Breaking into Song

If you'd told me a year ago that December would see Alex Song score just one less goal than Fernando Torres in the Premiership, I would have choked on my cereal and bid you good day. Barring a horrific injury to the Spanish hitman, who would have expected Arsenal´s first choice hardman to score more goals this season than in his previous five years at the club put together?

Then again, Song´s improvement as an all-round player has been all too evident since the start of the season. Together with similarly pleasing growth spurts from Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott, as well as the precocious Jack Wilshere, it is no surprise that we are right in the title hunt come the New Year.

Arsène Wenger's preferred central midfield trio for now seems to be Song playing in a withdrawn role behind Wilshere and captain Cesc Fabregas. Denilson has been left to sit on the bench for extended periods (although to give him his due, he has shown some encouraging grit and drive when coming on) which has unsurprisingly led to rumours of his imminent departure. Tomas Rosicky too seems to have been relegated to an impact substitute´s role, starting only when Fabregas is unavailable. It remains to be seen if Aaron Ramsey will get a look in when he returns from his loan spell, but it is all too clear that our midfield more or less chooses itself these days. Out on the wing, Nasri´s matchwinning brilliance has long banished memories of his bouts of anonymity in his early Arsenal days while Theo Walcott has sparkled when called upon by the gaffer.

But this article once again, is about Arsenal´s midfield enforcer. When writing my previous column on the very same man (Song Mk II, October 2010), I had commented on his improvement in the early season, noting that he was no longer content with square passes to his more creative midfield partners. At the time of writing, Song had just scored his second goal for Arsenal against Manchester City, a opportunistic placed snapshot into the far corner after Marouane Chamakh had overrun the ball. I expressed the sentiment that were Song to work on his attacking instincts, his through balls and his shooting, the Arsenal might very well acquire a dangerous new weapon.

The comments immediately after the article was published were mostly sceptical. What was the point of having Song attack when we already had a raft of creative players? Surely our cause would be better served by his staying back and helping a sometimes shambolic defence?

Pretty solid arguments I'd say, but surely not the Arsenal way. I have the suspicion that Wenger took a look at the team last season and came to the conclusion that we were relying too much on Fabregas to lift the team at times. While the players´ reluctance to shoot was also a sticking point, Arsenal visibly struggled when Fabregas was absent or off colour. This season, Wilshere's emergence has offered us more options and while he is still maturing and misplaces passes at times, the onus is no longer solely on Fabregas to create. Nasri's dazzling footwork and willingness to run and juke at defenders has certainly helped too.

But to get back on topic, one unexpected piece of the attacking puzzle has come in the form of an unlikely member of the first team (though not so unexpected now that I've been building up to it). Song´s goal against Chelsea to open accounts was his fifth in all competitions this season. Wenger obviously hasn't seen fit to tell the Cameroonian to stay back for 90 minutes and he was at the right place at the right time to sweep home. Mind you, there was still plenty of work to do before that point as Paulo Ferreira crudely hacked down Fabregas seconds before Song pounced. The angle was tight too, and the converging Chelsea defenders did not make things easy. But once again, Song showed great awareness and desire to get to the ball first and finish with aplomb. It is also worth pointing out that the defensive midfielder had started the typical Arsenal one-two-three move that culminated in the goal, charging forward as the play progressed. If there was ever a need for a spark of something special to break the deadlock in a big match, surely that was it.

Would Arsenal still have scored first if Song had stayed back and concentrated on his defensive duties? Possibly, given the way Theo Walcott was tormenting Ashley Cole down the right flank. To the delight of the Arsenal faithful I might add. Even though Chelsea pulled a consolation goal back after Branislav Ivanovic flicked home a Didier Drogba freekick, the match was seen out in near comfortable circumstances. At least twice, Song managed to track back and block superbly, showing he has not shirked his defensive responsibilities. Those blocks were massive, given that the visitors were rallying after their goal.

The thing is, it is never a bad thing having more than one attacking avenue. How do you defend against a team with creative passers across the whole of midfield? When your wingbacks are drawn out by Nasri and Walcott on the flank, how do you deal with Wilshere and Fabregas down the centre? Isn't the problem made even more daunting when the opposition's defensive linchpin can bomb down the centre and hurt you bad too? Not to mention a centreback with a powerful shot when Thomas Vermaelen finally returns. It's a scary thought.

So where does the boy from Douala go from here? Is there still room for improvement? I'd go out on a limb and reply with a resounding yes. Three yellow cards and a red card so far in the Premier League this season puts Song near the top of the discipline charts. Song's robust challenges sometimes leave the referee no choice but to caution him. The defensive midfielder could still work on the timing of his challenges and cut down on a few unnecessary clumsy fouls. Staying on the pitch would be a huge boost to the team in the long run.

Once again, watch this space.

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