Arsenal Football Club have been in freefall in recent seasons. For a team that were once ridiculed for always finishing fourth in a Champions League spot, they now find themselves 15th in the Premier League with four wins from 13.
Arsenal players react after caption Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang scores an own-goal in their match against Burnley on the 13th December 2020.
The start of the 2020/21 league season has been the worst for 46 years. Avoiding the yearly thumping at the Etihad with a 1-0 loss and a spirited away win at Old Trafford should have brought some optimism. Yet, the reality is, a 1-1 home draw with Southampton ended a four-game home losing streak – with the side winless since that Manchester United away trip.
Faith in Mikel Arteta is waning. But the problems go much deeper than the youngest manager in the league.
Recruitment:
Arsenal’s biggest weakness is their recruitment, both on and off the pitch.
Players brought in for big money and astronomical salaries under Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery continue to blow a large hole in the club’s purse.
Firstly, Nicolas Pépé for £72 million. Arteta seems to have faith in the Ivorian’s ability but he has only been a game-changer on one occasion: against Vitória de Guimarães in the Europa League last season at the Emirates – before Arteta took charge. His sending off at Leeds United has epitomised his time at Arsenal – frustrating.
Then there’s Willian. The 32-year-old signed from Chelsea on a free transfer in the summer and is one of the club’s top earners. His £200,000-a-week contract and £10 million signing on fee has proven to be a waste of money so far. The Brazilian has no goals and three assists in 11 league games – a poor return for someone on that wage and with his ability.
Arsenal’s Nicolas Pépé celebrates scoring the winning goal against Vitória de Guimarães on the 19th October 2019.
The biggest area of concern is the midfield. Creativity and accountability have been lacking since Aaron Ramsey left on a free transfer at the end of the 2018/19 season and Mesut Ozil’s saga overshadows the whole club. Thomas Partey looks like an excellent acquisition and brought more bite to a midfield lacking substance. His £45 million signing from Atlético Madrid promised a lot but the Ghana international has unfortunately spent more time in the treatment room with injury. Dani Ceballos is another who has bright performances on sporadic occasions, but he doesn’t perform consistently enough to help the team.
The continued isolation of William Saliba and Ozil is a real concern for the Gunners. Ozil’s absence continues to baffle fans and pundits alike. With 33 goals and 58 assists in 184 Premier League games, his continued omission from the matchday squad is mind-boggling considering his proven experience and £350,000-a-week wage. His love for the club is undeniable and his gesture to save the sacked Gunnersaurus by paying his salary is proof of that. His isolation is impacting the dressing room and does hint towards involvement from higher powers.
Whilst big-ticket transfers have failed, Arsenal’s board and executive team have contributed to the team’s struggles too.
When Stan Kroenke laid down a whopping £550 million to buy up Alisher Usmanov’s stake to become majority shareholder in 2018, the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust called it “a dreadful day” for the club. This seize of power from the US billionaire signalled a move away from Arsenal’s shared ownership model to a single owner wielding the power.
In a similar vein, former CEO, Ivan Gazidis, set out in 2017 to resolve what he felt was Arsenal’s biggest problem: a structure where too much power was held by Wenger. On Wenger’s departure, he set his management structure plan in motion to strip power from the manager. Emery was his appointment – a manager who had flopped at Paris Saint-Germain – and the rest is good ebening and goodnight on that story.
In the management team upstairs, Gazidis brought in former FC Barcelona Director of Football, Raul Sanllehí, as Head of Football and the now Chief Executive, Vinai Venkatesham, moved to Managing Director. Sanllehí’s departure this year typifies the failings at Arsenal’s executive level in recent years. To make matters worse, Sanllehí was heavily involved in deals to sign Cedric Soares, David Luiz and Willian – all who belong to the same agent – and was a key figure in the club record deal to sign Pépé from Lille OSC – a deal which is reportedly being reviewed since his departure due to the extortionate amount paid.
Lack of physicality and poor squad discipline:
Long gone are the days where opposition players trembled at the sight of David Seaman, Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry in the tunnel.
Former Arsenal striker Oliver Giroud left the club in 2018 to join rivals Chelsea, who he won the Europa League with in 2019.
