Arsenal: Sead Kolasinac can fill growing responsibility void

Arsenal used to heavily rely upon Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in times of trouble, but that support seems shaky. Sead Kolasinac can fill in.

Arsenal have fallen under criticism in recent years because they supposedly became too reliant on Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, who drove the team to whatever heights they reached in any given year.

No matter what you think about that assessment, or in what capacity they ‘relied’ on these two super stars, there is one thing that cannot be denied, and that’s that at times of trouble, you ahve to have someone that you can lean on to try to right the ship.

I don’t mean wholly rely on, as it often looked like they were doing with Alexis, but merely lean on as a crutch.

Alexis and Ozil both seem to be sputtering a bit, with Alexis’s happiness unclear and Ozil’s presence a major point of contention, so just assuming that these two cannot take the brunt of that pressure, it made me start to ponder who I might like to see given more responsibility to lead the team.

The first name that occurred to me was Alexandre Lacazette, but for as wonderful as I think he is, I also think it might be a bit too soon to ask that much of him.

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Then I thought Aaron Ramsey, but he is already picking up a big portion of the load and I wouldn’t want to ask anymore, because the best Ramsey is a Ramsey left unburdened by any outside forces. Just let him do his thing.

I thought Granit Xhaka, but for as highly as I think of him, I do believe he still has a bit further to go to prove that he is up to that task.

Then I realized that the rising Bosnian cult hero is our man for the job. Sead Kolasinac may only be a left back, but the influence he exerts on a match is massive, and we have seen it first-hand. He can wreck opposing defenses with his runs and when we are in a pinch, that is who I want to see getting the ball at his feet.

That is why I believe that in the waning influence of Alexis and Ozil, two artists of the game, Kolasinac, a true warrior, should be the one to rise up. Not least of all because it re-centers the team on the toughness aspect of everything, rather than the artistry.

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There is a reason that Kolasinac has quickly become a favorite. He has filled the void that Gooners have been waiting to have filled for years. He can do the same for the team.

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