Wilshere's Defensive Role

Firstly can I just say how great it is that Arsenal have done business early in the transfer window.

For the first time in years Arsenal fans can sit back, relax and discuss the myriad of ways our team will shape up at the start of the season, rather than fretting as to whether the next signing will be an Henry or a Park.

It's nice to be on the other side of the glass for a change as we watch the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool flap limply at each other over the signature of players no body else is too bothered with.

Our own transfer rumours have died down somewhat, in particular our links with Real Madrid's Sami Khedira. This could be another example of Wenger's wileyness, he's got a taste for showmanship after last season's Özil bombshell (who can forget THAT look).

However the biggest indication that the deal to sign Real's central midfielder is unlikely has been the somewhat unexpected admission that Wenger might look to convert Jack Wilshere into a holding midfielder.

This wouldn't be the first time Wenger has transformed a player's career by radically changing their position and somewhat their playing style. Henry, famously, played as a winger before Wenger moved him upfront as did Robin Van Persie.

Going the other way, Kolo Toure started his Arsenal career as a holding midfielder, even playing at right-back for spells before Wenger formed the invincibles partnership with Sol Campbell at centre back.

Now while I personally favour the taller CDM, history shows that some of the best defensive players in the game needn't be particularly impressive in stature. 

Arguably the world cup's stand-out player, Javier Mascherano, stands at a meagre 5 ft 9, whilst Blaise Matuidi and Nigel De Jong 5 ft 9 and 5ft 8 respectively.

Consider also Ballon D'or and world cup winning captain and centre back Fabio Cannavaro who stands 5 ft 10 inches tall, when many argued his height would inhibit his ability to play at the heart of Italy's defense.

The three most important attributes required to play as a holding midfielder are: discipline, stamina and an ability to read the game one step ahead of anyone else on the pitch.

We have been blessed to have Mikel Arteta in the holding role, a player who despite his relative inadequacies truly understands his role in the side. His focus and ability to resist the temptation to push forward ensures that there is generally good cover should the opposition attempt to spring a counterattack.

Similarly Arteta's passing statistics are out of this world. Fair enough he never attempts a hollywood ball, so his assist stats are low, but pass accuracy over an entire season in excess of 90% last season tells you all you need to know about his reliability, playing as the metronome on our halfway line.

In terms of stamina, Jack will need to learn from our other CDM Mathieu Flamini who consistently runs more kilometres during a match than some other players combined. As an example take a look at these stats from after our match against Bayern Munich in the Champions League (ignore the scoreline).

I suppose this is partly due to genetic disposition but is also down to Flamini's desire to cover every blade of grass, leaving everything out on the pitch whenever he plays. That elusive spark of determination is something that Jack already possesses and will serve him well when he needs to find an extra gear.

But most importantly is Jack's ability to read the game in a way that Arteta and Flamini never can or never will. Having played as a number 10 the majority of his career or out-wide, as Wenger so often does with emerging talent, his brain has become honed to thinking that split second quicker.

As Wenger has said in the past, the further up the field you go the less time you have to think. Players operating in and around the opposition's penalty area have under half a second to decide how they will play the ball, they have to visualise their touch and pass before the ball has even left their teammates feet. This degree of quick thinking, if retuned to think like a CDM could enable Wilshere to play like Cannavaro and others who were able to snuff out danger before it developed.

It's an interesting proposition posed by the manager and one that could go some way to addressing an issue The Lovely Reds raised earlier this week in this article. By utilising Wilshere as a CDM and rotating him with the likes of Arteta he will gradually stake a claim as Arsenal's holding midfielder if competition higher up the pitch favours the likes of Özil and Cazorla.

This is not to say that we should settle and make accommodations for a player who might not be suited to playing such a pivotal role, but it could be worth experimenting during pre season. I suppose we'll see what happens in New York this afternoon and during The Emirates Cup in August.

Thanks for reading!

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Our Season So Far - Left Side Defense

Thomas Vermaelen       

This season has not been one of TV5’s best. This has not been down to his poor performances, but rather due to the consistency of our other two centrebacks. When Vermaelen has been called upon this season, I think he has done an admirable job. He has only been involved in 11 games, 5 of which were from the bench, but he has looked far more like the man we signed from Ajax, rather than the man who went missing last year. It seems as though a loss of form at a crucial point in our season last year has cost him his starting place, however he is our club captain for a reason. There was a time when Vermaelen was up there as one of the best in Europe, so it would be a shame to let him go when there is obvious talent beneath his doubt. I would like to see him tried in a CDM role against opposition where their number 10 is a distinct threat. He has the aerial, positional and tackling ability to succeed in the role, as well as a hammer of a left foot which could let fly on rare forays forward.

