Arsenal will aim to reignite their title charge when they head to Carrow Road to face Norwich City on ‘Super Sunday’ this weekend.
The Gunners suffered a desperately disappointing 2-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns last weekend, whilst Norwich were also beaten; losing 1-0 against fellow strugglers Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The plethora of injuries to key players is immensely concerning and will give Norwich encouragement, but Arsène Wenger’s side still have an array of attacking gems at their disposal and they will aim to overwhelm the ‘yellows’ with the intensity of their passing and movement.
One of the main areas of weakness within Norwich’s squad is their defensive structure. The Canaries have conceded 24 goals in just 13 league games; only Sunderland, Bournemouth and Newcastle have worse defensive records.
Three of Norwich’s back-four that started the last time they played Arsenal in the Premier League, on the final day of the 2013/14 season, are likely to start at Carrow Road on Sunday.
This underlines the problems that Alex Neil’s side have endured defensively. Whilst they boast an exciting crop of attacking players, in the form of Nathan Redmond, Robbie Brady and Wes Hoolahan, their defensive deficiencies that saw them relegated two seasons ago, have yet to be rectified in the transfer market.
Having said that, Norwich have improved the defensive aspect of their game since the 6-2 debacle against Newcastle at St James’ Park. They have only conceded four goals in their last four matches, a period which includes clashes against Manchester City and Chelsea.
Their recent 1-0 home victory against Swansea saw a clear shift in philosophy from Alex Neil. He opted to relinquish possession to create a more resilient defensive shape; managing to counter-attack effectively. Garry Monk’s side enjoyed 67% of possession yet failed to muster a shot on target, whereas the Canaries recorded five shots on target. This is certainly a tactical framework that Neil will be aiming to replicate against the Gunners this weekend.
Arsenal’s major threats
Nevertheless, one man who could cause Norwich major problems is Mesut Ozil. The German playmaker is undoubtedly enjoying his best spell of form since arriving at the Emirates just over two years ago. Up until this season, there appeared to be a sense of scepticism surrounding the World Cup winner, which I find completely baffling.
As an Arsenal fan, I feel privileged to watch a player of Ozil’s calibre and quality. His distribution is the closest form to art you will see on a football pitch. He glides effortlessly with the ball and his vision is unparalleled. He has recorded a mightily impressive 11 assists in just 13 Premier League appearances this season.
Ozil needs just 10 more assists this season to break the record set by Thierry Henry in the 2002/2003 season and fitness permitting, the former ‘Galactico’ will surely usurp Arsenal’s all-time leading goal-scorer in this department.
In his last nine appearances in all competitions, Ozil has produced eight assists, whilst scoring three goals in the process. His selfless nature ensures that he isn’t notorious for scoring, but he has a sense of impeccable composure in front of goal and Arsène Wenger has hailed Ozil’s recent goal-scoring form, claiming his overall game has become more balanced.
Ozil thrives on players’ making penetrative runs in behind opposition defences. Ozil has struck up a deadly partnership with Alexis Sanchez, although with Theo Walcott still out injured, the German has been forced to adapt his game to cater for Olivier Giroud.
The Frenchman is more of an ‘old-fashioned’ centre-forward; he is superb in the air, but isn’t blessed with great pace. Nevertheless, given Ozil’s quality of delivery from both open play and set-pieces, the Gunners may well pose a more substantial aerial threat. It adds a crucial dimension to Arsenal’s play and makes them a more versatile outfit.
Furthermore, Alexis Sanchez could also pose a major threat to Norwich’s defence this Sunday. In his pre-match press conference ahead of the weekend, Wenger has admitted that Alexis has a slight hamstring strain, although given the plethora of attacking absentees in Arsenal’s ranks, the Chilean is expected to start.
He netted a stylish brace in midweek, as Arsenal eased past Dinamo Zagreb to maintain their hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout stages, but Wenger’s tactical decisions were perhaps telling. After Olivier Giroud was replaced by Aaron Ramsey as the hour mark elapsed, Alexis was deployed in a central-striker role, which worked to tremendous effect.
