Morning all.
On Saturday, Arsenal are off Wembley where they’ll take on Chelsea in the Emirates FA Cup final. After a relatively disappointing and all-too familiar campaign, the Gunners will seek solace by claiming their third FA Cup win in four years and 13th overall.
For Arsene Wenger’s staunchest critics, even this will not be enough to paper over the cracks of another underwhelming domestic and European season. Given that the Frenchman is now expected to stay in charge for at least another year, however, it is crucial that Arsenal learn from these failings and correct them regardless of what happens at Wembley.
With Chelsea the favourites to win, it’s a good opportunity to use some of the offers and free bets available from the online bookmakers at Big Free Bet to help maximise return on any bets you’re putting down.
Where Does Wenger’s Squad Fall Short?
According to a few reports, Wenger will sell Alexis Sanchez in the summer as he looks to cash in on a player that has been a source of conflict this season. Such a move should probably not be Wenger’s first action of the pre-season, however, as he must first look to fill the gaps in a one-dimensional and underachieving squad.
This starts with the back-line, where centre-backs Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny require some much needed support. In fact, there are rumours that the Frenchman may move to Marseille in the summer, so Wenger would benefit from a signing a commanding and experienced defender who can organise his back line. The Gunners are also a little light at left-back, where Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal have failed to convince at the highest level.
There is an overwhelming lack of steel and leadership in the middle of the park, despite the improvements been made by Granit Xhaka since Wenger’s recent tactical shift. In fact, a driving midfield presence in the mould of Spurs’ Moussa Dembele would add some quality to this area of the team, while the Gunners also need to make room for a deep-lying play maker.
Santi Cazorla had filled this role expertly prior to his injury but so much will depend on whether he can return to full fitness in pre-season.
What About the Attack?
Alexis Sanchez is likely to move away from the Emirates this season. While questions have been raised about the Chilean’s attitude at times this season, his potency, quality and link-up play with the equally enigmatic Mesut Ozil will be exceptionally difficult to replace in the summer window. If Wenger can placate and retain his star players however, he can focus on improving his forward line with the acquisition of a world class forward.
Despite the obvious qualities of players like Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck, these players are unlikely to score 25 or 30 goals per season. Arsenal therefore need to fill this void with a proven goal scorer, with players like Sergio Aguero, Daniel Sturridge and Diego Costa all offering relevant examples.
This will require a sizeable amount of money being spent of course, but it may provide a missing piece that can finally help the Gunners to realise their immense potential.
Which areas of the squad do you think need addressing?
By a guest writer…
Wenger will never get the high scoring striker we want. – this is the 5th TW window in a row. Giroud, Sanogo and Welbeck/Perez (he never plays him) should be let go. Get a striker who makes defenders have nightmares of him devouring their lunch boxes. Either Welbeck/Perez could be used as good/worthy subs. Let’s face it, we’d never win the league with the strikers we have.
But our glaring gaps are from the mis backwards to the goalie. We scored loads of goals but shipped more as well. We can’t have a 1 nil win even if our lives depended on it. Ofcourse the defense have been an issue for a decade. Why point it now.
Am sick on the idea of Wenger staying. His pressers will drive me nuts…as he’s loosing marbles daily.
You are spot on Marshall. Every big team has a top draw striker, if not two. Since the day we sold RvP, we have always made do. Alexis apart that is but even he gets shoved wide to accommodate another, yet he’s our most lethal weapon in front of goal.
I actually don’t think we have so many gaps, just a huge lack of discipline and organisation. But what we do lack is someone to do what Santi does so well.
We’ve seen glimpses of how good Gabriel can be and Mustafi too and I honestly believe a more defence minded manager would improve both of them, Holding and Kos too. Left back is a concern as nacho will be a year older and Gibbs, well I feel sorry for the guy but he just isn’t good enough imo.
Right back, all depends on which system Wenger will play, 3 at the back and we are good with Ox and Bellerin, but he he reverts to four at the back next season, he’ll need to address that area.
