My Wish List for Arsene Wenger

I don’t know about you, but I’m still buzzing after our 5-3 win against Chelsea yesterday. With the exception of Stoke v Newcastle tomorrow, after the rest of the weekend’s fixtures we find ourselves 7th in the league, sitting on 16 points. That’s three points off third place, even though Newcastle and Sp*rs currently have a game in hand. And even though we’ve taken a battering from most neutrals and voices of the media, we have the same number of points now that we gained from equivalent fixtures last season (thanks to @MickTheGooner for that stat).

Even though we’re on pretty good form right now, I’m sure most Gooners will still admit to being concerned with several areas of our squad.  We’re not the complete package yet, but there are things we can do to improve. Well, things that Arsene Wenger can do. Here’s a short wish list of what I think are the most important things he can do in the short-term future:

1) Defensive Coach

Yep, we’re still all over the place at the back. Three out of four of our arguably first choice back line were absent at Stamford Bridge, yet the four that started all had well over 100 international caps between them. So they should have been solid right? Well they weren’t. And it wasn’t because any of them are bad players.

There’s just something not quite happening with our defence. Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos are new signings, still adapting to the increased intensity and pace of the English game. Carl Jenkinson is young, and has been thrown into the deep end much earlier than Wenger would have liked. Bacary Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen and Kieran Gibbs have all had injury problems, as has Laurent Koscielny. Johan Djourou is spending more time playing out of position at right back, than his favoured central spot.

So that gives you a kind of idea as to why we might be struggling at the back. But even when we have first choice defenders playing, there’s still the same sense of unease and fear. And we are often subject to criminal like performances at the back. What can we do to correct this?

For months and months, the suggestion of bringing in a defensive coach has been circulating pretty much everywhere in Gooner talk. It’s such a simple solution too. It’s not really going to damage our wage structure, it wouldn’t affect squad harmony (I’ll explain below) and it would deeply satisfy the fans that have been desperate for this to happen, as I say, for ages.

Why not bring in someone like Martin Keown? Nigel Winterburn? I’m sure Wenger could even tempt Tony Adams back to England for a specialist role at the club. These guys are Arsenal legends (hence the not affecting squad harmony), would command the respect of every single defender at the club, and provide exceptional experience and advice to cement the gaps so often exploited at the back.

Wenger’s usual reply to this suggestion is that he, and his staff, has the necessary experience to train the defence. Very true, and no one would suggest they are unfit in the roles they have. But we need some fresh blood in our coaching ranks – something that hasn’t happened for too long. Someone to give new ideas, and hopefully spark something, anything that can sure up the defensive ranks.

Worst-case scenario, someone new comes in, nothing changes and it proves Wenger was right all the long and we don’t question his coaching decisions again. Best-case scenario, someone new comes in, and our defence becomes tighter and stronger and we concede less goals. So it’s win-win for Wenger, isn’t it?

For something that would be such little hassle, but could solve so much, I have no idea why it hasn’t happened yet. My only hope is that it will. And fast.

2) Transfer Activity

Everyone loves pointing out that having £50m in the bank won’t keep clean sheets, or score us goals. Wenger built his strongest teams on the same policy he still uses today, but the difference is that our rivals didn’t have the financial muscle they possess today. Man City and Chelsea, bankrolled by money that’s come from means I probably don’t want to know, Man United and Liverpool, funded by wealthy Americans, and Sp*rs, financed by ‘Arry’s brainwashing techniques on Daniel Levy, have all spent big in the transfer window in recent years.

Since 2003, these sides have all had net spends in excess of £100m in the transfer market. Ours is a profit of £5m. I’m proud of our financially policy, we do it the way it’s supposed to be done. But the rules have been re-written since Wenger’s last great team. Everyone is spending except us. Yeah, we’ll always be up there or there abouts. But if we want to be challenging for major honours every year (which we do) then we need to alter our policy, and use the money we’ve generated through our prudent approach.

I’m not talking crazy spending. But there’s £50m in the bank for this season, so why not make use of it?

For the first time in a long while, I’m very happy with our GK situation. No need to spend there. Defensively, we have a set of very good players as I mentioned previously, and when they are all fit there’s plenty to choose from. Maybe another addition for added cover? I’ve seen us linked to Ajax and Belgium international Jan Vertonghen, a typical Wenger-like signing who can play at CB, LB or even fill in in midfield. Reports say he would cost around £8-10m? OK, we’re down to £40m.

