If We Are Reliant On A Left Back, We Should Ask Why? By Dan Smith
After our dull 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace the conclusion from some gooners seems to be that the game would have been different had we had Kieran Tierney in the team.
Part of any solution is admitting there is a problem, and it’s letting players and management off if your using one person’s injury as a reason for another game at the Emirates where we failed to really test the opposition keeper.
I love Tierney, he’s a future captain and you could argue that he’s just had his two best performances as a Gunner. Yet if we are putting our lack of creativity down to a left back being absent then we have hit our latest rock bottom.
First our owners only cared if we finished top 4 then were not bothered at all once the TV contract approached billions.
Now there are gooners who are accepting not making chances down to who our fullback is. It’s not like we are Liverpool who have three hard working midfielders who allow their wing backs to bomb forward.
None of our left or right backs are involved in the number of goals like an Arnold or Robinson, yet there has been more talk on what would have happened had Tierney played, compared to what those on the pitch didn’t do.
When Aubameyang was scoring all the time I don’t remember anyone saying it was only down to our left back, so logic says that who’s in that position isn’t a reason for his performance.
I’m sure Mr Kroenke would wonder why we splashed out 72 million on Pepe or given a huge salary to Willian, if we apparently need a left back for any kind of quality in the final third?
To be a big club you need to think like a big club. We need to set our standards high and not accept anything that falls below that line.
I sometimes think we have fans who are so desperate to see us return to our old levels they justify certain things. For example, a month ago, many said we should wait till January so Arteta could make more or his own signings.
Smith Rowe has a couple of good games and suddenly we turn our blind eye that halfway through the window our priority again seems to be to slash the wage bill.
I know there are readers who get tired of me pointing out how can’t Ozil get in the squad but I’m getting bored of watching how we play every week. How are we paying 350,000 thousands pound a week for a World Cup winner to sit at home yet can then miss a left back so much?
Worse our owners have convinced some it’s a good idea. Same as they did when Ramsey was allowed to leave for free.
Suddenly we have no goals from midfield, no flair, are not entertaining to watch, reliance on teenagers and left thinking a left back is the answer.
If our best chance of making chances against Newcastle is hoping a left back is fit, then we need to ask ourselves as a club how have we allowed that to happen?
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Dan