Given the toxicity in the atmosphere following Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa, it was actually nice to get away from the numbers in Istanbul this week. A mixture of summer season prices and short notice make the Champions League preliminary fixtures unattractive and inaccessible to most. I was told that the official number that travelled to Istanbul from London was 48, with the rest of the 300 strong away support derived from foreign supporters’ clubs. The Lebanese supporters’ club brought 20 people, Arsenal Bulgaria took 70. I chatted with Swiss and Turkish based Gooners inside the ground.
I’ve experienced this a couple of times before, in Kyiv and Udinese most notably, when the majority of the Arsenal support chants in clipped, Baltic tones. It also makes for a slightly different atmosphere, especially in the wake of a home defeat. The sense of frustration is slightly dulled. The numbers aren’t quite big enough for a feeding frenzy to germinate. For the supporters’ as well as the players, a change was as good as a holiday in Turkey. It made for an excellent trip coupled with an emphatic result.
After Saturday’s omni-shambles, Wednesday at least gives us a footing in 2013-14 now. Some clues as to how Arsenal’s shape looks to evolve this season are already beginning to emerge. For a start, having moved between central midfield and left midfield last season, it’s clear that Cazorla is considered a wandering winger. This would explain Lukas Podolski’s exclusion thus far. Towards the end of their Arsenal careers, I recall Arsene Wenger concluding that he could not select Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg in the same starting line up. Particularly away from home.
I wonder if Wenger has concluded that Podolski and Walcott can’t simultaneously man the flanks in much the same way. I’ve said many times before that both are finishers, both rely on service in behind defences. It’s true that Olivier Giroud found some joy from Podolski’s delivery from the left last season; but most of those were by line crosses with Podolski having been played in behind the full back. When Cazorla plays on the left, he opens up the pitch beautifully.
This was demonstrated when he dug out the open faced sand wedge to play Walcott in behind Kadlec for the eventual penalty on Wednesday and I would wager this is a move we’ll see again and again this season. Theo isn’t much of a “build up” player. If Cazorla can switch the play and feed him with cross field passes, the chances are Walcott will have his full back isolated. In the opening two games, Walcott’s ability to take the ball out of the air and over his shoulder has improved notably and I am left to wonder that is a consequence of this move having been well rehearsed at London Colney.
Cazorla came so far in field that Gibbs became a de facto winger, as evidenced by our first goal. However, the anxiety remains as to whether we can cover our full backs without Arteta. Gibbs struck up a good understanding with Podolski last season, but to play behind a roaming winger without Arteta (who naturally veers to the left) screening could see him subjected to the same strategic hardships that hampered Bacary Sagna last season. Anam already touched on the defensive unease in the Ramsey and Wilshere partnership this week. The fact is, I don’t really think Arsenal can ‘develop’ defensive midfielders.
We enjoy the lion’s share of possession in most of the games that we play, so it’s difficult for the likes of Ramsey and Wilshere to practice off the ball intuitiveness. Gilberto learned his craft as a centre half, Mikel Arteta spent years learning midfield discipline and off the ball savvy at Everton. To plug the gap Arteta leaves, we have to buy that sort of expertise in. The urgency of the situation is elucidated by what appears to be a last, lusty grope in the dark for Mathieu Flamini.
To be honest, I’m not convinced he’s the type of defensive midfielder we need. I can’t pretend I’ve observed his Milan career nor how have I tracked his development as a player, but it strikes me he’s in the all action mould that we already have in Ramsey and Wilshere. The two young Brits provide plenty of coal and fire for the midfield engine room. I fancy they need a bit more elan around them. Somebody closer to the calm assurance provided by the likes of Gilberto and Arteta. Then again, I don’t think anybody is pretending that Mathieu Flamini would qualify as a well thought out addition.
I always felt Arteta was central to Arsenal’s ‘new seriousness’ defensively at the end of last season. His performance following the dismissal of Per Mertesacker at the Hawthorns was a masterclass in defensive leadership. It wasn’t just the counter attack where Villa left Arsenal high and dry on Saturday, both they and Fenerbahce were indulged outside the penalty area and almost invited to shoot from range. Ramsey and Wilshere are fine ‘runners’, Flamini was for a season five years ago too. I think Arsenal require more of a ‘sitter.’
Arsenal’s transfer strategy hasn’t really ever appeared well thought out this summer. Though this article from @arsereview provided food for thought. With the interest in Cabaye and reported approaches for the likes of Michu and Ashley Williams, it appears the club are breaking the seal on the envelope marked ‘Plan B.’ Having tried and failed to acquire the level of player Arsenal felt would make them title contenders, they are now rowing back and looking at filling a thin squad with players that can consolidate our place in the top 4.
However, I still feel this plan (which is admittedly speculation on my part) will be fraught with difficulty. Arsenal will probably harbour ambitions of revisiting top level targets in January or even next summer, so they’re still likely to underbid for more modest targets. If they want to shop from the £40m+ bracket, they won’t want to make too big a dent in the ‘war chest’ by paying £25m for a clutch of £10-15m players. Clubs such as Swansea and Newcastle are unlikely to be accommodating bedfellows.
It’s very difficult for them to replace their big players with comparable quality even if their valuations are met- especially this late in the window. This will be doubly true given Arsenal’s strong messaging on their disposable income. If you tell everybody in the pub that you’ve just been awarded a bonus, everybody expects you to put your credit card behind the bar. LD.
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