Midfield is solid. New signing Mikel Arteta has done a good job in filling a huge hole left by the Fabregas and Nasri departures. Aaron Ramsey has improved incredibly and Alex Song is as solid as ever. If you count in Jack Wilshere coming back from injury, as well as Tomas Rosicky and Yossi Benayoun, and then throw in youngsters Emmanuel Frimpong and Francis Coquelin, that’s a good set of players to fill three spots. If there’s money to spend though, someone like Xherdan Shaqiri (a popular recommendation from several Arsenal fans) would be a promising addition, for a cost probably less than £15m. He’s young, already experienced in Europe and Internationally, and another Wenger type buy. Let’s say £15m actual cost? Great, £25m left to spend on attack.

I think our attack is, on paper, the weakest area of the squad. This is assuming everyone is fully fit (before you say “what about our defence?”). Obviously, Robin van Persie is a world class striker. One of the best out there in fact. Gervinho is a new signing still finding his feet, but becoming more and more consistent each week. Theo Walcott was exceptional against Chelsea, but he lacks consistency and his decision-making is usually awful. Andrei Arshavin is lovable, yet not really performing as a starter. Marouane Chamakh is just really off his game. No doubting his talent, but he just hasn’t even got close to finding it in the past year. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has huge potential as a RW, and is pushing Walcott very hard for a spot. Park Chu-Young is also adapting, but showed what he’s capable of in the Carling Cup and will hopefully get a chance in the Premier League too.

My problem with the attack is there’s only one out and out goal scorer. I don’t need to say who. RVP will surely go on to get 30+ goals this season assuming he stays fit (maybe even 40). But what if he doesn’t stay fit? Who will score our goals? I honestly don’t think any of the others will get more than 15 goals individually this season. This could be a big, big problem. I’m not saying we’re a “one-man” team. God no. But there’s one man who will score the majority of our goals. We need to sign someone who can support that by chipping in with some of their own. To take the pressure off RVP, and also mean we aren’t royally screwed if he gets injured (which isn’t impossible to image).

I don’t have anyone in mind as particular that I do for defence and midfield. But with £25m left in the bank, there would be several quality players we could bring in. We wouldn’t even have to spend the whole lot. But I’m looking for someone who can stay in the box, and get a foot on all those chances we create and there’s no one ever there. You know the ones I mean. Hey, it could be that Park is that player. Or Chamakh finds his form somehow. I don’t know. But it’s something we desperately need. A Ruud van Nistelrooy type player. An Alan Shearer. A proper Striker, which in turn could free up RVP to play more of the Dennis Bergkamp role, which the great man himself suggested RVP was destined to do.

3) RVP's Contract

This is an easy one. Just give him a blank piece of paper, and ask him to write on it the amount he wants to be paid. He’s not a greedy player, so it won’t be a colossal £200k+ wage we see the likes of Rooney and Torres pick up.

We need to keep him, quite simply. Pay him what he wants, tie him up till he’s well into his 30s, and let’s turn him into the Arsenal legend that Fabregas could have been. The one that Thierry Henry, Ian Wright, Cliff Bastin and co are. It’s very possible, IF he signs the dotted line to extend his years.

Wenger has the resources at his disposal to make all of what I’ve discussed possible. Whether or not he does anything about it is a different matter. I live in hope that at least one of them will have happened by the end of the calendar year. Is that too optimistic? Possibly. But we Gooners don’t ask for too much from our great manager. We were spoilt to a fantastic score line yesterday, let’s hope he spoils us to more joy in the future, both on and off the pitch.

Crisis? What crisis?!

CHELSEA 3 – ARSENAL 5

Well that went well, didn’t it?

The perfect way to end a week which has been dominated by the pretty poor performance of the speakers at the AGM (with the exception of Arsene Wenger). And a reminder to those who had forgotten just what Arsenal are capable of. Throw in the obvious satisfaction of beating one of our fiercest rivals, and you reach the sum of a lot of delighted Gooners tonight.

It didn’t always appear it was going to be like that though. At half time I was nervous, edgy, annoyed and braced for another half of exceptionally average defending, more Chelsea goals, and another away defeat. Luckily, I was wrong.

The second half performance was one of the best halves of football I’ve seen us play in recent years. OK yes, there are still a lot of areas to work on (mainly the defence), but everything seemed to click going forward.

