It was a lively transfer window for Arsenal.
All things considered, Arsenal have emerged from the January transfer window in as strong a position as they could have hoped. They have replaced Alexis Sánchez with two top class attacking players in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan and tied down Mesut Özil to a new long-term contract. The only criticism of their activity would be still not addressing defensive issues and strengthening Chelsea by selling them Olivier Giroud.
But still, their attacking options are strong, they have two strikers worth more than £50m each and two supremely talented playmakers to supply them. However, given Arsène Wenger’s tendency to only play one striker, whether that be in a 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 or a 3-4-3 formation, it is hard to see how he plans to accommodate them all into the same team.
Aubameyang has played on the wing earlier in his career, as Alexandre Lacazette has too, but neither player joined Arsenal with the intention of being shifted back to the wing. It would also be a waste of their finishing talents to play one of them out of position.
An obvious solution would be to drop Lacazette, after all, he has only scored once in his last twelve games, but Wenger has hinted at the possibility of playing all four attackers together. When asked on whether he would be able to fit them into the same team, he said:
“That’s the challenge I have. I will try to find a way to do it. We play so many games that everyone will get games. It’s always possible. Will I do it? Maybe. I don’t know. But I think it’s possible, yes. You need at least two top strikers in the Premier League, because if one is injured then you have a problem.”
Arsenal suffered a disappointing defeat to Swansea at the Liberty Stadium midweek, gifting Swansea an easy way through defence with lapses in concentration. Speaking about the balance on his team, Wenger said:
“That’s our DNA. We are an attacking team. The danger is when you are an attacking team that you don’t score and then of course you create your own problems.
“Would I rather win 4-3? That is not the solution I like — I like the four, but I don’t like the three.
“We have to improve our defensive record, absolutely, and everybody has to contribute. That is why we have to work on that and find the balance. Without destroying our defensive power, we have to find the balance so we are better defensively.”
If all four of them were to play together, Wenger would have to revert back to 4-2-3-1, or play two strikers, possibly playing Mkhitaryan and Özil wide, drifting into the channels where they like to operate. Any system which accommodates all four of these attacking players leaves Arsenal’s defence seriously exposed; Granit Xhaka doesn’t exactly provide the defence with the best protection. What is for certain, though, is that it would be entertaining to watch and see goals go in at both ends.
It would be great for neutrals, maybe less so for Arsenal fans.
