Alex Song 2010/2011, Part 2

Season Stats

39 starts + 3 sub apps

5 goals

3 assists

7 key passes

Premier League Stats

79 tackles won (77% success rate)
-11 highest in league; 2nd highest at Arsenal (Clichy 90)

48% aerial duel success rate
-3rd highest of Arsenal midfielders (Rosicky 63%)

2.6 interceptions per game
-Highest of Arsenal midfielders; 4th highest at Arsenal (Vermaelen 3.6)

2 clearances per game

-Highest of Arsenal midfielders

0.4 shots blocked per game
-Highest of Arsenal midfielders

2.2 fouls per game
-Highest at Arsenal

0.9 opposition dribbles allowed per game
-4th highest of Arsenal midfielders (Denilson 1.6)

1 chance created per game

-8th highest at Arsenal (Fabregas 2.9)

1.1 successful dribbles per game

-5th highest at Arsenal (Diaby 2.3)

2 times dispossessed per game

-4th highest at Arsenal (Fabregas/Nasri 2.4)

High point

Grabbed a late headed winner against a stubborn West Ham side at the Emirates, after a good all-round display in the box-to-box role. Having started the move by spreading the ball out wide, Song made what was to become a trademark surge into the box, and nodded in Clichy's inswinging cross to the delight of Arsenal fans.

Low point

Sent off away at Sunderland in the league, forcing Arsenal to (unsuccessfully) defend an aerial onslaught with 10 men for the remainder of the match. Although the yellows seemed harsh, Song's habit of persistently conceding niggling fouls finally caught up with him, and Arsenal caved in when a high ball into the box in the 5th minute of stoppage time wasn't dealt with adequately.

Alex Song 2010/2011, Part 1

Highlights of the defensive midfield stalwart from the first half of the season:

Arsenal 1-0 West Ham: Analysis of Arsene's new-look midfield

For the 2nd Premier League game running, Arsene Wenger chose to field a Denilson-Song-Fabregas midfield three but unlike the City game last weekend, Arsenal had to make do with playing against the 11 men of West Ham in a fixture that has been quite tight and low-scoring in recent years.

As such, this was the first true test of this new midfield's ability to break down a deep-lying defensive team. A similar system was in place against Partizan with Denilson the deepest midfielder and Song more box-to-box, but on that occasion Jack Wilshere played as the attacking midfielder in place of the injured Cesc Fabregas. Wilshere was of course suspended for this fixture and the one at Eastlands, had he been available it's likely we may not have seen this novel midfield system in place.



Arsenal's midfield setup vs West Ham: Denilson (yellow) held, Fabregas (blue) attacked and Song (green) alternated in between. It should be noted though that Denilson was subbed off after 67 mins, after which Arsenal set up camp in the final 3rd. The average positions of Fabregas and Song may therefore appear to be higher up than they actually were while all 3 players were on the pitch together.



With Denilson holding the midfield and Fabregas supporting Chamakh in attack, Song was free to roam in between and contribute to both defence and attack. Much like Yaya Toure, Song is a player valued for his physical and defensive qualities but with the technical ability and intelligence to play higher up the pitch in a more direct and creative role. Potentially he's the best box-to-box player in the squad given his all-round abilities, intelligence and discipline (although Wilshere has also impressed so far this season), but the problem for Arsenal is that he's also by far the best holder. The question is which is better - Song holding/Denilson passing or Denilson holding/Song box-to-box? Wenger has opted for the latter in the last few games they've played together. Song brings added dynamism to the attack compared to Denilson, but at the same time still gets back to form a double defensive shield when the opposition have the ball in Arsenal's own half, so his re-deployment further forward may not necessarily weaken the defence.

Although each of the midfield trio had individual roles, there was considerable interchange with all 3 being comfortable playing deep or closer to the opposition box (Denilson less so). This seems to be a conscious decision by Arsene Wenger in an attempt to find new ways of breaking down the dreaded "parked bus" which has often been the scourge of this possession-based Arsenal side. With players moving out of their natural zones, they can lose their markers, draw players away from team-mates, and arrive un-noticed in dangerous areas. In particular, if the deepest midfielder - who often has no specific marker - is given the license to get into the opposition box, then that adds a whole new attacking dimension to this Arsenal side.