Norwich’s centre-backs are not blessed with blistering pace and they would inevitably feel more comfortable with the threat posed by Olivier Giroud, therefore Wenger may be tempted to experiment with Sanchez in a central role. I fully expect Giroud to start the match, but if the Gunners are lacking in penetration, Arsenal’s veteran boss may opt for pace.
With Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain both expected to feature in Arsenal’s match-day squad this weekend, Wenger has slightly more attacking options at his disposal so this would be feasible. Zagreb clearly struggled to make the adjustment against Alexis; his movement and intensity overwhelmed the Croatians, so depending on the success Giroud enjoys in the opening stages on Sunday, this option may potentially be explored.
Concerns for Arsenal
However, whilst Arsenal will be confident of troubling Norwich defensively, the Canaries may also enjoy some success offensively, particularly with the absence of Francis Coquelin, who has been ruled out for three months with a knee injury sustained against West Brom.
Mathieu Flamini will almost certainly start in the central midfield role alongside Santi Cazorla, which is a concerning area of vulnerability for Arsenal in my opinion. Cazorla is an outstanding technician and he has adapted his game superbly well since being deployed in a deeper role alongside Coquelin since the turn of the year.
Nevertheless, Cazorla does lack physical presence and more importantly, he hasn’t got a natural defensive mind-set. He compliments Coquelin well, because the diminutive Spaniard is adept at making interceptions and establishing attacks; he is the conductor to Arsenal’s orchestra. Despite this, Santi lacks the mobility and positional discipline that Coquelin provides. Flamini is a tenacious competitor, but at the age of 31, he certainly doesn’t have the intensity or energy that Coquelin possesses.
Cazorla has been paired with Mikel Arteta on a couple of occasions this campaign. Arteta and Flamini are of similar ilk and in these matches, the Arsenal midfield has looked alarmingly fragile and one-paced. This is certainly something the Norwich midfield will aim to exploit and I fear that the likes of Redmond and Brady may look to drift into central areas to trouble the visitors.
Wenger also has a big selection dilemma at centre-half, in terms of who will partner Laurent Koscielny. Gabriel was seemingly establishing himself as Koscielny’s regular partner, however in recent weeks Per Mertesacker has returned to the fold; the imposing German has started Arsenal’s last 6 matches in all competitions.
Mertesacker is extremely experienced and he reads the game superbly well, but he certainly suffers against pace. With Coquelin not shielding the North Londoners’ backline, Arsenal’s vice-skipper may be even more susceptible, so Norwich will be desperate to execute their counter-attacking game plan and expose Mertesacker to one-on-one situations.
Wenger may opt to start with Gabriel to counter Norwich’s pace from wide areas, nevertheless I expect Arsène to continue with Mertesacker, particularly as Dieumerci Mbokani is expected to lead the line for the Canaries. The Congo striker is such a powerful figure, so Per could provide Arsenal with a crucial physical presence, particularly when defending set-pieces.
Predicted Arsenal Team:
Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Cazorla, Ozil, Alexis, Ramsey, Giroud.
Substitutes: Ospina, Gabriel, Debuchy, Gibbs, Chambers, Campbell, Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Verdict
I have watched Norwich on multiple occasions this season and bar their horror-showing against Newcastle, I have been quite impressed with Alex Neil’s side. They were just four minutes away from claiming a point at the Etihad against Manchester City last month, whilst they did worry Chelsea at times last weekend. They were also very unfortunate not to claim a win at Upton Park earlier in the season, so I don’t think their points tally accurately reflects their level of performance.
With Redmond, Brady and Hoolahan in their ranks, they do have the pace and guile to trouble Arsenal defensively. Their main issue has been their profligacy in front of goal. They must be clinical against the Gunners, because you would expect that Arsenal will dominate possession given the technicians in our ranks.
From an Arsenal perspective, our defeat at West Bromwich Albion was particularly damaging and we must rectify matters with three points this weekend. I do have concerns defensively, but if we can dominate possession and keep Norwich’s chances to a minimum, I think the attacking flair we possess may prove decisive.