Theo Walcott was particularly impressive; I thought it was his best game of the season by far. In the first half he created two golden opportunities, both of which were squandered by Gervinho and Robin van Persie respectfully, but it took nothing away from the vision and execution Walcott provided. He was on the ball, keen and eager. And best of all, his decision-making was a lot better than what we’ve previously seen this season. His goal was exceptionally well taken too, if a little fortunate, but the finish was fantastic. Beating Petr Cech at his near post is not an easy achievement.

Our midfield trio of Mikel Arteta, Alex Song and Aaron Ramsey were also outstanding today. Arteta at times was unnoticeable, but that’s not always a bad thing. His passing rate was excellent (94%), and he’s growing into a similar role that Luka Modric possesses at Sp*rs – not going to get huge figures in the goals and assists column, but provides the basis on which we can build attacks. He can hold when he needs to, and can push forward equally. He’s a very good technical player, and is doing a great job in the team.

Aaron Ramsey was one of the stars of the show. He’s seriously improved over the recent weeks, and now looks very comfortable in the dreaded “Cesc role”. The pass for the first goal was fantastic and clinical. The latter being an element he is really emphasising in his play right now. He’s assisting, and he’s scoring as well. Wenger kept faith with him, when a lot of people wrote him off. With no Jack Wilshere, and with the loss of Fabregas and Nasri over the summer, someone had to step up. Ramsey has stepped up, and he’s getting better and better every week.

With all these positives though, I do need to take a quick step back and lower the mood somewhat. As, once again, we had a shocker defensively. Inside the opening minutes, both our flanks were exploited leading to great chances for Chelsea’s attack. Fair enough, Johan Djourou is playing out of position, and Andre Santos is still adapting to the English game (and looking a little unfit). But there were holes there, and both first half goals conceded were very avoidable. Per Mertesacker looked very uncomfortable, and particularly with The Racist’s goal, he should have done a lot better job with his marking. 

Santos improved admirably in the second half. In the first half his tackling was dreadful, but it was a lot better after the break and he made some crucial tackles on the left which often turned defence into attack within seconds. His goal was well taken too. Maybe Cech should have done better yes, but it was a composed finish from a player still new to the surroundings he’s playing in. He’s clearly a talented footballer, although slightly concerned about his defensive ideals…

The stand out defender though was Laurent Koscielny. His game has improved leaps and bounds lately, and he’s established himself as Arsenal’s first choice centre back in my opinion this season (although that’s largely due to Thomas Vermaelen’s injury too). He made a couple of incredibly crucial blocks in the area, interceptions, clearances and was a commanding presence in an obvious fragile back four. Surely he will be paired with Vermaelen once he’s fully fit again, and that will be a very good centre back pairing. Per is a good player, but he is still adapting to the pace of the English game, with his low mobility an obvious hindrance.

Save the best till last though. Once again, the man of the moment was Robin van Persie. Not only is he an exceptionally talented footballer, but his leadership skills are also more and more noticeable these days. He leads by example, speaks exceptionally well, and is a brilliant role model. He’s inspirational, and he’s ours. Whatever he wants, we should give it to him. Losing Cesc was devastating. Losing RVP, would be worse. 

It was a hat trick of the highest class. The first was a simple tap in, after some great work by Ramsey and Gervinho, and it was a classic Arsenal goal. The Racist brilliantly assisted the second, after he graciously assumed his usual position of on all fours and allowed RVP through, to coolly round Cech and pass the ball into an empty net. It was exceptional composure in a big, big moment. The third goal was a standard counter attack, but the finish again was a great strike. Cech probably could have done more for this one too (common theme here), but I’m not complaining.

All in all, it was a brilliant second half team performance. The serious doubts at the interval were quickly abolished. Chelsea had never conceded five goals at Stamford Bridge in their eight year history. They have now. Their lovable chairman Bruce Buck called for them to “beat the crap” out of us. They didn’t. I don’t like Chelsea at all. They have gained success purely out of having dirty financial muscle. I respect Man United, I respect Liverpool. I even respect Sp*rs more than I do Chelsea. So stuffing them at their place was all the more enjoyable for the reasons above.

It was the perfect place to provide Wenger his 500^th win, too. Are we now capable of going on and challenging for the title? Maybe a little unlikely, but I’m sure Wenger will state the belief is there that it’s possible. It certainly throws open the race for third, as well as fourth. Using true Wenger-like language, I believe we have what it takes to make the Champions League again next year. The squad have shown real improvements over the past few weeks, and they should be confident of inflicting further defeats on other clubs. I know I am.

