Arsenal: 10 Conclusions That Can Be Drawn from Their Trophyless Season
Another trophyless season. Another disappointing season. Despite all the promise and expectations the season once held, it all proved to be nothing as Arsenal imploded following their Carling Cup loss to Birmingham.
The loss to Birmingham was quickly followed by a controversial elimination from the Champions League at the hands of eventual champions, Barcelona. This defeat preceded a 2-0 loss to Manchester United that dashed Arsenal’s FA Cup dreams.
Arsenal’s poor league form since that defeat was best showed by the paltry two wins they managed since February and the three wins overall.
It was an anticlimactic finish to the hopes and dreams that existed with just three months to go. But despite that there have been some positives to take away from this topsy-turvy season at the Emirates which was Arsenal’s sixth straight trophyless season.
Overall it was a season that taught us several things about the Gunners and here is a look at the five things we learned from Arsenal’s season.
There Is Hope for Arsenal's Defense
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This will seem a slightly weird one especially considering the way Arsenal’s season imploded towards the end with the defense very much also to blame for their capitulation.
But prior to that there was a period in January and February when the duo of Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou formed one of the league’s most solid pairing as they conceded few goals including some solid and convincing performances against top teams like Manchester City, Chelsea and UEFA Champions League winners, Barcelona.
During the summer of 2010, Arsenal lost William Gallas, Sol Campbell, Mikael Silvestre and Philippe Senderos, all on free transfers. While only Gallas was a player of any quality, it left Arsenal with just two first team centre backs in Thomas Vermaelen and Johan Djourou, the latter of who had just returned from a season in the sidelines.
So Wenger decided to sign Laurent Koscielny from Lorient and Sebastian Squillaci from Sevilla to plug the gap. Koscielny, the far more inexperienced of the two has turned out to be a fantastic buy while Squillaci has been horrific lately, despite a bright start to life in the Premier League.
Koscielny who initially struggled to cope in the league has gone from strength to strength and has ended the season very brightly, coming good in 2011 with some near flawless performances that have caught the eye of several fans.
But the real surprise has been the performances of Swiss defender, Johan Djourou who has shown remarkable quality and strength to bounce back from his injury and become Arsenal’s defensive leader amidst the crisis of Thomas Vermaelen, having played just five games for the entire season.
While the Koscielny-Squillaci partnership was truly poor, Djourou’s partnership with both but most notably Koscielny showed remarkable consistency and tenacity with some bright performances.
While Djourou’s performances might have tailed off as the season progressed, it was mainly due fatigue.
Arsenal’s defense has come under heavy criticism in recent weeks and most of them rightfully so. The Gunners’ inability to defend set-pieces have been evident. Also there is a lack of stability at times with the defense.
But the despite these flaws there have been plenty of positives to take away from Arsenal’s defense. The inspired performances of Koscielny and Djourou especially in the big names as they did a good job in nullifying the threat of stars like Messi, Villa, Tevez, Drogba, Rooney and Chicharito.
That combined with the return of defensive stalwart, Vermaelen and with the imminent signing of a powerful and tall defender to improve the Gunners’ ability to defend set pieces, Arsenal’s much maligned defense can provide them with stability next season.
Arsenal Could Produce Some of England's Best Talents in the Next Few Years
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One common criticism against Arsenal, by English journalists mainly is that Arsenal fail to produce any real world-class English talent. This criticism has emerged under Arsene Wenger. Wenger has focused on procuring talent and quality irrespective of the nationality and this has garnered some criticism from several sides especially since Arsenal are one of England’s best clubs.
Until last season it would be a common sight to see absolutely no English player in the starting squad. This year we experienced a slight shift in that as Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott have established themselves as integral members of the squad and have had breakthrough seasons.
Wilshere has been touted as the savior of English football for quite sometime now and this season he has turned out to be Arsenal’s savior more than his national team’s although he has started to become a regular starter of Fabio Capello’s side.
His performances have come as a pleasant surprise having impressed the fans with his drive, tenacity and desire to win, qualities that the squad has lacked at some key junctures this season.
Some brilliant performances and an overall consistent season has won him several plaudits from fans and pundits and his capture o the PFA Young Player of the Year is a testimony of the impact he has had in his first full season as a first team player at the Emirates.
