Dembele?

There’s probably no chance that Ousmane Dembele will join Arsenal anytime soon. But on the very slight chance he does, how about we talk a little Dembele?

 

Dembele

POSITIVES

He is equally comfortable with both feet, meaning he’d give us the option of cutting in or stretching the opposition. Although he likes playing on the right, he can also play on the left. He is phenomenally quick and an excellent dribbler. He has good play-making attributes as well as the required amount of directness. We have been crying out aloud for pace on the flanks, and have relied on Bellerin for that. The team also lacks that sort of natural width that comes with playing wingers in the team. We also don’t have a lot of dribblers to be fair. Our best one is probably Iwobi, and he’s really not good enough to be the best dribbler on the team. This tells us more about the squad than it does about Iwobi. Moreover, having Dembele would give another dimension to our attack. More directness and pace on the flanks, not to mention width. In the big games, we need someone who brings the X-factor. Chelsea has a Hazard, and, sadly, we had Sanchez. Now he’s gone and there is no one to fill in. the connection between Auba and Dembele was evident when they were at Borussia together. Dembele has already played at a top level for quite some time so the transition would also be much easier.

NEGATIVES

As is the case with many of the greats, as good as he is, Dembele has some shortcomings to his game. He has disciplinary problems. It was evident during his move to Barcelona, and his time so far at Barcelona. Of course, in most of the games, you can afford to let Dembele off the hook for not tracking back, but the big teams will punish you, and we cannot afford that. We are already a shaky defense, and an undisciplined winger would expose us even more. He also is very very wasteful. His final product needs some refining. His decision making in the penalty box is getting better, but given his potential, he should be chipping in way more goals and assists. My final doubt is if he will be able to adapt to the physicality of the English Game.

VERDICT

Despite all his flaws and shortcomings, Dembele is still a phenomenal player and is still just 21 years old. All his flaws should be addressed as he matures. He brings another dimension to our game and has enormous potential, but whether Barca let us have the biggest coup is another question.

Assesments

We have had a decent season so far. Our unbeaten run is extended to 17 games(13 wins and 4 draws). That’s impressive, but, hey, that includes our Europa League campaign so its not all big games. Since January is coming soon how about we talk reinforcements. The one position I believe that needs to bolstering is Striker. With Nketiah, AUba, and Lacazette all in contention, the Striker position has so much quality and depth. The attack is pretty good, but the potential is untapped. We have no wingers. Our “wide players” so far have been Welbeck, Auba, Mkhi, Ozil, and Iwobi. But they all have something in common: they like to come inside. Which crowds the center and congests the park even more. And all of them are not very good dribblers, Iwobi excluded. Ozil has off matches, but we have the depth to at least make it till the summer transfer window.

The No.10 role is also pretty good. We have Iwobi, Ozil, and, sooner or later, Smithe-Rowe too. Mkhitarian is terrible, but let’s hope we manage to get rid of him in January. Our Pivot also seems to be pretty decent. For the controller, we have Xhaka, Guendouzi, Maitland-Niles, and Willock. The latter too offering another dimension. Niles’ speed, athleticism, technique, and strength in the tackle adds a different dimension to our pivot as we have seen in the defeat to Man United last season. For the Spoiler, however, we only have Torreira.

Defense-wise, it’s been a travesty. The one thing that has been bailing us is that our attack is firing. We just keep conceding. Sokratis has made his impact and both Holding and Mustafi have greatly taken their game up a notch. But with Koscielny still not ready for premier league action, our center-back pairing is sluggish. We have seen Adama Traore humiliate our center-backs, as did many other players. Left-back is still an issue. Kolasinac is too vulnerable defensively. Monreal is being outmuscled and physically dominated week in week out, and his attacking-game is not great either. Niles is a decent option, but he is only a short-term option. A left-footed player would give the team an extra dimension when playing out from the back, and Niles doesn’t offer that. Moreover, it would kill his potential to be playing him out of position.

Generally speaking, Arsenal has transformed into a more aggressive side and have shown real promise, but there is still a long way to go if we dream of the Premier League trophy or the Champions League final. To maintain our surge for the title or at least a guaranteed Champions League spot, we need a new pacy centerback, left-back, and spoiler.

Too Much Optimism?

