Life After Cesc
Posted by Young'un in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Arshavin, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri | 16 August 2011
Unlike the majority of the gooner population, I was surprised to hear Cesc Fabregas had left Arsenal to re-join his boyhood club. Of course I appreciated his desire to go home and accepted that his departure was inevitable, but I did not anticipate the blow to be struck this summer.
For the first time, I find myself somewhat confused and a tad anxious following the sale of the Arsenal captain. Firstly, the fee received by the club was minimal in relation to the staggering sums inferior players like Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll have gone for in the recent past.
This shows a serious lack of power on our part that we were bullied into submission by Barcelona and sold our talismanic skipper for a price that is frankly barely half his genuine worth. A worrying trend may soon occur where we are unable to stand up and refuse to sell our players but will perhaps have to cave in and sell our stars in cut-price deals. Player power at its ugliest I suppose.
No amount of money would have allowed us to instantly replace Fabregas but the task becomes even more daunting with the limited funds we have at our disposal.
A change of system could well be in the offing; when United sold Ronaldo, a new team dynamic was formed in the absence of their one-man band. Antonio Valencia was not a like-for-like replacement but a player who added a new dimension to their game. The difference
being, Ferguson had done all his business by the end of July.
For Arsenal, the Premier League season has already kicked off, and two weeks is not enough time to reshape the whole side. Having said that, the arrival of Gervinho may represent a shift in emphasis, in that he is a direct outlet and an alternative to the tiki-taka game that has become synonymous with The Gunners in recent years. Ryo Miyaichi and Alex Chamberlain also provide width and the potential Plan B we have been crying out for.
Whatever the player, a pacey wideman or a central playmaker, an essential attribute is penetration, something Cesc Fabregas had a footballing degree in. Few in the world are as influential as him, meaning finding a suitable addition to the squad will be exceptionally difficult. As far as my knowledge stretches, I’d say only Iniesta, Sneijder and perhaps David Silva are equally capable of imposing themselves consistently in the final third as the departing Catalan.
His absence was felt when out of the side last season and it certainly was on Saturday as well. Of course Samir Nasri was also missing but Fabregas’ penetration and ability to create something from nothing meant Arsenal floundered in advanced areas of the pitch, failing to create any substantial scoring opportunities. The likes of Rosicky and Arshavin are capable
of producing ‘killer passes’ but not on the same scale as Fabregas.
Whilst I appreciate the supreme difficulty in recruiting players, I assume Wenger and the board knew Fabregas was indeed going to leave, and should have tied-up deals weeks ago, allowing the new players to bed into the side and get to know their teammates. This importance is highlighted well by Ashley Young who has excelled so far at Manchester United, having joined early in the window.
We now face a frantic rush to sign at least one quality player, and said player is completely necessary because the squad is looking paper-thin at the moment. I am usually fully supportive of our philosophy of negotiating hard and driving prices down to ensure we get the best value. However, I don’t think we can afford to do that now with the clock ticking. If a club quotes us £20million, we should bite the bullet and pay £20million rather than slowing the process down by offering half that amount.
Tonight we face a massive game with a depleted squad. Arsenal fans are getting impatient and you can sense the anger from the stands. But tonight’s match is of utmost importance and I ask all attending to leave the “spend some f**king money” chants at home, and come to
support the team who really need it tonight.
Should we fail to qualify for the Champions League, the crisis many pundits have been predicting may indeed come to fruition. World class performances are needed from the fans and the players to prove the doubters wrong once again. Keep the faith.
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