New Arsenal manager Unai Emery has inherited a squad of attacking quality but one that also has a soft centre and an inability to win often enough away from home in the Premier League.
The Gunners’ timidity has become arguably the most frustrating aspect of a team that has become unable to fight for the title in the way the fans crave and one of the former PSG boss’ most urgent priorities is sorting out their leaky defence.
Being tighter at the back is a must for Arsenal if they are to break back into the top four and get the fans back on side after seasons of mutiny under Arsene Wenger, but how does Emery go about it?
We’ve taken a closer look at some of the potential methods; from the transfer market to the training pitch through on-field and off-field strategies before asking you to choose the one that holds the ultimate key…
Solution 1 – Upgrade on Petr Cech
It looked as if Wenger had finally snared an elite goalkeeper who could radiate confidence throughout his team when he signed Cech from Chelsea but it is clear to see that his best days are behind him now.
That nervousness can permeate through a team and when the defence is already leaky and resilience is at a premium, that is a real problem. As experienced as Cech is, it could well be time for Emery to look at getting a younger, commanding alternative this summer.
Liverpool are another example of how a dodgy goalkeeper can bring nervousness to a defence while David de Gea’s consistent excellence is the main factor behind Manchester United’s strong defensive record.
An elite goalkeeper can make all the difference.
Solution 2 – Switch to 4-2-3-1 and properly protect the defence
Just like having a top goalkeeper, offering proper protection to a back four can bring about a marked improvement in defensive performance.
Emery’s preferred setup is 4-2-3-1 and while Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny are not the most gifted players in the Arsenal squad, fielding both of them as a defensive screen would help make the side more secure.
That would provide quite the platform for the Gunners’ attacking players, who do not always contribute the most defensively to go forward.
A new holding midfielder of the requisite bite and quality would also go down a treat at the Emirates.
Solution 3 – Sign Sokratis Papastathopoulos
According to reports, Borussia Dortmund’s Greek international defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos will join the Gunners in a £16m deal to bolster Emery’s defensive options.
With Laurent Koscielny out, another body was needed and while Calum Chambers, Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos all have talent, Emery clearly wants someone for the here and now.
Virgil van Dijk has had a transformative effect on Liverpool’s defence so Emery will be hoping that new blood in the shape of Sokratis has a similar impact.
Solution 4 – Coach improvement from Shkodran Mustafi
In this era of bumper spending, many observers often lose sight of the fact that one way modern managers should justify their huge wages and reputation is by coaching improvement out of their existing players.
In central defensive terms, Jose Mourinho appears largely incapable of that at Manchester United but Pep Guardiola, with Nicolas Otamendi, and Jurgen Klopp with Dejan Lovren have shown that it is possible and in some cases, necessary.
Mustafi, valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, is an international defender with his best years ahead of him so Emery should be able to get more out of him than Wenger could.
Potentially, the aforementioned formation change to offer him more protection may be transformative for the German.
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