Why Arsenal are a step away from being title challengers
Arsenal are a top team, there is no doubting it. They have a seemingly perfect blend of English and international talent, young and experienced players. Their formidable defence consisting of the likes of Koscielny and Mertesacker has been consolidated last season with signings like Gabriel, Debuchy and Chambers while Academy players such as Bellerin have risen up to provide significant competition for the first team.
Their midfield is a striker’s dream with high-quality players like Ozil, Sanchez, Ramsey and Cazorla driving at the defence not even mentioning players like Oxlade-Chamberlain and Wilshere who have world class potential but have yet to fulfill it. Arsenal’s major weakness last season was their goalkeeper and Arsene Wenger has pulled off a master stroke by signing Petr Cech, a Chelsea legend who has more than proven his worth over the years as evidenced so far this season.
Arguably the only positions Arsenal need to fill to mount a genuine title challenge this season are a first team superstar striker and a back-up defensive midfielder. While Theo Walcott is more than sufficient as a back-up option upfront, Olivier Giroud seriously looks as if he can’t cut it in big matches at a club like Arsenal. It is a frequent occurrence for him to go missing when he is desperately needed by his team.
He needs to be replaced by a player who is not only confident in his own abilities but is also a proven world class striker. That player could well prove to be Karim Benzema.
Arsene Wenger is known to work wonders with classical French strikers(a la Thierry Henry) and Benzema finally gets to be a mainstay in a top team rather than a sub note to Cristiano Ronaldo.
A back up defensive midfielder is a much tougher ask, though. Francis Coquelin would have been the surprise of last season had it not been for Harry Kane and was arguably one of the best players in not only Arsenal but the entire league once he was recalled from loan. Mikel Arteta though is a backroom presence and nothing else and doesn’t appear suited to a club of Arsenal’s pedigree.
A left field choice which would perfectly suit Arsenal would be Mile Jedinak. A player who arguably kept up Crystal Palace in the top flight for the majority of the last two seasons, he is old enough not to challenge Coquelin for the first team, yet proven enough in the top flight to make an able replacement should Coquelin get injured or suspended. Also a player like Victor Wanyama would appeal to Wenger.
The renaissance at Emirates is truly underway. The only question is just when can Arsenal’s next golden age truly begin.