Half Time in Arsenal's Season

Article By Soon Jarrett

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At the beginning of the 2014-2015 season, everything seemed to be falling into place for Arsenal. They had broken their nine year trophy drought by lifting the FA Cup. Arsene Wenger had uncharacteristically moved early in the transfer window to secure a marquee signing in Alexis Sanchez. Arsenal also welcomed another summer ‘signing’, that of Shad Forsythe, a fitness coach previously with the German national team; he was meant to be the answer to Arsenal’s injury conundrum. In the curtain-raising Community Shield, Arsenal comprehensively beat Manchester City, the reigning Premier League champions, 3-0. In the second-half of that match, Wenger trotted out all his substitutes, displaying a measure of depth in midfield and striking positions. Arsenal seemed set to build on their successes of the past season and launch a stronger title bid.

However, the warning signs were there. Starting the season with a mere six senior defenders was a gamble, knowing the injury curse that seems to hang over the Emirates. Fans also pointed out that Wenger still hadn’t reinforced the defensive midfield position, leaving the aging legs of captain Mikel Arteta and French hardman Mathieu Flamini to shield the defense.

The season started out decently, but familiar frailties reared their heads. Injuries began to mount. Debuchy’s and Giroud’s leg breaks and Koscielny’s Achilles problems were only the tip of the iceberg; injuries robbed Arsenal of Arteta, Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, and Jack Wilshere, among others.

The players struggled to adapt to a formation change from 4-2-3-1 to 4-1-4-1, with Ozil and Ramsey particularly affected. Shunted out on the left wing, Ozil struggled for form, while Ramsey was unable to recapture his talismanic form when pushed further forward. That experiment was soon cast aside and Arsenal returned to a 4-2-3-1 setup.

Arsenal failed to overcome the ‘big boys’ of the league; reinforcing the belief that they were mentally fragile. They lost 2-1 at home to Manchester United, despite the Devils recording only one shot on target. Arsenal also threw away a 2-1 lead against Liverpool, with a late Martin Skrtel header rescuing a point for Liverpool.

In one of their most embarrassing performances of the season, Arsenal surrendered a 3-0 nil lead against Anderlecht to end up with a 3-3 draw. This spoke volumes of a team sorely lacking in the mental strength to close out games.

Arsenal continued to lurch from encouraging displays, such as the 2-0 victory over Dortmund and the 3-0 demolition of Aston Villa, to frustratingly inept performances, like the aforementioned 3-3 draw with Anderlecht and a 3-2 loss to Stoke. Worryingly, Arsenal have not been able to put together a winning run in the league lasting more than two matches.

With every loss, the cries for Arsene Wenger’s head grew. Plenty of Gooners have given up hope on Wenger and want him out; a video recently emerged of fans booing Wenger as the team boarded the train. Yet would Wenger’s departure solve the problems, or just destabilize the club? I believe Arsenal have more to lose than to gain from Wenger’s departure.

At the halfway point of this season, I look back as an Arsenal fan and sigh in disappointment and frustration. Injury continues to rob us of many of our players. Alexis, who sparkled in the early months, has shown signs of fatigue. There is so much that might have been.

Still, all is not lost. Arsenal has been given a relatively kind draw in the Champions League against AS Monaco. Compared to the previous three years, when Arsenal met Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and then Bayern again, it is a welcome break. The Gunners can be reasonably expected to make it through to the quarter-finals.

The transfer window also offers a chance to bring in some well-needed reinforcements to pad the threadbare defense and strengthen Arsenal’s ‘soft’ midfield. Several players will make welcome returns from injury, including Ozil and Walcott, and will be gladly welcomed back into the squad.

In the league, Arsenal are 15 points behind leaders Chelsea but three points off fourth-placed Southampton. A top-four finish is still very much on the cards. In Arsenal’s defense of the FA Cup, they meet the team they overcame in last season’s final, Hull City. Yet for a club traditionally part of Europe’s aristocracy, the fans rightly deserve and demand more. Will Arsenal ever climb out of the quagmire of mediocrity? At the half-time of Arsenal’s season, I can only shake my head. Frankly, they have not been good enough.

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