It’s Dat Guy! – Why Danny Welbeck Could Be A Vital Clog In Arsenal’s Armoury This Season
Arsene Wenger will be happy with the way his side has bounced back after the international break but he will know that the start to the campaign has been less than impressive and that they will have to improve quickly to stand a shot at the title or even Champions League qualification.
The newbies Alexandre Lacazette and Sead Kolasinac have settled in well but Arsenal are yet to click together as a team this season, and they look no closer to beating the top sides in the competition. They face Chelsea this weekend, just three days after their Europa League game against FC Koln and it is now important for each and every player in the squad to be on top of their abilities.
The likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Granit Xhaka and Olivier Giroud are all going to play important roles throughout the season but one player who could be surprisingly vital to the team’s cause is English striker Danny Welbeck.
Having joined the Gunners a couple of years ago, Welbeck has not been able to keep himself fit for long enough to cement a place in the starting XI. But this season, he has been effective, playing just behind the striker.
A target man with a keen eye for goal, the 26-year old is one of those gifted strikers in the country and already has three goals and an assist to his name in the league this season. Though a striker, Welbeck has been used on the left flank in a 3-4-3 formation with Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette alongside him in the attack.
The quality of the German playmaker and the French goal scorer has surely had an effect on Welbeck’s outcome but the player himself seems to have found some lost confidence early this season, which could make a huge difference for Arsenal. 3 goals and 1 assists so far in the league, a stat that any world class player would be proud of.
With Lucas Perez sent out on loan and Giroud tagging himself as a super-sub, Welbeck is the only option for Wenger when Lacazette goes unavailable. In such a system, he will play up front with Alexis Sanchez and Ozil, which will also make him more productive.
With Europa League fixtures giving Arsenal a new headache of playing two games in four days, Wenger will need his entire squad to be on its toes and if Welbeck can keep himself fit, his form and technical ability will come in handy for the Gunners in almost every game.
He might lead the attacking line in the Europa League and other cup competitions, while acting as a backup on the wings as well, making him a utility player, just like how Wenger likes it. So Welbeck is surely one player who could prove vital for Arsenal this season.