Although Arsenal are going through the same journey for the seventh time in the last seven years, the weather outside seems to have changed this time. The fans or the intellectuals, who have waited so long and believed in Arsene Wenger’s philosophy, have now started voicing their concern over his approach. A change in the administration at the end of the season is imminent it seems, but it is up to the players to keep the team in a suitable position for the new manager to take over.
Here are 3 Arsenal players who should step up to get the ship across the sea safely.
Laurent Koscielny
His loyalty towards the club is undoubted and his quality at the backline has been unquestionable. And although there have only been rare occasions where he has faltered, his bad days on the pitch have affected the team as a whole.
Arsenal’s back line seems to be more solid now with Shkodran Mustafi alongside him, though, but their mental strength hasn’t been the same on big occasions. The French enforcer has shared the bottling syndrome Arsenal have been suffering over the years, but when the manager cannot have any effect with his archaic tactics and mindless team selection, it is the time he controls the mast.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
It is useless to choose star players, who have cost a fortune to the club and haven’t performed anywhere near they were supposed to. It is the club breed who can make the difference, who know what the fans go through after such a humiliation; those who believe that the club is bigger than the manager who has brought him in. And Chamberlain is one such candidate.
His work rate on the pitch and attitude towards adversity have been brilliant and his mindset to make things happen from tight situations has earned him a lot of praise from the fans and critics alike. If Arsenal are to finish in the top four by the end of the season, his contribution is quintessential.
Aaron Ramsey
It is one of those seasons for him when nothing has gone right and repeated injuries have further plummeted him down the pecking order. Wenger has hardly played him in his preferred position so far and he has not been able to overcome his bad patch.
Now that he is returning from injury soon, we expect the Wales international to take matters in his hands and lead Arsenal’s attack till the end. The players seem to have lost their faith in the manager but they need to trust their own abilities.
