ARSENAL WILL WIN THE LEAGUE… IN FOUR YEARS by VM
The title does feel like a bit of a stretch, but I feel that Arsenal can do it within four years. With the business that the club has done so far, we need to praise them for what they have done. Arteta and Edu have done some shrewd business with the likes of Sambi Lokonga, Martin Odegaard and Nuno Tavares. Arsenal did overpay for Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale but that is English tax.
The window is not closed and the team still need improvement, therefore, the club needs to improve where they can, and offload the players that are not a part of Arsenal’s plans moving forward. What Arsenal need to focus on is playing with a style of play that can bring the best out of the players that are on the pitch, be more consistent and build that winning mentality.
One thing we have noticed about Arsenal is that there is not a starting 11. Some positions, the players have solidified their place but for the other spots, it’s a question mark on who starts. Those positions are right back and striker. No player at right back seems to be capable of playing that position well, that is why most teams attack on that side. All the players that we could consider for right back are good squad players but not starters.
Hector Bellerin has been a great servant to the club but, he is a shell of his former self and needs to enjoy football elsewhere. Cedric Soares is experienced in the Premier League but I do not believe he is a starter. Calum Chambers is a solid option but is more of a utility player if there an injury crisis. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is the most suitable but seems to be the most reluctant to play in this position. If the club do look for a right back, it needs to be a player that is as hard working and defensively astute as Kieran Tierney. There are a plethora of players that Arsenal could recruit but preferably it will be a player that will hit the ground running.
The issue with the striker position is that both the experienced strikers are struggling to find form. Lacazette is more suited to the system but Aubameyang is a more prolific goal scorer. Either of them start but the one that performs is the one I would prefer.
When it comes to certain positions we can improve on such as goal keeper, holding midfielder and left wing, it is a different story.
Leno is solid but Andre Onana is a huge improvement, to get him is now is difficult, because of him not being able to play due to his ban. If he could join in the winter transfer window or next summer, I am all for it. Granit Xhaka had a good Euros but his time at the club has been strenuous. Arsenal offering him a new contract is a serious error and instead let him leave when there are better offers around. Having to look at a Xhaka-Elneny partnership again would not fill me with hope. The left wing is a position which Saka has secured but for him to play every minute of every game will take a toll on him. There needs to be rotation. The club should consider a player that is more experienced than him and can advise Saka into improving his finishing, my option would be Raheem Sterling.
The club, under Arteta, has no real style of play. They play out from the back but when in the opposition’s half there is no real threat. It is passing the ball around and hoping that an individual will put the ball in the box for the striker or shoot from outside the box. The players look lethargic and confused. The players need to be more proactive and direct when they attack. For that they need the right formation.
Arteta seems to be set on his 4-2-3-1 formation but when the personnel are not able to play in this position you have to adjust. With the new signings, hopefully they can play in this formation, but when it is not working we need to go to a formation that is defensively sound and allows us to attack, 3-4-3.
The next two issues go hand in hand and, that is consistency and winning mentality. Arsenal have improved against top 6 sides but our performances against clubs below us are sub-par. The need to be able to beat lower sides on a consistent basis to improve our standings. The club need to feel like winners and that is down to everyone. Management need to put out the best 11 every game and the players need to play for the badge. Some of the senior players do not care too much about winning and we can see that.
Football should not be everything but Arsenal does not deserve to be in the horrid state it is in. We are a top 4 team and the players should strive for that. The players should push for the title every season and if they do not believe so, move on. The senior players need to have that mentality so that the younger players know that is what Arsenal is, that is what they should strive for when they play for Arsenal.
At times it does feel like a reach but I know that we have the players to win the league in coming years. Everyone needs to believe that, from the board to the youth players.
The club deserves to win more trophies but they need to believe it wholeheartedly for it to become true. COME ON ARSENAL!!!!
Vuyo Mataka