Times are exciting at the Emirates stadium. In the last 12 months, the club has made three of its four biggest signings in history, while the rise of Aaron Ramsey has supplemented these additions. New boys Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers, Joel Campbell, and Alexis have all been impressive, but a large void still remains in the squad.
Looking at the other top five premier league clubs, it’s easy to see why Arsenals title chances, and by the end of the season top four chances, usually hang by a thread. Arsenal have the least amount of depth at center back than any other big club in the league with the exception of Manchester United currently.
In Arsenal’s hay day with George Graham in the 1980’s and 90’s, the club used to keep far more center backs on the roster. “Boring, boring Arsenal” was the catch phrase back then, as they had a habit of scraping out 1-0 wins in front of a sometimes disinterested crowd. Graham is described by Tony Adams as a collector of center backs, one of the reasons Arsenal were competitive in the league, FA Cup, and Europe each season.
The famous English back five including Adams, Steve Bould, Nigel Winterburn, Lee Dixon, and keeper David Seaman was a big reason for the success in North London. However players like Martin Keown, Andy Linighan, and David O’Leary should be credited for always having the poise to step in and cover the void should Bould or Adams be injured, either short or long-term. Graham didn’t just buy center backs, he bought center backs that fit his system, thus allowing them to seamlessly cycle in and out of the lineup.
It wasn’t until Arsene Wenger arrived that Arsenal changed it’s style of play to a more attack-minded philosophy, and started seeing more creative players at the club flourish like Marc Overmars, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, and Robert Pires. The change in emphasis is seeing the long-term consequences of this strategy, as Arsenal have a surplus of attacking midfielders but a serious lack of central defenders.
Arsenal were outclassed and outmuscled in big games last year, some of which were played with Thomas Vermaelen deputizing for either Laurent Koscielny or Per Mertesacker. The result was devastating for Arsenal, while the price they sold Vermaelen for probably has a few supporters chuckling to themselves. Arsenal have options in the market, one of them being German Mats Hummels.
Hummels is definitely the most high-profile center back belong linked with the Gunners, but Arsenal must be careful in who they decide to add. Vermaelen, a product of the Ajax academy and total football philosophy, had an affinity for stepping up early and leaving a hole in the back of the defense. This is an effective quality to have but only in the correct system.
Right now, Koscielny and Mertesacker complement each other very well; Mertesacker’s positioning is top class, while Koscielny makes up for the big German’s lack of speed with his own pace and aggression. This conundrum of what kind of center back would be best for Arsenal is probably on Wenger’s mind all the time these days. The best case scenario would be to re-create the defensive solidarity George Graham instilled in the club during his 10 year reign at Highbury and have backup defenders who can fill in easily and effortlessly from a tactical perspective.
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