Yaya Sanogo
Arsene Wenger is every inch a developmental manager. Having never conversed with the man, I can but guess, but I would be willing to wager that development of raw talent sits astride his personal Maslow triangle. There is an image from last season that truly encapsulates this. Aaron Ramsey has just scored a fulminating volley against Liverpool and Arsene Wenger looks on from the touchline with an avuncular smirk as his young protégé wheels away in celebration (see above).
Arsene loves to back a wounded horse too. From the early years of his tenure, he plucked the likes of Marc Overmars, Thierry Henry and the ageless Kanu from premature decline to help mend their broken wings. If the player has ability, Wenger is peerless at giving him the confidence to flourish, so long as the player has the work ethic to do so. Paul Merson memorably described Wenger’s management style as the imparting of “unbelievable belief” into his charges.
It doesn’t look as though Arsene Wenger will bolster his forward line any further this summer. That being the case, it’s a further show of faith in the under-appreciated talents of Yaya Sanogo, having already started him in big games against Bayern Munich and Liverpool last term. If you look up the word ‘raw’ in the dictionary, Sanogo’s gangly frame will probably stare back at you. Whilst it is true that Alexis Sanchez’s ability to play in the centre forward role takes a little heat off of Olivier Giroud, Wenger must know that Sanogo is set for a significant role next season.
Sanogo’s awkward frame and Bambi-on-ice running style has made him the butt of many jokes amongst Arsenal fans. The fact that he arrived on a free transfer and that injuries once forced him to contemplate life as a postman meant that his arrival was met with instant cynicism. When Bébé endured a disastrous spell at Manchester United, much of the derision aimed at him centred around the fact that he was once homeless (he has since restored his reputation at Benfica). Image matters when the consensus form an opinion.
That Yaya failed to score last season didn’t help. Personally, I see enough raw materials to suspend judgement. Sanogo isn’t the most graceful striker, it’s true. But even at this stage of his career, he seems to have the presence to influence matches. The FA Cup Final is probably the perfect encapsulation of where the young Frenchman is in his development. He caused the Hull back four all all manner of headaches, but he lacked the composure to finish chances. But at his nascent stage of development, nuisance factor isn’t to be sniffed at.
It might seem facile and a little uncomplicated to simply “run araaaaand a bit” (as Harry Redknapp might have it) and push centre halves about. But if it was really that easy, any footballer in excess of 6 foot with rippling biceps could do it. There has to be method to your movement and you have to know exactly how to use your physicality. I have the impression Sanogo knows how to utilise his physique. Having strength is like being blessed with pace. It’s a great asset, but it’s not much use if you can’t ally it with a brain.
That’s why Ade Akinfenwa and Ade Akinbiyi didn’t pass mustard as top flight footballers. It’s also why Gabriel Agbonlahor and Aaron Lennon aren’t world class footballers despite being amongst the fastest players on the planet. Sanogo needs to discover a scoring touch now (let’s hope the Benfica match split the piñata for his confidence) and develop some of these rough traits. There’s more promise there than many realise, but he has to hone his potential this season to justify the role he is likely to assume.
Aaron Ramsey
What now for the doyen of Arsenal’s affection? In an identically themed article 12 months ago I suggested that Aaron Ramsey “has met his critics head on and appears to be winning them around. Now he must progress further.” TICK! Having so emphatically outstripped his objectives last season, a different pressure confronts Ramsey this term. Expectation.
Expectation comes in many forms. Much like the T1000 in Terminator 2, only not really like that at all. Firstly, Ramsey has the hyper-expectation of the Arsenal support to deal with. Last season, his every goal was met with almost ironic acclaim. Like a bus that turns up at the exact moment you arrive at the stop. Now we will consider it all part of the service. We won’t be adding 10% to the bill anymore Aaron, we’ve seen your best and we will expect to see you forge minor miracles to juice credit from us now.
Given what we know of Ramsey’s character, I don’t think a lack of hunger or the prospect of resting on laurels will be an issue. However, expectation will take a more sinister form in the shape of the opposition. The Welshman will be a marked man from now on. His runs from deep will be etched into chalkboard folklore in dressing rooms across the country, his every movement studied and tracked. The F.A. Cup Final is instructive in this case. Mesut Özil and Aaron Ramsey deconstructed Hull City with ease at the KC Stadium in April.
At Wembley in May, both men were double marked as a result. It wasn’t until extra time, with lactic acid gripping Hull legs, that Ramsey was able to make inroads in the final 30 yards of the pitch. He eventually triumphed rather memorably, but he will have to deal with this sort of attention next season and in the majority of games, he won’t get an extra half an hour to unpick the lock. The likes of Bryan Robson and (*gulp*) Frank Lampard are good role models for Ramsey, they were goal scoring midfielders that were never truly found out.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
There are few sights in the current Arsenal squad that rouse my blood quite like Alex Oxlade Chamberlain powering past defenders. It’s a thrilling, coruscating vision. A perfect marriage of craft and muscle. Had it not been for injury, I think last season could have been almost as much a breakout season for Chamberlain as it proved to be for Ramsey. Many of the players in Arsenal’s attack have one particular attribute which they identifiably add to Arsenal’s forward play.
Rosicky- energy. Cazorla, Özil- creativity. Giroud, Sanogo- power. Walcott and Ramsey- the run and finish. Podolski- being able to twat a ball very hard and very accurately. Few players provide a combination of these attributes as Chamberlain does. That’s why he can play on the left, the right or in the centre with pretty much equal effectiveness. The short spells for which he was fit last season saw some exhilarating and match winning displays.
The way he overwhelmed a stubborn Crystal Palace side with his running, power, close control and finishing. His goal and assist in the FA Cup victory over Liverpool. Chamberlain was showing encouraging signs of becoming a genuine match winner. Realistically, the arrival of Alexis Sanchez gives him more competition to overcome, but his adaptability to a number of different positions will mean he will be given plenty of chance to impress. In the modern game, central strikers are becoming fewer and further between.
The days of two up top and two strikers on the bench are gone for now. Wide forwards are much more commonplace and this is where Wenger really seeks to tinker if Arsenal need a goal. There are plenty of opportunities for match winning cameos for the Ox, as well as the chances that squad rotation gives. I also don’t think he should look at dislodging Walcott or Cazorla as first choice wide players as a totally unrealistic goal given his ability. But first and foremost, he has to stay fit. LD.
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