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3. The Center-forward Crisis
The good old Gooner lament! Wenger’s decision to not add an out-and-out striker to his ranks might just cost Arsenal the title. With the best attacking threat Theo out injured for the remainder of the season, Arsenal are extraordinarily weak up front. The weakness stands out all the more when compared with the other title challengers.
Let’s face it. Olivier Giroud is brilliant at holding up play and bringing others into the game, but his role in the team seems to end there. Once the ball gets into the opposition penalty area, the probability of finding Giroud in there is just a little higher than that of finding Szczesny. On top of that, his finishing in general has left a lot to be desired.
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Arsenal do have an expert in that department. Lukas Podolski is as good a finisher as you can get. But the German comes with his own share of problems. With his hold-up play not really ideal, the flow of Arsenal’s game gets stunted when he is played up front. And his non-presence aerially makes crosses into the box pretty pointless. Now, if only there was a way to combine the two.
4. The 42 million that went missing.
Mesut Ozil
Arsenal’s costliest signing and star man, Mesut Ozil has been invisible in the big games so far this season. A player who can change games single handedly has indeed been doing so, only not in Arsenal’s favour of late. Having started his Arsenal career brilliantly, he has shown signs of weariness over time, and has been letting the big occasions get to him.
That might have to do with Wenger playing him for the full 90 minutes every week. Wenger would want to bring him off the bench in a few games to let him recuperate and get back to his peak.
With United, Liverpool and Bayern coming up, Arsenal need to sort out these issues if there is to be a trophy at the end of the season. In the short-term though, Liverpool coming to the Emirates in a week is a chance to get back at Brendan Rodgers’ side. Revenge would indeed taste very sweet.
