GOONERS often write to us about the lack of signings by Arsene Wenger.
One reader, a season-ticket holder, says he is "gutted" before a ball has even been kicked.
Another, Owen, is very anxious about central midfield. He says he is "unconvinced" about Arsenal's ability to improve on last season's fourth place.
He writes :
I was talking to my brother the other day and he asked me whether Arsenal could improve on last year's showing.
I said they could but only if Wenger can achieve a balanced midfield.
Ever since the arrival of Cesc, Wenger has failed in this regard, never quite being able to simultaneously unleash Cesc's creative abilities in a central position, whilst also providing adequate protection to the back four.
Only in the Champions League were these two objectives reconciled, but then only through the use of a 4-5-1.The cause of the problem – and something that has never been observed by the media – is that Cesc cannot defend.
Whether it's because of a technical or mental deficiency is an interesting question. Whatever the cause, the result is that Arsenal's midfield couldn't defend whenever two of its four wide players were also included in midfield, which was the norm throughout the season.
On this view, I'm not all that optimistic that Arsenal will improve much on last season, as I'm unconvinced Wenger will find a solution to this problem, at least one that he's willing to implement.In 97-98 Wenger had three tacklers in midfield. In 2002-03 it added to three too (Pires pre-injury + Ljunberg).
Gilberto can't actually tackle per se, Pires post-injury couldn't tackle, so Arsenal's midefiled was a defensive joke. If you watched closely (people naturally watch only the team with the ball), you would have concluded that Arsenal had, defensively, the WORST MIDFIELD IN THE DIVISION.
In fact, I didn't see a worse one in any televised game in any competition last season.With post-injury Pires gone, the midfield's defensive powers can only be enhanced.
However, the problem remains that you cannot get away with playing Cesc and Gilberto in the middle of a flat four man midfield. It hasn't worked, and, I fear, will never work.
This problem is by far Arsenal's largest, much bigger a problem than the defence itself. In short, if Wenger doesn't add any midfielders to the squad who can tackle, then 4th spot is the best they can do.
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Myles replies :
Owen, we shall soon see.
Cesc will improve his defending but his vision makes him vital to Arsenal's attack and he is playing in an attacking team. On a wider pitch, every midfielder will have to run more yards, and we don't know whether that will suit Gilberto Silva, whose game is all about positioning and interceptions.
As I've said previously, Arsenal's squad on September 1st will be their squad till January 1st.
The Aston Villa game is on August 19th, four weeks from now, and a lot can happen in four weeks.
Clearly, the acid test will be Arsenal's first six away games : Man City, Man Utd, Charlton, Reading, West Ham, and Bolton on November 25.
If Arsenal are losing away games, like last season, people will be really fed up, especially the most dedicated Arsenal fans, who travel to the Reebok and all points north. Last season they saw Arsenal lose 11 Premiership games and if that looks like happening again many will stop travelling
If they lose four of those six away games, forget it.
AS ALWAYS, I'll wait and see. To me football is a topical pleasure, so I never moan about things that have not happened yet. It's all about the next game.
However, I firmly believe that every game of football contains, in various ways, the previous game. If you have beaten Man City, you have a better chance against Man United, and if you beat Man Utd then Charlton and Reading will be very worried about you.
As Arsene says, players gain confidence slowly but lose it quickly.
FROM AUGUST 19 onwards, Arsenal have to fly the flag for attacking football, as they have done for the last ten years.
Football needs that after a defensive World Cup which had too few thrilling games. It was dominated by coaches and 4-5-1.
Also, Chelsea tend to play risk-free football. They could be a team with a good defence but they have tended to be a defensive team.
Also, and this is important, the Emirates experience is different to the Highbury experience because the stadium is much bigger. Most fans will be sitting further from the action than before, so the fooball might need to be more spectacular.
What the Arsenal performance loses in intimacy, it may have to make up in spectacle.
Putting it another way, it will be easier, from that distance, to appreciate the power overlaps of Eboue than it would have been to enjoy the subtle footwork of Robbie Pires.