Arsenal's Mentality: How Can Arsene Wenger Turn the Gunners into Champions?
Arsene Wenger smashed a water bottle, unable to hide his disappointment and emotion after Arsenal lost the plot against Tottenham. He has shown a lot of faith in the youngsters and has supported them through many rough patches. It is clear that Wenger's patience is wearing thin with every trophy-less season, though, and he is desperate to bring some silverware to the Emirates.
The Gunners have a team boasting some of the world's most talented young players but have woefully underperformed in the last few seasons. It is due more to a lack of mental resilience than lack of quality.
Arsenal have not been able to withstand late onslaughts from teams as they have shown a tendency to lose leads. Wenger needs to do a lot of work to instill the confidence in his young team to have a winning mentality over the course of the season.
The Premier League has become more competitive in recent seasons, and the title race is very open this year. Chelsea made a strong start to the season, but with injuries to Frank Lampard and John Terry, they have been inconsistent and are holding on to the top spot in the Premier League on the basis of goal difference.
Manchester United on the other hand have not looked too great, to be honest, but are unbeaten and tied on the same points with Chelsea. Arsenal are only two points behind these two, and if they are consistent, then they have a great chance to win the Premier League this year.
Samir Nasri to Be a Leader in the Team and Appointed Vice-Captain For Arsenal
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Samir Nasri has been the best performer of the season for Arsenal, so far, and deserves the praise for his superb displays in recent weeks. He is currently the most influential player for the Gunners and has even over-shadowed Fabregas in recent games. He is one of the more aggressive players on the team and is currently on superb form.
He has arguably been the revelation of the season in the Premier League and is on the verge of becoming a truly world class player. He has also stated his passion for the club and has distanced himself from any transfer rumours and distractions. He is also one of the fitter players on the squad, and although he has had injury-hit seasons in the last two years, he has been injured for many fewer weeks in the last year.
Bestowing him with a more important role with the team can only prove beneficial to him and the team. Besides, with Fabregas enduring recurrences of his hamstring injury, Robin van Persie not playing continuously over the course of the season and Thomas Vermaelen struggling with an Achilles injury, it might not be a bad idea to place the responsibility of captaining the Gunners on the young shoulders of the impressive Samir Nasri.
Wenger Needs To Implement a Proper Plan B
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Wenger changed the formation for the 2009-10 season, and it did benefit the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Andrei Arshavin to push higher up the field and thus, improved the attacking strength of the team. Tactical changes need to be implemented in order to bring in a new freshness to the team. Arsenal have been guilty of being too predictable at times, and Wenger would do well to change things up when required.
Marouane Chamakh and Nicklas Bendtner provide height in the box, but they are seldom present in goal-scoring positions when crosses do come in from the wings. They like to be involved in the build-up play and cannot be blamed for that because they are quite effective in that respect. However, Arsenal do not have a plan-B when the opposition is comfortable dealing with their passing game, and the sting is neutralised.
Wenger is an intelligent and experienced manager and should be bold enough to turn things around when they are not working for the Gunners. Also, he must bring up effective plays to neutralise substitutions and tactical changes by the opposition. Cesc Fabregas allegedly criticised Arsenal's lack of knowledge about their oppositions during the World Championship, and Wenger should make sure that Arsenal are thoroughly prepared for every encounter.
The Need To Believe In Their Defensive Abilities and The Importance Of Defence
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Arsenal are a team known for their flair and flamboyance on the pitch, not for their mental strength and resilience in recent years. They are arguably the most attractive team in the Premier League, and their dazzling intricate play is a joy to behold, but not what supporters crave. Arsenal Football Club and its supporters are desperate for Wenger to lift Silverware this year, and mental strength and resilience will be the key factors in determining the outcome of this year's title challenge.
They do not possess the best defenders in the world and do not have good organizations. The injury to the impressive Thomas Vermaelen has further weakened the side, and they do not have belief in their defensive capabilities. They look nervous at the back, and the have no quality defender like Nemanja Vidic or John Terry who can command the penalty area.
When a team has a two goal lead in the second half, the emphasis should be on defending well and holding on to the commanding lead. However, Arsenal were complacent and tried to notch one more goal which led to the counter-attack led by Rafael van der Vaart and Gareth Bale. They must embrace the fact that defending is one of the most important aspects of a game and learn to grind out results, which is the key to success.
Complacency Should Be Avoided Especially When They Have Had Five Barren Years
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Arsenal have not won a single trophy in the last five years, and it is hard to reason why there is an air of complacency in their play when they look like they can earn all three points from the fixture. There are no easy games in the Premiership, and being complacent can only lead to the downfall of a club. Any supporter could sense the complacency running through the team in the way they played in the second half against Tottenham.
Even in the game against Braga, Arsenal were complacent that they could prise open the Braga defence and score the goal they needed, all the while failing to show the urgency required in order to be ruthless. The teams that have created history in the past are those which consist of fighters who can be ruthless when required. This Arsenal team do have the technical talents required to be a successful unit, but do they have the ruthlessness?
Wenger Should Encourage His Players To Shoot More Often
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One player who came under severe criticism after the game against Tottenham was the new Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh who scored the second goal for Arsenal. Though the criticism was harsh from some supporters, it was not entirely unjustified because Chamakh was guilty of not maximising opportunities that came his way.
Arsenal are known for dribbling their way into the goal, but they have to be more direct at times. Shooting from long range offers a new dimension for the team, and defenders cannot sit back and give space for the Gunners outside the box if their long range shooting abilities are good. The number of times that Chelsea and Manchester United have benefited from long range strikes of Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes should encourage Wenger's young team to work on their shooting abilities.
The Gunners do have capable players like Nasri, Van Persie, Arshavin and Fabregas, who can shoot decently from distance, but they have been guilty of making one pass too much which has led to many squandered opportunities. Wenger needs to order his boys to shoot at goal whenever they have a decent possibility.
Quality Signings Who Will Add Experience To Their Weak Defence
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Arsenal do not have an experienced back line, and the prolonged absence of Thomas Vermaelen is hampering the progress of the team. Wenger brought in two French defenders, Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci, in the summer, but they have done little to inspire the Gunners and their supporters at the Emirates with their displays. Wenger needs to realise that he does require quality reinforcements to make a strong title challenge.
Alex Song is a tough tackler and has improved the overall aspects of his game, but he is the only defensive midfielder in the team. An injury to him would force Denilson, who has looked out of sorts, to start instead of the Cameroon International in important games. Though bringing in a defensive midfielder is not likely to be the highest priority, signing a good defensive midfielder will ease the pressure of Alex Song and be a good addition to this team.
If Wenger does not bring in any quality players in the January transfer window, then there is a good probability that it might be another trophy-less season.
Wenger Should Avoid Making Lame Excuses After Arsenal's Defeats
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Wenger should stop making lame excuses for the defeat of his team and must accept the errors committed by both himself and his team. He said after the Tottenham game that the defenders had a good game, which was quite frankly a ridiculous statement, considering the fact that Tottenham were able to come back from a two-goal deficit. Again against Braga, he went on record to criticise the opposition's style of playing instead of accepting that his players woefully underperformed under the given circumstances.
Wenger needs to accept the blame when his team is not meeting the required expectations. He needs to shoulder the responsibility of accepting his side's mistakes and rectify them in the future. He cannot be giving lame excuses for his side's inability to win important matches. The whole of the Arsenal team should be held responsible for the side's defeats.
