In their opening game of the season, Arsenal lost 2-0 to a West Ham team that has failed to win against the Gunners in their last 14 attempts. The fans at the Emirates were left wanting as the North London side failed to convert any one of their 21 attempts at goal. Shockingly, of those 21 attempts, only five were on target.
Heading into this campaign, Arsenal had been named by some as the favorites to win the league. The addition of goalkeeper Petr Cech and the return of several injured players made many believe that Arsenal have what it takes to top the table at the end of the season. It is too early to count Arsenal down and out though, only three years ago Arsenal suffered a similar defeat to Aston Villa before buying Mesut Ozil and finishing in the top four.
What needs to be addressed after this seemingly embarrassing loss to the Hammers?
1) Benzema could be the answer:
Arsene Wenger continues to employ a strategy with only one centre forward. Currently, his options are Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud, both of which are better with support rather than on their own.
Walcott has speed and the ability to break past defenders, but his solo ability is not his strong point; in need of assistance from the midfield and out wide, Walcott is dependent on linking up during one of his deep runs. Similarly, Giroud is a terror in the box but is unable to beat anyone with speed. If Wenger would finally close the deal with Benzema, could his playmaking ability benefit the fire power of Arsenal’s strikers?
2) Arsenal need to go back to basics:
This match lacked much of what Arsenal did well last season, create. The ability of the midfield players to create chances was completely absent on Sunday. Having played the full 90 minutes, both Santi Cazorla and Ozil were rarely on the ball in space. This may have been due to the tactics implemented, or some selfish play by Aaron Ramsey at times, but neither midfielder was able to make their presence felt.
Unlike Cazorla and Ozil, Alexis Sanchez came off the bench in the 67th minute and never looked comfortable; constant turnovers and tentative shot taking highlighted his time in the game.
3) Aaron Ramsey may be dropped:
Yes, Ramsey has solid abilities on the ball, but more times than not those abilities lead to over thinking, over dribbling and a high rate of turnovers. The Welsh international is rarely removed from the field despite occasional poor play and today is a perfect example of this.
With the injury prone Jack Wilshere struggling through yet another injury, it will be down to Wenger and Arsenal well to remove Ramsey and supplant Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to this position if needed.
4) Moving Oxlade-Chamberlain to right-back should be avoided:
As Sanchez came on, Chamberlain was moved to the right-back position, but why? Arguably the most aggressive and best player up leading up to this moment, Wenger decided to move him to right-back in hopes of creating late and deep runs into the West Ham area. Was moving the most offensive minded player of the match to the back while being down 2-0 a good idea? This move may indicate that either the squad depth is not quite there, or Wenger did not expect to be in the situation Arsenal found themselves in.
A fully fit Hector Bellerin starting the game may have meant a different tactic but, with Chamberlain doing this previously, Arsene Wenger needs to work out if this is the best solution when chasing a game.
5) Petr Cech made two mistakes but will improve:
Newboy Petr Cech succumbed to two mental mistakes and cost the Gunners the game in the eyes of many. In reality, Cech was making his first appearance at the Emirates and may have been feeling nervous despite being an acomplished player.
Additionally, the poor play of the back four led Cech to making mistakes. Specifically, the second goal was caused by Oxlade-Chamberlain giving the ball away on the edge of the box, which left Cazorla, Per Mertsesacker and Laurent Koscielny flat footed. The subsequent strike from Mauro Zarate found the net as Cech was unable to commit to the near post.
Was Cech at fault for the second goal? Not entirely as the poor giveaway along with some sloppy and lazy play from the back four resulted in the shot, but the former Chelsea man might have done better. Cech will find his footing soon and much of it will be due to his comfort level increasing with his back line and the familiarity between defense and keeper growing.
A 2-0 loss to a lesser side is not the way any side wants to start a season but every fixture is a difficult one in England. What this result did is highlight the needs of more additions, particularly up front and at the back. With Hector Bellerin out injured, Wenger was forced to start Mathieu Debuchy, who missed the majority of last season with an injury of his own. The back four is in need and hopefully help can come in the form of Gabriel.
Whatever the case may be with the summer transfer window, the result may force Wenger’s hand if he truly wants to contest for the title. Look for the rumours to swirl regarding Benzema and the critics to bash Cech, but remember, this was merely one of 38 games. The chances of top-class football is unlikely until the season really gets going in September. Hopes should remain high and expectations will grow even larger when Arsenal finally do flash their caliber.