This season began with us saying “we’ll win the league.” Then came 2 defeats against City and Chelsea. We got a reality check. Ever since we haven’t been beaten. Xhaka has drastically improved, but I do believe we are too optimistic about him. He has a good passing range and unleashes our fullbacks into space with his pinpoint long-balls, and given that we lack wingers, his importance to our play is even more invaluable. Sure, he is always looking to play the ball forwards and his stats are remarkable in this sense. And yes, he did put in an impeccable showing against Liverpool, but Wolves just gave Xhaka and us a reality check. But, despite his improvements, he is pretty much the same player-just slightly better. He still has his lapses in concentration. He is dribbled past too many times, and he just isn’t athletic enough to evade the press. His loss of possession against wolves is the perfect reminder. He does not look over his shoulder enough. He is currently doing a good job being the controller in our double pivot alongside Torreira, but he isn’t someone who can be a long-term solution to our problems. Enter Matteo Guendouzi, a strong athletic controller with good passing range. Guendouzi is certainly the future of Arsenal’s midfield alongside Torreira. He is certainly more athletic, dribbles better, and wouldn’t get dribbled past as much. And I do believe he would help us much better when building up from the back as he can dribble his way out of the press-something we have seen in preseason. Of course, Guendouzi is not ready to be a regular premier league starter, but he has shown signs of his potential. Hopefully, he gets minutes as a sub and hones his trade. He still, of course, has problems with his positional discipline and decision making in the final third, but, hey, he’s only 19. With a little Emery one-on-one, he should be able to address his flaws and become the athletic controller our pivot is desperately crying out for.

Seven out of seven

For the first time in a couple of months, I no longer fear surprise defeats in the hands of a team outside the big six. Arsenal’s defense has improved. Torreira has offered great screening for the back four and has freed Xhaka. Lacazette-even though he isn’t scoring much-still continues to make an impact. His physical presence against Watford was necessary. The team is generally improving. The past seven games show how far we have come. We win ugly at times. Let’s hope this renaissance continues.

 

Just like any other day, there were players who had a great game, and there were players who were anonymous. So let me name a few players.

 

  1. Rob Holding

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When Tony Adams said that Rob Holding was the key to solving Arsenal’s defensive woes, I did not believe the man. I was like “What is he talking about?” I’m glad I was proven wrong. He has been improving every game. He dealt with Deeney and Gray really well. His positioning was great and relished the physical challenge. His only bad performance was when Success beat him to a through ball only to steer it wide out of goal. He made an amazing block to deny Watford, and I think this is just the beginning of Holding’s future. To be honest, I think Holding is already better than Mustafi. Mustafi was once a superstar, but now he is a clown. With Holding’s rise and Koscielney’s return, our defense will only get tighter. Once Koscielney’s is back in the XI, his speed will help make up for Holding’s sluggishness.

 

  1. Lucas Torreira

Torreira

Lucas Torreira did what was required of him. He broke up play and stopped attacks. He got booked yesterday too, but it was a good performance. He had some neat passes and he brought his fighter game to the game. Watford were very physical, but Torreira mitigated their threat. He has freed Xhaka of his responsibilities and brought the best out of Xhaka. Torreira already has 2 yellow cards, let’s hope he doesn’t miss a big match.

 

  1. Mesut Ozil

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Sadly, I am not going to be singing praises to Ozil. He keeps getting goals, but Stats aren’t everything in the game. He was anonymous for the most part until Ramsey vacated the No.10 role. After Ramsey’s withdrawal, Ozil began to shine a little, but I’m afraid this isn’t good enough. This isn’t good enough for our highest earner. I am frustrated with Ozil’s game. We should cash in on him. He should raise about 40 Million Euros. We would use that money to sign a desperately needed Winger. Plus we already have lots of creativity in our books: Iwobi, Xhaka, Smith-Rowe, and Mkhitarian.

 

  1. Aaron Ramsey

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Our longest serving player hasn’t been exactly brilliant or even okay yesterday. He was anonymous for the most part, but I wouldn’t blame it on him entirely. He is just not suited to the No.10 role. It is taking a big part of his game. No more long runs and catching through balls. Ramsey is an all action box-to-box midfielder and he isn’t suited to the advanced role. In our current 4-2-3-1, there isn’t space for Ramsey in the 2 man Pivot. Xhaka’s passing game is indispensable and Toreirra’s importance is ineffable. But I would keep my faith in Ramsey. By January, we should be able to sign a winger: Pepe, Sanchez, Carrasco or Sarr. I don’t know who. Once we sign a winger, we should revert back to a 3 man midfield. That would put Ramsey on the right of the three man midfield and restore his attacking threat. Let’s hope we manage to tie him down. If we can’t, we should raise about 30 million Euros in January, and combining that with our January budget we should have around 45 million Euros to sign Ndombele. Yes, I said it-Ndombele.

