Arsenal FC- Walcott And Podolski Centripetal To Title Challenge

By Debarshee Mitra
11 years Ago

7 matches into the new league season is obviously too early to draw conclusions but Arsenal FCAi??find themselves top of the pile in both the Premier League table and their Champions League group, the former being unfamiliar territory for the club in recent years. Surprisingly the international break, usually such a dampener for most teams could not have been better timed for the Gunners. The North London outfit have missed a host of key first teamers in recent weeks and have got an extended period to get their stars fit for a busy period after club football resumes in a week’s time.

Despite being impressive last midweek against Napoli, Arsenal have struggled to find their rhythm in the league in recent weeks. Their 8 match long away wining streak in the league was snapped at the Hawthorns and opinion was divided on whether it was a case of dropping 2 points or earning 1. Whether it was just a one off performance or the beginning of a tough phase with ghosts of the past haunting again. Whether the initial hoopla was just that, mere hoopla. Whatever be the case, fact is Arsenal were missing 3 starters on the night and Wenger was forced to field 5 central midfielders behind Giroud, a plan that eventually didn’t work out as some age old problems transpired. A lot has been talked about what went wrong and what could have been done differently to get all 3 points. Here we take a look at how the injury room at the club has started to affect the performances and whether the return of the absentees will raise further doubts and selection headaches for the gaffer while ironing out the flaws in the team at the same time -Ai??those flaws which have been clearly present ever since Theo Walcott got injured. So it surely has to emanate from him, doesn’t it?

Shrugging injuries off at the right time

Actually it is more than just Theo. What Arsenal have lacked is directness and width, and Walcott provides both. The former Southampton prodigy has often been massively criticized by fans and media alike and it’s not difficult to see why with his lack of consistency. But Walcott holds all the aces when it comes to selection once fit. Wenger has often been profligate with the use of Theo and itai??i??s natural how vital a cog he is in the Arsenal machinery. In the games since his injury, Arsenal havenai??i??t really been at their ruthless best in the league, scrapping victories againstAi??Stoke and Swansea and drawing against West Brom and each game ended with the same note from the fans ai???we lacked widthai???. Arsene Wenger recognized this way back in the 2008-09 season. Back then Arsenal probably had some of the craftiest players in their side but always suffered cause of overcrowding in midfield against teams that defended almost mechanically in banks of 4, opening and closing its arms like that of a giant spider. The only natural decoder to such tight pressing and organized defending tactics is either a very fluid attack, constantly swapping positions and ghosting in and around the box or raw pace to burn and if neither works then resort to long range shooting. Neither of the former 2 was available against West Brom, and the only goal the Gunners scored came from range. Against Napoli the fluidity was present and despite none of the other factors present, Arsenal ran riot. So why not against the Baggies?

Against Napoli it was Giroud who drifted right to create space for Ramsey to run and design the first goal and then again Flamini and Ozil worked their way into the box through the right thus feeding Giroud for the second. But that was against a continental team where Insigne hardly helped the left back and the defence looked shambolic for the first half at least. In England and especially this season, teams have looked not only more solid as a unit in defence but also wingers and forwards have been keen to help their fullbacks out and in such situations when central players are playing wide they get naturally sucked into the centre which is already crowded and with the fullbacks being pressed all the time by the forwards there is absolutely zero width.

Walcott was the only direct outlet back in the days of Fabregas and hence was often used from the bench to wreak havoc against the tired defensive legs after opposition managers forced the team to play narrow thus stifling and choking the centre. In the present team, Mesut Ozil plays in the hole and however similar he might seem to Fabregas he is slightly more intelligent in terms of spatial awareness. He drifts and occupies chunks of vacuum on the pitch, drifting wide coming inside and creating space for the others. What makes him unique is how he shrugs off markers. Opposition managers might assign a certain midfielder to mark the German but his off the ball movement means Ozil has ghosted past his marker before the latter can even acknowledge. The problem however lies in the fact that almost each of the mids and attackers in the Arsenal squad other than Theo, Podolski and Chamberlain are naturally central minded and thus these 3 are missed, in the starting lineup and on the bench when teams need to be pushed deeper. Each of the 3 are fast and direct, taking on the defenders. This has a domino effect, with players running at defenders with pace, apart from the direct impact that it has in stretching the defence it also opens up space for others and with someone like Ozil in the side it could lead to carnage.