Going forward, well that’s where I’d like to see changes, a couple of proper wingers, or at least one if Wenger is being frugal as usual…
So for me.
Top notch striker
Right winger
A Santi type of player
Left back – Sead Kolašinac is expected to arrive.
Minimum of course… 😉
Henry Onyekuru is apparently in talks with us….
Morning Rico and All
The tip top players come with ego’s,some show it on the pitch,
other’s like Messi show it in the dressing room.
We have to put up with Arsene once again not able to front up
those players that are opinionated in other words.. Winners.
Every time we lose a tip top player,Arsene comes out with
The Collective Togetherness old chestnut,you know the one
Roundpegs/Squareholes or is it the other way round Speech.
How we replace Sanchez is anyones guess?…..Moneywise.
It seems to me when ever we have a big game coming up
The list of injuries takes the focus away from winning the game.
Just getting a team out to face the Chavs and make up the numbers
is what the players and fans are coming to expect.
Morning,
Last nights awful attack in Manchester certainly puts Arsenals woes and football into perspective, deeply saddened by the hideous targeting of innocent kids and teenagers, what brought it really close to home for me was the fact my own daughter had been to the same concert the previous night in Dublin, shocking and very sad.
interesting post and points that will certainly be debated and diisected over the next few months, whoever comes in, attack wise will mean nothing if we fail to keep Sanchez, another thing that frustrates is while United are looking to make the Griezman deal happen, we are looking to bring in an unknown from Nigeria, granted 20 odd goals scored in the Belgian league, but surely we should be looking at a world class proven goalscorer, I mean do the board and that fraud not learn anything from previous seasons.
Morning Fred.
We don’t replace Alexis, we keep him. Show some darn ambition as a club and he’ll stay imo…
Doesn’t it just Dublin. Terrible stuff going on and dreadfully sad times for so many families….
Absolutely, We must do everything we can to keep him, imo
Small club mentality, rearing it,s ugly head again.
what a shambles of a club we really are.
Europa league, certainly wasn,t the vision when the emirates was getting built,
Your right Dublin….
The poor familys in manchester
God knows what pain.
We must Dublin and agree, The Emirates promises worked eh. Europa here we come… lol
As a club if we show some ambition, look to get some real top quality in (even if it doesnt all come off) i think we can convince the likes of Sanchez that we will be better and he will stay.
Id like a winger, an actual out and out winger and a striker that offers us what we are missing, some clinical finishing. You oly have to look at some of the misses infront of goal our strikers have had this season…Welbeck was Lucky Bellerin was there to mop up at the weekend.
Also, if Ospina goes as is rumoured….what of a new keeper?
In Defence, id like another CB to provide some real quality cover incase of injury…and we all know we get some of those!
Martinez perhaps Bumba, and we still have Szczesny out on loan although his recent comments, if true, would suggest he’s not overly keen on coming back all the time Wenger is at the club.
Rico, I saw the interview with Sczesny, it was not negative as it’s been portrait.
He said that he has learned a lot by going to Roma because different coaches teach different things and has benefited technically from Roma. He also said that leaving Arsenal was the worst thing ever happened to him, because he loves Arsenal. The key was he said he’s much more matured now and he’s able to control his emotions.
Hi Obi, I thought he said leaving Arsenal was the best decision he’d made?
RIP Sir Roger Moore…
The biggest glaring hole is in the manager department! Pointless talking about who we could/should sign with Wenger still there…..
The bloke is finished as a manager and the delusion is beyond a joke, he thinks we need one or two players to get competitive again!!
Fucking clueless idiot, just piss off after the FA Cup.
Evening all and thanks guest writer !.
Terrible news today 🙁
As for the post……………….LB for me essential, I`d be surprised if the now ex-Shalke player is not ours, so one in the in tray !……………………proper goal scorer and proper winger and I`m happy.
