They were, but you forget that in my opinion our best choice CB was out for the entire year and we were relying on players who had either never played in the prem before or one who hadn't played football in a year! Hopefully with some stability next year we will be much more solid. If that isn't the case I will admit that I was wrong. The experienced goalkeeper is a good idea though.
It's not really based on assumptions though, we have had injuries to key players that have cost us dear for a number of seasons now - Vermaelen, Fabregas, RVP, Narsi, have all had extended absences from the team and this list is not exhaustive. If there's one thing that's been consistent about Arsenal, it's that our injury record has been abysmal. If you look at all of the top teams around Europe, the one thing they have are players who are just as good who can step into positions vacated by injured players. When our first XI are all fit, we can beat anyone. But how many times can we say that we've had a fully fit squad to pick from? I know that managers have to strike a balance between giving players games and keeping them happy, nobody wants to be a bench warmer. But there are more than enough games in a season to rotate 4 top CB's
Don't get me wrong. I'm not pessimistically assuming that we will get a long term injury. But I just think, given our record, that it would be negligent not to have a contigency for it.
This problem with set pieces is not a new one. Goes back a number of seasons, that and conceding just after we score so a comfortable 2-0 after an hour becomes 2-1 3 or 4 mins later.
defending set pieces is a team effort. i don't doubt that a new CB - giving 4 high-quality possiblities of 2 tall, and 2 ball-players would be great to start the new season with, but a new defensive coach who works with the WHOLE TEAM is absolutely essential. campbell as a coach if he doesn't get offered a contract anywhere?
I would prefer to get someone who has been proved to be a good defensive coach than take a gamble on him.
57% of the goals we conceeded last season were from set pieces, namely corners and free kicks. Large centreback needed I think!
Going back to the original point - signing Mata would be a massive coup for us and would send the right kind of messages to players like fabregas, nasri and clichy that there future lies with us and not elsewhere and to pass up the opportunity to sign a player like this wpuld be madness on our put esp as he can play on the wing and as a second striker. Also signing him may allow us to move Nasri into centre midfield Regarding the other points raised - A goalkeeper is not essential - Szczęsny is gonna be our number 1 for years - what we do need is an experienced goalkeeper to come in as our number 2/3 and to provide the cover for Szczęsny and Fabiański but to also help them with there development. As for a LB - i would hope clichy would stay but if he didnt Baines from everton could be a shout. A CB is 100% needed - for all the points raised and more - we conceded more goals from set pieces than any other team in the league last year and whilst we undoubtly missed TV these issues are not going to be solved by TV returning to the team - we need someone beside him like samba who is gonna dominate the backline and any ariel battles. DM is a difficult one as i think that whilst song is undoubtly a good player - he sometimes loses discipline and charges forward looking to get on the score sheet and we then get out numbered at the back? we also have frimpong coming back after his season out injured and if the reports from last summer are anything to go by he could be the perfect back up/solution but i dont know enough about him personally to comment? Strikers - 100% not - with RVP, Chamach, a returning vela and bendtner already there and with the possibility of signing Mata and 'potentially be able to move Arshavin insife to play behind the strikers (if required) I dont think up front is somewhere we need worry about
I don't know much about Mata but he seems to be very highly rated. I wouldn't mind seeing Schwarzer coming in on a player-coach deal, like Jens did last season. He'll help Chesney & Fabianski & be available for a few games too. A big CB isn't going to solve the set piece problem. The entire team needs defensive coaching on how to man-mark and stop people playing at corners and free kicks. One man won't solve the problem. It's a team problem.
