Yet again it appears that the Arsenal faithful are in for another painful and arduous season to bear, with the same recurring issues arising yet again to impede any progression this campaign.
Arsene Wenger once more faces serious problems in the depth of his squad – especially in the defensive areas following the exit of Thomas Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna and Carl Jenkinson. Yes, they have brought in good players but the depth in these areas is poor, only two right-backs back up for Debuchy. Calum Chambers is the only reserve centre-half and that has taken its tole. With suspensions and injuries the Gunners armoury is running short of supply, meaning Monreal, who is by no means a recognised centre half, has had to provide the cover for the injured Laurent Koscielny whilst Chambers takes his place on the right side in place of Mathieu Debuchy. Furthermore, the midfield has also been hit with injuries and despite their greater depth their it still leaves the Frenchman Wenger with some tricky decisions to make to replace the likes of Mesut Ozil. However, the reds have received a boost with the return of Aaron Ramsey who featured in the last gasp win in Brussels last night.
One burning issue with Arsenal’s side is that their options in defensive midfield are less than impressive. Flamini may be underrated with his work but neither him nor Mikel Arteta will provide the great defensive cover or the quality outward passes that will take your team to the very top – considering also that they have both surpasses 30 years of age this does look like trouble for the Gunners boss.
Lastly, it seems that Arsenal’s way of football is getting less and less effective against an improving Premier League. Every team is competitive now and by no means is any game a formality for anybody and Wenger’s side have left fans increasingly frustrated with dropped points to teams - that if they are to reach the very highest levels, should be beating. You could also say that Arsenal have lacked consistency in the quality of it, clearly some brilliant pieces of football have been exemplified on the pitch but it is hard to say that they are still the best at it, leaving them stuck for ideas when the going gets tough against any team they face.