Walcott who has struggled at Arsenal finally came good this season, scoring 13 goals and providing 10 assists as he has established himself as a starter when fit. His hat trick against Blackpool and superb performance against Chelsea are an indication of how good the off-season did him, as he was left back at home when the rest of the national side went to South Africa to participate in the World Cup.
These two have become essential parts of Arsenal’s team with Wilshere now an integral part of the team.
Not only these players but also loan stars Henri Lansbury and Kyle Bartley have performed well for their respective clubs and have staked a claim to become parts of Arsenal’s squad next season. Bartley performed solidly for Scottish champions, Rangers while Lansbury played a crucial role in Norwich’s promotion to the top flight.
Another talented youngster in the Arsenal ranks is Kieran Gibbs who has struggled this season but nevertheless is a hugely talented player.
All these players especially Wilshere, Walcott and Bartley can become mainstays in the Arsenal team and can have a solid chance of playing for England in the future.
All this means that Arsenal might just be looking at around three to four English players in their team in the coming years.
Kieran Gibbs Requires a Loan Spell
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Like mentioned in the last slide, Gibbs is an extremely talented player who can have a great future at Arsenal. But he is in that phase of his career where he needs regular playing time to fully deliver and fulfill his vast potential.
At the start of the season many expected him to overtake Clichy and usurp the experienced Frenchman as Wenger’s first choice left back. Sadly that has not happened as injuries prevented him from building on the starts and as Arsenal focus shifted to winning trophies, Wenger decided to stick with Clichy rather than risk the inexperienced and injury prone Gibbs.
Towards the end of the season when Wenger used Gibbs as a result of Clichy’s injury it was evident that he is far from the finished product and has a huge way to go if he is to succeed Clichy. With Clichy’s Arsenal future in doubt, Wenger might have wanted Gibbs to take over from the Frenchman. But based on Gibbs’ performance towards the end of the season, it is fair to say that Wenger must sign a left back if Clichy does indeed depart.
Gibbs looked a bit rusty and suspect at the back when he took on Stoke, Aston Villa and Fulham and did not show any of the talent and potential that made him such a great prospect.
There is no doubt that the talent still exists but for it to be a properly tapped, Gibbs needs to be loaned out to be given playing time to mature. With Arsenal he will not get enough playing time and will be forced to contend with cup matches and the occasional run in.
Arsenal’s best left back of the past decade, Ashley Cole, benefited hugely from a loan spell and the same could reap great rewards for Gibbs. He is an extremely talented youngster but the lack of playing time is affecting his progress and he will improve vastly with some playing time and experience under his belt.
He can bloom into a force for the Gunners and the Three Lions and it is essential that Wenger does the right move and loan him out.
The Emirates Crowd Can Be Vocal and Can Create an Electric Atmosphere
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Normally the Emirates is criticized for being quiet and not so intimidating. This has been the case ever since the team moved to the newly constructed Emirates and has lacked the feel and atmosphere of the Highbury.
This season we have witnessed a small but significant change towards the better with the crown really picking up the noise and putting in some truly inspired performances.
Arsenal’s fan were brilliant in some home matches especially against Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea as the Gunners banished their poor performances against top opposition and produced some stirring displays to beat some of the world’s best at the Emirates.
In all three matches the crowd were fantastic, which is an understatement. The fans in the Barcelona match were truly class as they cheered on the team in exemplary fashion as the Gunners scripted an epic fightback to snatch a 2-1 win over the Catalan giants.
The scenes as Andrei Arshavin slotted past Victor Valdes will be etched into the minds of all Arsenal fan for quite some time now and the fans displayed the raw emotions that every Arsenal fan felt at that point. The feeling of elation was palpable and the fans delivered against the best, when the team needed them most. Despite being a goal down for large parts of the match, the fans rarely stopped singing and rooting for the team and played a crucial role in Arsenal’s win.
The ‘dull’ Emirates had lit up and the trend continued against United as Arsenal finally defeated the Red Devils 1-0, a win that provided the fans something to cheer about in a time when nothing seemed to go Arsenal’s way.
Aaron Ramsey’s strike saw the fans erupt as they once again produced a fantastic atmosphere for a big clash.
The Emirates crowd does tend to be a bit tense and quiet when the going is tough but the fans need to get behind the team like they did this season more consistently and the rewards will be there for all to see.
