It was all smiles around the Emirates as Arsenal recorded their first opening day victory in five years with an injury-time winner by our talisman, Aaron Ramsey. Although our side were not at their free-flowing best, it is still very much early days but it was still vital to get our season up and running swiftly, something we have failed to do in recent years. Despite what we could describe as a ‘stuttering’ performance, the Arsenal pulled through and claimed all 3 points. Here’s 3 things we learnt from the encounter against Crystal Palace:
1. We Need A Holding Midfielder
Mikel Arteta is an important component to the Arsenal side, providing a cool head, composure on the ball and genuine leadership. He is however, not fit to occupy the holding midfield role if we are to challenge for the Premier League title this season. At 32 years old he is not capable of keeping up with the tempo of the game for a full 90 minutes anymore and gets out-run or physically dominated too often. Although a very intelligent player, he does not meet the physical criteria to play as a holding midfielder week in week out for a side looking to compete with Europe’s elite. This essentially leaves Arsenal extremely susceptible to counter-attacks and leaves our back four dangerously unprotected. It is an area of weakness that opposition sides have previously identified and used pace to completely dismantle us. Although a largely unglamorous role to play in a side, acquiring a proper holding-midfielder could be the missing link in what looks to be a formidable Arsenal side this season.