Arsenal’s Rollercoaster Ride: A Breakdown of the Season so Far

When I was asked to write an article with regards to the current weaknesses (and strengths) of the Arsenal side so far this term, I was understandably left at a loss as to what positives I could possibly eek out of a rather mucky situation.

Indeed, I can’t be blamed for that, neither can most fans, as it is fair to say that we have had a near-disastrous opening quarter of the campaign, that will only get worse if dramatic improvements are not made.

And with the visit of champions Manchester United looming, Arsene Wenger must be sweating over a number of factors, namely the art of defending and being able to successfully negotiate set pieces—not just corners and free kicks, but throw-ins as well as we found out last week!

The accusations of “spineless”, “lacking heart”, “weak” etc have been levelled at the Gunners from all quarters over the past few weeks. Admittedly, I have hardly been quiet myself, as I have seen enough to hurt me and shock me as a lifelong Arsenal supporter.

However, despite Wenger’s firm dismissal of such criticisms, it is hard to believe the once so convincing suave Frenchman. Having lost three matches already this term, all against teams which will probably fill the lower half of the table, the Premier League title is already proving to be out of Arsenal’s reach, nigh-on-impossible if United go home undefeated on Saturday.

A lot of Arsenal’s weaknesses stem from two factors, which ultimately equate to the already mentioned criticisms aired so publicly since throwing away that 4-2 lead with four minutes to go.

With generations of Arsenal sides led by the likes of McLintock, Adams ,and Vieira, William Gallas’ leadership has been more than suspect. So much so in fact, that it has left the whole defence in a state of apparent disarray. A club captain is one who is a calming influence, a guide to young talents, but also one who can roar his troops into action when needed, and be the first one to stand up and be counted when the going gets tough. This has been the case with many Arsenal captains in the past.

Unfortunately, Gallas has been the first to come out and criticise the team himself in the media, coming out with all sorts of rhetoric regarding how we must stop relying on our attacking style of football and concentrate on rock solid defending and grind out more victories.

Well, that starts with you Willy, and you have hardly been an imposing rock at the back, though, to be fair, this has also been the story of the defence collectively.

Which brings me on to my second glaring weakness of this Arsenal side; the repugnant lack of physical strength and ability to deal with simple set plays. A ghastly fault of the manager’s stubborn belief that the team did not require strengthening over the summer, I have seen our players easily pushed off the ball, harassed and almost bullied to balls by stronger sides; a backbone of players as strong as my old primary school team (in relative Premier League terms)!

Imagine a midfield of Nasri, Fabregas, Denilson, and Walcott (all of whom are below the average male height) coming up against a rugged midfield as that of Stoke’s last weekend. Or, if we compare ourselves to a fellow “big club”, against Chelsea’s quartet of Essien, Lampard, Ballack and Deco.

Enough said.

A combination of Wenger’s myopic vision and absolute stubborn belief in the team as it is has led us into this mini-crisis, a crisis that has been compounded by sub-standard performances despite having had the easiest start of the “Big Four”.

In fairness, looking at the positive aspects (or aspect, as the case may be), Arsenal, in full gear, play an exhilarating brand of football that cannot be matched by many teams around the world. However, this is as far as it goes, as Wenger’s teams of the past had the ability to combine both qualities brilliantly, and that is desperately lacking today.

With the must-win game against United fast approaching, Wenger knows that his whole reputation that was based upon the fans’ unwavering support is very much on the line, and that failure will not be tolerated neither by the fans, nor, ironically, by his young stars that he had nurtured and brought onto the world stage.

To sum up, I will close with my resolute conviction that a team containing Adams, Campbell, Vieira, Henry et al would not have conceded two goals from throw-ins against top-flight novices, and would have definitely not thrown away a two-goal lead with minutes to go against a side languishing at the bottom of the league.

And that says it all.