It’s probably a blessing in disguise for Arsene Wenger, that the recently acquired Andrey Arshavin is unlikely to be in a position to start this afternoon’s North London derby, because despite his obvious talent, it’s unclear where exactly he will be deployed.
The club website’s profile of the Russian just shows us where the potential confusion lies. For many of us, Arshavin is that superb creative second striker we saw spring into action midway through Euro 2008, but his Arsenal.com profile describes him as a midfielder. Not only that but it charts the different positions he has been used in throughout his career. He started as a right-midfielder, then to attacking central midfield, then to the second striker role most Brits know him best in.
Though if we’re trying to ascertain his best position, I would disregard the role as a right sided midfielder. A player like Arshavin should, like a Gianfranco Zola, be able to breathe his creative genius through the middle. So considering the inevitable arguments about his insufficient stature to play central midfield in this country, it seems likely he would be best deployed in the role which brought him international fame this summer.
Yet excellent as he may well prove to be in that position (just imagine letting him and van Persie off the leash), I’m not sure that such a deployment in the solution in either the short or the long term.
Currently, Arsenal’s severe attacking gaps (relevant to personnel – we all know Arsenal lack a defensive midfielder of note) are in Cesc Fabregas’ vacated midfield spot, and Theo Walcott’s right wing. Up front however, they are relatively sorted. For all Adebayor’s deficiencies, and there are many of them, he does score goals, and is especially likely to alongside the fabulously creative van Persie. The big Togolese striker is clearly not playing at his best at the moment, but that is because, with the lack of creativity behind him, people are focussing on the flaws in his all-round game. Realistically this isn’t a problem and it shouldn’t be considered one. If the rest of the Arsenal team are playing at their creative best it is simply Adebayor’s job to put the ball into the back of the net. We should not be expecting him to be applying the creative spark.
So in the short term then Arsenal’s creative problem lies behind the front two. Arsenal are not looking like a goal threat because of the lack of quick passing and invention from the midfield, when faced with an eleven man wall of defenders. In my opinion, the best way to combat this is to put your best, most experienced creative player right in the middle. While Samir Nasri will one day be that man, there is, in the absence of Fabregas, only one man that can take that role, and that’s Arshavin. Right now Arsenal don’t need two bulldozing central midfielders to score goals; they need some creativity. What is more likely to bring success, a partnership of Diaby and Song, or one or Arshavin and A.N. Other?
But that is just my solution, and one unlikely to be supported by many Arsenal fans, because as we have seen there are multiple options. Yet the problem gets even more complicated in the long term. If, and with Arsenal it’s a big if, they can actually boast a completely fit squad the placement of the Russian becomes much more difficult. Fabregas is the best choice in central midfield and partnering him with Arshavin is simply not an option.
So what then is the Russian there for? To be a versatile bit-part player, capable of covering for Nasri/Rosicky, Fabregas, Walcott or van Persie? I somewhat doubt it, but it raises the question of exactly which of those men he would be most preferable to, and where his deployment would bring the most balance.
Perhaps I’m just not used to an Arsenal side with genuine options on the bench, a side which can rotate according to the needs of the game at hand in the way Man United’s excellent squad can. But the problem is not a simple one to solve and as I said at the outset, Wenger will probably be glad he doesn’t have to make that choice right away. The more time he has to try and work out the answer, either in training or in various matches, the better. If he does appear against Tottenham it will be absolutely fascinating to see where he plays.
