Is the season a write off?
The January window has come and gone for Arsenal with the squad picture having changed for the worst in the eyes of many supporters. Let’s look at how the situation reflects on potential to perform and achieve coveted targets.
Outgoings
All outgoings have been squad players with minimal influence on squad performance this season. Mari, Chambers, Niles, Kolasinac, Aubameyang and Balogun.
More can be said about Aubameyang profile. It must be stated this is rooted in historical performances. Present day football has no room for nostalgia. Perform or be dropped. His contribution to the club has been immense since arrival from Germany and there are happy memories to go with. Honest fans with club at heart will agree with management over the decision to terminate the contract over attitude issues and lukewarm performances.
It is difficult for the club to come out and say some of these things in the open for the sake of professionalism, but contract termination is way too drastic for any club to contemplate over publicly available reasons. Juventus and Barcelona did the same to Messi and Ronaldo. Big players, big salaries and waning performances. Clubs make hard stone-cold decisions while fans can go on helium fueled bouts of sensationalism without consequences.
Strikers and goals
Social media is a festival of tears over Arsenal’s front-line options and ability to achieve champions league football. Aubameyang had a lethargic first half season in which he scored 4 goals in the Premier league. His head was not in the right place, with big misses and on field poor body language evident for all to see. Lacazette has 3 goals having started out of favor for the role. He offers better all-round attitude and work rate. While not my ideal captain, he is good for a team of talented and inexperienced young footballers. He has 6 months left on his contract but goes on like he still got three years to go. He understands the task at hand and looks eager to finish his career on a high. Looking at him going with Martinelliesque energetic vibes in Dubai only bodes well. Forget false prophecies about injuries and missing the goal with frequency, this is a player who knows where the goal is, he scored (13) more than Auba (10) in premier league last season and will put his body on the line to win matches.
It is a good thing fans are crying out for a 20-goal striker and the club went out to try and bring in someone fitting the profile. Top strikers win matches. A top performing Aubameyang makes these top 4 seasons, unfortunately we have to do with options at hand. We still have a decent front line even by comparison to close competitors. Only Liverpool clearly has better forwards in the league. Man City has spread responsibility over several players with no prolific individual. Chelsea’s top scorer in premier league has 7 goals, United have Ronaldo with 8 goals, West Ham has Antonio in similar range, Tottenham has an 8 goal top scorer as well as Emile for Arsenal. The trend has been goals being shared amongst teammates. Arsenal fans think rivals have underperformed. They have not. A good number of teams have immensely improved. West Ham had to beat Chelsea and Liverpool to be up there. You don’t go to Wolves, Palace or Villa expecting an easy win anymore.
Arsenal have good goal scoring options to safely go through our remaining 17 games. Martinelli will cause problems for teams and is not new to scoring from the center or wing. He will be way better with a regular stint. He only started playing after Auba was cast away. Emile will continue packing them in. Saka and Pepe will mean the right wing remain productive. Lacazette is a perfect foil for them. Eddie is more an insurance policy and last minute source of fresh legs than a regular, even without Lacazette playing.
League position
Arsenal sit 2 points off fourth having played a game less. Tottenham is at par having played two games less. Chelsea sits uncomfortably third having played three more than Arsenal and four more than Tottenham. Any team going on an unbeaten run will secure third. Chelsea has not been consistent enough to make third unattainable. There is very little separating wolves at 8th and Chelsea at 3rd. The core Arsenal team which has pushed this far is here having moved on from a nightmarish start.
No one gave this team a chance to be where they are today. Trust Arteta to get the best out of what he has at the moment.
Norbert