For too long now Arsenal have been forced to rely on lackluster wingers. Andrey Arshavin just hasn’t been producing the goods and Theo Walcott has been all too inconsistent. Before the emergence of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and during Gervinho’s stint in the African Cup of Nations, it looked like this was an area where the Gunners were really struggling.
It’s a relief then that Arsene Wenger’s side seems to have already overcome this weakness through a mixture of luck (Theo finding some form against Blackburn) and Wenger’s reliance on youth actually paying off for once via AOC. As long as a certain little Russian stays out of contention, Arsenal will have genuine threat down the wings, something that’s damn near essential given Wenger’s decision to stick to 4-5-1/4-3-3 this season.
This makes me wonder – what will happen when Gervinho returns? Will Chamberlain find himself with fewer opportunities or will it be Walcott that Wenger sidelines? Or could the goal-shy Ivorian be the man sacrificed as Arsene attempts to establish some form of consistency?
For me, the emphasis is now on Theo to prove that he can perform over a series of games. I doubt that he’ll find a team easier to play against all season than 10-man Blackburn Rovers, so it’s up to him to show that he’s up to the challenge no matter who the opponents are. Yes he has a remarkable number of assists, but he also has a tendency to disappear during games. It could be that the increased competition will bring out the best in Theo.
He’ll know that as soon as he starts coasting and not providing the goods, there’ll be somebody ready to take his place.
It’s easy to forget that both Gervinho and Chamberlain are in their first seasons with the club. Whilst Chamberlain more or less exploded onto the scene over the course of the last month, Gervinho was given ample opportunities and has up until now received mixed reviews.
Whilst he has enough ability to beat a man with ease and find himself space, his inability to really do anything after this is infuriating. He doesn’t really have a ‘killer-ball’ or any shooting technique. As a result, his playing seems to feed into the belief that Arsenal have lost some of their ‘edge’. In turn the Gunners tendency to waste chances and overplay in front of the opposition’s goal could well be exacerbated by Gervinho’s return.
He’s still young, however and clearly has genuine talent. Despite this, I’d be tempted to stick with the in form Chamberlain and Theo and swap Gervinho in as necessary. Both Gerv and the Ox need a chance to develop and it seems the Ivorian has already had plenty of chances this season.
One thing’s for sure however, Wenger’s in the extremely privileged position of having three top players vying for two spaces in the squad. Let’s hope that this proves beneficial for Arsenal too.
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