If Ivan Gazidis is to make good on the change he promised this summer, then Arsenal must aim to improve the weakest areas of their team – at this point in time, that would be central midfield.
Francis Coquelin – the defensive lieutenant
If Wenger is hoping to mount a title challenge then changes must be rung; and the first personnel he should look to improve is at defensive midfield.
Arsenal will have to, at times, admit that they are not the best footballing side on the pitch.
With Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp fine-tuning their playing style, Arsene may need to adopt a counter attacking approach with a strong midfield duo. Xhaka is a perfect component in a counter attacking side. However, Arsenal do not have a defensive midfielder of requisite quality to assist him in his midfield duties.
Coquelin seems to divide opinion hugely.
When paired with Cazorla in 2015, the French midfielder seemed the perfect counterbalance to the diminutive Spaniard. However, rash bookings, poor game management and slowness of thought in his passing game has led to grumblings amongst the crowd.
Aside from an excellent performance against Stoke at the backend of last season, Coquelin failed to impress. With Xhaka dictating from deep, Coquelin was tasked with breaking up play higher up the pitch. However, when he succeeded in winning possession, his limited range of passing often resulted in him simply recycling possession.
N’golo Kante changed the game last year. Although many would have argued in the past that you didn’t need to be six foot plus to play as a defensive midfielder, it is now widely accepted that the best defensive midfielder in the world is only five and a half feet tall.
According to figures from TalkSport, Arsenal were the 18th tallest team in the Premier League last season – with only Manchester City and Bournemouth finishing below them. Arsenal’s standings in this regard may drop further if rumours of Giroud’s departure turn out to be true.
The industrial revolution of the defensive midfielder has shown that hard work, a brain and a self-sacrificing awareness is enough to succeed. Gone are the days of the lumbering, graceless, unwieldy eight foot mountain that has more testosterone than brain cells. This is not to say that height cannot be an advantage, merely that an astute brain is the primary aspect. Knowledge is power.
Arsenal should therefore seek a player who has the quality to play as a defensive midfielder – and if he happens to be an eight foot monster, then all the better.
Although Premier League teams will be asked to pay a premium on any transfer this season, there does seem to be an abundance of defensive midfielders at clubs outside of the elite who could force a move for a reasonable fee…