By Jahid Islam
Hello, readers of We Love You Arsenal! I’m Jahid (@JahidFullStop) back with an article looking at the necessity for reinforcements in the January window that can help salvage our season.
Granted, I’m over exaggerating a tad bit. Our season is far from needing ‘salvaging’, but there’s a few positions we need cover in in order to maintain both European and domestic silverware charges.
I’m using the PSV game as a case study because a) I’m writing this article during the game, and b) we’ve been outclassed hugely by Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s team, with the gulf in class between our rotational squad and Premier League XI being made more visible than ever.
When I saw the starting line up against PSV, Lokonga in the heart of midfield immediately caught my eye. I’m a huge fan of the boy, but to expect him to play a role that even Thomas Partey can’t pull off half the time is ludicrous, and seems to be born out of desperation given the tight fixture schedule.
The boy clearly needs a loan where he consistently plays week in week out. We saw how well that worked out for Nketiah, Saliba, and Balogun as of right now, so it should be something we prioritise in the next couple of transfer windows.
I would’ve preferred Elneny instead of Lokonga as the #6 against PSV, but he’s injured. Of course he is.
The front three was a weird choice as well. Nketiah was given a start up front. Ok, cool. Martinelli on the left for his 100th game. Fair play. But Vieira on the right? A gamble that didn’t pay off in the first half, from a player who’s been inconsistent when he has featured. But again, it’s born out of desperation and the lack of a right winger signing in the summer.
Moving back to the midfield for a second, Xhaka’s impressive form this season has been attributable to playing a more advanced position with the knowledge that there’s sufficient defensive cover in the form of Partey, Saliba, and whoever we’ve got at left back now. Typically Tomiyasu, but Tierney was on that flank last night.
But when you factor in Lokonga’s defensive insecurities, Tierney on his exploring runs, and Rob Holding doing Rob Holding things in defence, Xhaka’s attacking contribution was met with exploitation from the red and white of Eindhoven.
There’s a clear drop off between our starting XI when everyone’s fit, and our squad when injuries begin to compound and take their collective toll. Those key positions of left back, #6, centre back etc. are crucial to our defensive, midfield, and offensive build up and control of games. We saw it against Southampton, and it was visible throughout the entire PSV game.
I think part of it is the fact that we’ve been playing sexy football when our ideal line up is fit and flowing. Saliba and Gabriel spraying out passes, Zinchenko inverting, Xhaka marauding forward and exhibiting his creative flair etcetera, etcetera. It’s been an impressive start to the season for our boys, and it’s caught the eyes of the entire nation as well. They just can’t ignore our beautiful style of play, so when there’s a poor performance, the game is more over-analysed than ever.
But when you see Rob Holding being unable to track a run, or Lokonga unable to handle the opposition press, it’s more than a little disappointing. Like your spoilt little nephew when you get him a nerf gun without the new reload technology or whatever. Just be happy I turned up, kid.
It was a woeful performance to say the least, and to concede FIVE goals in a single game (although three were disallowed) doesn’t inspire confidence in our versatility and resilience in the face of difficult situations. Luuk De Jong put so much stress on Rob Holding that his hair’s got another reason to piss off again. I’m losing my hair too so I’m pretty sure I can make this joke. Will double check with the editor.
(Balding editor's note: Approved.)
Bringing on Partey, Saka, Jesus, White and Gabriel, and subsequently risking our star players to try to salvage something from a woeful performance isn’t the best way to preserve fitness for the busiest time of the year. Forcing them to chase the result, overextend, and compensate for the mistakes of the rotational players is exactly how you get muscle strains, ligament damage and fatigue. And then we’ll really be screwed over.
We have to reinforce over the January transfer window, most notably in the number #6 and right wing positions, although the market isn’t necessarily jam-packed with options in either area. January transfers are typically born out of desperation, and we’re swiftly approaching that position if we’re to maintain our top 4 or even top 2 charge. We’re not at the panic but stage yet, but if it was a train journey, you’d be starting to pack up, maybe thinking about booking an uber from the train station, etc.
Regardless of the recent struggles we’ve had on the pitch, playing 8 games so far in a manic October and coming away with 6 wins, 1 draw, and a single loss is still nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a remarkable start to a season, one of the best I can ever remember us having, and there’s plenty to be excited and hopeful for. We need to consolidate our position as a top team in the league with smart recruitments in positions with less cover than Guardiola’s forehead. That was mean. Sorry uncle Pep! Again, I’m still coming to grips with losing my hair too.
I’ve been Jahid (@JahidFullStop) with a meandering article for We Love You Arsenal! Thank you ever so much for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one!
Kommentare