Modern Arsenal - Lightweight and delicate

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 10: Robin van Persie of Manchester United applauds the fans as he is substituted during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford on November 10, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Even if Arsenal had won against Manchester United on Sunday and maintained a 5 point gap at the top, I would still be reluctant to put them as my title favorite. Many experts point at the lack of strength in depth in the squad which was duly exposed in the game against United when Arsenal looked like they could do with some more fire power in the front, they had only Nicklas Bendtner to bring on. But, for me, the real concern for Arsenal should be their lack of physical strength and power in their squad.

When we look back at all the title winners in the history of EPL, we can see that they weren’t the most skilful but they were all physically powerful teams. United’s success over the years has been built on powerful players like Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Bryan Robson, Rooney, Vidic, Ferdinand to name a few. Manchester City’s title winning squad was an incredibly powerful team with Yaya Toure, Mario Balotelli, Sergio Aguero, Pablo Zabaleta, Micah Richards and Vincent Kompany. Chelsea under Mourinho’s first spell was another typical physical side. Drogba is a giant striker and they also had Juliano Belletti, Alex, Claude Makelele, Michael Essien, Florent Malouda and Ashley Cole. Even Arsenal’s own ‘Invincibles’ had a physically intimidating line up with the likes of Patrick Vieira, Gilberto Silva, Martin Keown, Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole.

Incredibly, ever since the ‘Invincibles’ were dismantled and ever since Wenger swapped power for flair, they have been struggling to hold their ground especially against the big physically powerful teams in the EPL. In the whole of last season, they didn’t win a single game against Manchester United, Chelsea or Manchester City and now the record goes on. The current Arsenal team, though some of them are not so young, the team doesn’t look any ‘bigger’ than a high school team.

It was clearly evident on Sunday against United that they could be easily bullied off the ball in a close physical combat. The most important moment of the match, the goal which Van Persie scored, was also borne out of the lack of Arsenal’s physical attribute which in that instance was the height of the players when compared to the United players who ran into the box to meet the cross. Van Persie, Smalling and Jones all towered over Arsenal defenders.

For me, Mesut Ozil epitomizes the modern Arsenal – lightweight and delicate. And Ozil, for all his technical gifts and creativity, doesn’t look like an ideal player for the rough and tough world of the English Premier League. But to his credit, he did elevate the confidence and atmosphere around the entire team which in itself is a major reason for Arsenal being where they are now, and I do not want to question his talent as well. He is in fact a hugely talented and gifted player and has proved himself in International stage – 2010 World Cup for example, and in Spanish league, but EPL is yet to see his real impact on the field.

Ozil did play well for Arsenal against lesser opponents, but against the big teams, it’s a different ball game with flying legs and bleeding noses. Ozil was quiet in all their big games so far and against United he looked like a girl who didn’t want to get her skirt wet by sliding into the murky water.

In my opinion, though there has been more influx of European flair into English game in recent times, which was flagged off by Wenger himself, the heavy weight games are still distinctly British. Physically powerful teams almost make the opponent piss on their pants with their intimidating look and it gives them such a physiological edge that many a times the opponent loses the game even before a ball is kicked. But it is hard to fathom the current Arsenal as a ‘powerful’ team. The emergence of Per Mertesacker and the re-introduction of the gritty Mathieu Flamini, could be a step in the right direction, but for now Arsenal still remains a far cry from their intimidating invincible days.