Arsenal: 3 vital changes to make to save the season

Arsenal have done well thus far to be in the mix for top four. From the darkest depths they’ve clawed their way into contention, only for them to be staring back from whence they came.

The squad overhaul has continued to take place as Mikel Arteta shapes the team to his liking. However, injuries have reduced that number down even further and hopes of a top four finish are at serious risk following the losses of Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey.

Football fans are particularly prone to extreme reactionary views, especially after such disastrous showings in the past week. Some have been waiting for Arteta to falter while others continue to back him. Regardless of how the fans view him, the club hierarchy will not sack him with eight games to go.

Supporters have also criticized the wasted opportunities to strengthen the squad in January. Like the decision on Arteta’s future, nothing can be changed in terms of external reinforcements until the summer. While many accept this, albeit unwillingly, Arteta still has to make changes if he is to finish this season strong.

Arsenal: 3 vital tactical changes to make to save this Premier League season as Mikel Arteta’s side risk missing out on European football

Any manager of any club would struggle with injury setbacks of this importance. Losing Partey isn’t like losing Cedric. Yet even still, the manager hasn’t help himself.

Looking less likely by the day, top four still hangs in the balance. Perhaps more realistically, so does Europa League.

Arsenal can’t afford to finish outside the European spots again. Something has to be done. Here are three changes Arteta must make to drag the team out of their rut.

1. Play a Midfield

While the entire squad is paper thin, there is no section more devoid of first-team quality than Arsenal’s midfield. Arteta made changes against Brighton, dragging Xhaka to left-back while leaving a midfield three of Smith Rowe, Odegaard and Lokonga, with the latter slotted in as a single pivot.

This decision was particularly cruel given his age, inexperience and lack of recent minutes. Lokonga looked lost out there against the Seagulls.

The gaps between players were too large, leaving the Belgian isolated on the ball and abandoned off of it. Moving Xhaka back into the middle of the park in the second half resulted in a noticeable improvement. The Swiss midfielder brought a calmness in his passing and allowed Arsenal to build up as more than two or three passes were strung together.

The added security provided by an experienced international allowed Lokonga some positional freedom, too, with the Belgina able to drive forward on a handful of occasions, getting shots away from outside the box –  albeit not with great success.

The games will only get more difficult from here. Placing the responsibility of anchoring a Premier League midfield on the young shoulders of Lokonga away at Southampton or against Chelsea and Manchester United is a calamity waiting to happen. Arteta’s needed changes start (but do not end) with playing a balanced midfield.

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