Sahin at Arsenal without Song. by KJ
As it’s becoming ever more likely that Alex Song will leave Arsenal for Barcelona, Wenger must plan life without him. The player closest to signing for us this very moment is Nuri Sahin on loan from Madrid.
I want to look at possible line-ups next season without Song but with Sahin. I actually expect a proper defensive midfielder to come in regardless of Sahin joining us. This article will just be exploring our midfield combination There have been numerous reliable Arsenal tweeters whom are confident that we’ll get 2-3 players in before the window closes.
Here’s the first line-up:
Szczesny
Sagna Koscielny Vermaelan Gibbs
Arteta Sahin
Walcott Cazorla Podolski
Giroud
This is probably our strongest line-up next season. The balance seems pretty strong with Arteta playing deep and spreading the ball and Sahin creating the chances. This will allow Cazorla the licence to roam and pop up in different places where he sees fit. The only problem is that we don’t have a strong “combative” midfielder that will overpower the opposition and “bully” them.
2nd line-up:
Szczesny
Sagna Koscielny Vermaelan Gibbs
Arteta Wilshere
Walcott Cazorla Podolski
Giroud
This is probably a more likely line-up. Wilshere has just received the no.10 from Wenger and hence will have to be in the starting line-up. My only problem is that Arteta and Wilshere are very similar players (albeit the Englishman is slightly more adventurous).
3rd line-up:
Szczesny
Sagna Koscielny Vermaelan Gibbs
Arteta Diaby
Walcott Cazorla Podolski
Giroud
Now this seems a bit more balanced than the previous two line-ups. Diaby is amazing at moving from box to box and his physical presence can really help us against teams like Stoke or QPR who always seem to outmuscle us. However, again, these players aren’t conventional defensive midfielders and we could be left exposed as we were last season.
4th line-up
Szczesny
Sagna Koscielny Vermaelan Gibbs
Arteta Diaby
Walcott Wilshere Cazorla
Giroud
This seems another quite likely line-up. Wilshere as we know is a player too good to be benched. He is also playing the classic no.10 role in this line-up and hence would actually play the role the shirt was made for.
5th and final line-up:
Szczesny
Sagna Koscielny Vermaelan Gibbs
Arteta Sahin
Walcott Wilshere Cazorla
Giroud
This is the MOST likely line-up personally. We get that solid deep midfield and get that creativity and drive from Wilshere. We also get the pace from Walcott and the creativity and passing from Cazorla. It seems a win-win to many.
However, there Is a clear problem with all the line-ups personally and that’s the fact that we don’t have a combative midfielder who’ll defend our CBs with their life, someone who will impose themselves on the opponent and will essentially dominate our midfield. It is always important to have a midfielder that will break things up. Man City have De Jong, Liverpool have Lucas, Madrid have Khedira, Barcelona have Busquets.
Since we’ve bought an attacking midfielder in Cazorla, it would be smart to invest good money into a defensive midfielder like M’Vila/Capoue. I really feel like it would balance the team and would solve a few problems both offensively and defensively. But, this shouldn’t spell the end to Sahin being a Gunner. After this loan move, I’m sure Wenger will buy out his clause as he’s a class midfielder. A rarity in today’s market. Not many deep-lying midfielders about and he could definitely be worth £30-£40m in a few years’ time if nurtured correctly.
I feel like Wenger still has a few tricks up his sleeve and don’t be surprised if you see two new midfielders join Arsenal in the next couple of weeks.
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