WHICH STRIKER SHOULD ARSENAL SIGN? According to various reports Arsene Wenger is desperately in the hunt for a new striker. Olivier Giroud led the line last season but too often did not look of the required class to lift Arsenal to the Premier League title. Several names such as Alexis Sanchez, Jackson Martinez, Mario Mandzukic and the divisive Mario Balotelli have been banded about thus far. Below is a statistical comparison of the forwards: Alexis Sanchez Arsenal lack mobility up front with Olivier Giroud more a direct target man than a technical player. Giroud doesn’t have the touch of poise that is required for a team like Arsenal at times, even if he does provide a good option with his strength and aerial ability. With Theo Walcott missing large chunks this was a big problem last season. Sanchez though is a very quick and skillful player who showed for Chile that he can operate as a forward in a very fluid attacking side. For Arsenal he could play as a winger in a front three, off of Olivier Giroud in a slightly more fluid system or even as the central forward, again in a fluid system. Sanchez is also the most clinical forward listed above and showed at the World Cup how he is very cool under pressure. His conversion is almost twice as clinical as Olivier Giroud’s. Jackson Martinez Stats on Jackson Martinez are limited as none of the major stats outlets cover the Portuguese league. That being said he has been good at the World Cup thus far and did score 20 league goals last season. Martinez appears to be a powerful forward who doesn’t get that involved in the build up (having averaged just 17 passes per game at the World Cup). At 27 he is at a good age to make the move and is reportedly keen on moving to Arsenal. With more pace than Giroud he’d certainly be a viable alternative option up front to the immobile French forward. Mario Mandzukic Mandzukic is not as mobile as the other three striking options but is the second most clinical player and a real natural forward. He never gained huge plaudits at Bayern Munich but always looked cool and composed in front of goal and decent at leading the line. He is probably the most similar striker to Giroud, which may make him less of an attractive option as Arsenal need more pace through the middle. That being said he is definitely an upgrade on Giroud and were he signed he’d bring international and European experience to the side as well as a much cooler head in front of goal. Arsenal would certainly be more of a threat with Mandzukic in the side than Olivier Giroud. Mario Balotelli Balotelli is a player who splits opinion and in recent weeks Wenger has distanced himself from a move for the former Manchester City player. In truth Balotelli’s brilliance has often been over-rated. His incredibly low chance conversion (even lower than Giroud’s) is evidence of this. He is a very wasteful forward and has never really stepped up to live up to the early hype. He is however a more mobile forward than Giroud, which does make him a desirable target, if the others are unattainable. His 1.9 dribbles per game are more than any other forward listed above and show that he can run at defences and open up the play for his team-mates in doing so. His inclination to shoot (and often miss) rather than pass can be a cause of frustration though. Balotelli has his share of attitude problems though, coupled with a wastefulness in front of goal this might make any move obsolete. Who should Arsene Wenger sign?
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 17:38:17 +0000
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