Have Arsenal made an error in judgment by not going for ex-player Song?
Barcelona outcast Alex Song is currently plying his trade in West Ham United and certainly, a player of his quality and physicality could have helped out his previous club Arsenal in the current injury hit period. While he is definitely a fit for the Premier League, he and Cesc Fabregas didn’t have the best of times when they left Arsenal for the glamorous Catalan Giants. Both the players were available for Arsene Wenger this summer, more obviously Cesc Fabregas, on whom Arsenal had the first buying rights. But Song, who was increasingly growing frustrated with his limited role in Barcelona was also in line to be moved on by Luis Enrique and as fate has it, even he is playing in London but not in Arsenal.
Arsenal’s Injury issues in midfield
Arsenal were desperately searching for a defensive midfielder in the summer transfer window to establish balance in their squad and reduce the work load on some of the more attack minded central players. Unfortunately, the dream defensive midfielder was not available for Arsene Wenger’s team and they didn’t sign anyone to strengthen the position apart from a versatile defensive player in Chambers, who is most comfortable on the right side of defence.
It was obvious that Arsenal would be heavily reliant on the technically gifted central midfielder and captain Mikel Arteta to play the holding role partnered by the likes of box to box central players such as Ramsey, Flamini or Wilshere. None of these central midfielders have the profile of a proper defensive midfielder. While the whole Arsenal team has players who are good readers of the game, the lack of physical strength in most players makes the team vulnerable against the mightier teams in the most physical league in the world.
Arsenal are currently lamenting the loss of Arteta and Ramsey to injuries, but these players will be back soon. But, the question remains, will Arsenal be competent in that demanding role with no naturally defensive player?
Alex Song- A Curious Case
Song left Arsenal for Barcelona in a bid to contest for some of the biggest trophies in Europe. Little did he know that Barca saw him exactly as a substitute defensive midfielder and rated his technical ability as that of a central defender! He was forced to play deeper than what he did for Arsenal and he ended up being a back-up for Sergio Busquets.
But now that he was allowed to move, Arsenal could have considered bringing in Song as a contingency plan to their goal of bringing a world class defensive midfielder. Alex Song isn’t a traditional defensive midfielder by any means. He is a player who is good with the ball and has good vision for a key pass. He is also a physically strong player and can tackle when necessary. His caliber is proven in his final season for Arsenal when he had accumulated 12 assists and was named second in the Player of the Year race by the fans.
Song would have played in central midfield next to the likes of Ramsey or Wilshere, and would have definitely replaced Mathieu Flamini. Song provides the balance in terms of physicality. He is tall enough as he stands just above 6 feet tall and has the right sort of aggression to play in an Arsenal set-up, like he did so successfully a few seasons back. He would have fit even perfectly this time out, after a highly technical stint with Barcelona where he was forced to play a very defensive minded role. Song would have provided the physical support to Ramsey and Wilshere despite his attacking proficiency that Arteta and Flamini struggle to do.
Conclusion
As we have all found out from Song’s style of play for Arsenal, he is definitely a more attack minded central midfielder to be termed exactly as a defensive midfielder. But as is the case with most burly African players, they are deemed versatile enough to play deeper and help the team cope up with the physicality of the league. Arsenal could have used Song exactly that way as they are anyway playing a playmaker (Arteta) in a position that is deeper than he would’ve liked and Flamini who struggles with technicality as well as pace or physicality.
But when we look at Arsenal’s squad before the unfortunate injury storm, they had players who would do Song’s job in the team, albeit without that extra bit of strength, which made Wenger think otherwise. While Cesc Fabregas was rejected outright by the Gunners’ manager, Alex Song was someone who wasn’t even mentioned because of the rising influence of Ramsey in the midfield and young Wilshere deemed as someone who should finally come of age. But will the decision hurt Arsenal in the injury hit campaign? We’ll have to wait and watch, but we all know that Song would have been a player who could have easily won a place in the heavily contested Arsenal midfield.