IGNORE ARSENALS FORM - ARSENE WENGER MUST SPEND IN JANUARY The Arsenal boss hinted at little activity during the transfer window after a hard-fought win over West Ham but he simply must invest in his squad. When questioned about the future of Lukas Podolski, Arsene Wenger’s response was brief. At the moment no-one goes out, he said after Arsenal’s 2-1 win at West Ham. “We have Mesut Ozil coming back in January so there will be competition for places.” Wenger’s view on the out-of-favour Germany forward’s future is secondary: whether he joins Inter or not, Podolski’s time will be up soon enough, and the wide forward positions are well-serviced by the Gunners’ squad. Of greater concern to Arsenal fans was Wenger’s implication that the return of Ozil will be sufficient to settle a lopsided team lacking in several departments. Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta will all return at some point this season, but creative, fragile midfielders are not what Arsenal need. They have never been in short supply. None of the above can play at full-back and, in spite of Wenger’s insistence on forcing square pegs into round holes, none of them are specialist defensive midfielders. If a team is to defend with a high line and advanced full-backs, a top-level anchorman is key, while depth is needed in the wide defensive positions. Arsenal currently have neither. Mathieu Flamini is simply no longer good enough to protect the defence of a team expected to challenge for major honours; Francis Coquelin was on loan at Charlton a few weeks ago and the Championship is arguably his level. For much of Sundays game against West Ham, Arsenal lost the battle for central midfield to Stewart Downing and Cheikhou Kouyate. While Downing has undergone a rebirth in the middle of the park, he is not a world class talent; Kouyate may develop into the type of player Arsenal are missing, but the 25-year-old remains a notch below the level required for a serious challenge at the moment. At right-back Mathieu Debuchy has done relatively well but his young deputy Calum Chambers is a centre-half by nature. Injuries aside, wide positions require depth as form and fatigue are interchangeable on those long runs down the flanks. And on the left Nacho Monreal and Keiran Gibbs are not long-term champions of their position, due to ability and fitness respectively. There are more potential openings for new talent in north London. His loss of control against QPR aside, the suspended Olivier Giroud is patently not good enough, while none of Arsenal’s front three are considered natural goalscorers; many remain unconvinced by the centre-half partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker, although Chambers is a fantastic prospect and the middle of defence is problematic for most Premier League teams due to the pace of the game, and the high lines played. Yet we all know what will happen in January. Wenger will argue that it is impossible to get good value in the winter window and will point to errors in judgement made in past signings of Jose Antonio Reyes and Andrei Arshavin. He will insist that, in January, the best players are cup-tied in Europe, and that the Champions League remains a priority. Wenger will not admit that both Reyes and Arshavin were entirely unnecessary, luxury signings. He will not admit that it is easier (and cheaper) to acquire good full-backs and effective anchormen than it is to snag a flamboyant winger-forward. He will not admit that January can be a good moment to pounce for players whose contracts are running down, and who are out of favour at their current clubs, such as Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira and Barcelona’s Daniel Alves. He will not admit that the Premier League should remain a priority, as Arsenal are in serious danger of missing out on that top-four place that Wenger, after this match, joked about winning for 17 years. Unless pressurised by the board, it is likely Wenger will rest on his laurels again, and claim his planning will result in a strong summer transfer window. But, with the battle for fourth as competitive as it has been in some years, Arsenal are in danger of losing that Champions League slot, and with it Wenger’s last remaining defence for failure. Courtesy : goal (FDC)
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 05:12:18 +0000
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