Arsenal are largely expected to splash the cash on a defender and/or goalkeeper in the summer, but perhaps the long-needed managerial change will be the answer to the problems at the back instead.
4Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti is another manager on Arsenal’s radar. He has also shown the ability to organise a team well defensively.
The teams he has managed have had the luxury of great attacking players, but their defences have also done well, and the Arsenal players could more than benefit from his expertise.
Ancelotti was criticised for sitting deep in the first leg of the 2014 Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich. The Italians call this “catenaccio,” and that style of play does not fly at Real Madrid.
When asked about this tactic, Ancelotti said “Catenaccio is not a bad word…Sometimes, catenaccio is not bad. I am Italian and we won a lot with catenaccio.”
Ancelotti is not a Mourinho type of manager; you do not win a Champions League final 4-1 by trying to kill the game off from the outset. But for Arsenal, having a manager that is willing to sacrifice playing “the right way” just every once in a while would be massively beneficial.
Knowing how to organise a team like this is an arrow that Wenger just does not have in his quiver.
Bringing in Ancelotti may help solve Arsenal’s defensive issues without having to spend north of £100m on defenders.
Arsenal have plenty of attacking players, with Özil, Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang, and Lacazette set to make a fearsome front line next season.
Where they need help is at the back. Though defensive reinforcements would certainly help, the coming managerial change may bring about a revolution at the back by itself.
The Italians have long been rocks in defence, and Arsenal should look to Ancelotti or Allegri to bring that defensive tactical acumen to North London.
Credit for quotes from FoxSports.com, statistics courtesy of FotMob