Arsenal: Danny Welbeck Is Being Severely Misused

Arsenal continue to ignore the only non-slumping striking option they have. Danny Welbeck has to be deployed up front or he was not worth the transfer.

I am still frustrated about the Manchester United match. All I can see in my head is Arsenal’s starting XI, with Danny Welbeck forced wide right and Theo Walcott up front. If ever you want to see what went wrong with this season (assuming it doesn’t right itself), just look at that formation.

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I have belabored the Theo Walcott point enough. I’m tired of ranting about how ineffective he is. I am not tired of playing up my enthusiasm for what Danny Welbeck has been able to do.

Welbeck, who believes he is a striker, though few others do, has scored two goals in 108 minutes since his Arsenal return. Both were small head flicks, sure, but both were massive (or could have been) and both were only made possible by Welbeck being in front of goal. He did not score these goals dribbling in from the right or latching on to a throughball.

I have been incredibly critical of Welbeck’s ability to play at striker since he arrived at Arsenal. Now that I finally believe he can, it looks like it is Arsene Wenger who is not convinced.

Here’s the thing – Danny Welbeck was purchased to be a striker. There is no debating that. Everyone knew Wenger had to buy a secondary striker back in the summer of 2014. Back then, Walcott was not masquerading as a front man. Welbeck was not who we might have envisioned, but he would do. The talent was there.

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After impressing in every single category except scoring, Welbeck went down with an injury and suddenly Walcott was a striker. That lasted all of a month before Arsenal was confined to Giroud’s beck and call. Now that Welbeck is healthy again, the fact that he is not being used at striker is beyond befuddling. It may be a case of Arsene Wenger out-thinking himself or it may be a case of Wenger confusedly clinging to the hope that Walcott is a striker.

Let’s get one thing out of the way, Walcott may be a striker, but when Arsenal uses the same tactics when Giroud is at striker as when Walcott is at striker, one of the two is going to look inferior. Seeing as how it is Giroud that has held that post for five years, it is Walcott who comes out on the bad end.

Welbeck can play along the same lines of Giroud, with added benefits. He has the strength to hold up play and we have witnessed him doing it. He has the aerial ability to get up and nod towards goal – that is how we beat Leicester and threatened United. He even has the added perk of pace to add another facet to Arsenal’s attack.

Welbeck is 75% Giroud, 25% Walcott. Arsenal should be salivating to get Welbeck at the front of the formation because he combines the two types of strikers they have played with.

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But until Wenger overcomes his obstinate desire to make Walcott a striker, we will have to hope that Welbeck keeps pushing himself to the front of the formation anyway.