Arsene Wenger & Arsenal need a new captain
Arsene Wenger needs to kill two birds with one stone
The 2008/2009 Premiership season has, so far, been an unhappy one for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal. After a summer without bringing in the necessary transfer targets, Arsenal find themselves having lost more games than Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool put together. They also find themselves under the spotlight with their internal problems being aired in public.
After the defeat to Mark Hughes Manchester City and William Gallas untimely outburst last week, the question for Arsenal, Wenger and Gallas is; where do they go from here?
Arsenal clearly need a central midfielder, at least one centre back and possibly a winger and goalkeeper, not to mention a captain. With Wenger at the helm it is debatable how many of these problems will be resolved in January.
For all his quality in producing young superstars and his excellent business acumen, it is clear Wenger occasionally relies too heavily on his precocious youngsters. Wenger has often been criticised for not buying the players who are the finished article even when he desperately needs them. The threat of halting the career of one of his wonderkids seems too much of a gamble for Wenger.
Arsenal find themselves in the position which Liverpool have in previous seasons. Not only do Arsenal appear to be out of the title race by December but, as when Benitez, Parry and Hicks decided to use the media to get their points across, the internal problems at Arsenal are being discussed in every newspaper.
For all the qualities of William Gallas as a footballer, his personality and leadership qualities are, to put it generously, questionable. Suspicions were raised after the Birmingham game in February when Gallas decided to sit on the pitch and sulk after two vital points had been dropped. The accusations Chelsea made about Gallas threatening to score own goals unless he was transferred no longer seem so implausible.
So, what can Wenger to do to resolve the current Arsenal crisis? Clearly a new long term captain needs to be chosen and results need to improve if Champions League football is to be played at The Emirates again next season. My suggestion would be to kill two birds with one stone. I really do believe Arsenal are only two or three players short of a world class team. A central midfielder with the quality, experience, temperament and vision of Xabi Alonso might just provide Wenger with a couple of solutions he desperately needs.
Xabi Alonso. The next Arsenal captain?
I am sure Wenger could do a lot worse
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