WTTGT Writer: Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
The future is bright, have faith.
It may be six years since Arsenal FC last tasted silverware, but each year they edge closer and closer to getting their hands on a trophy. Some Arsenal fans are probably sick and tired of seeing those words but I truly believe that Arsenal will soon start winning things.
In my last article I highlighted ten top moments from last season, in an attempt to provide a positive outlook on a season which promised so much. This article I focus on why I think Arsenal can turn their fortunes around next season.
First of all the staring XI is on par with the best in the Premier League, further highlighting the fact that they possess a strong base. Their main problems are:
1) Injuries to key players at key times – how many times have Arsenal played a big game with all their top players?
2) Motivation – If they can motivate themselves against the best teams in Europe, they need to replicate that against the lower teams.
3) The lack of depth in the squad – when the top players are out injured, the back-up players can’t be relied upon it is a simple as that. Players such as Manuel Almunia, Emmanuel Eboué, Sebastian Squillaci, Denilson, Abou Diaby, Tomas Rosicky and Nicklas Bendtner need to be transferred and replaced with players with quality and or Premiership experience.
All these problems can be solved by shrewd business in the transfer market which will aid the team in being able to rotate more frequently to avoid the injuries.
There seems to be a big cry amongst the disgruntled fans who want Arsène Wenger to spend BIG in the transfer market. There are many situations which can go wrong if the boss decides to bow to pressure and spend big:
1) The player may prove to be a huge flop, look at Robbie Keane for example.
2) Spending over £20m just to keep the fans happy doesn’t win you the league, see Liverpool for an example.
What Arsenal fans should be crying for is that Wenger buys the right players.
The noises coming out of the Emirates this week have been extremely positive, with Wenger seemingly looking to strengthen the squad this summer. What looks to be high on his priority list is a dominant centre half to play alongside Thomas Vermaelen.
Haven’t the fans been screaming at Wenger to purchase one for years? He has targeted two in Chris Samba and Gary Cahill this week, both have Premier League experience and that can both slot well into the back four, yet some fans are still not happy.
Another area which Gunner fans have demanded Wenger strengthen is in midfield. There is no hiding the fact that they need a suitable back-up in the defensive midfield role to provide competition for Alex Song. Scott Parker is seen by many fans as the answer, adding to his names of others such as Seb Larsson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Willian and Hazard.
The case of Seb Larsson is an interesting one in my view as many fans don’t feel he is good enough, but he is a free transfer, with Premiership experience and would be a valuable squad player. Most of all he versatile and could slot into a number of positions.
It has also been widely touted that Arsène Wenger will look to bring in some forwards in an attempt to take some of the burden off Robin Van Persie, with Gervinho looking a certainty. Other strikers such as Benzema, Higuain, Falcao and even Defoe have interested the boss, who is on the lookout of for a striker with a proven goalscoring record to help push the team for success next season.
Also with the development of a vast array of youngsters like Emmanuel-Thomas, Gibbs, Bartley, Lansbury, Miyaichi and Afobe, it shows that the future of the club is in good hands.
Finally, success for this club is just around the corner, we’re not far away. With a few tune-ups in terms of players’ attitudes in certain games and the acquisition of some good players, the squad will prove they have the ability to win trophies.
Fans need to keep the faith! It could be worse.
The problem with injuries really needs to be looked at more closely. There is something wrong in the Strength and Conditioning department at Arsenal. They tout how very high tech and scientific they are (GPS/RF tracking, statiistical analysis, etc), but at the end of the day it's the results that count, and after 6 years it's hard to support the claim that it's all down to bad luck. Of course with a deeper bench Wenger will be able to rotate players, and that should help, but it's not a solution. The one bright spot is that Van Persie seems much more durable these days. He has more muscle mass. He looks stronger, and was able to bounce back from some hard tackles very quickly, or brush them off all together. But that's probably down to the Dutch trainers he worked with during his recovery in the fall and not Arsenal's internal staff.
you r right we hate it when anybody says we were close to winning something. all we have seen is a spineless team so predictable that we crumble when it matters the most. the manager knows we have issues with injuries (or maybe we just have incompetent physios) and so should prepare ahead every season getting good players that can replace injured players. this is reflected in the case of fabregas who has barcelona has been courting 4 a number of years. we still havent found some1 who wld replace him. if we win anything this season, its not because the manager's faith in youths has paid off(it has failed in my opinion), but because of the potential signings we have been looking at (that's if we make those signings anyway). we need hunger and if we continue this way it would be the same of the same.
It's wenger and the board's brain injuries that are doin the club.
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