We may have the money but will we spend big and……….pay big wages !………………….I will go back to the complete and utter crap we have been fed by Gazidis in that we can match the big boys for any player apart from Messi and Ronaldo……………………….and Aguero…………….and Pogba…………………………and Kante………………………..and Mbappe………………………………..and Greizman…………………………………….and ours will be………… whoever fits the bill of being super quality and are not wanted by Chavs, Mansour City, Man U, PSG, B Munich, Real, Barca……………………..doesn`t leave many does it !
I did say Nketiah reminds me of someone and it is the same as Potter say`s………..Wrighty !
But what if he’s staying Lee, surely we have to ensure we don’t fall further away from the top teams…?
I’m with you though, FA Cup and leave, regardless of the result.
Rico@ 4:53, he did, but it was taken out of context. He was referring to how he used to get the “rush” at Arsenal to come out of his goal most of the time, and that the best thing ever happened to him is that at Roma they have thought him not to come out of his goal, but rather to study the situation.
Evening all
Not a day when football takes priority.How do you fight a hidden enemy.?
It’s ironic the year we lose the huge CL revenue is the Summer we need the most players in and out.
If Sanchez and Ozil,yes I like them as a pair leave we will finish even lower than this year.
Gibbs wants out,Ospina wants out, The Ox is out of contract and half the team that is left are back up players at best.Sorry that’s how I see it,but we have Sanogo.
Fcuk knows who does our contract negotiations ?………………….shame we dont have Daniel Levy !………all the Spuds are tied up on long contracts, which has a double effect of keeping their best players and also making their (players) market value high !
As much as I want Alexis to stay, how are we……oops, sorry, I was thinking we run the club………….how is Kroenke going to turn a £50M offer for a player in the last year of his contract ?………………………..even though the said player says it`s up to Arsenal……………..which basically means his wages need to hit the stratosphere !…………………………………ooops !, sorry, I forgot that Mertesacker has signed an extention !………….what a force we will be ! hahaha
Fcuking board and management need shooting !……………………..honestly, our heirarchy is not like super heroe Justice League….or Marvels Avengers etc`, but a gang of Clouseau, Bean and The Chuckle Brothers !………………………….The Fcuking Ineptituders !
Thanks Obi, let’s hope our keeper doesn’t get their hands on him then if he comes back…
He won’t Lc, despite what Wenger says about keeping him…
Hi Rico and HH’ers.
The obvious glaring gap has been the same for years – lack of a world-class number nine.
That and a commanding Jeff Blockley-like centre-half 😀
Hi Herb, Jeff Blockley, that’s far too early for me… lol
Cornwall really rates him Rico…
He’s probably quicker than Merts Herb… lol
Catch up tomorrow guys..
Night all.
Hahaha………………Dont get me started on Blockley, Herb.
Big Sam`s available as well now !……………Moyes or Big Sam ?………..spoilt for choice !
Mert might be useful for bringing Holding through. He was talking to him all through the second half .You don’t get 100 caps for Germany without having something.
Have we forgotten about Terry Neill (aka ‘clubfoot’) harsh but worse than Blockley, imp. He was a real ‘steal from Coventry at the time! What a player!!?
Imp = imo! ‘Kin pad i
,
I think Merts will become an excellent coach. Might he be Wenger’s successor?
No I’m not joking.
Wavy, you might be too wrong there, when you are as slow as BFG, you have to compensate by thinking more about the game than somebody who is instinctive.
Now Jeff Blockley, what a great player, not surprised that you rate him so highly Cocker.
Straight out of the Terry Mancini stable!
Blockley,Young,Ure,Neill,Mancini, linighan,Stepanovs,Senderos,Caesar we have had some classics.
Morning all..
May I remind you that Ian Ure once played for a World XI team, he was that good !
I can just about remember Willie Young…
New post up.
The squad is isn’t getting any younger. The average age of teams who’ve won the PL in the past 25 years is 26.6 years. http://cantwinanythingwithkids.com/“.
Our squad currently has an average age of 27.4. We need to adjust our transfer policy to bring in some quality young players! Yannick Carrasco would be a positive start and show some intent from the owners.