Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat against Southampton was a show-case for everything that’s bad about Arsene Wenger’s current side. Their attack looked ineffective without tall, physical players like Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck, their midfield was overrun by Southampton and their defense was excruciatingly bad.
What’s happened to Per Mertesacker? After a series of good performances last year, he’s devolved into a pretty lacklustre centre-back. He doesn’t win enough in the air for a man of his height, he’s slow to react in dangerous situations and he’s not half as commanding as he should be. Heck, even the usually reliable Laurent Koscielny had a bad game.
But I can’t help but feel that Arsenal’s problems start in the centre-of-the-park. Players like Santi Cazorla and Alex Oxlaide Chamberlain aren’t up for any physical battles, and The Gunners’ current crop of defensive midfielders have often been found lacking.
Mathieu Flamini is too short and slow to make a major impact in tough games. Mikel Arteta isn’t a natural defensive midfielder. Then there’s Francis Coquelin, who’s energetic and tough, but probably not a long-term option for Arsene Wenger.
If The Professor could sign a top class talent in this area, his back-four would have to soak up less pressure and would be less prone to making game-changing mistakes. Arsenal have already conceded too many goals this season and to prevent this happening in the future, they need to stop dangerous attacks at source (rather than waiting for the inevitable goal-mouth scrabble).
Since the January transfer window opened, The Gunners have been strongly linked with a move for Atletico Madrid midfielder, Mario Suarez. Is he the solution they need?
I’m not entirely convinced. The Spaniard played 22 games for Atletico Madrid last season as his team swept aside the competition and won the La Liga title. This year, he’s hardly had a look in at the Vincente Calderon Stadium. He’s sunk lower and lower down the pecking order to the extent that it seems he’ll need a loan move to rescue his career.
With his lack of regular game time in recent years and the fact that he’s not considered to be good enough for Atletico, I’m not sure why Arsenal would be interested.
Remember when Arsene Wenger signed Kim Kallstrom last season? This could prove to be a similar case. I only hope that he opts to aim higher this January. Why sign a passenger when you can bring in a player who can make a major impact this year?
What’s your take? Is Mario Suarez really the answer for Arsenal?
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