 

  1. Iwobi

Iwobi

Undoubtedly the best dribbler on the team, Iwobi’s game has lacked decision making in the final third.  He is technically gifted and strong, bur his confidence took a hit in the late Wenger era. Under Emery, however, Iwobi has been reborn. His touch has improved, he added goals and assists to his game, and became more direct. Once he came in, Iwobi pushed Watford’s flying fullbacks back and tilted the playing field in favor of Arsenal. Iwobi undoubtedly has the talent; the problem is his confidence. But, it seems that he has regained his confidence. Iwobi is very technical, and can work within tight spaces. I’m glad we tied him down. Let’s hope he fulfills his potential.

 

  1. Bernd Leno

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Cech’s blunders last season drove me crazy. His passing game was a travesty. He let a goal in more often than not, and he was just horrible. So we forked out around a reported 20 million Euros for Leno. You would be thinking for all that money he would slot in to the first team. But, no! Emery is still playing Cech.  We haven’t seen Leno in the premier league until Yesterday. He was superb yesterday. He made an amazing save to deny Deeney, and his distribution was good. Petr Cech’s injury just might be a blessing in disguise. I thing we are seeing glimpses of why we paid for Leno’s services. I hope he can usurp the spot between the sticks from Cech.

 

 

 

 

 

Call time on Bellerin?

It doesn’t seem so long when Bellerin was our wonder-kid. He was lightning quick, a good outlet, and had quick feet to tackle. We have seen his development, and then his decline. I am afraid we have seen more of the latter. Emery rates him; no surprise he is starting despite his terrible performances. Last season, Sane has tortured him, and Bellerin has failed to rise to the occasion. He was exposed by almost every opponent. His crossing is inconsistent. He keeps playing the attackers onside. It is just irritating. We may have to call time here.

Of course, I admire his loyalty. He turned down Barca and City for Arsenal. He is suffering from the Walcott effect. He set the expectations high but failed to live up. To be fair to Bellerin, he is still an okay fullback. His offensive play is decent. He is one of the best-attacking right-backs. But I still believe he has the potential to be a world beater. Trippier wasn’t always excellent. He became world class just recently.  Bellerin has the potential to be even better than Trippier. He has lost some of his speed, because of bulking up in the gym and the ankle injury. But if he stays lean and fit, Bellerin should develop into a better player.

If not, like I always say, we have January. Bellerin will raise around 40-50 million, which should be enough to get a decent right back.

Do we need yet another keeper?

This transfer window got us all like “we killed it”. Unfortunately, City gave us a reality check. On paper, we have a very good squad. It is just mediocre on the pitch. Cech’s passing game last season was a travesty. He also made some big mistakes. So what did we do? We signed Bernd Leno from Leverkusen. He came for around 22 million. But so far, he hasn’t featured in any competitive game.

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Leno’s distribution is outstanding; we know that for sure. We also know that he is a very good shot-stopper. He has shown his ability against Schalke and many other top teams. Oblak wasn’t a starter at first; he had to wait until Moya was injured. And Leno will, no doubt, impress when his time comes.  He will need time to adapt to a new league of course: new language, different game, culture, and many more. But I think he can handle it. Cech isn’t getting any younger, and his powers are fading. His shot stopping abilities are on the decline, and his passing game is terrible at best.

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In the game against city, we all wondered had Leno started. Cech is a terrible passer, but that was okay in the past. We were under so much pressure, since Cech couldn’t pick out a pass. What if Leno had started? There were so many 3 vs 3 situations had Cech seen them and picked out a pass. But what he did was almost score an own goal. To be fair to Cech, he had some quality saves, but that isn’t enough at a top club like Arsenal.

We still have a few months until January, and until then we should see Leno perform. My bet is that he will rise to the occasion. If not, we have the January window to sign a yet another keeper.

There is Promise

The last 2 years have been bitter to us fans. We haven’t seen a minute of champions league football. But we have done better than the Spurs. Eh? We have managed 2 trophies, albeit the FA cup, while they have none. But there is promise. What is he talking about? Well, I am just one hell of a fan who is just trying to cheer you guys up. Wenger has a long history of developing talent, and this year we have seen a lot of promise in our youngsters. We are a melting pot of talent. And we need it; after all, we can’t out-muscle city financially. So without further ado, here are 3 young players with great potential.

Reiss Nelson
You guys have probably heard about him a lot. Reiss is currently out on loan at Hoffenheim, and Julian Naggelsman has a reputation for developing young players. This may be good for him. Reiss is a right-footed winger. He is not a traditional winger though. He likes to cut inside and okay through balls. He is not big, but he uses his size to his advantage. He is a very good dribbler, fast, and everything you want in a winger We may have a “Hazard in the making” on our hands. He is very much like Jadon Sancho. Reiss can play both on the left and right. He has excelled in pre-season. Who can forget his solo run against Atletico? Well, let’s hope he makes it. Thank god we managed to secure his future.

