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Is Arsene Wenger’s Team Selections Behind Arsenal’s Recent Results?

By Nasra Osman

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Since the beginning of the season, Arsenal have produced a medley of inconsistent performances.

Yes, they have managed to pull off unconvincing wins against Newcastle and Crystal Palace, but they also lost to an average West Ham squad and dropped two valuable points at home to Liverpool. They have struggled to find their scoring touch, with only three goals (including two own goals) to show for their troubles so far. Five points behind leaders Manchester City is most likely not where Arsenal would have predicted themselves to be this early on in the season.

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Arsenal’s players themselves look as though they are finding it hard to click together. There have been moments where cohesion hasn’t been a problem, as we saw in the first half against Newcastle where Arsenal dominated possession and misplaced very few passes. But for the most part, the players that have started consistently this season do not seem like they will be able to get the job done week in and week out.

Does that mean that Arsenal’s struggles so far this season are down to squad selection? It is likely, in more ways than one. Wenger has used a total of 16 different players in his starting XI thus far, which shows that he hasn’t been rotating his squad all that much.

So why are the players having trouble producing the offense that they are capable of? Well, the problem is not so much how many players Wenger opts to use, but which players in particular. It is clear that Alexis, Cazorla, Ozil, Ramsey and Coquelin are mainstays in Wenger’s starting XI. But there simply isn’t enough room in that midfield in order for all five of those players to be as effective as possible.

It has become quite evident that playing Ramsey on the wing is useless, yet that is where Wenger continues to deploy the Welshman. For the good of the team, Wenger should drop Ramsey for Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has shown time and time again that he can do damage running at defenses on the wings. His speed coupled with his ability to finish in and outside the box makes him more effective in that position when compared to Ramsey. Oxlade-Chamberlain created the chance that led to Coloccini’s own-goal, while playing on the right hand flank.

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Wenger’s tendency to substitute Coquelin when we need a goal is also questionable. Taking off Coquelin not only exposes our defensive frailties, but also leaves us susceptible to conceding when we are already trailing.

We saw an example of this against West Ham, when Wenger substituted Coquelin for Walcott, after going down two goals down. After the Frenchman went off, Sakho was able to have two clear shots on goal, which would have been converted had it not been for Petr Cech. West Ham only had four shots on target throughout the entire game, so the fact that half of them came after Coquelin left the game is very telling.

Although it may not look like it now, it is difficult to tell whether or not Wenger’s favoured starting XI will click as the season wears on, as it is still early in the season. However, if Arsenal are to improve their results, Wenger must find the correct balance instead of playing players out of position just to keep them happy. It may not sit well with some individuals within the squad, but it may be necessary for the good of the club as a whole.

Next: Arsenal are arrogant but not as Neville indicates

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