Is the back four a scapegoat for the midfield?

 
     Hello all,
     On Saturday Arsenal took on German side FC Cologne, and it was quite an interesting match. It ended 2-1, which isn't interesting, nor was the match interesting to a neutral, but what we discovered was interesting.

     Gervinho got his first start, and played on the left. The starting XI looked like this:

                             Szczesny

Jenkinson     Koscielny     Vermaelen     Gibbs
     
                         Song     Ramsey

                             Wilshere
      Walcott                                  Gervinho

                            Chamakh

     It was nice to see Gervinho get his first start, and after just seven minutes he got his first Arsenal goal. There was some good play in the midfield, until Jack played a ball over the top for Gervinho, whose run was perfectly timed, as was his finish over the 'keeper.
     Minutes later, Jack played a ball out wide for Theo, who fizzed a ball into Gervinho's feet who finished the tap in. Two goals in 15 minutes for Gervinho, and both from a center forward position . We must take not of that. He wasn't as good at holding the ball up as Chamakh, but his runs were far better.
     Gervinho was then taken off to make way for Ryo Miyaichi, who also did well.

     Despite having a two goal lead, FC Cologne should have scored a few. They had chances but didn't take them. And while fingers are almost always pointed at the back four, the match yesterday told us something very different.
     Cologne's only form of attack was on the counter, where we wer constantly caught out. The back four didn't deal with the pressure perfectly, but they got the job done. And it must be noted that these past three friendly matches are the only times this back four has played together - they barely know each other.
     And on that note, I find it interesting that Jenkinson is starting - It is expected the back four for next season will be Gibbs, Vermaelen, Koscielny, and Sagna, but why is Jenkinson in Sagna's place? Just some food for thought.
     But back to what I was saying, Cologne broke on us but could not take their chances because our back four was playing well. It was very worrying, because if the same were to happen against a Manchester United or a Chelsea, we wouldn't come out of the 90 minutes as happy as we did against Cologne.

     When Cologne broke, it's not that they broke with numbers, but we didn't have many players back on defense. Our "defensive" midfielder in Song was nowhere to be found. He was caught too high up field, which resulted in the pressure.
     This also brings up a second helping of food for thought: perhaps our center backs/back four aren't as bad as they're made out to be. Perhaps it's our midfield that isn't up to par defensively. Wilshere certainly does his job when he's in the side, but when he decides to venture forward (which he has more license to than Song) Song doesn't cover for Wilshere's empty space.
     Last match it seemed Jack was in the creative role with Ramsey alongside Song. Both Ramsey and Song ended up playing level with Jack most of the time, so no one was back to provide cover.
     So instead of a center back (although one is needed), Wenger should look into getting a defensive midfielder that sticks to his job and does it right. At the moment, Song has absolutely no competition for his place in the squad.

     All in all, everyone seemed to have a good first half besides Ramsey and Chamakh, who seemed a little off. Ramsey wasn't himself, and misplaced a few passes.
     Then, literally right before half time, Jenkinson scored a brilliant goal. One that he will never forget. It was a fantastic first time volley that sailed over the 'keepers head and into the back of the net. Only problem was, the 'keeper he sent it over was Szczensy. He looked distraught, which is understandable, but I don't mind. He played very well, it was only a preseason friendly, and he will never be able to score a goal like that again even if he tried 100 times.

     In the second half, ten changes were made, everyone coming off the pitch except Gibbs who stayed on. Oddly enough, Traore didn't even travel with the squad. Why, I'm not sure but it's something to question all the same.
     So with all the changes, the new line up looked like this:

                    Mannone

Sagna    Djourou    Squillaci     Gibbs

                    Frimpong

         Rosicky              Nasri

   Vela                             Arshavin
                    van Persie

     The second half was pretty shitty in all honesty. There was barely any chemistry going forward, so chances were at a premium. There were a few, but Arshavin's finishing was poor.
     In the defending apartment, Cologne still hit us on the counter but we stood strong enough to keep them out.
     Connor Henderson was able to make an appearance at left back, but what looks to be a nasty, long-term injury sent him out of the match. This allowed Benik Afobe to make a late cameo.

     All in all, it wasn't a terrible outing, but it wasn't the best. Cologne exploited our flaws much better than the Asian sides, and the injury Connor Henderson suffered doesn't look good. On the positive side, Gervinho looked fantastic, as did Jack.

Full match highlights

     That's that for today. I'll have another post up soon enough, I've got some interesting thoughts on the Cesc situation.
     Laters.