DOSSIER: IS WENGER ATTEMPTING TO INSULT THE EPL OR ATTEMPTING HISTORY AGAIN

If you ever wondered why Arsene Wenger’s priority over the summer was to get a striker, I guess the game against Manchester United and Monday’s game against Chelsea would have been the final pieces in your jigsaw, if not; maybe you were not just looking.

MATCH STATS

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR	MANCHESTER UNITED	ARSENAL
SCORES	1	0
POSSESSION	40.5%	59.5%
SHOTS ON TARGET	2	2
SHOT ACCURACY	40%	33.3%

GIROUD RATED GOAL.COM’S Flop of the match.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR	ARSENAL	CHELSEA
SCORES	0	0
POSSESSION	59.5%	40.5%
SHOTS ON TARGET	2	4
SHOT ACCURACY	61.4%	38.6%

If the need to bolster the striking force of the erstwhile league leaders was not obvious before the game on Monday, I am sure even the blind can point it out as the reason arsenal could not take their chances and why although it was a game against one of the big teams, it was two points dropped rather than one point gained.

Arsenal’s frustration in going forward in the game against united is further exposed by the fact that their best combination of passes in their nearly 60% control of the game was between Koscielny and Vermalaen whereas Manchester United had their best combination in Valencia and Rooney.

Giroud’s criticism in the Man Utd game can start from the goal van persie scored, he was flat footed in the duel and although running towards the ball gave van persie some advantage he allowed van persie leap over him to put David Moyes’ charges one goal up. He continued the game showing how poor he can be with off the ball runs, not trying to get behind the Man Utd defence line when arsenal was in possession limiting arsenal to the same number of shots on target as their opponents even though they had 20% more of the ball. Furthermore arsenal put in more crosses in the game than united and had more success with their crossing accuracy than United but the wastes of the crosses got even worse when he was joined by want away Nicklas Bendtner. In the Chelsea game which is the most recent show of shame from a forward player hoping to lead his team to the title, Giroud’s criticism can start anywhere really.

GIROUD AGAINST CHELSEA

TOTAL PASSES	PASSING ACCURACY	DUELS WON	AERIALDUELS WON	Goal.com PLAYER RATING
31	64.5%	43.8%	30%	2/5

Arsenal attempted a total of ten shots in the Manchester United game twice as much as the red devils. Only two of those shots were credited to Giroud. In fact Arsenal is now third in the league’s goal scorers’ chat only to Man City and Liverpool. Of all the 33 goals scored so far only 7 [21%] have come from a Giroud. Liverpool who are the next best to City in the league with points have scored 42 goals with 19 [45%] of them coming from, you guessed right Suarez.

Wenger really is insulting the premier league by attempting to win it with a striking combination of Giroud and Bendtner or if you prefer I say Giroud and Podolski.

Let us take a look at what strike partnership have delivered the league in the last 5 years.

YEAR	CLUB	STRIKE PATNERSHIP	TOTAL LEAGUE GOALS
2013	MANCHESTER UNITED	ROONEY & VAN PERSIE	12+26=38
2012	MANCHESTER CITY	AGUERO AND DZEKO	23+14=37
2011	MANCHESTER UNITED	CHICHARITO & BERBATOV	13+20=33
2010	CHELSEA	DROGBA & LAMPARD	29+22=51
2009	MANCHESTER UNITED	RONALDO & ROONEY	18+12=30

For the sake of doing an estimate, if we assume that Giroud would find the net in the remaining two games of the first round of matches. That would bring his tally to 9 for the season and if he enjoys the same form he had at the beginning of the season sometime during the second round of matches he would have 18goals by the end of the season which would be match to the poorest goal haul by a league winning team’s top scorer [Ronaldo in 2009].

The days of the defensive woes are definitely over with Arsenal sitting as the second best defence in the league so close to midway in the season. Save the Man City game Arsenal have kept it tight at the back and are far more stable at the back.

