Song's Departure Can be a Positive Move by Wenger

Reports have suggested that Alex Song has turned down the opportunity to sign an extension to his contract, giving rise to speculation of a move away from North London. While the speculation will anger many fans, the situation can be a positive move by manager Arsene Wenger.

Song started his career off as a centre back but his early performances for the Gunners were a cause for concern. In comparison to defenders in his age group, the Cameroon international struggled to read the game and his decision making was often speculative. This prompted the club to loan the player to Charlton for a season as Arsenal looked to boost his development.

In the mean time, the Gunners suffered defensive frailties following former midfielder Mathieu Flamini’s exit to AC Milan. Flamini’s final season at the Emirates was very impressive. The young midfielder operated well with Fabregas during the 2007-2008 season as Arsenal lost out on the league title by only 2 points.

Flamini’s stamina, speed and combative nature were key to Arsenal’s impressive season and the Frenchman would consistently cover approximately 13 to 14 km per game - almost 3km higher than the average for footballers during a 90 minute game.

Losing Flamini along with Diarra and Gilberto was a big blow for Arsenal. Denilson and Diaby’s poor performances eventually prompted Wenger to transform Alex Song into a defensive midfielder.

So how much responsibility was the young Song about to take on? It is widely believed that the benchmark for any defensive midfielder is former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makalele. The Frenchman excelled so well in the holding midfield role that many experts have since referred to the position as “The Makalele Role”.

Makalele was disciplined in his positional play and provided excellent cover for the back four as Mourinho deployed the former Real Madrid in his favoured 4-3-3 formation.

There is however a significant difference in the way Makalele and Song operate in that role. The analysis below from, Guardian Football Chalkboards, show the passes played by the two players during their respective games and provide an indication as to how the players carry out their duties.

While many of Makalele’s passes appear inside the Chelsea half, Song has a more adventurous role. Statistically, in the midfield along with Ramsey and Arteta, Alex Song was the most advanced of the trio against Bolton earlier this season.

When Flamini left for AC Milan, Wenger changed his formation from a 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1 with Song and Wilshere taking up a deep role. The Arsenal manager claimed the new formation would allow Cesc Fabregas a more advanced attacking role while the midfield was marshalled by Wilshere and Song.

The two deep players however are not limited to a rigid formation. Wenger likes to allow his players freedom of movement but there have been several occasions in recent seasons when the management from the touchline had to instruct Song to maintain discipline and limit his attacking runs to avoid forcing the more creative players like Arteta and Wilshere to cover.

Maintaining discipline and efficiency is key in the holding role and an excellent example of this is Darren Fletcher. While the Scottish midfielder is not the most gifted on the ball he is efficient in shielding the back four and in breaking the opposition attacks. With Fletcher’s hard working nature in the Manchester United ranks, Ferguson has the luxury of varying the system between playing Rooney and Hernandez or Berbatov up front or switching to playing one striker and three in midfield with Anderson, Carrick and Fletcher.

Song does not posses the consistent hard working nature of Fletcher and over time, Wenger perhaps identified the former Bastia player’s lack of agility and speed as one of the reasons to play with two deeper midfielders. However, with Fabregas now plying his trade in Barcelona, perhaps Wenger may consider reverting back to playing with two strikers.

If Arsenal can replace the Cameroonian with a more agile defensive midfielder, there may be an opportunity for Wenger to get the best out of many of his attackers.

The Gunners have gifted finishers in van Persie, Park and Walcott while Chamakh alongside a strike partner. If Wenger invests in buying a midfielder in the stature of Yann M’Vila or Gokhan Inler, the Gunners boss can certainly have the luxury of variation in the way the team plays.

Van Persie with Chamakh or Park, as central strikers combined with Gervinho and Walcott on the wings would provide plenty of attacking power for the North London side, while Wilshere or Ramsey can operate as a Centre Midfielder alongside a holding player in the middle. Wenger may also have the option to vary his frontline by playing Walcott up front in his natural position along with van Persie and simultaneously utilise the pace of Oxlade-Chamberlain in the wide role.

Naturally, against more tough opposition, there is a greater need for greater numbers in midfield and a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation will be welcome options for the manager.
The key is to have a side that can play in a variation of systems to beat the particular opponent. Until there is a more versatile defensive midfielder who can operate in multiple formations, Arsenal must persist with the current system of playing with an additional midfielder alongside Alex Song.

