Arsenal: 5 Things That Must Weigh On Arsene Wenger's Mind

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4. Everybody Wants To Play

Pretty soon Arsenal will have to get ready to bid farewell to Mathieu Debuchy. It is unfortunate in my opinion. I still remember those first few games he started at right back. I thought he was an absolute menace on the right hand side. Tough, strong and not afraid to push forward, Debuchy looked like the perfect replacement for his countryman Bacaray Sagna.

Then came Stoke’s Marko Arnautovic and his ridiculously unnecessary push, which set the Debuchy careening into a disastrous stint on the treatment table. It wasn’t all bad. For Arsenal at least. In his absence Hector Bellerin shot off like a rocket, grabbing the opportunity with both hands and becoming one of the best right backs in England.

Debuchy has made it perfectly clear that he needs playing time if there is any chance for him to break into the French national team for the Euros next year. You have to feel for the guy. He was his country’s first choice right back until a slew of injuries got him sidelined and unable to defend his position. You can’t blame Wenger or Bellerin, but Debuchy was given a hard pill to swallow. At 30-years-old, this is the prime of Debuchy’s footballing years. He will never get this back. There is no three or four years down the road for him. This is the chance to play on a huge stage in his home country, and yet his place has been usurped by a devilishly coiffed Spaniard who is ten years his junior. Rough.

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Then there is David Ospina. I remember the good old days when Ospina made Wojciech Szczęsny look incredibly pedestrian. Now, however, Ospina has fallen out of the hearts and minds of the Arsenal faithful. His gaffes in the Champions League have relegated him to a deep, deep position behind first choice stopper Petr Cech. As the number one goalkeeper for Colombia and the number one keeper at all of his former clubs, I can’t envisage Ospina wanting to stay on as an understudy much longer.

This must be difficult for Arsene Wenger. Supporters constantly call for more support and greater quality in the side, yet when the manager does acquire it, these players grow restless. The FA Cup would be the perfect place for these two players to really strut their stuff, but the competition is set to commence after the January transfer window. That may be enough time for Ospina, who might be unsettled but isn’t in a rush to leave yet. Besides, Cech will be in goal for at least the next two or three seasons, so Wenger has time to sort out that issue.

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Debuchy on the other hand looks set to force a move, which is unfortunate considering that since his injury Hector Bellerin has not been his usual self. Now I’m not saying that Bellerin is rubbish, far from it. But giving the young Spaniard some time to rest and collect himself would probably be good for him. Also its important not to crown Bellerin as the first choice right back just yet, he’s only twenty and he needs to remain hungry. He really has only been playing well for one calendar year.

Alas, with Carl Jenkinson not truly impressing at West Ham, Arsenal may have another positional quandary on their hands. Of course, we do have Calum Chambers, and he is apparently our answer to everything at this point. We need a right back? Hey there Calum, off you go son. Oh what’s this, short at center back? Go on now Chambo, get stuck in. What? Coquelin’s injured! Come now Calum we know you were meant to be holding midfielder all along. He’s a good lad that Calum Chabers. I’m sure he could back up Cech too, forget I even brought this up. We’ll be fine.

Next: 3. Barcelona

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Arsenal: 5 Things That Must Weigh On Arsene Wenger’s Mind

By Jabari LeGendre | Dec 16, 2015

4. Everybody Wants To Play

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