Rating 7/10

Laurent Koscielny         

Kos is the boss and has been magical this season. He has been one of the club's stand out players and should make the team of the season for a lot of football fans. Kos has come on leaps and bounds since a rather uncertain start to his Arsenal career. This was not helped by having to marshal the defense alongside players like Almunia, Djourou and Squillaci, but now alonside his giant German soulmate Koscielny is imperious. He always shows 100% commitment every single match even when his counterparts are flagging. His ability to read a pass and step in to intercept has been second to none, often carrying the ball forward to start off our next attack. My only criticism of him has been his lack of prolificacy in front of goal. Obviously I understand his main role in the side isn’t to score goals, however, he seems to have every other part of his game down, and as he has proven in previous seasons, he has an eye for goal. One goal is simply not a good enough return, considering he features in every one of our set pieces which is why he doesn’t receive a 10.

Rating 9/10

Kieran Gibbs                

Gibbs has been massively unlucky this season, playing the best football of his career for a team top of the table for so long, and yet being overlooked in the most recent England call-up. Gibbs has been a key player for us this season, with many starting to believe he can fill the void left by Cole many years ago. He is part of a back four that has never lost when they’ve completed 90 minutes together. Thinking back to the first Bayern game, you can see how much of an impact he has on the team. Within a short period of him coming off injured, the player he had been keeping at bay so admirably managed to free himself and win Bayern the penalty whic ultimately lost us the tie. We look solid with him and vulnerable without him. He’s developed good balance to his game, knowing when to get forward and being caught out of position much less often. He has been more effective too when he is forward, getting in much better quality crosses than in previous season. If he can further develop his crossing ability he can become a world-class left back. 

8/10

Our Season So Far - Right Side Defense

Bacary Sagna              

Here, we have a conundrum. We have a world class right back, who was somewhat written off by sections of the fans, myself included, in a year where he managed to break the same leg twice. 

What a fantastic character he has proven to be, coming back from such injuries towards the latter stages of his career to fully impose himself in a team challenging for the title. Bacary Sagna has shown his true importance to the team this season, regularly getting up and down that right touchline, supporting the attack without leaving his defensive colleagues too exposed. 

Perhaps the biggest improvement to his game has been a significant increase in the quality of his crossing, and he has popped up at times to add to our goal tally. Everyone is currently holding their breath as we wait to find out what will happen in this contract saga. 

Despite our high opinion for the man, I do not believe he should be paid £100K a week, as some reports have suggested he is requesting. While being a vital cog in our team, I do not believe he deserves such a pay rise. This being said, the allure of moving back to his home country to play for cash rich clubs such as PSG or Monaco, who will pay him that salary and more make it a very difficult situation for AFC. 

If we do not pay him that money there will be no shortage of suitors who will. Shall we break our wage structure to accommodate a player whose many years of experience make him a valuable asset, or shall we look to replace him now and build for the future? I would suggest building for the future, as £100k is simply too much in my eyes. 

Ideally, we would tie him down to a 3 year contract, hoping he plays 1 more season as our first choice right back, and then perhaps move him into a CB role as cover for our first choice while he passes on his wisdom to the man that takes his place.

Rating 8/10

                     

                                                                                                                                                       
Per Mertesacker           

The BFG. There was a time when the hefty German's mobility was a real cause for concern. There have been moments in matches, when Wenger decides to play a high line (think against Spurs last season and against Liverpool a few weeks ago), where Per has been exposed. 

Overall there is no denying his importance to the Arsenal team this season. He has been a stalwart at the back with his partner Koscielny. A partnership where when both had completed 90 minutes had not been beaten until last month. This partnership has been lauded as the best in the league by highly esteemed pundits. He has brought leadership and physicality to the pitch in an area lacking such attributes since the days of The Invincibles. 

His reach and timing of tackles are two of his best attributes, and it would be fair to say he is one of the best in the league at being in the right place at the right time. In his early days his pace or lack thereof proved to be a major stumbling block, however, with time and a speedy French guy next to him, he has managed to change his game such that his lack of pace does not affect his game. As a childhood Arsenal supporter, every time he plays you can see he puts everything into the game. 

His true character came out against Man City, where at the end of the match Ozil declined to acknowledge the support of the fans. Ozil was given a dressing down by Mertesacker he is unlikely to forget in this lifetime.

Rating 8/10

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