Injuries Have Prevented Tomas Rosicky from Scaling Great Heights
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When Tomas Rosicky was signed by Arsenal in 2006, Arsenal and their fans thought that they had signed another star and based on his career thus far, he had all the hallmarks of a great player. In many ways he wasn’t the usual Arsenal signing. At 26 he was not young but was instead in the peak of his career and had already established himself on the world stage.
In his first two seasons at the club he performed well and showed great skill, pace and dribbling abilities that made him an integral part of the squad.
Then came what looked like a seemingly innocent injury that instead proved to be so much more. As a result of this injury, Rosicky spent close to 18 months on the sidelines and only made his return against Manchester City, a match in which he scored a goal albeit in a losing cause.
Last season he performed fairly without ever setting the league on fire but on the whole he was fairly consistent, tidy and showed the skill that made such a hot prospect at the start of his Arsenal career.
But this season despite a good start he have started to witness the slow but painful demise of Rosicky, whose Arsenal career was grounded before it truly ever got a chance to take off. Rosicky joins Eduardo as a supremely talented and gifted player who could have become a star but instead was derailed by injuries that eventually reduced their effectiveness and quality.
This season Rosicky has struggled but mainly in 2011. His performances against Barcelona, Everton and Birmingham were all notably poor as the Czech Republic international struggled to establish himself in the Arsenal team.
He has been used sparsely by Wenger and the killer pace and great first touch along with the vision that once characterized him once as all deserted him.
Rosicky when signed was a good buy, but a series of unfortunate injuries as left the highly talented midfielder lost as he failed to fulfill his potential with the Gunners.
Gael Clichy Has to Be Sold
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Gael Clichy is the last remaining member of the legendary, Invincibles squad but despite his experience, it is time for the Frenchman to leave the club. When he was awarded a place in the 2007-08 PFA Team of the Year, Arsenal fans thought that the void left by Ashley Cole had been fulfilled but since that year, he has shown his talent and quality, but only in glimpses and has failed to show the consistency that his compatriot and Arsenal right back, Bacary Sagna has epitomized.
His solid and effective performances against teams like Barcelona and Manchester United might indicate that the quality is still there and while he remains significantly better than his understudy, Gibbs, the mistakes have become a common part of his game and his defensive frailties have been more and more pronounced this season.
Clichy’s attacking abilities are not too bad, one must say. His link up play is a real treat to watch and can produce some really good crosses at times but his crossing too is extremely inconsistent and wayward most of the time.
But it is at the back that we have seen Clichy struggle with a series of high profile mistakes made by the Frenchman. His poor defensive capabilities maybe one of the reasons why Samir Nasri has struggled to make a huge impact from the left flank, since he has to track back and help out the Frenchman, more than he has to do with the sound and reliable Sagna.
Clichy’s problems could be as a result of the injury that limited playing time during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. Clichy is the team’s most experienced campaigner and losing him will be cutting ties with the last remaining member from the Invincibles and with his contract getting over next summer, the sale of the left back maybe the best move for the Gunners.
Arsenal Have to Keep Fabregas
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This is one which may create contrasting opinions with many believing that he must be sold and Arsenal needn’t keep him any longer.
There have been several questions raised about his commitment and his form in general. I for one believe that that he still remains motivated to achieve success with Arsenal and his performances are still top class.
I don’t really question his passion and have always believed that he isn’t a vocal leader. He is fairly subdued on the pitch, and so for some, it gives a feeling that he is no longer interested in playing for Arsenal. While one maybe right to question his leadership capabilities, I feel it is unjust to question his commitment to the club.
For one I believe that he never stops trying, and while his teammates have struggled to finish off some of the chances he has created, he has been playing fairly well in recent times.
It is true that he has been unable to replicate his great form from last year but this is due to a variety of reasons. For one he has been in and out of the team with injury and often Wenger has used him far too quickly which has resulted in him picking up an injury before he has fully recovered from the previous one.
Had he been fully fit this season, I have no doubt that not only would he have matched the exploits of last season, he would have been exceptionally successful especially since this season he had the chance to work in tandem with Robin van Persie, Arsenal’s best striker.
