Top Four

The top four has always been there or there about’s in the recent years, with the only anomaly in 2012, when Spurs got 4th and Chelsea came 6th, but pipped Spurs from their Champions League spot by the winning the competition and earning automatic qualification.

It’s fluctuated between Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, United, and City over the last 5 or so years and I can’t see it changing in the next 5 years.

Now, Arsenal have controversially been criticised by celebrating the position of fourth in an ‘over-the-top’ manner. However, why can’t they celebrate another year of Champions League football, and being the 4th best team in England?

After just a point needed to secure the elusive Champions League spot for the 18th year in a row, Arsenal surely need to be doing more than qualifying 3rd or 4th again and again. But how are they going to do it?

Looking at Chelsea, they have ‘world-class’ performers in each position. Each of their positions are starting International players and perform regularly at an extremely high level, which is why they have won the league so convincingly this year.

Arsenal however, do have that but on a smaller-scale. The majority of our players in the XI represent their countries but don’t start as first choice. For instance, Giroud. Yeah he plays frequently, but there are better, like Benzema, and equally like Nacho or Gibbs, there are better.

Now where do we go from here?

First of all: SIGNINGS
GK – Cech would be a world class signing and should be first player on the list this summer.

LB – although I have said there are better, only 1 or 2 though. I don’t think a left-back is crucial.
CB – Koscielny is one of the League’s best. Gabriel looking strong. Per is captain and has had a crucial role this season. Backup needed for solidarity, Gastan? Bonucci?
RB – with Jenko coming back, Debuchy going strong, Chambers and Bellerin breaking through, our RB department is arguably one of our strongest.

CDM – Schneiderlin would be perfect, BPL adapted, french, he has Arsenal all about him. Khedira, Kondogbia and Carvalho wont be bad shouts either. Although Coquelin is getting to a point where we don’t actually need a replacement.
CAM – Isco would be world-class, potentially in replacement to Cazorla. Again, one of our strongest departments. Would love Fekir.
LW/RW – Chamberlain, Welbeck, Walcott, Alexis. Strength in depth.

ST – Giroud simply needs a supporting striker. Not to replace him, but to help and so we can adapt to games more freely. In a game where you need an extra outlet, Lacazette would be ideal. Welbeck and Walcott need to be trained into strikers, but both can make their prime. Not to forget the ‘entering prime’ Higuain or Benzema, class

STRUCTURE/FORMATION – MIDFIELD
I am a huge fan of the 4-1-4-1, which is what we played in the infamous 2-0 win away at City. However, it means that either Özil or Ramsey will have to draw wide, which is where they’re weakest. It seems like we haven’t quite found a happy medium where we are strongest and it’s something crucial which needs altering immediately. I think Coquelin is perfect for us as he is strong, physical and knows the game, so having him in between midfield and defence has really helped us out. Cazorla is playing the best football of his career so far, so is one of the first on the team-sheet in my eyes. Leaving the dilemma of that final midfield three spot, Ramsey reaching his peak, Wilshere brings something extra, Chamberlain wanting to fulfill his dream of playing in centre-midfield, not even to mention Arteta, Diaby, Flamini, giving Wenger no less than a headache but a flurry of first-team options.
Like previous successful sides like Barca, Madrid, Chelsea and United, a solid midfield is vital.

Along with key signings and a structure in our midfield formation, i feel a better adaption to games is equally as important.

ADAPTION
Mourinho openly came out and said that he focuses on his opposition’s weak spot before he thinks about how they’ll affect them with his strong spot. Although it is something which every manager does, I feel that Wenger needs to trump the team we are against before they trump us. City away is a perfect example, we stopped David Silva before they prevented our high press and speed on the counter. However, against Chelsea at home, we diverted from flooding their defence therefore they managed to stop us from attacking. Perhaps we were too cautious because of the importance a loss would have been, but there was no harm in trying them right from the word go. Chelsea were defensively sound and managed to stop us from scoring, a Mourinho masterclass.
Therefore, I feel this is the approach more often, in fact to every game. It will help us to pick up important results in big games home and away and so we can move further up the table and manage to compete and perform at higher levels in the Champions League.

Do you agree? Leave a comment.

Wenger’s Replacement

Wenger.

The man on every lover of football’s lips? Debatable. The man on every Arsenal lover’s lips? Unsure. The man under undeserved criticism? Without doubt.

Wenger, alongside Ferguson, has revolutionised the way we see, play and even analyse the game. Although not seen in the flesh is undoubtedly one of the most wild and fiery passions you’ll ever see. He hates to see Arsenal lose, or even draw and usually blames himself, selflessly in that case.

He is the man who is to blame, for the transition of ‘love for football’ to ‘desire for football’, seen through the eyes of many in the world of sport. He brings an ethical and philosophical touch to the game and is a keen admirer himself. It sometimes, for him, is a psychological mind game.

“If you do not believe you can do it then you have no chance at all.”

“I believe the target of anything in life should be to do it so well that it becomes an art.”

Wenger has many honors to his name. 3 Premier leagues, 5 FA Cup’s and 5 not-so-prestigious Community Shields. Obviously, we face Villa in the 2015 FA Cup final which could make him the most successful manager in FA Cup history, passing Ferguson from level on 5.
He also takes many individual awards such as 3 Premier League Manager of the Seasons and several French Manager of the Seasons, without any recent triumph.

Wenger has so much nurtured the players who he believes in, in the elder generations like at the start of his managerial career, and also the current generations. Fabregas is a prime example of this and still emulates which Arsene taught him to this day, forget Mourinho. Now, the Cesc subject is still a little sour to me and most of the Arsenal fans who appreciated him as an player and captain at our club. Whether we like it or not, Cesc brought us through that transition from the Invincibles to now, which had the potentaial of a negative spiral of decline. At just 15 he was released in to the first team squad, watching the likes of Vieira, Pires and Bergkamp on the sidelines, it must have been a dream. And this is now why he, as professional football player has grown to excel in a Premiership winning side.

Which brings me on to the touchy and controversial subject on when Wenger should leave, and who will replace him. Never have I said I want him sacked or for him to quit and move on. No. I think getting rid of him will 1. be a mistake and 2. mean that another club can use him and grow successful, without doubt. I strongly agree that he should respectfully retire when he feels he cannot add anything else to the club. He will know.

Like Ferguson, I’d love for him to win us the league once or twice and then retire an go to the executive ranks, but realistically we’re not at that stage, and I’m starting to lose belief that all we need is ‘a few more world class signings’. They said that before Özil and before Sanchez and are still saying it to this day.

Replacement: Guardiola? Klopp? Martinez? Bould? Henry?

Guardiola is way too optimistic, not out of our range but realistically, we’ll never be able to fund him nor lure him to us. I hope I eat my words.

Klopp knows our philosophy and will add to it, that’s huge to have.

I think Martinez isn’t much of a replacement to Wenger, I’d rather keep Wenger in his ageing years.

Bould would be good. Bould is Arsenal through and through but does he have the personality or knack to be a top level manager? I’m not persuaded.

Henry is ideal but not yet. He, like Bould and perhaps Klopp knows the philosophies of the club. He also loves the club and every single Arsenal fan, know him and loves him. It’s too early, but the only thing I worry about with him is failure. Like Shearer and Newcastle, I can’t imagine us falling out of love for the man, but what if?

Bergkamp

See i have made ‘replacement‘ bold throughout, the question lies.. can we replace Wenger, or just fill the gap?

Follow me on twitter: @PanenCazorla