Has Alex Song become a liability at Arsenal?
Alex Song certainly represents one of Arsene Wenger’s successes from his adopted youth policy of the past six years. The strong, versatile midfielder has made his presence known in recent years and has earned the right to be in the starting XI every week. His greatest strengths have been in adding some much needed power, security and his own ability to chip in with assists in the final third. But this doesn’t appear to be the Alex Song of a few seasons ago where he emerged as one of the few bright spots in another hugely disappointing season. His lack of real competition and his game which is without discipline for the most part, should come as a sign that this players has lost focus and direction of what his duties on the pitch are.
The score was 2-1 to Arsenal in a January 2007 away game to Liverpool in the Carling Cup. Jeremie Aliadiere and Julio Baptista were running riot against the Liverpool defence when a corner came in and Alex Song threw himself at the ball and bundled it over the line. It was nothing fanciful and certainly an unlikely scorer even on a night that brought nine goals in total. What that goal definitely didn’t represent was the makings of a player who would become integral to this Arsenal side, and one who would leave the majority of fans who called for his premature release to be left in the wrong by a manager who seemingly always knew the player would come good. Alex Song’s goal away to Fenerbahce two years later was a much better representation of the player, as he a volleyed home from close range.
The 2008/09 season was to be Song’s breakout year and the contrasts from two years previous was hugely telling. No longer was there a lost teenager clinging on for dear life to the Arsenal ship as it sailed sometimes unpredictably through games; now we were looking at a man who had grown in strength, confidence and importance to the club. A particularly disappointing season for the club that year certainly left many hoping that the team had indeed found a dominant figure in the middle of the park. Not necessarily a Patrick Vieira, but someone to fill the void nevertheless.
What we saw so consistently that season from Alex Song has definitely waned in recent years, leading recent reports of a switch PSG to receive a decent amount of backing from supporters in a hope that a more disciplined and defensive-minded player would come in and replace. The truth is, on his worst day, Alex Song has become a liability for an extremely fragile Arsenal side; one who are, as a collective, prone to a number of costly mistakes. His tackling is clumsy, he climbs on the backs of attackers who are quick to draw the foul, and his mindset when in possession is almost always wrong, forfeiting the ball to the opposition when a passing option was always on. Of course, he’s not without his positives: often his final ball in the build up to a goal is extremely precise and well taken, and he’s been the creator of a number of Arsenal goals in recent weeks. His tackling in the Champions League is also the highest of anyone in the competition, completing 33 – bringing to light his value to the team when he performs to the best of his ability. His versatility is also greatly welcome to a side where injuries are a part of the furniture at the Emirates, and where teams like Barcelona and Manchester United are doing good things with a squad capable of filling in at a number of different positions.
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The questions and concerns that should rightfully be raised are how much can Alex Song still add to this Arsenal side. With much talk of an overhaul of the squad in the summer, should the Cameroon international be under consideration for a move away from the side. The problem is that there has been too much of a reliance on the player since he made one of the midfield positions his own. Emmanuel Frimpong has been loaned out and has since suffered his second big injury in two seasons, while Francis Coquelin is nowhere near experienced enough to play 20-plus games a season in that role, despite a successful loan spell at FC Lorient last year. Alex Song is a perfect representation of a manager’s belief that strength in depth is not needed: we can see it in the striking options at the club, as well as the full-back and wide options as well. There is too much concern over harming or even upsetting players who are regulars in the first-team and little worry for the annual injury crisis that never misses a beat nor the natural progression towards burn-out when the season hits this time of the year.
The problem is, and we’ve seen evidence of it on a number of occasions, is that Song could quickly return to the position where he’s being carried through games. Not because of his own lack of ability, but rather because no one has coached him in the correct way to dispossess an opponent without putting the team at unnecessary risk. Nor has anyone told him how to recycle possession and keep the ball moving quickly and out of harms way.
It became quite clear that into the second half of Arsenal’s season last year a number of players became passengers. What was most worrying is that a number of them were key figures for the side; players most likely to change a game and put the team back in the driver’s seat. Samir Nasri, Marouane Chamakh, and, to an extent, Cesc Fabregas all become passengers either through burnout, lack of desire, courage or quality.
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It would be unpleasant to see an important player regress in such a way that he becomes surplus to requirements. But in the case of Alex Song, his game and role in the side has resulted in too many nervous moments. He doesn’t sit in front of the back-four as a defensive-midfielder should, rather leaving the team exposed and looking to fulfil his own ambitions further up the field. Where players like Scott Parker and Cheik Tiote have settled in well to their new clubs and work hard for those around them, Alex Song is often lacking in similar qualities; something that will eventually weigh against his value to the team.
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