da dobrowin： The recent draw with Tottenham may have left Arsenal having to do it the hard way if they are to win the league, but at least it showed they have some character and a modicum of fight left in them. Ultimately it is two points dropped, but equalising with 10 men surely saved Arsenal fans from going into complete meltdown.
da aposte e ganhe： The annual collapse, usually around February, is too much of a coincidence for mental frailty not to be a factor with the Gunners though. If Alexis Sanchez can spot it, calling out his team-mates recently, remarking “sometimes we lack this hunger to believe that we can be champions”, then why not the others and the manager? He’s been there less than two seasons and it’s already apparent to him.
The desire to fight back from a goal and a man down at White Hart Lane will be scant consolation to the fans following defeats to Man Utd and Swansea, but at least the ‘bottle’ they are so often accused of lacking was evident, to a degree, and just about keeps them in the race for the title.
As much of a factor as their supposed lack of character though, in my eyes, is the appalling injury record at the Emirates. As regularly as their ‘faltering February’ comes about, so does the list of crocks on Arsenal’s books every season. One can only speculate as to why they suffer significantly more injuries (and often set-backs to those injuries) on a regular basis than the majority of other Premier League sides, but medium to long-term injuries to key players come around with such alarming regularity that this too must be seen as a strong factor in their yearly struggles.
And one particular injury this time around can be seen as a major factor in the slide… that of Santi Cazorla. Injured against Norwich at the end of November, the diminutive Spaniard’s role in this Arsenal side is often under-stated and many of Wenger’s troubles can be accounted for by his absence in midfield, particularly this campaign.
Indeed, this season had seen Cazorla shifted in to a more central, deep-lying position which had worked wonders for the side in the early weeks and months of the Premier League campaign. Playing alongside Francis Coquelin as part of the ‘two’ in a 4-2-3-1 formation, the former Malaga and Villarreal man had discovered a new role as a deep-lying playmaker and was excelling at the position.
With Sanchez now preferred on the left wing, Cazorla’s shift inside was brought about part by accident and part by necessity, but it certainly had an influence on Arsenal’s good start to the season. Having played predominantly on the left during his Arsenal career, Cazorla was effectively running games from his newly adopted position in the middle of the park.
His range of passing, vision and creativity lent themselves well to the role, setting up attacks from further back than either Mesut Ozil or Sanchez would normally operate. His positioning in and around the centre-circle gave Arsenal a creative force where they have often lacked one, at least when Jack Wilshere is injured – which is most of the time, to be fair.
Able to release others with swift accurate passing, as well as get forward himself, Cazorla had the insurance of Coquelin next to him that allowed him to express his full range of passing, movement and creativity. Aaron Ramsey has come in to that position since the Spaniard’s injury, but does not have quite the same skill set as his team-mate, his effectiveness in the same position not up to the standard displayed by Cazorla, despite being a more natural fit.
With mixed reports on Cazorla’s return from injury, some suggesting he has suffered a setback and will miss the remainder of the season, whilst the player himself has rubbished these and stated he will be back on April 1st. You’d be a fool for thinking an injured player will come back smoothly from injury for Arsenal, but should he return to action soon it could help rescue their league campaign and title challenge. Just don’t hold your breath.
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