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Arsenal's areas to improve ahead of Premier League title bid

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Arsenal remain in contention for their highest Premier League finish for a decade, but what do they need to do to mount a genuine title challenge next season? Here, Nick Wright takes a look at some of the areas for improvement...

Find a new No 1

The stats prove Arsene Wenger was right to promote David Ospina over Wojciech Szczesny in January. The Gunners have conceded an average of just 0.6 goals per Premier League game in which Ospina has played compared to 1.23 per game with Szczesny, while the Colombian has also saved 80 per cent of the shots he has faced – the highest ratio of any goalkeeper in the Premier League.

But Arsenal’s defensive improvements cannot simply be explained by a change in goalkeeper, and Ospina’s costly error in Monday’s 1-0 defeat to Swansea was a reminder that there are still serious question marks about the position. Ospina is particularly susceptible to aerial balls, with four drops in 15 games making him the most prolific dropper of any goalkeeper to have made more than 10 Premier League appearances this season.

Image: David Ospina was at fault for Swansea's winning goal against Arsenal

“I think Arsenal need to go out in the summer and just buy a proper No 1,” said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher on Monday Night Football. “[Ospina’s] record is good because the team are playing well and are defending well so they’re not having that much to do, but he was bought as a No 2. If he was that good, why was he bought as a No 2? Why wasn’t he coming and being the No 1?”

As for a possible replacement, Chelsea’s Petr Cech ticks the boxes for availability, quality and Premier League experience, but Gary Neville doubts Jose Mourinho would allow him to join their bitter rivals.

“If I was Jose Mourinho, with Arsenal potentially being one of my biggest rivals next season, I would not sell them Cech at all,” Neville told Sky Sports. “It lets Arsenal off the hook. You could argue they have struggled for a goalkeeper since Jens Lehmann and David Seaman. It’s a struggle to win a title without a great goalkeeper, a massive struggle.”

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Add more firepower up front

Olivier Giroud has had his best season yet in an Arsenal shirt, scoring 14 goals in 24 appearances compared to 16 in 36 last year, but an upgrade could take Wenger’s side to the next level. It is a view supported by Arsenal’s record goalscorer and Sky Sports pundit Thierry Henry, who recently said Arsenal need a “top, top-quality striker” in order to win the league.

Wenger defended Giroud in the wake of those comments, but Arsenal’s pursuit of Luis Suarez last summer and their attempts to sign Gonzalo Higuain in 2013 suggest the Gunners boss is minded to strengthen. Danny Welbeck was brought in on transfer deadline day last summer, but Wenger prefers to use the 24-year-old on the flanks and he has only scored four goals in 25 Premier League appearances so far. Alexis Sanchez is also more effective out wide.

Arsenal were humbled 3-1 by Monaco on Wednesday
Image: Olivier Giroud needs more support up front for Arsenal

Giroud can be a formidable force on his day, combining clinical finishing with physical strength and a fine first touch, but he is also prone to serious lapses in confidence and concentration. The most recent example came with his string of glaring misses in Arsenal’s disastrous 3-1 defeat to Monaco in the Champions League.

Giroud is frequently found wanting in the big games. He did produce an excellent, goalscoring display in their 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season, but in the last three seasons he has only scored seven goals in 25 league appearances against Chelsea, City, United, Liverpool and Tottenham.

Giroud can continue to be a useful player for Arsenal, but he needs support. Manchester City have Sergio Aguero, Chelsea have Diego Costa, and the Gunners could be transformed by a striker of similar stature.

Improve record against big clubs

In defence of Giroud, he is not the only Arsenal player who tends to struggle against top opposition. If the Gunners are to return to title-winning ways, they simply must improve their record against their closest rivals. In league games against City, Chelsea and Manchester United this season, the 2-0 victory at the Etihad is their only win, while they were unable to beat those sides at all in 2013/14.

The horrors of last season’s heavy defeats to Chelsea, City and Liverpool have not been repeated this year, which represents a small step forward, but there is still room for drastic improvement.