Are England missing a trick with Theo Walcott?

If ever there has been a player to divide opinion among fans, journalists and legends, then look no further than beyond the borders of North London.

He sets an example of leading a quiet personal life in comparison to some of his England colleagues, but Theo Walcott has never quite evaded the media spotlight. After-all, he will always be known as the 17 year old who went to the World Cup without playing a single game in domestic top flight football.
More recently, his omission from the international team has certainly helped his career take a turn for the better. Lionel Messi even went on record and said "I thought it was a bad decision to leave Theo Walcott at home. I can only speak from experience but he was one of the most dangerous players I have ever played against. Barcelona players are not scared easily but I can tell you that when we played Arsenal he truly worried us"
Walcott came on as a second half sub to earn Arsenal a draw in the Champions League two seasons ago and manager Pep Guardiola was in awe of the Englishman’s talent pace by admitting, “You would need a pistol to stop him”.

Despite the high praises, England fans however are uninspired by the former Southampton player. His 3 goals in 19 starts is a far cry from Arsenal league record where he has 20 goals from 72 starts. And having playing some 16 hours less football than PFA Player of the Year Gareth Bale, Walcott recorded more goals and assists than the Welshman last season.

His development has been closely observed by various figures in the game and the young Englishman has certainly received some very harsh and unfair criticism over the years. Yet, if there is ever a way to set an example of proving your doubters wrong, Walcott would be the ideal candidate having made improvements to his game with quality performances, most notably at Stamford Bridge this season.

There aren’t many left backs in the world better than former Gunner Ashley Cole. Yet, the Chelsea defender has struggled on many occasions when faced with the pace of Walcott. And his goal at the Shed End in the bridge would’ve even had Chris Waddle jump off his seat. The winger battled through 4 Chelsea players to unleash a blistering shot past Petr Cech as Arsenal took the points at the Bridge.

While the England manager Fabio Capello watched from the director’s stand, he may have been wondered why his playing style consistently fails to take advantage of Walcott’s ability. Why is it that a player producing excellent performances against the likes of Barcelona and Chelsea cannot do the same when faced with likes of Montenegro or Switzerland? Why is Arsene Wenger the only manager who benefits from the young Englishman’s pace and accurate finishing? Are England missing a trick in the way Capello deploys Walcott?

The answers may lie in the way Arsenal adopt their attacking style by utilising the wide men in the opposition half. There is always movement from the Arsenal’s midfielders off the ball. Gervinho, Van Persie and Walcott are constantly swapping roles in an attempt to confuse the defenders and create space.

Wenger allows his attackers to play with freedom in their movement and expression on the ball. His instruction to his creative players is to look for Walcott’s run after regaining possession inside their own half. Fabregas, Ramsey and Wilshere have on many occasions played the ball deep into the opposition half for the former Saints player to create opportunities.

Capello demands a style that is more a rigid in formation and strictly disciplined in attack with very few risks in passing. The result of this is a lack of creativity and monotonously predictable attacks by England. The team rely heavily on opposition making mistakes while the players are more vulnerable to being man marked and have little room for variation.

The England manager’s idea of Walcott running down the flank and crossing the ball for the centre forward is old fashioned. The full backs do not attack as much as they are used to for their clubs and only Rooney has the license to drift.

If Capello feels that playing a more free-form attacking role with his forwards would make his team vulnerable defensively, then perhaps he has neglected the improvements in Walcott’s defensive routine. Various teams, including the likes of Chelsea, Marseille and Sunderland have targeted Arsenal’s right side identifying former Charlton player Jenkinson as the weak link.

Analysing Walcott’s play on Guardian Chalkboards, the diagram on the left shows the wingers passing against Sunderland this season in comparison to his passes against Wolves two seasons ago. Walcott has attempted to track back more often this season to help the full back recently and has taken on more defensive responsibilities this season. His passes appear to be more direct and organised rather than short-horizontal in comparison to his performance two years go.







England should certainly adopt aspects of Arsenal’s attacking tactics when suitable, especially against teams likes Spain where they are likely to have reduced possession. Capello will be hoping midfielder Jack Wilshere will recover in time for the Euros. Wilshere’s understanding with Walcott at club level may well prove to be a catalyst for England’s success in the future.