Arsenal: Defensive Injuries Can Vindicate Arsene Wenger

Arsenal have not had many opportunities to prove Arsene Wenger right this season, but they have that chance in the upcoming matches with the mass of injuries.

Plenty of people out there will blame Arsene Wenger for everything that happens to Arsenal, from the performances of individual players to their own personal stubbed toe. But there is one thing just about everyone will agree on being Arsene Wenger’s fault – how thing he leaves the squad.

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Arsene Wenger was of the opinion that Arsenal had ‘so many’ striking options, citing Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez as strikers. For that reason, he did not see the need to reinforce an inconsistent Giroud when the likes of Charlie Austin were available.

For the most part, we can say that Wenger was wrong. Arsenal’s striking corps has gone silent because of a lack of options. This problem very easily could have been solved by Wenger when he had the chance.

That is just his mentality. The same exists in his assessment of Arsenal’s defense. Arsene Wenger will not tell you that Arsenal have only three center backs. He will tell you that Arsenal have five centerbacks: Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Gabriel Paulista, Calum Chambers and Nacho Monreal.

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Anyone else would tell you that Arsenal has two capable, prone to injury centerbacks and a horribly inconsistent, horribly slow centerback. The other two are a prospect and a left back. But not to Wenger.

We are now at the point where the defense can do the same thing the striking corp did and prove him wrong. Or, on the other end, they can make up for the lapse at the other end of the pitch and prove that the boss was actually onto something.

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All three starting centerbacks are in some way, shape or form, injured. We do not know how long they will be out for just yet, but given Watford on Sunday and Barcelona again on Wednesday, there is going to be stress and strain on that back four. The idea of Calum Chambers and Nacho Monreal playing centerback against Barcelona is a bit unnerving, but there is cause for optimism.