Arsenal: A wishlist for the 2020/21 season

Sorting the midfield muddle

For a brief while during Unai Emery’s reign, Arsenal looked like they might have the midfield to sustain them. It had Aaron Ramsey playing in a more advanced role, Lucas Torreira at the base, with Granit Xhaka or Matteo Guendouzi filling out the final position. Ramsey, though, would leave the club for free and Emery was never able to replicate the same fluency in central areas.

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In his second season at the helm, the remaining trio were largely exposed by Emery. Xhaka had his infamous episode during the Crystal Palace game and Torreira became disillusioned with the role he was being forced into. Guendouzi was superb, but he could hardly carry the entire position on his own.

Fast forward to the Arteta tenure. Xhaka is once again an integral part but both Torreira and Guendouzi seem to have fallen down the pecking order. Dani Ceballos and Mesut Ozil have filled out the remaining spots instead. With all this, it still feels that Arsenal’s midfield is not penetrative enough. Case in point was their demoralising defeat against Olympiakos or any number of games where the team struggled to score due to the lack of service.

This middle muddle has been one of the more pressing matters this season. As the coming year progresses, whether it be through youth promotion, smart coaching to coax the best out of those already at the club, or clever, progressive recruitment, Arteta and co. must solve their confused central midfield.