Nelson

 

 

2. Eddie Nketiah

In Eddie Nketiah, we have a bonafide finisher. He is calm and ruthless in front of goal. May be being the first player born after Wenger took over at Arsenal to score is a sign. After being snapped up from Chelsea, Nketiah has proven to be good business.  But he has shown how good he is when he saved Arsenal from humiliation in Norwich’s hands after scoring 2 goals in the final minutes. In the game against Lazio,  the way he beat his marker is quite impressive for a young player. He was not overwhelmed. His finishing against PSG was also immaculate. Not a lot of people would have thought that it would be Nketiah who would be doing this. He is everything you need in a striker. He is quick, direct, technically gifted, and, most importantly, he is an excellent finisher. Best of luck, Eddie!

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3 Emile Smith-Rowe

Another superstar in the making is Smithe-Rowe. He is an attacking midfielder who is very much like Jack Wilshere . His stunner against Atletico shows how good he is, and what his potential is. He is everything you want in a number 10. He isn’t lethargic as Ozil. He covers great distances, puts in a tackle, and presses. First team football is a stretch for him at this stage. But he should get minutes in the FA Cup, Carbao cup, and the Europa League. If he continues to impress, he should get a few minutes as a sub in the premier league. The rest is up to him.

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Best of luck!

Xhaka Still Continues To Divide Opinion

In 2016, Wenger opted to sign Granit Xhaka instead of N’golo Kante. They both came for almost the same price, and at the time Xhaka seemed to be the better bargain. He seemed to do the impossible-pin-point long balls to his teammates, was solid defensively, and he was his club’s youngest captain. He seemed to be an upgrade to Coquelin who was only a destroyer at the middle of the park at that time. Coquelin had a limited skill set. Generally, Xhaka’s arrival was necessary for a team who lacked steel in their midfield. He seemed to be an upgrade on Coquelin.

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In the 2016/17 season, Coquelin put in a season average of 2.5 tackles and 1.8 interceptions. That was quite impressive, but that was all Coquelin seemed to do. A season average of 0.5 key passes, 1.1 long balls, and 0 through balls is alarming. In the 2015/16 season, Xhaka produced a whopping 2.5 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game. A season average of 7.4 long balls, 0.8 key passes, and 0.1 through balls is certainly an upgrade. And to be fair to Xhaka, there are a lot of aspects of his game that numbers don’t show. His lofted balls to fullbacks are priceless to a team who has lacked a bit of directness and width. Bellerin’s attacking game is great because of Xhaka, and the same is true for Kolasinac’s and Monreal’s attacking games. His control of the game is also great. He puts in decent defensive work, and, most importantly, if Wenger decided to spend 30-36 million on Xhaka, he must be special.

In his first season at Arsenal Xhaka was quite decent to be fair; he got 2.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions. He has made some big mistakes in big games. He’s no Coquelin but he brought another dimension to Arsenal. He was physical, great in the air, and he was a good shooter from distance. But he had his weaknesses to his game as does any other player. He is very slow and sometimes loses the ball in risky areas. He had the tendency to get sent off. In Borussia Monchengladbach, his flaws were complemented by pairing him with Dahoud, now at BVB. They were a great pair in the double pivot. Xhaka did not have to cover as much ground as he does now, and his team played to his strengths.

In the 2017/18 season, Xhaka has refined his game. He got booked less and improved his defensive game and overall game. He under-performed when it mattered the most. But it really wasn’t his fault. He is simply not a holding midfielder; he is a deep-lying play-maker. He may not be fleet-footed like Wilshere or ubiquitous as Ramsey, but he does know how to get the ball forward. Arsenal is not the same team without him. They lack penetration. His lofted balls are an asset to the team especially when they play with teams who park the bus. He also offers good protection for a CM, to be honest; not a lot of CM’s can surpass Xhaka’s defensive contribution. The problem is when he is compared to the true DM’s. He is no Kante or Ndidi when it comes to destroying the attacks, but Kante and Ndidi don’t come even close to his playmaking abilities.

 

It is fair to say Xhaka could do better, but he isn’t being helped by his manager. There is a reason why he plays better for Switzerland than he does for Arsenal. He doesn’t have a true defensive midfielder alongside him at Arsenal. This season we might see some promise, as we have signed a true defensive midfielder in the form of Lucas Torreira. And we have seen glimpses of what may be the new Xhaka when he plays alongside Torreira. Maybe, just maybe, we may have got the better bargain. But for the time being, he continues to divide opinion.

 

Michael B Getaneh