WTTGT Writer: Lewis Kyriacou
Have Arsenal got over the loss of Vieria? For me, they haven’t even replaced Parlour or Gilberto yet, never mind Vieria!
After being in such a good position mid-way through the season, I was sure The Arsenal would win their first title since the legendary ‘Invincibles’.
Instead, our season collapsed more dramatically than the house that Jack built!
Reasons
I can’t help but feel that a lack of competitive midfield battlers has made the Gunners a bit of a soft touch.
When Arsenal went undefeated, they had a trio of solid defensive midfielders in the shape of Gilberto Silva, Ray Parlour and Patrick Vieria. Meanwhile Henry, Pires and Bergkamp shone attacking wise.
Arsenal were difficult to beat because they had some bite in the middle of the park. As talented as the likes of Nasri, Fabregas, Van Persie and Walcott are, if they played the 2004 side in their prime, they’d surely be beaten because that midfield was expert in breaking down the play.
The current squad
The only [decent] defensive midfielder Arsenal have now is Alex Song, and although he looked great at the start of last season, he was clearly suffering from burnout towards the end.
Arsenal need to invest in not only one talented combative midfielder, but two. That way it will give them the same dynamic power as the Champions of 2004.
Steve Rowley, Arsenal’s chief scout, has highlighted what a great signing Scott Parker would be and that feeling is seconded by the majority of fans; including me.
Parker
Parker’s drive and never-say-die attitude reminds me of Parlour, whilst Song’s presence has just about filled Gilberto’s boots. Arsenal would still need a third option though, possibly Felipe Melo from Juventus or for a cheaper option, Tioté from Newcastle.
One thing’s for certain though, this should be the priority in the transfer window.
Eight times this season, Arsenal have scored at least two goals and failed to win the game. And talk of us signing strikers like Gervinho and Odemwingie will be wasted money if you ask me.
ARSENAL SHOULD NOT SCRAP THE FLAIR!! ITS NOT ALL ABOUT TROPHIES , PEOPLE STILL TALK OF THE DUTCH TEAM OF THE 70S AND THEY WON NOTHING!! ONLY BARCA PLAY BETTER TOTAL FOOTBALL THAN ARSENAL, AND CONSIDERING WHAT WEVE SPENT THAT IS AMAZING!!! ONLY THE ENGLISH WHO ARE TOO STUPID TOO SEE THIS
I take your point, but how many Dutch fans would swap their flair for Greece's Euro 2004 triumph? We don't necessarily need to scrap flair altogether, but players with grit are just as valuable. Parlour is Arsenal fan's 19th best player of all time, someone like Nwankwo Kanu who could do things with a ball that defies imagination didn't make the top 50! Tony Adams is third, above the former All time goalscorer Ian Wright, among many other flair players. This is a fans poll, so the facts speak for themselves. Yes flair players are amazing, as Henry and Bergkamp take the top two spots, but flair players alone don't make an amazing team.
(Unless you're Barcelona, which we aren't)
Tell a lie, Kanu made it in 13th place, so I overlooked him, whoops. But still stands to reason that Parlour finished above the like of Merson and Ashle Cole for a reason. There is certainly place for another Parlour in our starting 11