Fans are frustrated, and rightly so. It’s too late now, even if Arsene Wenger comes out and admits his/the team’s weaknesses; he can’t do anything about it with only 2 games left. And there are many weaknesses. First and foremost is defense. There virtually is none. And it can’t just be blamed on not having Vermaelen this season. He’s only 1 player, and yes, he’s a good centerback, but one good defender doesn’t equal a good defense. There have been some instances where Koscielny and Djourou have had a bright spot, or game, but those have been very inconsistent. What has been consistent is Arsenal’s inability to defend counterattacks and set pieces. Even Sagna, who’s probably been Arsenal’s best defender this season, has had problems.
I’m not writing this to attack specific players, because this is a team sport, and ultimately, the team wins or loses a season. Each player is allowed to have a bad day here and there. What makes a good team is that when one player is having an off day, someone else steps up and fills in that gap and has an outstanding game. No one has been doing that on Arsenal. At least, not with any regularity.
Arsenal is a team made up of bright, young stars, many of whom have been playing together for a few years now. They should be dominating the Premier League, right? So, why aren’t they? Is a lack of leadership? A lack of confidence? A lack of knowledge and experience? Maybe it’s a lack of motivation by a manager who can’t seem to change his tactics, even slightly, in an effort to effect a better outcome? Maybe it’s a little bit of all of those? Whichever it is, Arsenal needs to identify it and do it quickly. Without identifying the problem, Arsenal have no hope to fix it.
In truth, the first step should be admitting there is a problem in the first place. I think that’s what most fans are frustrated with; the lack of any mention of issues or wrongdoing by either the manager or the players. The fans can see there are glaring problems with Arsenal, so why can’t the management and the players? And if they do see the problems, why can’t they just admit that they are there, and are going to fix them? I think that’s all the fans need to hear in order to restore their belief. Well, that, and actually fixing the said problems, but let’s start with one thing at a time.
The second problem Arsenal is facing, behind defending, is their inability to finish. That’s also what fans are finding almost as frustrating as not admitting to problems with the team. What has attracted most people in the last 10 years or so to Arsenal, is their style of play. They have become a great team at possessing the ball, moving it around, finding great passes.
However, they have not been able to do anything after that, especially the second half of this season. They put on a beautiful show, with nothing to show for it. Sometimes, the quick, ugly, slapped it goal is more important that the beautiful one with the brilliant buildup. Personally, I think the problem here is easy to identify: too many attacking midfielders, not enough strikers on the pitch. There are too many Arsenal players trying to do the exact same thing with the ball as all their teammates. Some of the midfielders need to be transferred. It’s sad to say, but that might improve Arsenal. They are too congested in the midfield.
Identify this problem. Fix it in the summer. And then have happy, supporting fans again who are a lot less frustrated.
I know a lot of ex-players and fans are calling for more experience on Arsenal. That they need to buy some experience this summer. I agree with that, but I don’t think they need as many people as others seem too. They need someone with more experience in defense; that I whole-heartedly agree with.
Someone like Jamie Carragher, or Carles Puyol. I’m not saying that Arsenal needs to go out and see if they can buy either of those 2 players (like that will happen!). But they need someone like them, who will step up and tell the other players where to go on set pieces, will direct the ball correctly in front of goal, and won’t hold anything back when a teammate makes a very costly mistake.
And, of course, they need a team leader. Fabregas needs to take control on the field, or pass the armband off. I know that sounds harsh, but there it is. I’m a huge Fabregas fan. I think he’s one of the best midfielders in the world, not just EPL. But I don’t see him bossing his team around on the pitch like John Terry, Steven Gerrard (when he’s playing), and Carles Puyol do. He needs to do that. I believe he can, I just think he’s not experienced enough in leadership to know how to do that effectively. Unfortunately, I think he was made captain too young, and it has had a detrimental effect on him and on Arsenal. Just another frustrating problem that needs to be addressed this summer.
So, what is the point of this blog? To point out that fans are frustrated, and not necessarily over what the team and management believe they are frustrated over. Fans are not frustrated over the lack of wins (though that is frustrating in and of itself.) What most fans are frustrated over is Arsenal’s inability to identify and address problems, and change with them. If they can do that, then there will be no frustration over not winning because they will win.
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