Arsenal still don’t have what it takes to win the EPL?
After eight EPL games played, you cannot argue that even after a slow start to the Premier League campaign for the Gunners, things have truly began to pick up and the club is now in a strong position to have a consistent run of form at the top of the league.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has in my opinion the strongest squad available to him since the last dominant era of the early 2000’s. It is a squad that hasn’t had a load of stars mixed together on big money, but instead he has a team with full of passion, good spirit and a willingness to be competitive as a team rather than as individual stars. There are finally some big names amongst the squad again after many years of struggle and these are the types of players who will return the club to its former glory. But according to some critics, Arsenal are still one piece away from completing the perfect puzzle.
Ex Gunner Emmanuel Petit, a much loved figure at Arsenal under the Arsene Wenger reign, still has his say on many of the club’s various affairs. This week he’s been speaking about Arsenal’s potential title challenge, now that the Gunners are at the top of the league level on points with Manchester City. In the past Petit has shown his confidence in this Arsenal team and especially for Arsene Wenger, but if there’s one thing that the Frenchman still isn’t happy about, then it’s Arsenal’s lack of an out and out striker.
Petit said in a recent statement: “Even though I love Arsenal and Arsene, I try to stay objective. They never quite satisfy me, and they often frustrate me. As long as Arsenal don’t have a striker who scores 40 goals a season like Aguero does at Manchester City. That’s what you need in any league: a striker who is one of the best in the world.”
It may be a big ask for Arsene Wenger to find a player of Aguero’s capabilities in the current state of the transfer market, but Petit makes a point that simply will not go away. Fans have been calling for a truly world class goal scorer for the last 5 years at least, but as of yet we have not been in any luck.
The Gunners may have recently discovered Alexis Sanchez’s capabilities of playing as a striker in front of goal, but let’s be honest at the end of the day he is a converted winger and if Arsenal truly want to become dominant across not just England but in Europe too, then the club needs to invest in a major frontman who will get them more than 20 goals a season in all competitions.
Personally I don’t feel we are far away from having a team that is, in technical ability, ready to compete on all fronts, but Petit makes a very good point about the current striker situation at Arsenal and it’s a topic of discussion that will not go away until we are satisfied.
By AH