Another reason why some people believe that he has been below par is because of the fact that he has struggled to score goals like he did last season. This season he has scored just nine goals which pales in comparison to the 19 he scored last season. But when it comes to assists the numbers are fairly the same with him having 17 this season, just two less than the number he had last season..
Fabregas represents everything Arsene Wenger hopes to achieve through his long term vision: signing young talent and converting these players not just into good players but into world beaters. When you talk about world class players at Arsenal there are only a few: Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri, Bacary Sagna and Thomas Vermaelen. And of course Cesc Fabregas.
Selling any of these players would be a step backwards for the club and Arsenal cannot afford that. They are in a situation where selling a top class player would further derail the continuity of the long term goals. Arsene Wenger’s vision is based on turning these players into world class performers and then building the team around them. It does not involve them being sold off when a ‘big’ club comes calling.
Also currently Fabregas is undoubtedly one of the world’s best midfielders in football right now and there are few players who can be signed to replace him at a decent price range. That means it would be tough to replace him and while Arsenal have the likes of Nasri, Ramsey in their team, these players are not ready to replace Fabregas especially the latter while some see Nasri as capable of replacing Fabregas.
The problem is that even Nasri’s future at the club is uncertain. Wenger recently stated that the negotiations over a new contract had stalled and if the two parties cannot reach an agreement, Arsenal will be forced to sell him this season itself as his contract expires at the end of next season.
Fabregas has certain qualities that only few players possess and is easily one of Arsenal’s best players. Selling him would leave a void that no player can fill and Arsenal risk going another season trophyless.
Fabregas is currently essential for Arsenal to succeed as his creativity and killer pass is what makes Arsenal’s attack so potent. Without him Arsenal lose their primary creative force.
Even this season there is no doubt that he created plenty of chances for his teammates but poor finishing meant that fewer chances could be converted. He played a crucial role in two of Arsenal’s biggest wins this season, against Barcelona and Chelsea.
It was with Fabregas at the heart of Arsenal’s attack that they scripted some of their most emphatic wins as they beat teams like Bolton, Wigan, West Ham. Towards the end of the season, his creative force was there for all to see as he demonstrated his quality in the matches against Blackpool, Bolton.
Arsenal fans might have grown frustrated of the entire saga but right now it is essential that Arsenal retain their captain.
Robin Van Persie Is the League's Best Forward
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A slightly bold and controversial opinion, I must say, but I feel van Persie’s performances this season have established that when fit, there is few strikers who can match his quality.
When I think of van Persie, it always fills me with regret. Here is a player who should be spoken in the same breath as Ronaldo, Iniesta and Messi and yet he spends half his time on the treatment table. His quality and talent was once again emphasized this season as he set the league on fire with 18 goals in 2011, a feat managed only by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and Manchester United star, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Despite playing 743 minutes less than Tevez and 438 minutes less than Dimitar Berbatov, he finished just three goals behind the two of them. With 18 goals and seven assists, van Persie has been prolific in front of goal and while the rest of his teammates collapsed like a pack of cards, van Persie stood tall, providing the Gunners’ faithful with a beacon of hope in dire times.
Even in the big clashes, the Dutchman has delivered the goods, with some solid performances against United, Chelsea and Barcelona as the Gunners beat all three of them, something they failed to do in six attempts last season.
While Marouane Chamakh and Nicklas Bendtner remain solid players with potential, they lack the overall skill and talent of van Persie whose creativity and ruthlessness in front of goal, make him a real force and makes him indispensable to the squad.
Van Persie’s contributions as a team player, assisting and not just scoring makes him a complete player which only few strikers such as Drogba, Rooney and Odemwingie in the league can boast of.
If Arsenal are to eventually end their trophy drought they will need their star stiker to fire.
Marouane Chamakh: A Good Buy from Arsene Wenger
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This may seem a tad odd considering his poor form towards the end of the season but on closer inspection, his form was not as poor as the stats might show. What the stats do not show is the impact he has had after coming on as a substitute. He was integral in sustaining Arsenal’s title bid in the absence of Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas.
At one point, Chamakh was one of the front runners of the transfer of the season award but his fading away has resulted in him being faced with severe criticism who have questioned his finishing ability and his overall contributions to the squad. Some have gone as far as suggesting that he must be sold.
