Arsenal Football Club has been one of the front-runners for the English Premiership ever since the Premier League was formed in the early 90s. Although they were mostly playing second fiddle to the all-conquering Red Devils for most part, they have had some great success in the past 5 years.
Under the astute guidance of Arsene Wenger, Arsenal has been a model of Minimum expenditure- Maximum Returns. Compared to Manchester United and Chelsea, Arsenal has rarely spent more than 10 Million Pounds on any player. Wenger’s watchful eye for precocious talent has been extremely successful for Arsenal, with Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Freddy Ljungberg etc as shining examples. Some of the player-sales that Wenger master-minded also show a great business acumen. Case in point is the sale of the troublesome Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid for over 20 Million pounds. It is this shrewd business planning that has led to Wenger’s nickname ’’The Professor’’.
The Gunners (as Arsenal are known) achieved the pinnacle of domestic success when they went unbeaten for the entire premiership in 2003-2004, and went on to break Nottingham Forest’s record for the longest unbeaten run in English Football. Needless to say, they won the Premiership title during that year, with their attacking style of football mesmerizing both the fans and the opposition alike.
However, since then, things have not been going too well for Arsenal.
The rise of Chelsea has coincided with the Gunners’ downslide. Being unable to compete with the buying power of a billionaire-backed Chelsea, the Gunners have been struggling to find their form in the past two seasons. Humiliating defeats to Manchester United have further dented their confidence.
Wenger’s usually flawless player-management skills have also started to fall apart. Several key players have left the club on free-transfers or at transfer fees far less than what could have been. Sylvain Wiltord, who was Arsenal’s record signing in 2000, was allowed to leave for free. The Brazilian Edu also left to Valencia for free. However, when the lynch-pin behind Arsenal’s success, Patrick Vieira, was sold to Juventus for a meager 14 Million Pounds, it was surely the final nail in the coffin. The same player had been courted by Real Madrid for the past 2 seasons for world-record fees, and Arsenal had firmly rejected those bids. And yet, when they finally let him go, it was for only 14 Million pounds. And they didn’t even try to hold him back.
Not only did this disillusion the fans, but also affected the confidence of the players. Vieira had been the commanding voice at the heart of the midfield for so many years. To let him go and not even get an able replacement sent out the wrong message to the players. There were several players who admitted that Vieira’s absence was not adequately compensated. Wenger’s excessive trust on inexperienced teenagers Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini has not gone down too well with the players, although both the above mentioned players are exceptionally good players for their tender age. However, what Vieira offered was a tough tackling, commanding midfield general who could control the game through his defense splitting passes, and could also win the ball back from dangerous positions. Fabregas and Flamini, due to their slender build, cannot quite accomplish the physical presence that Vieira did. The Gunners, therefore, have not been able to perform against hard-tackling opposition like Bolton, Manchester United, Chelsea etc.
The lack of height in their defense has also exposed them against set-pieces, which the likes of Chelsea’s John Terry have exploited time and again.
However, all is not lost for Arsenal yet. They still have among them arguably the greatest player in modern football, Thierry Henry. He has single handedly inspired Arsenal to several victories. And with Robin Van Persie finally finding his feet in English Football, the partnership between Henry and Van Persie is looking lethal. With Gilberto and Sol Campbell back from their injuries, there is some solid experience at the back as well. If Wenger manages to buy an experienced central Midfielder, a commanding center-back and striker in January while holding on to the existing players, they could be back in business soon. Some of the key issues that need to be taken care of:
1) Robert Pires is all set to leave at the end of the season unless he gets a 2 year contract. With Bergkamp retiring at the end of the season, Pires’ experience and vision is a key for Arsenal’s future.
2) With Kolo Toure and Sol Campbell being the only established center-backs, Arsenal needs to get some cover for them. Cygan and Senderos are not reliable enough. Buy one top central defender.
3) The physical demands of the premiership require a strong built central defensive midfielder in the Vieira-mould. Fabregas and Flamini are attack-minded, and don’t fit in this position.
4) With Bergkamp retiring, Henry’s choice of strike partners is very limited. Van Persie is the only goal-scoring partner for Henry right now, since Reyes is more of a winger than a striker. Need to buy a classic center forward. Michael Owen would have been ideal, if only Arsenal had gone for him before Newcastle.
5) A reliable goalkeeper. Lehmann is not in the Schmeichel-Van Der Saar mould. He is simply too erratic and eccentric. Maybe Wenger could scout around in Spain or Italy where there are several good goalkeepers that come at a low price. Maybe ex-Madrid goalie Cesar.
And only if Wenger brings in these players soon will they have a realistic chance to hold on to Henry. With just another year left on his contract, Henry could leave for almost nothing unless adequate reinforcements are brought in soon to assure him about Arsenal’s ambitions.
Winning the Champions’ League is another way of holding on to their best player. Liverpool will vouch for that!