Category: Squad

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