Almost halfway into the 2019/20 Premier League campaign and Arsenal find themselves struggling to cement a place in the top half of the table, let alone a place in the top four. Managerless, clueless and aimless. Just some of the adjectives used to describe the Gunners’ recent performances both domestically and on the European stage. The departure of former boss, Unai Emery, was supposed to have a galvanising effect, but so far supporters are yet to see the ‘bounce’ that many teams display after losing their out-of-sorts coach.
Their recent defeat to Manchester City underlined the gulf in class and quality between the two teams. According to Oddschecker’s Ryan Elliott, who previews all the Premier League action as analyst for the online betting portal, the Gunners’ “chronic inconsistencies” mean that a top-four finish is almost impossible at present. As Arsenal find themselves seven points adrift of a Champions League qualification place, with several in-form teams above them looking more likely to challenge, it begs the question as to whether the Gunners should write off 2019/20 and focus on giving whoever their new manager may be a chance to rebuild.
Despite having the likes of Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe and Mesut Ozil on the field, Arsenal managed only a solitary shot on goal against Manchester City. Combine their profligacy in front of goal with a porous defence and it’s clear to see that a lot of work is required both on the training ground and in the transfer market.
If reports are correct, Arsenal’s dismal defeat to Manchester City may have been an ideal opportunity for current City assistant manager and former Arsenal midfielder, Mikel Arteta to assess the squad and general mood at the Emirates. The Spaniard is hotly-tipped to become the permanent successor to Emery, with caretaker Freddie Ljungberg struggling to muster much in the way of a revival in recent weeks.
Providing Arsenal can get Arteta in the building before the January transfer window, he could have a chance to clear out some of the dead wood and potentially make moves to improve the spine of the first XI. A central defensive pairing of Calum Chambers and Sokratis Papastathopolous may be effective at times, but it’s not a partnership title-winning teams can hang their hat on.
Integrating youth into the first team fold is also likely to be a primary objective for any incoming manager. The likes of Joe Willock, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka all appeared off the bench against City, underlining the dearth of talent that’s waiting to be given a chance to shine. With inconsistent, big-money names like Ozil inching closer to the Emirates exit door, a new manager’s first task will be to create a new identity for the Gunners; something that will take longer than the remainder of 2019/20 to achieve, surely?