Live Ford Super Sunday

Arsenal did enjoy a 2-1 victory over United at Old Trafford in the FA Cup earlier this season, but Sunday’s Premier League showdown is another huge test. Defeat to Louis van Gaal’s side would leave Arsenal at risk of slipping down to fouth and raise further questions about their big-game mentality, but a victory would instil greater belief.

Wenger has learned to adjust his tactical approach in the big games after last year’s thrashings, but as Chelsea – and even Swansea – have recently showed, they still tend to run out of ideas when faced with disciplined, defensive opposition.

Bolster central midfield

While Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla have formed an effective central midfield partnership in recent months, it is still an area in need of strengthening. Beyond Coquelin, Arsenal’s options in defensive midfield consist of the aging Mikel Arteta, who has struggled with injuries this season, and Mathieu Flamini, who is out of contract in the summer and hasn’t started a league game since December.

One reported transfer target is Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin. Like Coquelin, the 25-year-old is defensively and positionally excellent, but he is a more polished player than his countryman in possession.

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Image: Premier League 2014/15 stats comparison between Francis Coquelin and Morgan Schneiderlin

The Saints man averages 61.2 passes per game with a success rate of 89.3 per cent in the Premier League compared to Coquelin’s 45.5 passes at 84.80 per cent, and he also plays more key passes. His intelligent distribution suggests he would fit perfectly with Arsenal’s passing style, and former Gunners striker Charlie Nicholas agrees.

“Schneiderlin plays with a disciplined, controlled velocity, and I think he fits more into the pattern of Arsenal’s play,” Nicholas told Sky Sports last month. “I’m not saying Francis Coquelin should be dropped immediately if Schneiderlin came in, he’d have to earn his place, but you could even play the two in the same team. That could work in Europe and certain away games in the Premier League. Schneiderlin is nearly 6ft, he gets about the pitch well, he passes well – he’s got all the ingredients.”

Cut out the injuries

Arsenal’s injury problems over the last few seasons have been well-documented. Wenger’s squad was decimated in the first half of the season as key players such as Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Mathieu Debuchy all had spells on the sidelines.

Since those problems started clearing up after Christmas, however, the improvement has been obvious. The Gunners have taken 43 points from 18 Premier League games compared to 27 points from their first 17 fixtures, climbing steadily up the table and avoiding that familiar late scramble for a top-four finish.

Aaron Ramsey has suffered a number of injury setbacks this season
Image: Aaron Ramsey has suffered a number of injury setbacks this season

The question is: can they avoid a similar situation next season? Strength and conditioning specialist Shad Forsyth was brought in during the summer after working with Germany’s World Cup-winning team in Brazil, and it seems changes in training and preparation methods are finally yielding positive results.

Keeping the injury list under control next season could be pivotal. If they are to be genuine title contenders, they cannot afford to suffer another injury crisis.

Defensive tweaks

Arsenal have been regarded as vulnerable from set pieces for some time now, but the situation has worsened this season. Twelve of their 34 goals conceded in the Premier League have come from headers, compared to eight of 41 last season and six of 37 in the 2012/13 campaign.

Arsenal’s backline was in disarray without the injured Koscielny in the first half of the season, but Nicholas feels they will improve with Gabriel Paulista partnering the French international next season, and he does not expect Wenger to go looking for another centre-back.

Gabriel will become a top notch centre-half, with pace and presence.
Charlie Nicholas on Gabriel Paulista

“Wenger will go in the market this summer but not a defender,” he told Sky Sports. “Gabriel will become a top-notch centre-half, with pace and presence. The only reason he’s not in the team already is because they have been doing so well. For me, Gabriel will start with Koscielny next season after they’ve had nine months of training to work together.

“Despite that, I think Per Mertesacker will stay at the club, while Calum Chambers is being groomed to be a centre-back rather than a right-back, giving us four quality players in that department.”

Nonetheless, no Premier League side has conceded a higher ratio of headed goals this season, and there is certainly work for them to do at the back ahead of next season.

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