Now that the Premier League season has started, improving on last season should be the top priority for Arsenal’s players. Despite this though, there is also a feeling that some of them also need to start producing more at international level if they want their careers to really hit the heights.
This is supported by the pretty dismal showing of Arsenal players at this summer’s World Cup. The most high profile Gunner there was playmaker Mesut Ozil, but if he was hoping for a good experience with Germany to banish the memories of last season, he didn’t get it. They crashed out at the group stage, with two defeats from three matches, and Ozil was heavily criticised. He was blamed for Mexico’s winning goal, but actually did more to try to stop it than the two German fullbacks. Furthermore his stats indicate that he created 5.5 chances per game, which is a higher number than anyone else, and is exactly what he is there to do. Ozil was unfairly singled out for the failings of his team and was so angry that he announced his retirement from international football straight after Germany went out. For all the frustrations he endured though, at least he got onto the pitch, as Nacho Monreal and Danny Welbeck had to sit out the entire tournament on the bench for Spain and England respectively – with the latter also forced to watch Spurs’ Harry Kane grab the goals and plaudits.
Mohamed Elneny was handed a glorious opportunity in Russia, after Egypt’s main attacker Salah had to go off injured in their first group game. This left Elneny spearheading his country’s attack and he spent a total of 244 minutes on the field. During that time he enjoyed a 90 percent pass completion rate, but where Egypt really needed him to excel – in front of goal – he produced a solitary shot and no assists as they lost all three games. These are not the kind of stats that will see him challenge Salah or convince Arsenal fans that we didn’t sign the wrong Egyptian striker. It was a similar story for Nigeria’s highly rated midfielder Alex Iwobi, who was taken off in the first game against Croatia and subsequently made only late substitute appearances in the other two group matches. In his 64 minutes of game time he managed no goals or shots on target, although 18 successful passes from 22 show he was tidy, if anonymous.
Joel Campbell of Costa Rica and David Ospina of Colombia also had limited World Cup success. The former produced some important saves – notably during the round of 16 penalty shootout against England – but also dropped some real clangers. His display in the opening game defeat to Japan sums him up – an excellent save from Takashi Inui followed by dodgy positioning for the winning header. Ospina has promise but still makes too many errors for a top side. Campbell was superb in the 2014 World Cup but made little impact this time, offering just one shot on target and no goals in 113 minutes of game time, as they became another team to fall at the first hurdle.
This adds to the concerns of Arsenal fans over the quality of players currently at the club, as previous sides have featured the likes of Thierry Henry. The Frenchman saw his club and international form take off at around the same time, with his performances as France won the 2000 European Championships being carried over to club football; making him central to Arsenal’s league and FA Cup success between 2001 and 2004. The only Gunners players in this year’s World Cup that might have that kind of potential were Switzerland’s Stephan Lichtsteiner and Granit Xhaka. The former captained his country and was decent in defence – winning 60 percent of his tackles and 48.7 percent of duels. Xhaka scored an eye-catching goal during the crucial 2-1 group win over Serbia and completed 90 percent of short passes and 62.2 percent of long passes from midfield. The Swiss did better than could have been expected at the tournament and these two offer Arsenal some encouragement for the new era under Unai Emery.
Too many players did not produce when it mattered during the World Cup, just as they have not done for Arsenal, and with the exception of Xhaka and Lichtsteiner they may find there is no future for them at the Emirates.
Comments.
Loading comments…