Arsenal’s absence of leaders is undermining their ambitions
Wenger will no doubt be very relieved to have left the Vitality Stadium with a point after it looked as if his side would be condemned to their third away defeat on the bounce. Although he can take heart that Arsenal never gave in, it shouldn’t overshadow the fact that their first-half performance was nothing short of woeful. The Gunners were out-muscled, out-thought and, frankly, completely outplayed by their opponents, despite the gulf in quality between the two teams. It’s been commented upon before that Arsenal lack leadership. Laurent Koscielny has grown into a quality centre-back, and Petr Cech is as dependable as goalkeepers come, but where is the vocal presence – the modern-day Tony Adams – to galvanise the team when things are going wrong? Every successful team needs a rock-solid spine of winners. The Gunners are sorely lacking in this department, which maybe explains why it is 13 years since they last won the title.
Receive weekly football news and updates to your mailbox