Even take Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman’s not a player that matches Henry and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the goal scoring front, but he’s a defender’s nightmare with his physicality and clever movement. His aerial prowess alone is far superior to any of the forwards at the club and this lack of threat impacts the current attack. Given Arteta favours wingbacks, the team’s attacking threat in wide areas, Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney, are delivering crosses at the attacker’s feet which becomes far too predictable in the final third.
Another area where physicality is lacking is in defence. The signing of Gabriel dos Santos Magalhaes from Lille looks a good one. But the defensive unit is still inferior to the teams occupying the European places. In a similar vein to Vincent Kompany’s leadership at Manchester City, Arsenal are lacking a physical defender with strong leadership traits to motivate, organise and provide reliable performances in every game.
There is also a key difference in physicality and cynical fouls. Although Arsenal lack physical players, the squad has over-stepped the mark too often. Gabriel’s red card against Southampton was Arsenal’s third sending off in six games – following Granit Xhaka’s and Pépé’s red cards for violent conduct against Burnley and Leeds. The club has a pandemic of their own: one of ill-discipline. With the team having more red cards than goals in the league since the Manchester United game.
Poor leadership:
The Arsenal captaincy has been another headache for Arteta and his predecessor. Former club captain, Xhaka, was stripped of the captaincy by Emery after he threw his armband away and goaded booing fans when substituted in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in October 2019.
The captaincy went to Aubameyang. A big personality at the club and a clear fan favourite given his goal scoring abilities.
The Gabon striker won the Premier League Golden Boot last season and his 29 goals in all competitions were vital to Arsenal’s campaign and FA Cup winning success. However, his goal in the 1-1 draw with Southampton was his first since the start of November and only his third of the season. A weak return for the captain, star player and especially after sealing a three-year contract extension.
After signing from Olympique Lyonnais in 2017, Alexandre Lacazette is one of the Gunners’ most experienced pros. An explosive forward, who can be deadly on his day, has been captaining the side in the Europa League this season.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reacts to his own goal against Burnley on the 13th December 2020.
Although Arteta is playing a young squad in Europe, it shows the manager has faith in the Frenchman to lead by example and Arsenal are flying in that competition. He too is struggling for league goals. After scoring in the opening three league games, the 29-year-old hasn’t scored since September and remains stuck on three. These stats must improve from the club’s main out-and-out striker and a key leadership figure.
Bellerin is another who has been touted as captain material. He is Arsenal’s current vice-captain and PFA representative after all. However, his actions off the pitch have overshadowed his contributions on it so far this season. The Spaniard played a key role in convincing his teammates to take a 12.5% pay-cut to help the club’s finances, but his performances of late are not worthy of being in the starting XI – let alone coming close to taking the armband off Aubameyang. This heaps more pressure on Arsenal’s number 14 to fight on two fronts: to step up as captain and regain his goal scoring form. Not an easy task when the team is lacking coherence and comradery.
Tierney is a fiery Scotsman. A true Braveheart who plays with his heart on his sleeve. The Scotland international showed more passion in the post-match interview following the Burnley loss than Aubameyang. It’s too early to consider Tierney for the captaincy though. He is only in his second season at the club but has shown his leadership potential already.
Conclusion
Arsenal need to turn the tide – and fast. It’s time for the whole club to do some serious soul-searching. Being let down both on and off the pitch has left supporters feeling disgruntled and patience is wearing thin.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Technical Director Edu with the FA cup trophy after winning the 2020 final against Chelsea.
Arsenal’s Technical Director, Edu, publicly backed Arteta after they were booed off against Burnley and says the club has a “big and beautiful future” with him in charge. This same faith in the inexperienced Spaniard needs to be matched by his players.
This festive period is massive. An away trip to Goodison Park is up first against an Everton side buoyed by a 2-0 win against Leicester City. Then a home EFL Cup Quarter-Final clash against Manchester City. Followed by a Boxing Day home fixture against London rivals Chelsea and an away trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on the 29th December.
With time fast running out in the league, a cup run might be Arsenal’s only route to glory for another season and could galvanise a squad very low on confidence. Tough times like these calls for leaders to stand up in the dressing room. January signings would be too late. It needs to be now.
