The Ramsey issue; Transfer fever; Arsenal must win the Premiership this season! by Usmanov
Ok before you give me that face – Yes, I shall myself, admit that statement above is a bit of an over-statement. But if I’m to be honest I’ll say that is the way I feel right now. I feel this is the season for Arsenal, and I’m pretty sure a number of Wenger’s lads will have the same feeling. Of late, Alexis and Santi have been very vocal about the need for us to start winning the big championships. So yeah, I don’t think I am demanding too much if I say that Arsenal must seriously consider winning the Epl title this season. Not next season, but THIS SEASON! Or else there is the danger that our best players who themselves are very hungry for top honours will start becoming unsettled.
What is more? The fans have patiently waited a very long time for the club to once again become Champions of England. Much of our financial restrictions have been lifted. We have some good money now. The Squad has got good depth in quantity. And to be honest, the first XI certainly isn’t lacking in quality. We have bonafide world-beaters in Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Özil and Petr Cech providing us a nice amount of experience and “Champions Mentality”. So what more do we need to do to win the title this season? For starters, I’ll suggest that the gaffer does the following.
Go with the “Tested and Trusted”
First, we must know our most trusted players and formation and avoid changing them unnecessarily. This is really important because this where the small talk of COHESION matters. I bet the reason we lost our opening game this season was that we deviated from our most trusted team formation –the one that has been working for us since the second half of last season. Little wonder we registered our first win of the season when we reverted back to the formation.
It is important that we should only change this formation when and only when there is an absolutely strong reason to do so.
Avoid too much “Experimentation”
This one is simple for me. If playing Theo Walcott as a center forward is an experiment still yet, then I say we avoid testing it out on important league games. If Jack Wilshere playing on the flanks – or anywhere in the lineup for that matter – is an experiment, I say we try it out only in the lesser cup games. Every single point will surely count for every team this season. We have to be clever with the experiments.
The Ramsey issue
Of recent, the talk among many has been about Ramsey’s new playing position in the starting lineup. Apparently, Wenger has chosen to adopt a formation with Ramsey in it playing on the right wing. I also have had my reservations about this new approach. However, I can’t argue against the fact that this system is a “Tested and Trusted” one. For whatever reason it has been working, Wenger should and will continue to use it so long it doesn’t begin to fail the manager. Maybe this system somehow provides a certain balance to our midfield. Maybe it makes us more solid defensively. Maybe it ensures that we can comfortably execute our possession-based style. Maybe it means that we can play with a very good passer (Cazorla) in the heart of central midfield so that our destroyer (Coquelin) only has to worry about destroying. Maybe it helps us create more chances, I don’t know. But what I know is that, overall it has been working well for us.
Transfer fever
It makes sense to me now more than ever what Arsene Wenger means when he says to find the top player(s) our team needs is not easy. Now it isn’t so much about the money as it was 3-10 years back. We do have some money to spend now. However, in the context of what is best for the team, it really is not easy to find top players that best fit.
When your team is good enough (fundamentally) to compete – and yes this current Arsenal team is good enough in that sense – for the EPL title this year, it becomes harder to find that player that will guarantee an improvement on the very best you currently have. Especially when you are operating in the transfer market on a financial level well below those of the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester clubs, PSG and Bayern.
In fantasy land, it is easy to throw about names of popular players as options for whom we should buy. Too often we tend to forget about how or whether this player will fit into our best formation/strategy.
Every team has (or at least, should have) a best formation – a tested and trusted method/approach/tactic/strategy that works best for them. Very often, only certain types of players can line-up in this formation so it can work. Like I said earlier, every team has one. Ours is a possession-based “4-2-3-1” formation with 4 central midfielders and a target-man striker playing in it. As awkward as that may sound, it is the approach that has been working for us since the second half of last season till date. It is the approach that the gaffer has adopted.
Hence any player we end up buying must fit well into this best formation and in the way that it is to be executed. So are you still looking for a clue as to who Arsene Wenger may eventually sign? Well, there you have it.
In conclusion, if I’m asked to say which player I feel we should sign if we are to have a better chance of winning the EPL this season, I’ll tell you straight away – Edison Cavani! But then again, maybe I am living in fantasy land. I just want my team to win the English Premier League title this season.
Usmanov.