Arsenal Fan View: Midfield comeback but Gunners' soft centre still a hard problem

Simple games do not make for the best of articles, and it seems my club are hell bent on helping me along with mine. Arsenal made it three comeback victories in a week as they saw off Swansea 2-1 at the Emirates earlier today. And while their ‘character’ will be a lot on the talking menu, there seems to be a deeper issue that will go unseen.

Consistency is never a problem, not unless you tend to lose every game no matter what. The Gunners have long left that habit for latter stages of any competition but are now coming up with a new routine.

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In the last three games, the change in the intensity of play before and after conceding is magnificent. That may sound obvious, but the problem lies in why it isn’t the same from the beginning of every game.

The stats may suggest otherwise, with large periods of possession coming from the 1st minute itself. However, the ability to actually hit the target doesn’t seem to formulate until having seen the opposition do so.

Same exact goals, different comebacks

All four goals let in over this week were loosely from the same area of the pitch-as well as followed the same pattern. Around 10-15 yards ahead of the ‘D’, lose the ball in a funny way and let the opposition score.

The defenders may be the first to get the blame, but I believe it is the current midfield base that is letting this team down. Saying that both Xhaka and Ramsey are alone responsible for these comebacks will not be an overstatement.

The Swiss-Welsh combo for Wenger has worked its magic, but not without it’s side effects. Like any good capsule, these two are those individual ends which taste completely different.

And sadly, it seems that they are both in sync over who gets to be the scapegoat in each game. When Ramsey has a good outing, Xhaka will be one letting the ball go for Rooney to score. When Xhaka is spraying passes everywhere, Ramsey will punt every ball into row Z without looking for options.

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This midfield issue goes beyond the first team and is making sure just about anyone can bully Arsenal in the middle of the park. The roles and responsibilities of the current central zones are extremely unclear. It becomes highly inviting for any team to just have a go and shake these two midfield spots and enjoy the defense fall.

The comebacks that follow are basically just the opposition failing to do it again as they have backed off into their shells, trying to hold on to what they have. Ergo, no one really notices why the goals were conceded in the first place.

A good run of form is critical for Arsene Wenger’s side and it looks like they are getting into one. However, if he truly believes his “comeback kings” can get away with similar errors against the likes of City and Spurs, he is very mistaken.

After all, if there are no simple games in a week where Arsenal score 9 times, there aren’t going to be much of any simple games when they score less, if at all.