Welbeck looking to be the main man for Arsenal as they hunt for the title by Robert Ford
In Basle on Monday night, new £16 million Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck displayed the talents that Arsene Wenger saw reason to pay such a substantial fee for. After leaving Manchester United on deadline day for the Gunners after many seasons of inconsistent form and a lack of regular first team football, the England forward will now be looking to eliminate any doubts in the mind of Arsenal fans whilst aiming to become the main man to spearhead their attack in the absence of new teammate Olivier Giroud.
Welbeck hit a brace in England’s 2-0 victory over Switzerland, and showed how he would function as part of a front 3, which in a sense somewhat replicates how Arsenal’s new front 3 may function this season. He played down the middle for the most part, but he also interchanged with Raheem Sterling and Wayne Rooney, which caused major problems for the Swiss defence.
With Welbeck expected to dislodge Yaya Sanogo upfront for the game against Manchester City this weekend, he is more than likely to play in a similar system, due to fellow new signing Alexis Sanchez’s sharing a similar versatility in his attacking play to Welbeck. When Theo Walcott is fit then perhaps Arsene Wenger would look to utilise the pace and versatility of the 3 forwards, as it would possess a unique attacking outlet that would certainly be different to any frontline within the Premier League at the moment.
However, the unexpected signing has seemed to split opinion amongst the Gunners faithful due to the fact that the England forward hasn’t really had the opportunity to be the main man up top for club and country. His strike rate is another reason for fans to be sceptical, as they were hoping for a world class forward with a fantastic scoring record to come into the club during the transfer window.
It is believed Welbeck was second choice behind new Chelsea forward Loic Remy on Arsene Wenger’s wish list, but there is no doubt that the Manchester born forward has the potential and raw talent to be a major success at Arsenal.
With a consistent run in the team, he is sure to have a greater opportunity to improve on his scoring record as he has always been a player who can get himself into the right positions, but what has always let him down has been his composure in front of goal. This being said, perhaps all Welbeck needs is more minutes of the pitch for him to gain the confidence necessary to make it at a top club like Arsenal. If Wenger can get him firing, then it would be hard to disagree with the fact that the Gunners could have the squad to mount a serious challenge until the bitter end in this season’s title race.
Robert Ford (from footyspeak.com)