Usually, when a team cedes a seemingly commanding lead, the narrative follows that they dropped a point or two. But in case of the Gunners, even losing out on all 3 points may not be a surprise to many, owing to its defence- An area of concern for a substantial period of time.
Arsenal acquired David Luiz for a bargain (comparing the £72 million that had been splashed out on Nicolas Pepe!). The fans at Emirates were ecstatic that their problems would be solved after acquiring this reliable veteran for £8 million, especially after coming off from impressive performances lately. But the problems aggravated even more than before and let all his ‘new’ fans down with a string of disappointing performances, which has been rather surprising to the football fraternity, due to the reputation he possesses as one of the best defenders of his generation. They desperately needed a prominent figure, a reliable defender, about whom the defence of the club would revolve and who would anchor the team to victories, in the same way as the Holland sensation Virgil van Dijk is for Liverpool. In-fact Van Dijk has even found out a new, reliable partner in the rising Joe Gomez, with veteran Dejan Lovren as a backup.
Jurgen Klopp, in an interview, said that Joe is incredibly talented, and that they make a great pair and play sensationally well together. Arsenal lack both a prominent, reliable veteran as well a young defender rising up the ranks.
Staggeringly, for a club with ambitions of finishing at least in the top four, Arsenal have allowed more shots on their goal this season than any other team in the Premier League. Even acquiring the services of Antoine Griezmann would do no good if the defence continues to leak goals at this pace. To add to their misery, they do not have a world class goalkeeper like Alisson or Jan Oblak. Bernd Leno’s indecisiveness has been heavily criticized by the fans at Emirates and many experts pointed out his poor command of the box and his weak crosses. But he’s quick off his line and capable of playing as a sweeper, in addition to his quick reflexes and athleticism. These qualities, when fine-tuned would transform him into a world class keeper between the sticks.
So, Arsenal would have to address this problem as soon as possible, by either bringing in renowned defenders or encouraging the available defenders to perform to their utmost potential, to compete among the Premier League heavyweights. They possess exciting young Gunners in Bukayo Saka and the new loanee Pablo Mari, the 26-year-old Spaniard, who made the temporary switch to the Gunners in January following a successful stint in Brazilian football. Marri has proven himself capable of playing in the front-foot side that Arteta wants to build at the Emirates and the fact that he is left-footed will surely plug a hole in the leaking defence. This will allow his Brazilian defensive partner, David Luiz, to move onto his natural side.
4 goals and 8 assists in 1721 minutes of football in all competitions, this 18-year old England international, Bukayo Saka, has emerged as one of the silkiest left-backs of this generation. His ability to be simultaneously intense and calm has impressed many football pundits around. Saka’s contract expires in the summer of 2021 and moreover, Borussia Dortmund are reportedly interested in the services of Saka, having kept an eye on him for a long time. The Gunners are hopeful of keeping hold of the youngster in the future, and Arteta must make sure it happens, by signing a new contract with this starlet. This 18-year old academy product has enjoyed a terrific breakthrough campaign, solving the Gunners’ injury crisis at left-back.
They are probably the future of Arsenal’s defence, they need to be groomed and should help them realize that this situation provides them an ideal opportunity to shine and rise among the very best in business.
Without an established defence line, the Gunners will continue to be the Architects of their own destruction…
