Arsenal Win Ugly

Sometimes a team needs an ugly win to get the momentum going. Many of the shortcomings the Gunners have demonstrated all season were apparent in the 1-0 victory over Wigan today. There was also some luck involved. But in a heavy rain on a soaked pitch, the Gunners did just enough to win. Walcott, who otherwise had a below par game, forced a penalty which was ably taken by Arteta to seal the win. Wigan had plenty of chances but there lack of quality in the final third sunk them again. It is our third win in a row and together with a Tottenham draw saw us climb to third place. After all the turmoil of the first half of the season, it is an enviable place to be, though Chelsea has two games in hand to move back into third. Some takeaways from the game:

1. Walcott questions remain: the ongoing saga over whether Walcott will sign a new contract with the Gunners continue to confound as it is unclear if we really want to play him in the central striking role. To be honest, he wasn't spectacular against Reading on Monday and was below average today -- missing a chance to give the Gunners the lead early. His hold up play was average, he is easy to get off the ball and even though his finishing has improved, he still needs to take his chances more if he is to succeed. It seems to me that his best position is as a winger, but if he refuses to play there, maybe it is better if he goes. This leads directly to the second point ...

2. Ox molding back into form: if Walcott leaves, I believe we need another winger to come in. But, Ox is starting to show the quality and speed from last year and is putting in dangerous crosses and getting around defenders with more regularity. He needs to score more (1 in 31 is hardly noteworthy), but many were probably again unhappy to see him come off for Ramsey. The idea is that Ramsey is better defensively, but he looked quite average even in that department late in the game. Ox could be the replacement for Walcott if he does jet off, which to me seems more likely with every passing game.

3. Defensive midfielder: many including announcer Maca, are starting to argue Arsenal don't, in fact, need a strong defensive mid. I fundamentally disagree. If we are to play the high line that we so often do, even in the waning moments of a one goal lead, I think it is important to get cover in front to break up play. Arteta is doing an adequate job, but teams break us apart from the middle to wings far too often. When Arteta gets forward, his mixture of physicality and quality passes really help us open defenses, and I would rather see him further up the pitch. I really hope we take care of this in the transfer window as it is a glaring weakness that could cost us our coveted champions league spot.

4. Formation/Tactics: as has so often been the case, when Cazorla is pressured higher up the pitch, his effectiveness wanes. This has been a problem all season, combed over by teams like Fulham, Tottenham and Reading who tend to play more wide open games. As I've written on several occasions this year, I believe the 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 make more sense for us with our current squad and I hope to see Wenger show some flexibility in this going forward. Another answer would be to get a b-2-b midfielder like the always injured Diaby to release pressure and charge up the pitch. Our attack is far too predictable and this is a problem. I also believe we should attack from the left more often, as was the case against Reading. Gibbs has really improved his crossing and Podolski is almost absent from games when we always play on the right. Cazorla and Ramsey need to recognize how often they play to the right or through the middle. 

5. Striker/Striker/Striker: it is clear, even if Giroud or, ugh, Walcott is to play central striker that we need to pick up a quality second (or first) option in the central role. Recent rumors link us with a surprising swoop for David Villa and I would also take Demba Ba or Huntelaar in that role. Other names like Llorente have been thrown around, but I don't see him coming and am not sure why we would take another player like Giroud, who was starting to show improvement before his niggling injury and then benching the past two games. 

Arsenal, unfortunately, will not be playing against West Ham on Boxing Day because of potential tube troubles but they have a floundering Newcastle at home next weekend. A win at the Emirates Saturday would go a long way to reestablishing some confidence in the team. I hope, though, this mini-run does not stop Wenger from dipping into the transfer window. We need reinforcements, and quality ones, if we are to ensure another top four finish and to provide any resistance to a powerful and impressive Bayern Munich squad (they have ceded but 7 goals in 17 matches in Germany and were impressive in UCL qualifying). But hope springs anew in the cold, wet and long London winter.