled the strings from the back.
Wilshere is a confident youngster, and has signed a new lucrative long term contract with Arsenal. He has excelled in central midfield, but could come short against very physical sides. Also, he is quite short, and if he plays alongside Song and Fabregas, the midfield will not have a lot of height. But his performances merit a place in the first team, and is the most likely midfielder to partner Fabregas and Song in the near future.
Aaron Ramsey
6 of 6
Aaron Ramsey is one of Arsenal's most promising young midfielders, and if not for the horrific injury he sustained against Stoke City in February, he probably would have been starting games for Arsenal on a regular basis. He was getting into the groove and made huge progress in the previous injury till the injury cruelly halted his development.
Ramsey will be back to training in the next week, and he will be expected to return for Arsenal before the end of the year. Ramsey's strength, passing range, vision and creativity makes him one of the most complete midfielders, and should the injury have no psychological effects, Ramsey will grow into one of the world's best midfielders in the future.
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