5 things Arsenal need to do to get back to the top of the Premier League

1. Buy a defensive midfielder

Arsenal have been often criticized since then for having a soft underbelly; Mikel Arteta has been deployed in a defensive midfield role after the departure of Alexander Song, and although he has been impressive in linking defense and attack, he has been unable to provide sufficient cover for the back four. The purchase of a defensive midfielder would ensure that Arsenal is finally able to bring much needed steel to their stylish midfield.

The prime candidate for that would seem to be Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini. He had been deployed further upfield by David Moyes to take advantage of his heading ability and link-up play, but he remains a quality defensive midfielder. This would take part of the burden off Arteta, allowing him to play further upfield.

2. Buy a lethal finisher

With exceptional creative players such as Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta, as well as wide men such as Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski, Arsenal are a team that has the ability to create chances against any defense in Europe.

Their problem lies are their profligacy; Olivier Giroud, and even Robin van Persie, have been found guilty of missing gilt-edged chances in crucial matches. Buying a striker in the mold of Robert Lewandoski would ensure that most of the chances created by Arsenal end up with the ball in the back of the net.

 

(Img Source-eurosport)

Although Arsenal have been linked with Argentine hitman Gonzalo Higuain, he seems to be heading to Napoli to fill the void left by Edinson Cavani’s departure to PSG. The alternative is Wayne Rooney, who would be an excellent addition to the Arsenal side, and perhaps would be more of what they need than Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, considering Suarez’s low conversion rate.

3. Buy a quality goalkeeper

Despite impressive performances in the past few years, Wojciech Szczesny has come under criticism for some high profile errors, as well as doubts over how well he can handle high-pressure situations.

Arsene Wenger’s choice of playing Lukasz Fabianski over Szczesny in the second leg of their Champions League tie with Bayern Munich showed his lack of trust in his young keeper. Buying an experienced keeper such as Julio Cesar would not only lend confidence to those in front of them but also help Szczesny learn as their understudy.

In fact Julio Cesar’s mooted move to Napoli has fallen through owing to disagreement over personal terms; the QPR goalkeeper would be the perfect short-term solution for Wenger.

4. Make Jack Wilshere the captain

Although Wenger recently confirmed that Thomas Vermaelen would retain the captain’s armband this season, with his recent injury problems along with the emergence of the central-back partnership of Per Martesacker and Laurent Koscielny, he might find himself on the bench for most of next season.

Not having your club captain in the starting XI means that leadership must come from elsewhere, and with Wilshere they have a willing young player who is not only an Arsenal academy graduate but has a penchant to rise to the occasion and fight to the end, two qualities required in every leader.

5. Have a Plan B

Arsenal, without doubt, plays some of the best football in England, and their fast paced passing style under Wenger has won over many neutrals. However, due to the nature of their game, teams now set up in order to disrupt their free-flowing football and hence have caused problems for Arsenal whenever they park the bus and play on the counter.

Arsenal also has problems against overly physical teams with teams such as Stoke and Bolton enjoying success against them due to their physical style. The signing of Fellaini would go a long way towards addressing this weakness with his strong aerial and physical presence. In order to become champions, Arsenal must learn how to win ugly and to win even things aren’t going their way.

Arsenal has the blueprint in place to make the most of their strong financial position with the start of the Financial Fair Play. All they now need to do is put the money where the mouth is, make the necessary additions to the squad to take them to the next level, something that they have been threatening to do for a few seasons now. The time is ripe, but is Arsene Wenger ready to splash the cash?