If Wenger really intend to carry on his title challenge, end arsenal’s trophy-less run and above all consolidate the presence of arguably the best creative midfielder in the World, he should really consider changing the attacking options for the rest of the season. Giroud not only fall short with his finishing but also with his connecting the team together in leading the attack. The team has a number of options which includes Theo Walcott and Podolski who arguments can be made for about some prolific record in the past. Sanogo is largely unproven and Bendtner is struggling with confidence.

Every other striker who would be fit the pursuit of Arsenal this Season is cup tied in the Champions league, a safe attempt for the while would be Lewandowski to drive home the title challenge and put the squad in a good position for the season to come. A wild card would be to loan Adebayor for the rest of the season to help with the title push and the Champions league as well. To reposition Arsenal, a major attacking option is needed as soon as can be added.

REMEMBER ME SERIES

Tough face, tough tackles, a tough hairstyle, mr hard man in person. Standing 6ft 3inches high is a man who has taken tackles, even the hard ones so personally that he travelled through Europe carrying this same tackles in his 'pouch'.

Holland, England and Italy all had strikers playing in their elite leagues feeling the tackles even after the conclusion of the very game I play against them. One of the fiercest faces a striker would look to whehhhvn trying to score an opposition, I played for the best clubs in the country and in fact the continent at my time, got any clue yet?

First name is really Jakob, maybe that won't help.

These days I am a coach in the same game at a club in a place I'd call home. I got in trouble with Nandrolone during my playing days. Did you also say what's that?

TRIBUTE TO A PRICE PAYER- ANDRES ESCOBAR

Have you ever heard of another chance? This guy did not get any glimpse of it, he passed on at 27 and that's the mildest way to represent the 'cold' blood murder of a very soft man but tough tackler who no doubt was one of the best players for his country during his playing years. Fondly remembered by his alias 'the gentle-man' of football. Many children in the part of the world where I grew up would not find out that scoring an 'own-goal' during a football game is not called escobar and that escobar is just the name of the football player who has paid the highest price for scoring an own goal (OG). So while I was confused on whether to call this write-up 'players who payed cheaper prices' or 'these ones were lucky because they escobar went ahead' or 'players escobar's life paid ransom for', I said to myself why not make it a tribute to Andres Escobar himself.

Andres Escobar

It was said that he was murdered because of the own goal he scored against his nation Columbia while representing them against USA, this own goal was believed to have caused financial losses to some powerful drug-lords, so they sadly took his life to draw even.

This write up compiles a list of players who despite scoring many own-goals during their career, they stay alive and sometimes still get the support of the very club they self destruct against.

1. Pascal Cygan: If you find an Arsenal fan who absolutely loves Cygan, +1 this article on google plus. On a real though after taking the lead through Thierry Henry's 16th minute penalty, Arsenal seemed content with this narrowest of advantages and paid the price when the perennially hapless Pascal Cygan diverted Loukas Vintra's long-ranger into his own net with 16 minutes remaining. The game ended in a draw and nearly cost Arsenal in the Champions League that year but the magic of another chance would mean that Cygan went on to be a part of the 'Invincibles' squad, covering up in left back position due to injuries to the left backs of the day. He later moved on to Villarreal and is still alive today.

2. Jamie Carragher: Gerrard was Mr Captain Fantastic and this man was Mr consistent. Carragher was almost always available for selection during his playing days, despite scoring aa number of telling own goals wearing the red colors of Liverpool. Being allowed to live on even after so many errors made him go on to achieve a lot with Liverpool and England including going on to becoming the holder of the club's second highest appearance record.

3.  Jérôme Boateng: scored an own goal in a Bundesliga match against Bayer Leverkusen. This was the winning goal, and had it not occurred Bayern Munich would have ended the season undefeated in the Bundesliga. He still rises to applaud from many Bayern fans and he scored the winning goal for them in a champions league game against Manchester City later on.

This list can go on and on but the idea is to remember Escobar while letting everyone remember that if given the chance, someone who absolutely makes a mess of everything can go on to be extremely useful.