Arsene Wenger
and Arsenal would be glad to see the back of November, which has always been a
month of misfortune especially for their league credentials. While it has not
been a good month for the Gunners, it has not been the disaster that many
Arsenal fans predicted despite the League Cup exit. They have managed draws against Spurs, Manchester
United and PSG despite some poor performances and also, won a tricky fixture
against Bournemouth at home.
With the
Gunners just three points behind league leaders Chelsea after 13 games, they
are definitely in with a shout for the elusive league title. However, for that
to happen, the manager will have to figure out their best centre midfield
partnership. Ever since Cazorla’s Achilles injury, Wenger has tried various
partnerships with little success. In the four games played in November, the
Frenchman has tried four different centre midfield combinations and has yet to
identify his best midfield partnership.
With Mesut
Ozil in the no. 10 role and playing higher up the pitch than in previous
seasons, it is vital to establish a working centre midfield partnership which
can not only help in quicker transitions but also, maintain defensive
stability. For the same, here is a look at the various partnerships that have
been used in this season.
Francis Coquelin – Santi Cazorla
An unlikely
partnership established in the second half of the 2014-15 season is arguably
Wenger’s first choice midfield this season. However, as compared to the last
couple of seasons, the roles for the duo has been slightly altered with Cazorla
playing much deeper than the French midfielder. Coquelin has been trusted with
the job of pressing high up the pitch and winning the ball in dangerous areas
of the pitch. This strategy worked a treat against an unsettled Chelsea side
but has its own pitfalls when it comes to maintaining defensive stability.
Also, with
Cazorla approaching 32 years of age and having a recurring Achilles injury, it
is unlikely that he will play all of Arsenal’s games when he does make his
return from injury. His skill on the ball coupled with his chemistry with Ozil
makes him Arsenal’s best centre midfielder when fit. However, the only viable
option to play alongside him is Coquelin due to his combative tackling as well
as the ability to make up for Cazorla’s lack of pace. Mohammed Elneny can
theoretically be an alternative but he is not as good as Coquelin is when it
comes to winning the ball and also, the duo have hardly ever played together.
Francis Coquelin – Mohammed Elneny
This is the
partnership that Wenger went for against Manchester United at Old Trafford as well against Southampton till Elneny had to be substituted. The midfield of Coquelin
and Elneny has been used earlier as well with varying degrees of success
against Middlesborough and Sunderland. Against Boro, they looked completely
bereft of ideas and with Ozil and Sanchez not having the best of days, it was
no surprise that the Gunners were unable to break them down. However, against
Sunderland, they showed better promise and due to the early lead, they looked
much better though the Gunners were not incisive until the introduction of
Giroud.
Both
Coquelin and Elneny do not make late runs into the box and mostly stick to
their positions in midfield. As a result, it is easier for the opposition to
isolate Ozil especially due to a lack of options. The way that Arsenal looked
to counter the same against Sunderland was to push Elneny higher with Alexis
dropping deeper. However, the same did not work against United who had a much
stronger midfield and with Alexis deeper, Arsenal failed to impose any threat.
Elneny and Coquelin are both useful players but both of them struggle to play
between the lines and revert to sideways passes without dynamic movement.
Hence, while they would be useful when protecting a lead, they would struggle
to exert their influence on games where it is evenly poised.
Francis Coquelin – Granit Xhaka
This
combination started against Leicester City in the second game of the season as
well as against Spurs in this month. In both games, they looked a decent
midfield partnership without really dominating or controlling the midfield.
Xhaka’s range from a deeper role is ideal but he needs a more dynamic player
alongside him. As much as Wenger would prefer him to be a box-to-box player,
Xhaka clearly does not have the pace or dynamism to be a box-to-box midfielder.
However, he is closer to a deep lying midfielder because of his ability to play
between the lines as well as play long range passes to the flanks.
