Former Arsenal player and current Sky Sports writer Charlie Nicholas thinks that Arsene Wenger needs to bring in another midfielder in order for his former club to challenge for the Premier League title. It is an interesting idea, since many supporters and pundits alike have been calling for Arsene Wenger to prioritise the signing of a striker because they think Olivier Giroud is not the answer to the lack of goals in the team.
The former Gunner said: “If you can get someone like Karim Benzema, I’d obviously go for him because he is better than what’s already there, but I don’t see them going for a striker and I would rather he (Wenger) went for a stronger presence in midfield.
“He should have moved for (Morgan) Schneiderlin.
“He should have gone for someone with the presence of mind that can handle things physically as well as technically in that area of the field.”
Unfortunately for Arsenal, Morgan Schneiderlin recently moved away from Southampton, and to make matters even worse, he moved to league rivals Manchester United. The only reliable option Wenger has in defensive midfield is Francis Coquelin, who is rather poor going forward and not the most consistent. The Soccer Saturday pundit also had some things to say about Coquelin.
There are a few players in the market across Europe that he could get but I just hope that he does it.
(Francis) Coquelin is fine but you need another player of stature in that position. I’m hopeful, but I’m not convinced.
The main problem is that if the French midfielder gets hurt, then there is no one who can effectively replace him in the team. The only other options who have played that role before are Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta, both of whom are on the wrong side of 30, which shows in their relative inability to get to the ball quickly to break down an opposing attack. Unlike other followers of Arsenal, he does not think the need for a striker is as pressing, but he does acknowledge the fact that good finishing is not a common trait within the squad: “They’ve got great ability going forward, they are good on the eye but they are not clinical enough.”
Nicholas went on to talk about the back line, saying it was just bad luck to lose both centre-backs to injury and illness just before kick-off.
I know they struggled defensively against Liverpool, but how much bad luck did they have losing both central defenders before kick-off?
I know (Calum) Chambers struggled but I’m not as worried about that position that’s why I think they need a midfield player.
You can let five or six go forward but you need cover in front of the defense.
Nicholas went on to talk about Coquelin’s partner in deep-lying midfield places: Santi Cazorla. He shares the same opinion of the offensively exquisite Spaniard that most supporters do.
(Santi) Cazorla is a lovely little player but he doesn’t sit in, he’s not controlled enough and he doesn’t play a defensive role and because of that you’re a man down in that defensive position, that’s the one position if they managed to fill it I do seriously believe they could win the title.
Aaron Ramsey would be a capable person to fill that role, but for some reason Arsene Wenger prefers to put the right footed midfielder on the right-wing. He plays much better in the centre of the park and is physically bigger than Cazorla, meaning he can handle himself better defensively. The problem with Ramsey is that he knows he is a good goalscorer, and when he sets his mind only on scoring goals, he tends to drift forward and gets caught out of position in midfield, leaving only Coquelin protecting the back line.
Nicholas made also made a bold statement about who should start-up front for Arsenal.
He (Giroud) is not firing at all. He scored a lovely goal at Palace that should have given him a lift but his movement has been average, he looks a bit sluggish. Playing Walcott centre forward for Arsenal every week doesn’t work but right now if I’m playing against defenders, with the attacking philosophy that Arsenal have, with Sanchez and Ozil, then Walcott starts.
Giroud was the definition of ‘sluggish’ against Liverpool on Monday in his 100th Premier League appearance, barely moving when the ball came his way. For the supporters, it was painful to watch as they know there could be someone much more efficient leading the line for the north Londoners. The transfer window is less than a week from closing, so it will be compelling to see whether the stubborn Wenger will finally splash the cash to fill a need within the squad or stay with what he has currently and hope that no one gets injured in positions with less depth.
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