The presence of a direct runner, a constant threat to goal means players in midfield have more space to work with and can play their role more freely without too much of an overlap with others. For example Jack and Mesut had a much more focussed gameplan and utility of space with Theo in the side than without him, looking to do too much on their own. Giroud also has a huge role to play in this game plan, with his excellent hold up play allowing the perfect decoy for Theo to run past. In the only game Theo, Jack and Ozil played together their heat maps provide a wonderful illustration of how Theoai??i??s game affects the midfield movement, especially if one notes the outing against West Brom in the same frame too. The lesser movement down the wings vs West Brom meant Ozil was restricted to a central area, floating outside the box, trying to be involved more and more but without much of an end product. The same applied to Jack Wilshere who was everywhere on the pitch but struggled for penetration in the final third.

(L)Ozil vs Sunderland with Walcott opening spaces on the right & (R)Ozil vs WBA playing everywhere without a specific target area to exploit

Wilshere against Sunderland(L) and WBA(R)

It must also be noted that West Brom did ever so well to close down the Arsenal midfield and it was hardly a surprise to see Yacob get the man of the match after a fabulous display. The tightness in midfield meant the away players were hardly given time to settle on the ball and had to make passes immediately, which led to pinging long hopeful balls to the forward line, uncharacteristic ofAi??Arsenal. An Arsene Wenger side is known for its lightning counters or swift one touch passing leading into goals. Against Sunderland Ozil found Walcott open on 4 clear occasions from deep midfield however, there was hardly anyone to chase the through balls except Giroud against West Brom. Wilshere made a terrific pass late in the game to find the Frenchman but his shot was blocked by Myhill. Ozil tried too but the stifling of the centre meant there was no chance to feed anyone but the forward and exactly where Theo’s lateral guile and agility will prove to be a menace.

Now turning our attention to the final tight-defence-decoder as we call it, shooting from range. This is one area Arsenal have been permanently handicapped in. One can count on fingers the number of goals the Gunners have scored from range in recent seasons. A Rosicky thunderbolt against Hamburg, a Fabregas piledriver in Milan, Arshavin winner against Liverpool, van Persie’s screamer in the North London derby and another few here and there. Last season out of the 72 goals Arsenal scored in the league only 3 were scored from outside the box. Jackai??i??s goal clearly underlined the need for long range attempts when it comes down to desperation and defences act all watertight but does anybody in the squad have the ability to constantly find the back of the net from range?Ai??Olivier Giroud who had scored almost half a dozen goals from outside the box for Montpellier, scored every goal of his Arsenal career from inside the D.Ai?? Ramsey has shown his knack to take a hit with goal in sight, Giroud isnai??i??t one to hold back when other things arenai??i??t working for him, even Cazorla has had a history of wonderful long rangers during his stay in Malaga and Artetaai??i??s winner against Man City remains fairly fresh in the memory. But these are few and far to choose from. Only one player in the current squad has had a habit of scoring from distance and far more regularly than most. Step aside Lukas Podolski.

A fan favourite already but can he earn a starting spot?

Of the 3 goals Arsenal scored from outside the box, 2 were scored by the German(West Ham and Soton) and even this season his goals against Fulham were from the edge of the box(one being a little more inside). Podolski is an interesting case in himself as he will probably not make the starting lineup once Wenger has a fully fit squad(read never) but yet he is as important to the team as any other. A perfect game changing option off the bench, a ready-to-be second choice striker in case the anvil feels heavy on Giroudai??i??s shoulders and a readymade wing forward on the left. To add to all that his directness and experience, it wonai??i??t be surprising to see him start more often than most expect. Giroud has always been more of a back to goal striker and Podolski is one of the few in the Arsenal squad who will let fly at the first opportunity and this could mean a more engaging role for the former Cologne man. He brings his long range shooting experience from the Billy Goats in the North of Rhine where he netted from outside the box 2 times or more in every season. His desire for a starting spot will see him compete directly with Spaniard Santi Cazorla who is also injured.

With a long season and active participation in 4 competitions, Podolski will have his chance to impress, more than once. As will Walcott who suddenly seems indispensable to this side but who knows, with Gnabry knocking on the door and a midfield 5 each having a fair shout for a starting spot, anything is possible. One thing is for certain, and that is if Arsenal are to become serious title challengers both Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski will have key roles to play. Chamberlain and Gnabry might have to wait their chance and contend with impact roles off the bench. Small sacrifices in the larger scheme of things.

Categories: Arsenal FC, Features
Tags: Walcott

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