Of course this requires discipline and understanding between the midfielders in order not to leave the defence uncovered, this was painfully apparent against West Brom but on Saturday this didn't seem to be a problem.

As usual, some video evidence to summarise the key features of the new-look midfield:

Player Profile: Emmanuel Petit

When Arsene Wenger signed Emmanuel Petit in the summer of 97, few could have predicted the impact he'd have in his first season at Arsenal. With his blonde locks and 'exotic' name, he didn't seem like the sort of character to anchor the midfield of a double-winning side. Indeed, before joining Arsenal he'd played mostly as a centre back for Monaco, but in an inspired move, Wenger - having managed Petit before - saw the potential in him to perform in that role.

Wenger's reasoning for making the switch was simple; he'd wanted a left-footed partner for the right-footed Vieira, a cultured player capable of bringing some composure to midfield, with the ability to hit long accurate passes into the more attacking players. The fact that Petit had been a defender previously was an added bonus as he was able to apply his positional awareness to the role and form a solid barrier in front of the defence, along with Vieira.

Petit took his time to register his first goal in Arsenal colours, but when he finally did in April, like London buses two came along at once. First he netted in a 5-0 demolition of Wimbledon, finishing off an excellent team move, then 10 days later he hit a powerful drive from outside the area to give Arsenal a crucial 1-0 win over Derby.

But that was just the icing on the cake, throughout the season he'd been a calming influence in the centre of midfield with his tidy passing and tackling. He was often the architect of quick counter attacks with long balls hit over the top for Marc Overmars and co to run onto, and his set piece delivery helped settle several games. To crown off his magnificent debut season, he set up the opening goal of the FA Cup final against Newcastle, playing a delightful chipped ball over the top of the defence for Overmars to run onto. Arsenal went on to win 2-0 and Petit had secured a league and cup double in his first season at the club.

Petit experienced disappointment in his next 2 seasons as Arsenal failed to win any major silverware, and along with Overmars departed for Barcelona in the summer of 2000. He is still held in high regard by many Arsenal fans and it's difficult to feel any ill-feeling to a player who gave his best on the pitch and helped rejuvenate the club into the major European force that they are now. Merci Emmanuel.

Arsenal's Midfield Men 2009/2010, Part 2

Ramsey, Rosicky and Song this time. Of the three, the 2 youngsters shone the most while Rosicky had a very disappointing season. Song built on the progress he made at the end of the 08/09 season to establish himself as Arsenal's first-choice and a leading Premier League holding midfielder, while Ramsey showed great promise in Cesc's role as an attacking playmaker before suffering his unfortunate leg break. Rosicky has probably dropped even further down the pecking order this season and in all honesty doesn't deserve a new contract earning his current wages. For one of the more experienced players in the team, he's contributed less than most of Arsenal's youngsters.

Arsenal's Midfield Men 2009/2010, Part 1

Arsenal's switch to 4-3-3 at the start of the season placed increased importance on the midfield area, and several players were able to step up to the plate.

After starting with Denilson sandwiched in between Song and Fabregas, an injury forced Wenger to play Diaby and the Frenchman never looked back, showing an improvement in his positional + defensive discipline, dribbling, passing and goalscoring to become the perfect box-to-box player for Arsenal's system. Denilson, while a tidy and intelligent player (not to mention an expert long distance shooter), fell down the pecking order as Diaby's dynamism was preferred in the middle.

Samir Nasri was a different case altogether. For most of the season he had to make do with a spot in the right of Arsenal's attack and struggled to exert influence on matches. After Fabregas' injury and his switch to a more central role, he was able to show what he was capable of, most notably in the 2nd leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Porto, where he capped an excellent performance with a wonderful solo effort.

Next season Diaby must build on the excellent progress he's made this season, while Denilson and Nasri need to step it up if they're to make the first XI.