Part 3: Arsenal’s in-team competitions for a place in the starting eleven
Apart from the troublesome goalkeeper dilemma, another problem that Arsene Wenger has faced off late is when it comes to picking a defensive midfielder. The defensive midfield position is one of the most important in modern day football and it is one that has troubled Arsenal for a while now.
The last well known defensive midfielder that the team had was Patrick Vieira. The Frenchman was a part of the ‘Invincible’ Arsenal squad, but ended up leaving the team due to personal issues later on. The next player to replace the player in the spot was Mathieu Flamini. Flamini was almost like a blessing to the team; he was hard working, made excellent tackles and was a decent passer of the ball. He seemed to be just the player Arsenal needed. However the player ended up having a dispute with the club and the manager about renewing his contract and ended up leaving the team as a free agent. It was a move that left all the fans of the team and the footballing world feeling confused at this bizarre turn of events. Flamini has since gone to join AC Milan but has fallen from grace at the team and is currently struggling to make it into the first team.
Arsenal on the other hand ended up having some problems of their own. The only players they had to choose amongst to play in the spot included Abou Diaby, Alexandre Song and Denilson. All three of the players were currently far from being the finished product that Wenger would have hoped for, but considering he had no options, the manager decided to go ahead and include all three of the players in the squad.
Despite being defensive midfielders, all three of the players vary tremendously in their in game abilities. Diaby is the biggest of the three; is relatively quicker than the rest and is far better in the air. He is used against the bigger teams that Arsenal plays and tends to do a decent job every time he takes to the field. Song is easily the hard man of the three; he tends to get stuck in almost every challenge that he makes and is tremendous at retaining possession and breaking up the attacks of the opposition. He can also play as a centre back which has helped him become a very versatile defensive player. Song also has tremendous footwork, which is something of a rarity to be found in the defensive players. The youngest player of the three is Denilson. He has already spent five years at the team but still hasn’t managed to cement a position in the starting eleven. However Denilson is a technically gifted player who has the best passing rate and percentage out of the three and tends to take a pretty good free kick or two.
All three of the players have had numerous opportunities to break the first team over the past and have had their moments of glory as well. However, Song has been the preferred choice over the three off late and in the opening stages of the season so far. Denilson has been absent due to an injury that he picked up in the pre-season, but managed to regain his fitness. The Brazilian even managed to play a few minutes in the teams’ last match.
What this means is both Diaby and Denilson would be brought in to fill for Song when he needs a break or is away on international duty. However Denilson and Diaby could also be played during the Carling Cup games which could prove to be crucial to Arsenal lifting some silverware this season.
Tags: