Arsenal’s new messiah Mesut Özil celebrates his assist with Olivier Giroud
Like the second coming of the son of God the arrival of Mesut Özil was greeted by supporters with jubilation, joy and sheer disbelief, and by the multitude of cynics, with fear, trepidation and grudging respect. Here was a player that was not potentially a star, not a work in progress or not even a panicked last minute Wenger buy but a true bonified world class star. A player who in a team of galaticos stood out as one who, rather than shrinking under the brightest, most demanding lights in football, actually grew brighter and reveled in the tag, and he was coming to Arsenal. When the news was announced Tottenham fans across the globe felt a sudden deflation, as if the joy of all of their big signings, of the team that they had put together which would virtually guarantee a top four finish if not a tilt at the title itself, and who would finally put the Arsenal hoodoo behind them, had been swept away in one foul swoop. The mood around Emirates, sullen and despondent prior to the Aston Villa match, as if news had just filtered through that Nicklas Bendtner had been offered a new luctrative contract; suddenly turned full circle. The fans got a spring in their step, pride returned to their voice, the club had finally emerged from the self imposed weight of the Emirates Stadium debt and into the light of the modern footballing world and the statement had been made.
Will Arsenal fans be forced to endure some more classic Bendtner moments.
Media outlets across the globe hailed the signing, as did the bevy of Arsenal starlets, who wasted no time gushing over their new hero as if teenage girls tweeting about One Directions imminent arrival at their school for a private show. Arsenal it was said were now a genuine challenger, capable of winning not just the Premier League but also potentially the Champions League. The perceived turnaround was quite simply astonishing.
But for all the headlines and good will generated by the Özil signing, there remains serious concerns that the squad at Arsene Wengers disposal has been covered by the thinnest of papers.
Mathieu Flamini was a perfect signing for bolstering the squads flagging numbers
Every year in the premiership it seems a team of plucky battlers fight their way into a position on the table where they have no right being in. They capture the imagination of the country and fill fantasy football teams with their cut price players. Miraculously these teams manage to squeeze into Europa League (or in Everton’s case a few years back, Champions League places) and leave their fans to dream of next season’s European adventures. Every year these teams are hailed by pundits for their daring play but also warned of the perils of European competition for those not prepared, the long flights, the challenging fixtures in faraway lands and the physical costs on squads of playing a game every three days. Almost every time the warnings turn out to be true. The plucky teams endeavor to battle on two fronts and soon find that themselves slipping down the table as the weight of injuries, fatigue and unsuitably qualified benches take their toll. This is the trap that Arsenal now find themselves facing on the day of their first Champions League fixture against Marseille.
Players like Emmanuel Frimpong are simply not good enough for a team like Arsenal
In the off season Arsenal sold or loaned out some ten of their first team squad. Many or most of these were simply not good enough for a club of Arsenal’s stature but in terms of squad depth were considered essential to a team facing League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup matches. In their stead Wenger recruited four players, Özil, Mathieu Flamini, Emiliano Viviano and Yaya Sanogo, representing a rather large reduction in the size of their first team squad. This leaves Wenger a first team squad of around 29 players (taken from the Arsenal website), seemingly enough to travail the pitfalls of so many competitive fixtures. But is it. A quick look at the names and the positions reveal some alarming truths. Arsenal only have seven defenders in their first team squad, leaving a mere three reserves should the full complement be available and less should there be injuries. In the striker position, ably filled by a rejuvenated Olivier Giroud, the lack of depth is even more alarming, with a real possibility of catastrophically cocky Nicklas Bendtner being called into action in a crunch match should someone get injured. There is also concerns in the midfield department where, despite appearing well stocked, it is full of players who are just as accustomed to taking shots administered for various ailments as they are making tackles on the pitch.
While the Özil signing can be seen as the marker for a new era at Arsenal. An era where the club no longer sells its best players to keep the budget in the black but actually looks to bring in world class talent, the fact of the matter is that Wenger has allowed his squad to become perilously thin, particulaly considering the poor injury record at Emirates for the last few seasons.Arsenal do have a starting team capable of mixing it with the very best on their day but they will find they have a number of days where their best squad is not available and if those waiting in the wings are at least not close to the quality of those they are replacing then Arsenal will find themselves slipping out of competitions and sliding down the Premier League table before they have a chance to get the squad the improvements it needs.
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