Well, It’s August. When Can WE Get Higgy With It!?
I’m sorry for that awful, soul-destroyingly bad title, but it had to be done.
I am not a patient man. However when it comes to Arsenal, I know it’s going to be stretched thin. I genuinely think I’ve become a better person due to supporting such a frustrating club. I know that transfers are not the end all and be all to supporting a football club, but they are a part of the way the sport functions. Injuries, form, tactics and more come into play when the manager chooses 11 players to start the match. In the end, it really is a throw of the dice to see what works and what doesn’t. Research only gets you so far.
That sentiment was all too clear last season when we struggled to create. If things weren’t going well, the best we could do was bring in the Ox, or the world’s most frustrating man Gervinho into the fray. Not to discredit either player (Ox in particular) but if we’re banking on a 19-year-old and a wasteful 2nd stringer to save our bacon on many occasions, then something is definitely wrong with our squad.
The main problem is up front. It’s rare for Arsène to sub on a defender, and for good reason. A defender’s job is much more unforgiving; anybody coming in will take a few minutes to adjust to the dynamics of the match, and as a defender, that’s a risky proposition in the name of potentially patching a leak. No, by the 70th minute, Jack Wilshere has stretched so much he’s grown in stature, and Santi Cazorla looks to have run his feet off. Tomas Rosicky has changed his clothes for the 3rd time, and Johan Djourou watches from a distance with a forlorn expression only matched by a stray dog. The comes Ox, and yes he runs around a lot, beats men with tired legs and all, but the most impact he’s had on a game in quite a while was the 3–1 comeback at home to Norwich. Sure, he’s a great player, but him and others shouldn’t have to drag us out of the trenches we dug time and time again.
It all comes down to depth in a competition as long as most European leagues endure these days. With the top clubs playing close to, if not more than 60 games a year, a big squad is essential to success. In 2012 when City won the title, they had four top class strikers. All four were internationals, all 4 were competing for 2 spots. Manchester United had two of the deadliest strikers in the game in Chicarito and Wayne Rooney and they still missed out on the title, so they went and bought that Dutch striker; can’t remember where he came from, though. The EPL is all about goals. Goals get you points, goals win you matches. Yes, there’s something to be said about a solid defense, City in 11–12 being the best recent example of that, but you can’t tell me United won it last year because Rio Ferdinand and the likes of Jonny Evans were all that spectacular. I still can’t remember his name, but that Dutch bloke seemed to carry that team on his shoulders, with Wayne Rooney spurring him on from behind. Three top strikers all had a hand in catapulting their club onto glory, once again.
Now take a look at Arsenal. At striker last season we had Oliver Giroud, uh… er, does Theo count? Nope, 21 apps on the wing compared to 6 in the middle. Hmm, Podolski? Nope, 26 on the wing and 6 in the middle without a partner, to which he is accustomed. Oh right! We had… hm no, not Gervinho either. At least we’ve got Sanogo now?
Two. Two strikers. One who has recently begun to find his feet, and one who’s yet to make 25 senior appearances. Now do you see the problem? How on earth are we supposed to be a threat up front when we simply don’t have the numbers to make a dent? If all three of Giroud, Podolski and Theo are already on the pitch as they often are, we have no seasoned striker to come off the bench. That should be ringing every alarm bell in Arsène’s head. I don’t care if we don’t get a defensive midfielder. I don’t care if we don’t get a centre back. I care about the fact that we’ve yet to properly replaced our two best players of the past 5 years! We need another creative midfielder and a clinical striker above anything else. When was the last time you saw such a lethargic and boring Arsenal side? It’s worrying how little spark we have when we have our backs to the wall. All of that can change with a signing or two, yet it’s August and Arsène is probably deciding what he’s cooking for dinner before making an offer on the players we so desperately need!
There’s something off about this whole thing. Mr. Gazidis made it very clear early on that we had money to burn, almost as if it was a challenge for Arsène to go out and spend nearly all of it in one go. Why on earth would AW decide to leave it all so late? I understand pulling out of Higuain for Florentino Perez’ shenanigans, but we’re down to one of our last straws in Suarez. Business should have been done well before the two-weeks-to-kickoff mark.
My patience has run out.
@BergkampSpin
