Arsenal FC: Selfishness & Individual Skill Needed In Attack

When Arsenal are not at their best with their passing and movement, sides that set up to harass their central midfield can prevent Arsenal from having any penetration in their attack. To break down these types of sides, when not on the top of their game, Arsenal need a player with the skill and selfishness to take on and beat his marker, in order to force the defense out of their shape.

These two players had the individual skills on the ball that today's Arsenal desperately need in order to become a more varied and devastating attacking force. — These two players had the individual skills on the ball that today’s Arsenal desperately need in order to become a more varied and devastating attacking force.

Manchester United, Everton, and Chelsea all used their strength and energy in midfield in an attempt to prevent Arsenal from playing their flowing attacking football. Now, when Arsenalai??i??s passing and movement are in top gear, they can bypass the pressure and get into threatening positions. However, variation in performance combined with the wear and tear that goes with being a top team in the English Premier League and competing simultaneously in the Champions League, means that Arsenal will struggle to find that top form in every match. They need to find another way of beating this defensive tactic.

With the title race looking as hotly contested as it has been in a long time, those points dropped to Manchester United, Everton, and Chelsea, points they should have earned, played a key role in Arsenal not being top of the table with a little breathing room going into Christmas. If they continue to struggle against these energetic, combative sides when not at their best, Arsenal could look back on this season with a bunch of what-if’s as opposed to a Premier League title. With January approaching, Arsenal should look to find the attributes they need to help them more consistently overcome sides who set up like Chelsea ai??i?? and those attributes may be a combination of skill and selfishness on the ball.

Obviously, Arsenalai??i??s players are fantastic players on the ball and their unselfish play allows for a fluid, unpredictable attack. However, when sides successfully disrupt that flow, or if an official is willing to let challenges go unpunished, then Arsenal need someone who can beat his marker and cause the opponent to scramble defensively. When a player gets past his man off the dribble and has the threat to maintain that separation, the defense gets pulled out of position to help their beaten teammate. Not only is the dribbler a threat to score, but the chaos in the opponent’s ranks give attacking players a chance to run into scoring positions with little to no marking. Two extreme examples of the potency of this kind of player would be Cristiano Ronaldo abusing a right-back playing Michael Essien in the 2008 Champions League Final, and Gareth Bale destroying Maicon in the group stage of the 2010-11 Champions League.

That selfish nature is not a bad thing to have in a player, as long as one limits the number of players on the pitch who express that tendency. Looking at Barcelona, Andres Iniesta plays more of a team game when Lionel Messi is on the pitch. However, when Lionel Messi is not there, Iniesta is more willing to take it upon himself to dribble at defenders and take the game into his own hands. There has to be a balance between for the team to function as a cohesive and devastating unit offensively. Too many individualistic players, and the side lacks cohesion. Too few, and the side is vulnerable against teams that keep their shape and the keep the ball in front of them.

If the recent rumors about Arsenal scouting Diego Costa are true, then he would represent a belief that this combination of skill and selfishness is needed at Arsenal, in order to give that balance. Unlike Olivier Giroud, who averages 0.6 successful dribbles a game, Costa averages 1.4 successful dribbles per game (stats from Whoscored.com). While he does get dispossessed and turns the ball over more than Giroud, that is okay. Of all the situations to take a risk with possession, the one where beating your man gets you past the last line of defense seems like the one most worth taking.

Diego Costa's stats from Whoscored.com — Diego Costa’s stats from Whoscored.com

Olivier Giroud stats from Whoscored.com — Olivier Giroud’s stats from Whoscored.com

Though he is not the aerial monster that Olivier Giroud is, Costa is a forward who does well to link up with midfielders, as well as having the individual skill to change a match by himself. The problem, with respect to signing Costa, is not the transfer fee (given the potential buy-out clause). The problem would be convincing Costa to leave a better team, at least this season, who have an opportunity to win La Liga and the Champions League. Also, with Costa looking to become Spainai??i??s no. 1 center forward option, and Vincente Del Bosqueai??i??s loyalty to players who have played for him in the past, it may be that staying in Spain would be the best way for him to make an impression on Spainai??i??s manager. However, despite the unlikelihood of this particular signing, Arsenal would do well to sign a center forward of this mold. The problem is that there are not many center forwards with that skill set available to sign in January.

Another way to get that penetrative, more selfish player would be through the acquisition of a dribbling wide player. For all of Theo Walcottai??i??s pace, he is much more of a threat without the ball than he is with it, outside the penalty area. He is not one who can break a defender down off the dribble, outside of knocking it in behind and running onto it ai??i?? a strategy not well suited to playing possession football in the final third, given the lack of space to run into. In the summer, it was reported that Arsenal wished to get both Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria before Carlo Ancelotti demanded that one be kept, and he wanted to keep Di Maria, as he is the better two-way player. His dribbling ability, combined with his vision and crossing ability make him an ideal player for Arsenal. He can play on the right as an inverted winger or on the left as a more traditional wide threat. Against a side like Chelsea, playing Branislav Ivanovic at right-back, Di Maria would give Arsenal a player who could beat him off the dribble consistently and force Chelsea out of their shape.

With Ronaldo, Isco, Bale, and Benzema likely representing Real Madrid’s desired front 4 when all are fit, Arsenal should see if Angel Di Maria might be available in January. Unlike Isco (Spanish superstar), Bale (English-speaking superstar), and Ronaldo (global superstar), Di Maria does not carry the star power craved by Florentino Perez. It is possible, as it was for Mesut Ozil, that Perez could make it clear to Di Maria that he does not have a starting place for this Real Madrid side going forward. That could convince the Argentinan that he needs to make a move to another club, and Arsenal would represent a splendid fit.

An option they missed out on in the summer, Angel Di Maria could certainly add a needed and new dimension to Arsenal's attack. — An option they missed out on in the summer, Angel Di Maria could add a needed dimension to Arsenal’s attack.

If Angel Di Maria is not available in January, then possibly a player like Arda Turan at Atletico Madrid or Julian Draxler (a player Arsenal reportedly covet and want to acquire next summer) could help add that element to Arsenalai??i??s attack. However, the opportunity costs associated with selling any player during any January window are higher, as a team like Atletico would be sacrificing a title challenge they may not have believed was possible in the summer (well, Diego Simeone thought it was possible). In the case of Diego Costa, the opportunity cost of a potential La Liga title, a Champions League title, and securing a secure spot in the Spain XI for the World Cup all make it less likely he would leave the Spanish capital for Englandai??i??s.

This means that Arsenal have to be willing to pay more when it comes to transfer fees and/or wages if they wish to fill this void, likely much more than if the same player was available in the summer. Arsene Wenger has done it before. He signed Jose Antonio Reyes, who gave Arsenal a lift in their unbeaten season, before having his confidence destroyed at Old Trafford after being consistently and deliberately kicked by Manchester United defenders in the 2004-05 season. Wenger also signed Andrei Arshavin, one of the best performers, if not the best, at Euro 2008 who played a pivotal role in keeping Arsenal in the top 4 that season, before his positive attitude and work ethic evaporated.

The question now becomes whether Wenger, seemingly knowing exactly what his squad needs, is willing to go after this Premier League title with his checkbook in January.

Tags: Angel Di Maria Arsenal FC Diego Costa

Arsenal FC Need More Selfishness And Individual Skill In Attack

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