Roll on Marseille on Tuesday.

SWOT Analysis of Arsenal

It’s been another rough couple of weeks for Arsenal. Away defeats against a pretty poor Blackburn side, and also against North London rivals Sp*rs have left obvious pain for us Gooners. New squad injuries (this time to Bacary Sagna) have added further woe. Even our most recent win, in the Champions League against Olympiacos received more criticism than praise.

I love watching Arsenal play, but at this moment in time having a weekend off from the drama we are now so used to seeing week in week out, has been relaxing, and enabled us all to have a sit back and think about where Arsenal are currently at.

Having recently completed a marketing degree at University, one of the things I came across (as I guess anyone else who has done something business related at school/Uni will have) is a SWOT Analysis. I won’t bore you with the details, but effectively it’s a way of analyzing internal and external factors of a business, and is seen as one of the primary steps when it comes to strategic planning. I have no interest in writing a piece on strategic planning, but I thought it would be a nice idea to write just a basic blog on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to Arsenal at this very moment. Enjoy!

Strengths

Emirates Stadium

This isn’t about prices. Isn’t about whether the ground is full or not. And this point isn’t even about the football being played on it. It’s a fantastic, beautiful stadium. One of the best sporting stadia in the world. Designed by the world renowned HOK Sport (now called Populous I believe), it truly is regarded as one of the best stadiums around. And we should be grateful that we are lucky enough to have access to it every other week. Imagine how depressing it would be having to travel to Shite Hart Lane to watch your team play 25 times a season?

Finances

Arsenal’s financial position splits a large number of supporters, but the fact that no one can deny is that as a whole we are in a very healthy financial state. Our 2011 profit fell compared to the 2010 figures, but this was mainly due to the decrease in player sales (which accounts for such a big aspect of our financial figures). In Deloitte’s Money League, we are 5^th in the world for revenue. Not too shabby. Yes, our wage structure isn’t great, and commercially we are behind (see Weaknesses), but generally we are in a very strong position. And with money in the bank, I’m expecting some new signings in January that we not only desperately need, but can also afford. If you want to look at a really good article on Arsenal’s finances, check this out by The Swiss Ramble: http://swissramble.blogspot.com/2011/10/arsenals-finances-21-questions.html

We’re The Arsenal

It always brings a smile to my face, even when it’s used in a negative context. But no other team is referred to as “The…”. It’s not “The Chelsea”, or “The Manchester United”. But we’re The Arsenal. OK, this isn’t exactly the biggest deal in the world. But it’s something that we have that no one else does. And that’s a strength of the club in my eyes.

Weaknesses

Commercial Revenue

Despite our overall finances being strong, commercially we are miles behind. At the time, the Emirates sponsorship deal was a great idea. It was long-term, secure and guaranteed us £90m over 15 years. But whereas we supposedly make £5.5m a year in shirt sponsorship, the likes of Liverpool, Man United and City all make up to four times that amount. Even Sp*rs make double of what we do, and we’re tied into these deals till 2014. It’ll be a struggle till then, but Kroenke has promised to grow our global brand and believes we’ll be able to compete with United on this level. A big ask, but can’t fault his ambition.

Form

The obvious one. 15^th in the league. Worst ever start under Wenger. Worst start for over 50 years. Already 12 points behind the leaders, and the earliest that Wenger has admitted defeat in the title race. And we’ve lost to both our main rivals in the chase for fourth. I don’t want to talk too much about this, as it’s depressing just thinking about it. But our form is shocking, and it obviously needs to change. Right now our defense is all over the place, with players like Jenkinson thrown into the deep end when he clearly isn’t ready, and judging by the Sp*rs game our midfield need a few lessons in basic passing. I still believe that with a few wins and a peak in confidence, we can recover and finish fourth. But it’s got to happen soon. Really soon.

Injuries

I don’t like using this as an excuse, but we have been incredibly unlucky this season with injuries. 2/3 of the spine of our team is out long term (although hoping TV will return quicker than anticipated), and the Sagna news is a further blow to an already seriously depleted squad. I have no doubt that at full strength we have the third or fourth best squad in the league and are capable of seriously challenging for the major honours available in May. But I can’t honestly remember the last time we had a full squad to pick from. Certainly wasn’t any time recently. And it won’t be any time soon.

