Adapting to Conditions
Posted by Young'un in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Cesc Fabregas, Premiership | 16 September 2011
Many gooners would be more than happy to put a pretty disastrous August behind them. I know I am. Following the arrival of five new recruits in the latter stages of the transfer window, there is an air of freshness about the squad and the season; even Arsene Wenger himself labelled last weekend's match against Swansea as the real start to the campaign.
Arsenal are a completely different outfit to the one that was playing Sunderland this time 12 months ago. Players both fundamentally key, and, well the not so key, have been and gone including talismanic skipper Cesc Fabregas, leaving a gaping hole in the side. As a result, the club have had to undergo something of a makeover in order to compensate for the absence of a truly world class player. Plenty of additions have been made, and whilst our transfer dealings have certainly had a detrimental effect in more ways than one, there are plenty of positives. Even if the current crop lack the ridiculous natural talent that was evident in abundance amongst the class of 2010, we now possibly have a more rounded squad, aimed at ironing out our blatant flaws, culminating in the ability to adapt to different conditions.
Gervinho has added direction and width, Mertesacker height and leadership, Park industry, Benayoun Premier League experience and Arteta set-piece expertise. In short, the players that came in were not the result of a media-hyped 'trolley dash' but were instead calculated deals that improve the squad as a whole. Admittedly we now how fewer players who can create something from nothing, but instead have a range of different skills and assets to pick and choose from depending on the opposition.
I expect that to be the case against Blackburn, particularly in midfield, as Arsene Wenger collects the paper bag and ponders whether to select sherbet lemons, jelly babies or cola bottles from the Pick 'n' Mix stand. Or in human form: Yossi Benayoun, Aaron Ramsey or Emmanuel Frimpong (assuming Alex Song and Mikel Arteta are occupying the other two central spots). Three completely different players to consider: Benayoun's guile, Ramsey's box-to-box adventurous style or Frimpong's terrior-like enthusiasm. Considering the opposition, I personally would go for the latter, who's incredible physique will be well utilised against a notoriously physical Rovers side. Away from home, it may be wise to have two holding midfielders to tighten up the defence.
As I say, this flexibility we now have is an asset we shouldn't underestimate. The cultured likes of Benayoun may be better suited to the Champions League, but perhaps not so much at Ewood Park where the game is likely to be cagey. Often in these types of games, our opponents tire late on, and that's when we can call the Israeli from the bench to open them up with incisive passing.
Elsewhere on the pitch, in similar fashion, Andre Santos' physical presence may be ideal for a game like this but the slighter frame of Gibbs is more accustomed to the English game and it may be too much of a risk to throw another newbie into the mix. If he wasn't horribly out of sorts, Marouane Chamakh may have been given a go in order to offer us an alternative outlet in the air, but even if he was in the form of his life, the opportunity cost is the genius of Robin van Persie, who lest we forget has a terrific record against Blackburn. The Moroccan will have to make do with another appearance on the bench.
We will find out just how capable this squad is soon enough but shortcomings look to be being addressed and when push comes to shove in the Spring months, where Arsenal always seem to falter, having a wider range of options may just be the difference between success and another season of dreary disappointment.
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