Is Lack of Creativity to Blame for Arsenal’s Problems? by KJ
With Arsenal having a rather mediocre start to the season, there have been a lot of theories put forward in regards to the reasons as to why Arsene Wenger’s side have failed to hit in the ground running in a campaign where they were billed as one of the top title contenders. While long-term injuries to key players and lack of defensive depth are two obvious reasons, there is also one more which I would like to highlight.
Although Arsenal have an abundance of creative talent, there isn’t really much creativity in the side, it all seems very predictable at the moment. It is no surprise that two of the Gunners’ most creative players, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla, have both had a massive dip in form and have failed to have a significant impact on the games they have played, a fact which also happens to have statistical testimony. Also, another creative talent in the side, Tomas Rosicky, hardly makes the bench these days and time seems to be up for the Czech international at the Emirates.
But with that being said, I wouldn’t claim that there is no such creative edge in the side whatsoever. Jack Wilshere and Alexis Sanchez have been brilliant for Arsenal so far this season. While the duo have chipped in very significantly in the creativity aspect, they also have their commitments in other areas of the pitch, which is where I believe the team has been let down by Ozil and Cazorla. Now although this is probably not the biggest problem on Arsene Wenger’s list, it is certainly a problem that has to be looked into.
Quite honestly, it is a shame that the team which unarguably has the biggest amount of creativity on paper in the Premier League produces so little of it on the pitch. With Mesut Ozil effectively out till the new year, I really hope to see Santi take up the mantle of creativity on his shoulders and start producing the performances that made him such an instant hit at the Emirates during his first season at the club.