It’s quite a usual phenomenon to see Arsenal and Arsene Wenger start a season wobbling and fumbling. The 2017/18 campaign has been no different. With a scrappy win and two back to back Premier League defeats in the early days of the season, question-marks hovers glaringly above Mr Arsene Wenger; how does he get his team out of this quagmire?
In the opening weekend of this Premier League season, it was easy to see that there were cracks in Arsene Wenger’s team. Although somehow, they did manage to pick up the points on matchday one, the Gooners suffered greatly on many fronts and it was the general notion of experts that a better opposition would be overwhelming. We only had to wait a couple of weekends to see that happen. Liverpool 4-0 Arsenal, was the final score at Anfield on matchday three.
First, an embarrassing trip to the Bet365 and an even more humiliating outing at Anfield. Losing two away games on the stretch, conceding five goals in the process and scoring none; it’s no doubt left a bitter taste for the Arsenal faithful. For Mr Wenger, the man who everyone loves to hate, it’s time to put on his thinking hat and wriggle his side out of the foot of the table - they’re already six points behind leaders Manchester United and lie 16th on the Premier League table.
How is Wenger getting it wrong?
First is with his formation. Arsene Wenger is getting his tactics all mixed up and it’s clear for everyone to see. His 3-4-2-1 system just isn’t working because the sexagenarian keeps doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Héctor Bellerín is no Cesar Azpilicueta but for reasons best known to Wenger, he chooses to play the Spanish right fullback on the left wing. The result is, on countless occasions, Arsenal gets peppered down that left wing; meanwhile, (against Liverpool) a certain Sead Kolasinac, a natural left winger, is left on the bench.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain might’ve proven he can play at the right wing, but his defensive frailties are a luxury Arsenal simply cannot afford; the Englishman was taken to the cleaners by Sadio Mané at Anfield. Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey get run over far too easily in midfield. Everyone can see Xhaka working his socks off to win the ball, while Ramsey does nothing better than give it away. Francis Coquelin needs to be starting games, at least till some stability is established in the middle.
Playing against a defence known to be suspect like Liverpool’s, Wenger chose to drop his £50 million striker, in favour of the muscles of Danny Welbeck. It proved to be the wrong call as Liverpool kept a clean sheet.
Wenger has also dilly-dallied in the transfer market, why hasn’t he made more signings? The likes of Alexis Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Shkodran Mustafi are all likely to leave; as contractual issues linger. Gabriel Paulista already left for Spain, the Arsenal squad just seems to be getting smaller and smaller. It’s a self-inflicted headache that leaves Mr Wenger cowering in sorrow.
What has Arsene Wenger done right?
We can’t say Arsene Wenger has done it all wrong so far. For starters, he’s gone and spent over £50 million in making a marquee signing. Addressing the problem of having a potent goal-poacher. A defender also came in, a versatile left-back in the person of Sead Kolasinac.
With a couple of respectable recruitment in the kitty, the Frenchman is also pursuing other targets as the transfer window continues to wind down. Perhaps, Paris Saint Germain’s Julian Draxler or Barcelona’s Rafinha could be brought in to assuage fans concerns with respect to new recruits.
Nevertheless, Arsene Wenger finds himself in a miniature crisis, one he can fix by getting his formation right and signing the right players. Some Gooners fans are, however, not interested – they just want Wenger out!
