A team it’s difficult to feel much animosity for. Bonkers Thierry-cheering fans (apart from that bell-ringing waistcoat bloke), a charming shed which they insist is actually a stand, and – crucially – usually good for 6 points every year.
Today should be no different if we can maintain our encouraging early levels of swashbuckle and sex-appeal. I expect to see the strikers chipping in today, though if that happens you just know the press will start wondering where Arsenal’s midfield goals are going to come from.
The move to 4-3-3 looks to have reinvented one man in particular: Nicklas Bendtner.
Of course it’s very early on, but from what we’ve seen Arsene is going to keep him on the right of the front three. And rightly so.
There’s clearly a reason why it’s Arsh-RvP-NB52 rather than Arsh-NB52-RvP, which is how pretty much any fan would arrange them.
So far Bendtner has actually performed the role of spearhead – winning high balls and knocking them down for van Persie and others – but (rather revolutionary this) he has done so from the right, as part of his role as a wing-forward. I think this could prove very effective, in part because it’s such an unusual approach, and in part because with Arsene you know the team is never going to play in a way which needs a conventional (ie central) spearhead, through whom play is channelled (aerially) for much of the game – Davies, Drogba, Shearer.
Where was the spearhead in the TH14/DB10 combo? It was ludicrously effective despite the fact that Dennis was always dropping off deep and Thierry drifted wide to get the ball at his feet.
We use the high ball approach only occasionally, and it can be really effective as a change of tack.
Ade used to try and play from a wide position, but was absolutely dreadful at this and always ended up running up a blind alley, or crossing limply to nobody. We’ll miss him in some ways, I’m not denying, but if Bendtner can turn himself into a threat as unconventional as that he offered at Goodison, then we’ll have a real weapon on our hands.
Back to bread and butter issues: Gabon, the team that could prove vital to Arsenal’s season.
The thinnest part of our squad is clearly defensive midfield. Denilson and Song have grown impressively into first-picks, but behind them it all gets a bit ropey. Diaby and Ramsey could probably deputise for Denilson, but there isn’t anyone who could really cover for Song. And everyone knows he’ll be at the African Cup of Nations in January.
- Song: Indomitable
And here’s the thing. He might not. Song’s Cameroon team (bullishly nicknamed The Indomitable Lions), sit bottom of their tough-looking qualifying group, which includes Andepaymore’s Togo, Chamakh’s Morocco and, er, Daniel Cousin’s Gabon. Third-place or better qualifies you for the CAN.
Lion: Midfielder
Of course, they could still qualify. Let’s just hope they don’t. And let’s also hope Arsene signs a burly defensive midfielder all the same.
COME ON YOU REDS TODAY
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