How Do You Solve a Problem Like Agbonlahor?

By: Tom | June 12th, 2009

At the start of my summer transfer dealings I identified Gabby Agbonlahor as my key target. Here was a pacy young Englishman that I foresaw becoming the focal point of this brave new Arsenal for years to come. I’d had one failed experiment with England’s past in the shape of Michael Owen, so it was time to look to England’s future. I signed him.

So far, it’s not happened.

Don’t get me wrong, Gabby is still very much a part of my plans. He’s played a handful of games this season already and looked good. It’s just that at this early stage in his Arsenal career he’s perhaps not going to be as central as originally envisioned.

At the start of the season I mused upon how best to accommodate the twin talents of Adebayor and Gabby in my starting eleven. Last year I had played 4-2-3-1 with Adebayor up front on his own, supported by a bevy of attacking players. The season as a whole might not have been an overwhelming success, but Adebayor was. I had no desire to sell the big Togolese striker just yet, so it looked like a change of formation was needed.

However, when this campaign kicked off, Gabby was injured, so I stuck with the old formation, and enjoyed great success. When it comes to attacking players to support the lone striker, my options this year are even stronger, and it’s shown. We’ve won all our games in the league so far, and made it safely through to the Champions League proper.

Now that Gabby is back to full fitness, it’s hard to see how he’s going to fit into the side. I don’t want to change a formation that seems to be paying dividends, or replace an in form striker.

So for now the young Englishman is just going to have to bide his time. He’ll still get plenty of match time this season, as I’ll rotate the frontmen to an extent, but it will be Adebayor who gets the most games. I could use Gabby out on the right, but similarly, he’s not going to dislodge Walcott from that position in all honesty.

With that sorted then, here is my starting line-up as I see it with everyone fit. Comments would be greatly appreciated!

Let’s get on to the games and see how this team (or as close as I can get it to – Veloso got injured for a start) has been fairing.

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Arsenal vs. Aston Villa – Premier League
12th September 2009
English starters: 7 – Foster, Taylor, Lescott, Jagielka, Walcott, Wilshere, Young

Goals – Adebayor (5), Fabregas (7), Young (16), Modric (34), Wilshere (56)

Ah, fate! Yes, Ashley Young made his Arsenal debut against the team he’d just left, and made things doubly as painful for the Villans by running the show. He got down the left side early on to cross for Adebayor to score a header, and then after Fabregas had put in a rebound a couple of minutes later, he got his name on the scoresheet too. Pouncing on a slip in the defence he raced through and cooly slotted over Brad Friedel.

Luka Modric, a £23 million acquisition from Spurs in the summer, pulled one back for Aston Villa before the break, but the game was already won. Wilshere, at all of 5′7”, got another headed goal in the second half to wrap up a great performance all round.

And Michael Owen, Villa’s new talisman/albatross? A 6.0 rating, no shots on goal and an injury. Hmm.

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Arsenal vs. PSV – Champions League, Group Stage
16th September 2009
English starters: 7 – Foster, Taylor, Lescott, Jagielka, Walcott, Wilshere, Young

Goals – Adebayor (8), (34), (pen 59), Walcott (24), Altidore (39)

The form continued into Europe. Even the spacing of the goals was similar. Adebayor repaid the faith with a well deserved hat-trick, and Walcott showed a poacher’s touch with a neat finish.

Great start to the European campaign.

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Liverpool vs. Arsenal – Premier League
19th September 2009
English starters: 7 – Foster, Taylor, Lescott, Jagielka, Bullard, Wilshere, Young

Goals – Van Persie (pen 90)

Liverpool may have won the Community Shield but I’ll take three points at Anfield over that any day.

Not that we necessarily deserved it. We really missed the injured Walcott. In a very tight game, it was Van Persie’s last minute spot kick that proved the difference. The Dutchman came on to replace a very poor Adebayor at half time, and while he didn’t do all that much better, he had enough composure when it mattered.

What made it all the sweeter is that it was dyed-in-the-wool-scouser Stevie G who gave away the penalty with a desperate lunge on Fabregas.

Everything’s coming up Arsenal!

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Watford vs. Arsenal – League Cup, 3rd Round
12th September 2009
English starters: 8 – Taylor, Gibbs, Hoyte, Lescott, Wilshere, Young, Randall, Sturridge

Goals – Wilshere (41), Sturridge (54), Priskin (72)

With things going well elsewhere thus far, it’s fair to say that defending our League Cup title is not top of our priorities right now, so it was a good chance to blood a few youngsters. Hoyte and Gibbs were back in the full-back positions, while Randall took the AMC position behind new signing Sturridge.

We played well enough without ever excelling. Sturridge’s performance was the most encouraging thing to take away from the proceedings. Watford threatened to force extra time towards the end, but we held on.

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No complaints so far then. Next up is Chelsea!