With
Coquelin alongside him, they form a more functional role and as could be
witnessed in the first half against Spurs, they can form a combative midfield. As
with the case with Elneny – Coquelin, there would be a lack of runners from
deep into the box. However, the advantage with this is the ability of Xhaka to
play between the lines and hence, finding Ozil in space where he can create
havoc for the
opposition defense.
Coquelin is
not a player who is very comfortable on the ball and having Xhaka alongside him
would be to his benefit in this respect. However, Xhaka has shown in the games
that he has played that he is not yet accustomed to the pace of the league and
can be robbed of possession in tight areas when closed down rapidly. This is a
partnership which can work when given the time but against weaker sides, there
would still be immense responsibility on Sanchez and Ozil to create the
options.
Francis Coquelin – Aaron Ramsey
Coquelin and
Ramsey have played together on a number of occasions in the last couple of
seasons and have never completely worked as a partnership. The reason for this
is that the strengths and weaknesses of the players in question are quite
similar. Coquelin and Ramsey are both capable of covering the length of the
pitch but lack the ability to control games. Also, both are not great with the
ball in tight spaces though Ramsey edges Coquelin in this respect.
The biggest
flaw in this partnership is that Coquelin does not offer himself as an option
to the centre backs and Aaron Ramsey has lacked the discipline to stay deep and
control Arsenal’s midfield play. As a result, the centre backs are often
without options to pass out from the back and are forced to cede possession by
playing it long or to the full-backs. Arsenal’s play is rather predictable when
the duo play together and with Ramsey and Coquelin both often out of position,
they provide lesser cover to the defense as well.
Granit Xhaka – Mohammed Elneny
This was the
midfield partnership which started the game against Bournemouth, which was won
3-1 by the Gunners. There were certain definite positives such as Xhaka’s
ability to aid in transitions through his quick and incisive passing as well as
Elneny’s superb work rate. While it is still a nascent partnership, they have
the characteristics to gel well as a unit in the future.
Elneny is an
interesting player in the sense he has almost every attribute that a center
midfielder requires to excel but yet seems to lack that spark that differentiates
good players from being world class. He will be able to do a competent job in
most games but in games which are tight, he is not likely to be the difference.
Xhaka has the quality to be a match-winner but has yet to come to terms with
the league and is yet to earn the trust of the manager with his disciplinary
record in question as well.
Elneny and
Xhaka as a midfield can work in some games but will need to prove that they
provide an effective shield to the defense in addition to improving their
attacking impetus as a team. Both players do not enjoy the complete trust of
the manager and this partnership is likely to be the least used of the above
ones.
Granit Xhaka – Aaron Ramsey
This is a
partnership that has never been used by Wenger, barring 25 minutes against
Spurs when Ramsey entered the fray as a substitute for Coquelin. It is a
combination which can prove to be exciting especially considering the
impressive Arteta-Ramsey combination in the first half of 2013-14 season.
Ramsey has never had a season even close to matching that success and part of
it is due to the fact that he has never been given a proper run in center
midfield. But the reason why he has not been given is also due to the fact that
he does not seem to be capable of playing alongside Coquelin and Flamini, who
have occupied one of the two midfield slots for the majority of the last three
campaigns (including the current one).
Xhaka is a
player whose attributes are complementary to Ramsey, on paper at least and
hence why, they should be given a chance together at the base of the midfield.
Ramsey has expressed his wish to play in center midfield on numerous occasions
and with the Welshman’s contract ending in 2018, it makes sense to give him a
chance in his favored position. Aaron
Ramsey, like Ozil and Sanchez, has the quality to be a world class player which
is why he needs to be persisted in a role which can get the best out of him. It
would be to Arsenal’s loss if they lose a player of his quality without
providing him the chance that he craves.
Out of the
current midfielders, Xhaka seems to be best bet to fill the Cazorla-shaped void
in the team especially when it comes to playing between the lines. It is
worrying that Arsenal still have no idea of their best midfield, four months
into this season but the manager will soon have to find his best midfield if
they are to have a sustained tilt at the title in 2016-17.
