Michael Preston
I am neither an AKB nor an AMG. I suspect I am part of the silent majority that has a high regard for the manager, has enjoyed the style of play that (at least until recently) has been so widely admired and entertaining to watch, and revels in the memory of his achievements while still at Highbury. Like the rest of that majority, however, I have become baffled at much of his recent strategy and many of his recent decisions. Sunday became a flashpoint for so many supporters because it appeared to typify a decision-making process that none of us understands and that neither the Club nor the manager wishes to share with us.
The purpose of this piece is not to rehearse any of the arguments either about Sunday or how we have got to this point. Nor is it to speculate on what will happen to the Club – and the captain – if we finish out of the top four, nor even to give vent to my personal hobby-horse, which is why the Club has apparently set its face against reinforcing the squad with another top-class striker. Others with far more knowledge of football than I have already covered these topics and will doubtless continue to do so for a long time to come. Rather, it is to stand back and look at the strength of the playing staff and, dispassionately, to take stock of its potential for the future.
Ignoring the usual suspects, of whom both the supporters and the Club wish to get rid, and focusing only on those we should be keeping, our staff (or at least those the supporters know about in any meaningful sense) falls into three age-categories – the old, the middle-aged and the young. In the first category come RvP, Arteta, Mertesacker and Sagna. I am assuming that the Club wishes to retain RvP and that there is no hidden agenda to sell him off. Of course, we cannot rely on his remaining, but he is there for now. Arteta, on the other hand, will be there for as long as we need him, and, even if he is not Cesc, is well worth his place. Mertesacker has his detractors, but any player who has represented Germany 70 times and continues to hold his place in that team is good enough for my squad. Sagna is a “no-brainer” for our A-list. No-one else in the “old” category gets onto that list.
Among the middle-aged, we have Vermaelen, Koscielny, Song, Gervinho and Santos. The first two of these are bankers for the A-list, particularly when played in position. The other three have their naysayers, but each would find a place in almost any other English club’s squad. There is still improvement in Song (who, in my opinion, does not fully merit the criticism he gets) while both Gervinho and Santos are both in their first season in English football. Each has had that first season interrupted for different reasons, but both show verve and a willingness to attack the ball that ties up defenders and keeps them on the back foot. If they can show the improvement that Koscielny has shown with an English winter under his belt, we have far more positives than negatives to look forward to.
We then come to the youngsters. Leading the pack are Wilshere, Ramsey, Szczesny, and Chamberlain, with Coquelin and Frimpong not far behind. If, maybe, Ramsey has been a little erratic through overuse, he is nevertheless a terrific prospect, and I doubt any supporter would wish to drop him or any of these others from the squad. Close behind are Miquel, Jenkinson and Yennaris, all of whom have shown promise and application in some tough circumstances. These three are not yet A-list players, but, as back-ups or subs, they bring a lot to the table and are not out of place in the squad.
There are then the three question-marks – Diaby, Gibbs and Walcott. Of these, the first two have demonstrated talent but a proneness to injury that means we have not been able to judge them over an extended period. Walcott, on the other hand, has been very well exposed to view and continues to frustrate. I confess to a liking for Theo, if only because my youngest grandchild is named after him. However, whether these three should stay in the squad is a matter of opinion.
What does this mean in terms of the squad? Excluding the question-marks, but including RvP, we have eighteen players who merit their position in it, leaving seven vacancies – four if you include the question-marks (and, to anticipate readers’ comments, I am counting them as if they were all already 21). Of the vacancies, two positions are nailed-on: reserve goalkeeper and second striker. The disposition of the other vacancies would be driven by whether any of the question-marks remained at the club.
This is not a bad squad, even by the standard of Arsenal’s more illustrious past. What it lacks, apart from team-wide defensive coaching, is the magic, upfront with RvP, of such as Henry, Pires, Bergkamp and the presence in midfield of a Vieira, a Petit or a Fabregas. In due course, some of our existing players may come to be talked of in the same breath. However, in the meantime, we know that the market has changed, that we will always be outbid in a straight fight, and that our scouting network has been replicated to the point where we can no longer expect to pick up some world-beating Frenchman that no-one has heard of. What we have to do is re-establish our credibility as a club to which players want to come in order to learn and compete alongside like-minded footballers, and where the desire to win comes from the top, not just from the terraces.
It’s important that we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Whether under this manager or his successor, the nucleus of players that we have is a strong one. The trick – and, not having spent half a day in football, I have no idea how – is to get rid of all the senior players not on this list, make some judicious signings, and have a clear strategy to restore confidence by telling the players, the supporters and the world outside, honestly and realistically, what we intend to do and how we plan to do it.
(Ed’s note – For our Gooner Gambling Scheme regulars, our next bet will be detailed early next week in time for the Premier League visit to Bolton)
