Why Arsenal Will Suffer More in January

Why Arsenal Will Suffer More in January

Arsenal started the new season on a very bad note. The club lost its first three games. It lost 2-0 against Brentford, 2-0 against Chelsea and 5-0 against Manchester City. The players have really struggled to produce some impressive results. This has also put Mikel Arteta under a lot of pressure and there have been rumors that he may be sacked if at all the club will continue to post bad results. The club may still suffer more in January because of a number of reasons.

First of all, there will be the Africa Cup of Nations going on during this period. Arsenal is one of the clubs that has some top players who come from Africa. They are some of the most dependable players in the club. Some of the African countries that have qualified for the competition are like Ghana, Gabon, Ivory Coast and Egypt.

There are very high possibilities that Thomas Partey will be called up to join Ghana in that competition. The Ghanian international player is one of the key and senior Arsenal players. He is a very dependable player in the midfield. The Gunners have always performed well when he is on the pitch. The club lost the first three matches because he was away and there was nobody to control the midfield very well.

Apart from that, Arsenal’s midfield will also be weakened. Mikel Arteta only made one signing in that position and he only brought in Albert Sambi Lokonga. This means that he will be the only midfielder alongside Granit Xhaxa and maybe Maitland Niles. This will be a very risky thing for the club because one of these players may get injured and this may leave the club in a very bad state.

The club will also miss the services of Captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. He is the captain of Gabon which also qualified for the tournament. This will be a very tough period for the club because it will miss the services of a leader both in the team and on the pitch. He is the leader of the team and therefore his absence will mean that he will give the captaincy arm band to another player to fit in his shoes.

Pierre Emerick Aubameyang is also a player who can score at any moment, this is the time that Arsenal needs its full squad. The club has been struggling to score goals this season and his services could have helped. He had proven that he is still a goal machine during the EFL Cup game against West Bromwich Albion. He scored a hattrick. This is an indication that this season may be one of his best if at all the club will settle very well in the English Premier League.

His absence may also pave way for players like Gabriel Martinelli and Folarin Balogun to show what they can offer the club. All of them have been given playing time this season and it is evident that they are in the plans of Mikel Arteta. Folarin Balogun failed to impress in the opening game of the Premier League against Brentford. He was put as the main striker because both Alexandre Lacazette and Aubameyang were not feeling well after they tested positive for COVID-19.

Ivory Coast will also participate in that tournament. This therefore means that the club may also miss the services of Nicolas Pepe. He has been performing well this season and he has now fully adapted to the Premier League. If at all he will be called upon to join the squad, then this will be a blow to the club because it will leave the manager with limited options in the wings. Reiss Nelson was taken on loan and therefore the options will be limited since Willian had also left the club.

Mohamed Elneny may also be called upon to represent Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations. He is a good player because he offers more options to the Manager. He is mostly used as a reserve player and if at all he will go, then it means that the club will have limited options in the reserve bench. This is the time that his importance may be seen by the fans and supporters of the club. Majority of the fans have been bashing him that he needs to exit the club and give room for other new players.

It has been very tough to offload him because of his huge wages. He has attracted some clubs but his demands have proven to be a stumbling block. This may make him to stay at Arsenal but staying on the bench for a very long period of time. As it stands now, Granit Xhaxa, Thomas Partey and Albert Sambi Lokonga are all ahead of him in the pecking order. His departure for the international duty may leave the midfield in a very bad state.

There may be no player to add more depth to the squad just in case of anything. Granit Xhaxa is a very good player but he is prone to getting cards, if at all he gets maybe a red card, then he will leave Mikel Arteta with a very weak midfield that cannot compete with other organized clubs in the Premier League.

The Manager had also done a great mistake by allowing Joe Willock to join Newcastle United on a permanent basis. The young England international player was very promising and there is no doubt that he would evolve to be a quality player. He could have helped to solve the midfield crisis in the team because he understands everything at Arsenal. He is a player who has gone through the Arsenal Academy and he did very well and managed to get into the first team.

His loan spell at Newcastle United was a very good one and Mikel Arteta could have allowed him to fight for his place in the team just like the other players. His move to Newcastle United may be a great one because he will be guaranteed of more game time in the Premier League. This will also increase his chances of attracting Gareth Southgate while selecting his Engalnd national team squad.