Misfiring cannons and wet gunpowder at Arsenal FC

Collective groans and jeers echoed around the Emirates stadium as Arsenal fell to their second defeat in as many games as the German side Schalke celebrated a historic win at what has, until now, been a fortress for six years. Schalke became the first foreign side to win a game at the Emirates and only the second team to beat Arsenal at home in European competition (Man Utd beat Arsenal in the 2009 semi-final). In fact, the last time a foreign team won at Arsenal was in 2003 when Inter Milan won at Highbury.

It was a proud record that was on the line on Wednesday night and Schalke’s ever dependable striker Klass-Jan Huntelaar lived up to his pre-match comments about wanting to cause an upset and going back with three points in the bag. It was a well deserved victory for Schalke as they went top of the table in Group B with 7 points to Arsenal’s 6 halfway through the group stages.

Arsenal fans are no strangers to frustration, but it was the manner in which they lost the game (and the Premier League game against Norwich) which has been agonizing to watch. The fact that Arsenal’s first real noteworthy shot on target came in injury time from 17-year old Champions League debutant, Serge Gnabry, tells you a lot about what was missing. The goals are drying up. Nobody buys the excuse that the players were tired after getting back from the international break. Arsenal weren’t the only team to have their players representing their nations in various qualifiers. So where did it all go wrong?

An insipid front line

To start with, playing Gervinho as a central forward to lead the attack will not win you matches. Just because it worked in a pre-season game, and against a newly promoted team like Southampton who have conceded the most goals thus far, does not warrant a spot up front. Sure, Wenger has converted many wingers into strikers (Thierry Henry comes to mind) but you can’t expect a player at his age to suddenly come good, and definitely not when you have an accomplished central striker on the bench in Olivier Giroud. The constant altering of the line-up has made it difficult for both Giroud and Gervinho to settle down. Gervinho’s strength is in his pace and dribbling skills. But he has a long way to go in terms of honing his finishing skills and, more importantly, his decision making in and around the box.

Lukas Podolski is known to be one of the best finishers in the world. In this Arsenal side, he has been played out on the left of the attacking trio and has formed a lethal, telepathic partnership with the left back Kieran Gibbs. Together, with Santi Cazorla running the midfield, they have terrorized some of the teams on the left flank. Podolski has also helped out in defence, helping Gibbs whenever required and initiating counter attacks as soon as they win back possession. But with Gibbs out injured, and Andre Santos replacing him, Podolski has become ineffective and almost invisible in the last game. There is almost no understanding between the two as this was Santos’ first start in this campaign. And if required, Podolski actually has the technique to thrive up front better than Gervinho.

Flanks firing blanks

Injuries to Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain meant that Arsenal had to make do with Aaron Ramsey on the right. It worked to a certain extent against Manchester City when they needed to dominate possession but he was totally out of sorts against Schalke and mistimed two runs into the box when Gervinho actually made himself useful by cutting the ball back from the goal line. Ramsey too hasn’t settled into this new side with many misplaced passes. He is yet to forge an understanding with Cazorla, who is always two steps ahead of the game.

Santos got a lot of stick from the fans and the media for his performance against Schalke. To be honest, he wasn’t really at fault. He did make 3 tackles and 5 interceptions in a game where Schalke relentlessly attacked from the right flank with Jefferson Farfan making it a forgettable night for Santos who was hardly allowed to get forward. It was the lack of support when he was taking on two players at once that proved to be his undoing. I am not saying that he didn’t make any errors, but to blame him entirely and call him ‘useless’ for 90 minutes is being very unfair to him. Podolski kept drifting to a central role, leaving the left side unguarded.

Missing Cogs

Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta are the two midfielders who keep this Arsenal side ticking. With passing success rates for both above 90% and creating chances galore, it is a treat to watch the two Spaniards weave their way through the midfield and into Arsenal folklore with their majestic passing abilities. Arteta’s new role as the ball playing defensive midfielder has worked wonders, averaging 4.3 tackles per game and 2.3 interceptions per game. He has anchored the Arsenal midfield and has consistently been the best player on the pitch by a mile! Francis Coquelin also provides an option for Arteta to play an advanced role, something we saw in the game against Schalke.

Cazorla has been an exciting new addition to the squad but he is still getting used to the pace of the Premier League. There have been times when he has “gone missing” in the middle of the park and it happened at Norwich and against Schalke. This led to Arteta trying to take up the mantle and he was squeezed for space as the rest of the team was too static with hardly any movement off the ball to create space. As the main playmaker, Cazorla needs to take up more responsibility and demand for the ball at his feet. But I have absolutely no complaints against him. And I hope he finds his scoring boots sooner rather than later. The lack of rotation due to injuries to Rosicky, Wilshere and Diaby means that he will have to play ninety minutes till they are back in the squad.

If Arsenal are to dip into the transfer market in January, one area they need to strengthen is the goal keeping department. Vito Mannone has been covering for the two injured Poles; Szczesny and Fabianski. But it is painfully obvious that he isn’t quite ready to take the number one jersey just yet. He has made some decent stops and has bravely put his body on the line but he isn’t an authoritative ‘keeper who can marshal the defensive back line. His distribution is also abysmal. He is, at best, a decent backup.

Way forward?

The underlying problem at Arsenal is the constant entry and exit of players which has turned the team from a well oiled machine to one that is constantly being fixed with spare parts. Last season, Arsenal won quite a few games on the trot due to a certain set of players starting all games. Experimentation was meant to be done in pre-season and it is something they should have learned after a disastrous start last season.

With major players coming back to strengthen various positions on the pitch, it is time for Wenger and Bould to go back to basics and play them according to their strengths before it backfires badly on their faces. Because 12 points from 8 games in the League is not the start the fans envisioned after conducting their transfer business early. Because this time, just making it to the top four and qualifying for the Champions League might just not be enough.