Opportunities

January Transfer Window

Wenger has never been shy to spend in January. Think Arshavin and Adebayor. And there is definitely money in the bank to do it again. I don’t believe in spending for the sake of it, but there is a serious need to spend in January, particularly to cater for the loss of Sagna and Wilshere to injury (TV will be back by then). We were linked with some big names over the summer, Hazard and Gotze to name a couple. There is still an appeal for players like them to join Arsenal, and a signing like one of them (plus some more cover for the defense) could be the boost that the fans and squad need. Hopefully, it won't be too late.

Youth

One thing we’re known for across the globe is our unequalled ability to spot and develop youth talent. We’ve seen it in the past, with players such as Anelka, Vieira, Fabregas and many more being bought young and cheap, developed into great players and sold for a hefty profit. We have current players in similar potential mold to these names. I honestly believe we have the best young GK in the world right now, a future regular England international LB, and a whole host of talent in midfield with the likes of Coquelin and Frimpong already breaking into the first team, and players like Ozyakup, Afobe and Miyaichi excelling in the reserves. Reason to get excited? Yes, but these players need experience around them. Signings like Arteta and Meresacker are a good sign that Wenger is willing to bring that experience in.  So the talent is there, and it seems the opportunities are starting to come their way too, which is a very exciting prospect. My only hope is that they want to stick around and win trophies, and not do a big money runner as soon as they get the chance.

Threats

Fan Divisions

One of the most worrying aspects of where we currently are is the constant bickering, arguing and sometimes rudeness between Arsenal fans. All the time on twitter I see Gooners fighting amongst each other, almost unwilling to accept that someone else’s opinion might be valid. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but during this time of need we all need to get behind the team together. If we want to fight with someone, let’s fight with those slagging us off and writing us off. Not amongst ourselves. We’re family remember.

Fan Groups

This isn’t me being hypocritical after the previous point. Everyone IS entitled to an opinion, but there is a line as to how that opinion is enforced on others, and the impact it might have on the team. There are at least two (probably more) groups set up to protest against different aspects of Arsenal. Black Scarf Group, Arsenal FC not PLC the ones that immediately spring to mind. Some of their points are very valid, some are not (in my opinion). The one thing I don’t get about them (Arsenal FC not PLC more specifically), is how they think having a banner at a game expressing their desire for Wenger to be sacked will solve anything at the club? I’ve read through some of the Arsenal FC not PLC tweets over the weekend, and one of their points is that their banner is just as acceptable as the “In Arsene We Trust” banner because both banners have people who agree and disagree with the message. Very true, but the one deciding difference is that the IAWT banner is actually in support of the manager and is inspiration for Gooners. A banner effectively saying “Wenger Out” isn’t. It’s not what we need at the ground. We need unanimous support. I don’t mind these groups trying to get their point across with balanced and coherent points, but when it’s at the expense of Arsenal harmony and spirit (which whether you agree or not, the “Wenger Out” banner is) then we have a problem.

Missing out on the Champions League next year

This is a big threat, and fairly realistic too at the moment. Should this occur, it will leave a huge dent in our finances, and also lesser our appeal to sign quality players from Europe. Yes, you can argue that Sp*rs signed Modric, and Liverpool signed Suarez without the immediate guarantee of Champions League football. But the fact remains the same. We’ve been there the last 14 years. Not making it for the 15^th would be a real disappointment. Not a disaster, as clubs have recovered from worse scenarios. But we need to be playing amongst the European elites. Gazidis’ comments that we can survive financially without a CL place gave a terrible message. Almost like it doesn’t matter, when it really does. How can we justify paying over £100m a year on wages if we aren't playing at the very top level of European football? We want to be there, and we should be there. But at this rate, it’s not too far-fetched to suggest that we won’t be.

So... 

As you can see, the negatives (Weaknesses and Threats) out way the positives. This is kind of where we are at right now. But there are strengths and opportunities there, and definite scope for improvement. I’ve said many times that our current poor form is largely a confidence thing. We’ve never totally recovered from the Carling Cup defeat last season. Not having a full squad obviously doesn’t help, but a few good wins and consistent performances from the key players in the squad could be all we need. Three or four wins in a row and we’d be back up to around the top four.

The Arsenal badge state’s “Forward” as the motto this season. Let’s embrace that and support the team towards this goal. Because let’s be honest, we can’t really go much further backwards. Right….?