Any Arsenal fan who saw Juventus pull off a fantastic defensive performance against Celtic, will wish that their side had managed the game feat against Bayern Munich.
Celtic dominated periods of their Champions League clash with the Serie A giants, but were unable to get past a staunch Italian defence. Bayern Munich showed similar periods of domination, but Arsenal were unable to stand up to such a stern examination.
Arsenal’s defence is, to put it mildly, in disarray. The regular errors, the lack of communication and the lack of real quality has been telling this season.
Per Mertesacker may once have been an imperious German International defender, but at Arsenal, he looks bewildered and out of place. At least the equally shambolic Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny have their pace to fall back on, when the crap inevitably hits the fan. Mertesacker on the other hand would get out-run by the majority of opponents.
The three of them looked dazed and confused in Arsenal’s Bayern horror-show. Bacary Sagna, on the other hand, looked completely knackered after about 20 minutes.
Something needs to be done.
According to TalkSPORT, Arsenal are looking to fix their defensive issues by signing Juventus star Martin Caceres.
This, is perhaps not all that surprising, given that Carceres is able to play in any position across the back-four, something that Arsene Wenger tends to look for in defenders. However, he is predominantly a centre-back, a tough character and a fierce competitor.
He’s got the kind of winning personality I’d love to see at Arsenal. The club is in serious need of somebody who can organise, cajole and motivate the rest of the defense. Caceres may be the man to pull off this mighty feat.
He’s also a goal-scoring defender, much like Thomas Vermaelen, but he combines his forays forward with real defensive nous. Juve spent £6.5m on him last summer, but Arsenal will have to significantly up this figure if they’re to convince the Old Lady to sell.
But we know the club has the money to spend and given Arsenal’s pressing need and the player’s versatility, I’d say this would be a worthy investment. At 25-years-old, he’s about to enter his prime and I hope he’s at the Emirates when he does so.
What’s your take? Should Arsenal snap up Juve’s defensive behemoth, Martin Caceres?
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