By Joe Fitzpatrick
One of the most exciting things about Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is that the lad is very direct and is also more than willing to shoot from distance. He is not bad at playing other people in for a pop at goal, either. We used to have another player much like him called Arshavin, but – sadly – he was body-snatched by some alien cosmonauts many moons ago and replaced with someone who just didn’t give a f**k anymore. I’m convinced that the same alien body-snatchers got hold of the former Bordeaux battering-ram, Marouane Chamakh, too. I’m sure the Moroccan held the record for the all-time number of consecutive Champions League games scored in a brief spell, didn’t he? Answers on a postcard, please.
The point is that we need to vary our attacking threat somehow, and we need regular goals from outside the box and around the edge of the penalty area. How many times do we get to the edge of an opponent’s area only to see our players try yet another pass to feet inside a jam-packed penalty area? All too often, is the answer and the regular cries of “Shoooot!” from the crowd confirm that there is a strong section of the Arsenal support that would like to see more chances to shoot from distance taken and converted. I believe that the manager needs to address this problem, along with the lack of headed goals scored from crosses if we are going to win silverware next season.
Step forward Mr. Clint Dempsey. He has scored a whopping 40 goals in the last three seasons (9, 13 and 18+) while at Fulham, and the 29-year-old American could yet still add to that very impressive tally. He is obviously coming into his prime now, and many of his goals come from areas of the pitch where Arsenal could tee him up two, three or four times every game very easily. He is very direct and very willing to shoot (and score) from the edge of the area, meaning that he could well be a reasonable and economic option to relieve some of the goal-scoring burden from the 28-year-old Dutchman who scores when he wants. I’m not saying that he would start every game at first, but you have to admit that his tireless work rate, aerial threat (at 6ft 2in) and goal-scoring record suggest that he would be a useful man to bring on from the substitutes’ bench.
His attitude seems great and he is clearly very ambitious, so I think that an early move for Clint Dempsey would be a masterstroke if we can get teams pushing out a bit more at the Grove to attempt to thwart the long-range shots of the Ox and Dempsey, rather than packing their area and waiting for the agonisingly inevitable “one pass too many”. Of course, these teams pushing further up the field would create more space between their midfielders and back four for our other attackers to exploit.
Go on Arsène, make my day. If you really want to spoil me, then go for Leighton Baines as well, because that lad can put a ball on a sixpence and is quickly being recognised as one of the best left-backs in the league for his strong defensive work as well. So many of Everton’s goals come from his crosses, and I’m convinced that if it wasn’t for Ashley Cole and Evra being at Chelsea and Manchester United he could well be on their respective radars already.
Hoilett, Hazard, Götze, Podolski, M’Vila, Robben and Vertonghen are players that I’d also like to see at Arsenal, but Dempsey and Baines are proven Premier League players who are at clubs who might be persuaded to sell at a sensible price. (Being an Arsenal fan, I have to budget very strictly, even in my wildest dreams you see.)
Keep smiling.
