Former Liverpool defensive midfielder Didi Hamann thinks that the Gunners have “gone soft” and recommends manager Arsene Wenger sign 25-year-old German twins Lars Bender and Sven Bender if he wants to compete with Chelsea and Manchester City for the title.
“Arsenal are a fantastic team, with some of the most exciting attacking players in the Premier League,” said Hamann. “But, for me, their strength is also their weakness.
“Sanchez, Welbeck, Giroud, Santi Cazorla, Wilshere, Ozil and Oxlade-Chamberlain are as good as you will get, going forward. At the other end, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Gibbs and Debuchy are all reliable defenders.
“But what Wenger hasn’t got – and hasn’t had for years – is a defensive midfielder of the calibre of Nemanja Matic and John Obi Mikel at Chelsea; or Fernando and Fernandinho at City.
“It is the most important area of the modern game. Having a player with the discipline not to get caught out of position, the intelligence to recognise danger and the ability to snuff it out before it becomes a problem for his defenders.
“Patrick Vieira was the master. He was the best in the business for years and one of the main reasons why Arsenal were so successful.
“So, I can’t understand why Arsene Wenger hasn’t addressed the problem. It’s been holding his team back for too long now and it’s the reason why the title is between City and Chelsea, with Arsenal fighting for fourth place yet again.”
Hamann added: “There are players out there, who would instantly make Arsenal a better team. They are supposed to be looking at Ilkay Gundogan at Borussia Dortmund. He’s a very good footballer – but he’s a typical Arsenal player.
“He won’t want to do the dirty work. His instinct is to join in further up the pitch, get a few forward passes going and try to weigh in with a few goals.
“For me, Arsenal would be much better served, going for one of the Bender brothers, especially Lars.
“Either of those boys would give Wenger something he hasn’t got in midfield.Someone who can read the game, is naturally defensively minded and who will thrive, operating in front of the back four, making sure Arsenal don’t get exposed.
“Over the last few seasons, Mikel Arteta has been doing that job – and, with all due respect to Mikel, he is a player who used to be given a free role on the left by Everton.
“It’s square pegs in round holes – and a team with ambitions of winning the title won’t get away with that in such an important position.”
It illustrated perfectly the weaknesses of a side that led the table until Christmas, before being left in the slipstream of City, Liverpool and Chelsea.