But while he has faded slightly, it is harsh to criticise him especially since he has just played 424 minutes since the return of van Persie with just the two starts against Wigan back in December and in the final game against Fulham. Chamakh is not the kind of player who can make an instant impact but he needs time to adjust into the pace of the game and to find his feet.
Wenger’s decision to persist with the 4-2-3-1 with van Persie spear heading the attack means that Chamakh rarely gets a start and so he struggles to score. But when he has come on, he has benefited the Gunners as his presence adds a bit of unpredictability to Arsenal’s passing approach and gives the defenders an aerial presence to worry about. In the matches against Blackburn, Stoke, Aston Villa and West Brom it was after the introduction of Chamakh that the team started creating something. Also the full backs tend to cross the ball more on the ground than aerially thus limiting the Chamakh’s aerial prowess. Right now Chamakh is merely short on confidence and when regains it, he can be deadly for the Gunners as demonstrated in 2010. He is the sort of player, who does struggle to score goals just after coming on as a substitute. He grows into the match slowly and requires time to get used to the pace of the match.
When Robin van Persie became injured in August, the goal-scoring duties fell on Chamakh and the burden was increased with the injury to Danish striker, Nicklas Bendtner.
Opposition players received four red cards as a result of fouls on him and he earned his team four penalties this season.
He scored 10 goals in all competitions until November but since then has slotted in only a solitary goal . But despite that his early season form was crucial in Arsenal’s title challenge and it was largely due to his goal scoring exploits that Arsenal did not face a crisis like they did last year when Van Persie was injured.
His goal-scoring streak in the earlier part of the season was a run which included goals against Wolverhampton, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspurs and Bolton Wanderers. He might have struggled ever since, but considering this was his first season in the Premier League, his performances were admirable.
Many of his goals were headers with Chamakh scoring against Bolton, Partizan, Blackpool, and Wolves with his presence giving Arsenal the option of going the direct route, something we don’t usually see from Arsenal. His arrival meant that Arsenal now had a physical threat in the box—someone who could win the headers.
His performances that were towards the start of the season, has been forgotten by many who have been extremely unfair on the Moroccan who never stopped trying and had an extremely positive impact as a substitute.
While he might not be the solution to Arsenal’s striking problems and while the Gunners still need another striker, he is definitely not poor as some people have portrayed recently and is one player who must be kept at Arsenal.
Chamakh’s strength lies in his fantastic heading ability but he proved that he can play with his feet as well and linked up brilliantly with the midfielders and the likes of Arshavin and Nasri and did a good job of dropping deeper, albeit his style differing to what van Persie does. I feel one reason that Chamakh’s contribution has been forgotten is because of the impact made by van Persie. But despite that Chamakh represents a great bit of business especially since he came on a free transfer.
Chamakh might be struggling to score but towards the end of the season he looked sharp and had a good effect when coming on as a substitute, despite Wenger’s reluctance to start him and Arsenal fans must be thankful to the Moroccan who kept alive their title hopes with a string of vital goals.
Arsenal Do Not Score Enough Goals for the Possession They Have
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Considering that with 72 goals, Arsenal have scored the second most number of goals in the league, this may seem a ridiculous thing to state but according to me Arsenal just do not score enough goals.
When you see that Arsenal are the only team that has had an average of 60% possession and that they are the only team to have more than a 1000 touches in the opposition’s box, something must be amiss.
Arsenal’s attack has let them down when the team needed them the most. While van Persie performed admirably and never for once stopped trying to conjure up a bit of magic, the rest of the team went missing.
A lot of criticism has been mounted against Arsenal’s defense but in the matches against Bolton, Stoke, Blackburn and Sunderland the attack failed to create chances and even when they did, they were spurned.
Arsenal’s attacks problems lie in their profligacy and the fact that with van Persie dropping deep, the Gunners several times lack a target man to target and there is actually no one in the box to attack a cross or a pass, leaving the Gunners toothless up front.
Arsenal very often rack up plenty of possession with absolutely no end product and the 3-1 loss to Stoke exemplified their weaknesses. Arsenal dominated possession but with no clear cut chances and with aimless possession, the Gunners lost.
Arsenal often struggle to break down organized teams and this might be because of Wenger’s insistence on playing the 4-2-3-1.
Arsenal do score plenty of goals, but there is a lack of ruthlessness and end product very often that has to be sorted out in the summer.
