Source: Team_Talk
Wenger's Gunners are a striker light
Just a week after they were ruthlessly overpowered by Manchester United at home, it was deja vu for Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as they failed to learn the lessons of that chastening defeat to the champions.[LNB]It was Didier Drogba this time, just like Wayne Rooney and Park Ji-Sung a week before, who exploited Arsenal's vulnerability to the counter-attack.[LNB]It was another game in which Arsenal did not have the personnel to get a truly threatening foothold in midfield or attack and had their title credentials mercilessly crushed by one of the Premier League's juggernauts.[LNB]The main problem for Arsenal is not the 'bread and butter' side of a league campaign - they can regularly dispose of the weaker sides in the division by playing some astonishing football - it is their poor record against the top teams in the Premier League which is preventing that next step from challengers to champions. In five games against their fellow 'Big Four' rivals, they have recorded four defeats and one win, a 2-1 victory at Liverpool.[LNB]The Gunners may have claimed impressive wins over some of the European challengers such as Tottenham and Aston Villa, but they have not managed to do so away from the home comforts of the Emirates. This poor record allows the other title challengers to pull away and make Arsenal eternally play catch-up.[LNB]Drogba had a starring role in Chelsea's win and it is becoming painfully obvious that Arsenal need someone of his ilk to be able to compete. While the injured Robin van Persie is not the same kind of player as the powerhouse Ivorian, he is at least someone who can offer a physical presence and a consistent goal threat. The decision by Arsene Wenger not to bring in a striker in January is looking like a bigger clanger with every passing week. [LNB]Even if they would have been unavailable for Champions League action, a striker such as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar at Milan, Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh or Wolfsburg's Edin Dzeko would have fit the bill perfectly. They may have represented a gamble, but caution will not win Arsenal the title. Nicklas Bendtner, while not having the quality of those listed above, is at least more physical than the lightweight Andrey Arshavin - and Arsenal might have competed better at Stamford Bridge if the burly Dane had started or come off the bench earlier than the 64th minute.[LNB]It is not only up front that Arsenal are having problems, however, with goalkeeper Manuel Almunia's position between the sticks coming under heavy scrutiny.[LNB]In the two defeats to Chelsea and Manchester United, Almunia faced eight shots on target and conceded five goals. It was the same story when Chelsea won 3-0 at the Emirates, as they only needed five attempts on target to register those three goals. [LNB]Even in Arsenal's win at Anfield and the 4-2 home victory over Bolton, Almunia conceded three times from seven on-target shots. He is currently 19th on the list of Premier League goalkeepers' shots-to-saves ratio and that is simply not good enough for a supposed top-level custodian. [LNB]If the rumours that Wenger failed with a bid for Stoke's Thomas Sorensen are true, it at least shows he has identified the Spaniard as a weak link and is trying to do something about it.[LNB]Arsenal next face a Liverpool side growing in confidence after their winter wobbles in an attempt to reignite the dying embers of their title push. [LNB]The Reds are unbeaten in seven league matches and a win would see them move to within just two points of Arsenal. [LNB]If one of the other Champions League hopefuls can hit some consistent form, Arsenal's season could disintegrate from challenging for top honours to yet another scramble for a place in the all-important top four.[LNB][LNB] Arsenal v Liverpool Win to Nil: Liverpool 5/1
