Arsenal fans will be asking, have the recent hidden flaws finally come back to the surface?
Arsenal fans are under no illusion that this current squad is not good enough to compete for the Premier league, let alone the Champions league. A home loss to Crystal Palace (although they did beat City at home too) has perhaps brought back a few home truths that had been well hidden in what has been largely, a good few months for the Gunners.
Football has changed over the years, its evolving. Way back in 1981 Aston Villa won the old First Division using just fourteen players. Today fourteen players would
leave you three short on your substitutes bench. It’s a squad game now, just having a strong first eleven is know longer a guarantee of anything whatsoever.
The ‘Wenger in’, ‘Wenger out’ debate is now just a part of the clubs history but what can’t be debated is that the squad left behind by Arsenal’s most successful
manager is just not good enough.
It may seem strange and not at all fair to blame an ex manager for a loss late in this current season but Wenger certainly has to take at least some accountability for the an Easter Sunday home defeat to a team in the lower half of the league table.
Arsenal have had to play 3 games in a week, thanks to continued progress in the Europa league. The Gunners week started with a
1-0 win at Watford, in reality a relatively poor performance that included some strange formation changes during the second half.
Arsenal have had play 3 games in a week, thanks to continued progress in the Europa league. The Gunners week started with 1-0 at Watford, in reality a relatively poor performance that included some strange formation changes during the second half.
The first clean sheet away from home this season was seen as a potential game changer for the chase for the top four and for firstly a huge confidence booster for a tough away trip to Naples.
Arsenal’s performance and Emery’s team selection and formation for the Napoli game in the San Paolo was also seen as a glimpse of what could be for Arsenal under Emery next season.
The third game of the week was viewed, wrongly as it turned out, as the easiest of the three and this is where squad rotation comes into play. Aside from the front three of Abamayeng (who had played the previous two games in full), Lacazette and Ozil the rest of the team looked decidedly iffy to say the least.
Starting at the back where Jenkinson, Mustafi and Mavrapanos all started. Although something of a fans favorite mainly because of his love for the club, Carl Jenkinson is barely good enough for the Premier league let alone a team in the top four.
The less said about Mustafi the better not just because he cost a whopping £35 million but also because he is a defender who does anything but defend. Mustafi will go down as Arsenal’s worst ever signing to date and one of the worst in the history of the Premier league.
As for the young Mavrapanos, the jury is still out. Once highly thought of inside the club, although perhaps not by current management, the young Greek central defender has missed almost two full seasons through injury and hasn't done much to convince anyone he can be the answer to the current defensive problems.
The central midfield pairing, thanks to injuries as much as rotation was the poor Mohammed Elneny and the young and quite frankly burnt out Matteo Guendouzi.
The later being the only Emery signing to be highlighted here. It’s not that the young Frenchman won't good enough even at this early stage but he came from the French second division and looks clearly knackered. He shouldn’t have played as much as he has this year, another sign of a week squad.
Throw in Alex Iwobi who came on at half time, Henrikh Mhikityran an unused sub and Sead Koslasinac who started at left wing back and you clearly have 6 players brought to the club by Arsene Wenger who are just not good enough to play for Arsenal if they have serious ambitions about challenging for the Premier league again.
Let’s just hope that the current complicated situation 'upstairs' doesn't stop Unai Emery doing what needs to be done, clearing some dead wood.
By Dave Squires
@davefalconUK
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