Arsenal's season started with three consecutive clean sheets, something that really impressed their fans. Could it be possible that Steve Bould's presence on the coaching staff could finally have figured out Arsenal's defensive problems? Well, Bould's presence can and should sort things out at the back for Arsenal, but it will take some time.
When Arsenal took the field on Wednesday, they knew very well that it was going to take a near perfect performance to pull off a historic comeback at the Allianz Arena.
A 0-2 lead in the 85th minute for the Gunners was not only impressive from the offensive side of things, but who would have thought that Arsenal would hold the Bavarian's scoreless after 85 minutes? Not many people would have bet on that, but the truth is that they did it, and came away from Munich with a clean sheet.
Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny sorted things out at the back and brought a breath of fresh air to Arsenal's back four. We also cannot forget debutante Lukas Fabianski who looked to be in great form, after being Wojciech Szczesny's backup all season.
With fans now questioning if Vermaelen's dip in form is due to the pressure of being captain, we will take a look at the three partnerships in the center of Arsenal's back line.
Thomas Vermaelen & Per Mertesacker
The Belgian and the German have played side by side in 23 matches this season across all competitions. From those 23 matches, they have come out victorious on 11 occasions. Is that a good enough number for two international players?
Well, some will say that is acceptable, while others will say it is not.
Six defeats and six draws are added into the equation between the two, leaving them with 25 goals against and a 0.92 goals against average together. Although they are averaging less than one goal against per match, they only have seven clean sheets together from 23 matches.
Vermaelen's pace helps to make up for Mertesacker's lack of pace, but the Belgian's frenetic pace hurts the Gunners at times.
Mertesacker likes to play with patience, while the Arsenal captain is seen rushing plays, or trying to take the ball up the field, leading to the Gunners getting caught out in transition. As if that is not bad enough, with Vermaelen losing the ball in a dangerous area, he then leaves Mertesacker extremely vulnerable due to his lack of pace.
May we also not forget Vermaelen's habit of jumping into tackles, setting up a number of dangerous free kicks outside the Arsenal 18 yard box.
Just to remember one occasion, Arsenal's defeat at home against Chelsea earlier in the season came from two needless tackles from Vermaelen, which setup Chelsea's two goals.
- Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
- Stoke City 0-0 Arsenal
- Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal
- Arsenal 6-1 Southampton
- Montpellier 1-2 Arsenal
- West Ham 1-3 Arsenal
- Norwich 1-0 Arsenal
- Arsenal 0-2 Schalke
- Arsenal 1-0 QPR
- Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal
- Schalke 2-2 Arsenal
- Arsenal 3-3 Fulham
- Arsenal 0-2 Swansea
- Bradford City 1-1 Arsenal
- Reading 2-5 Arsenal
- Wigan 0-1 Arsenal
- Arsenal 1-0 Swansea
- Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal
- Arsenal 5-1 West Ham
- Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool
- Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa
- Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal
Thomas Vermaelen & Laurent Koscielny
Before Mertesacker's arrival, this was the perfect partnership for Arsenal, or that is what many believed. This season, the two have only featured together in the center back role on six occasions to start a match.
A total of two victories, three defeats and one draw leave them as the worst partnership in the current campaign for Arsene Wenger's side.
Despite the numbers not looking very impressive, these two defenders are still young and very talented, they just seem unable to compliment each other on the pitch. Together they are averaging 1.67 goals against, with 10 goals conceded in six matches and a staggering zero clean sheets.
Their losses came against Chelsea at the Emirates, Manchester City at the Emirates and Blackburn at the Emirates.
So three losses at home, but they have only played one match away from home which was a 1-1 draw against Southampton.
Both players have pace, but again, it would appear that Vermaelen's lack of consistency and constant mental lapses leave Koscielny vulnerable to all sorts of trouble. Making the Belgian team captain with the departure of Robin van Persie appears to have really hurt his consistency on the pitch, something Arsenal fans wish he would have never lost.
- Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
- Arsenal 3-1 Olympiakos
- Arsenal 7-3 Newcastle
- Southampton 1-1 Arsenal
- Arsenal 1-2 Manchester City
- Arsenal 0-1 Blackburn
Laurent Koscielny & Per Mertesacker
What we have here are two different, yet well rounded defenders. Mertesacker's ability to read the game and anticipate plays before they happen allows him to get into a proper position most of the time. As for Koscielny, he not only can read the game, but he is a good stand up defender.
In 10 matches played together, these two only have one loss to show for their hard work. That loss came against Bayern Munich at the Emirates, which ended in a 1-3 victory for the German side.
Bayern's first goal can well be attributed to a mental lapse from a midfielder who failed to track the Bayern player at the top of the box, while the second could be Szczesny's fault to some extent. And the third... Well, that looked to sum up Arsenal's night as it appears Sagna was the last one to touch the ball before it shockingly bounced into the Arsenal goal.
Five victories to their name and four draws, with one of those triumphant victories coming at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.
The pair have managed three clean sheets in just 10 matches. That is four less than Arsenal's most used pairing, Vermaelen and Mertesacker. To put things into perspective, Koscielny and Mertesacker have also featured in 13 less matches together.
It obviously would not be completely accurate to say that had these two featured in 23 matches together that Arsenal could be better off, but judging by the numbers, it looks like it could have been possible.
Wednesday's match, along with Fabianski's secure performance, may well have shown that the Frenchman and the German deserve Wenger's confidence. It was also interesting to see the fact that Steve Bould was seen on a number of occasions coming to the sideline to give his defenders instructions, something that has rarely been seen throughout the season.
- Manchester City 1-1 Arsenal
- Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham
- Arsenal 2-0 Montpellier
- Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
- Everton 1-1 Arsenal
- Swansea 2-2 Arsenal
- Brighton 2-3 Arsenal
- Arsenal 1-0 Stoke City
- Arsenal 1-3 Bayern Munich
- Bayern Munich 0-2 Arsenal
Could it be that Wenger has finally given in and allowed Steve Bould to take over the defensive duties and appoint who he thinks is best for the job?
Should Koscielny, Mertesacker and Fabianski get the go ahead for Arsenal's next match against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium?
Who do you think is Arsenal's best pairing in the center back position?
