Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Danny Welbeck’s first season at Arsenal has been a curious one. His signing was something of an imperfect storm really. Welbeck was unhappy at boyhood club United and an injury to Olivier Giroud meant that Arsenal’s need for a centre forward increased. It just so happened that, on transfer deadline day, Welbeck was at London Colney training with England. I very much doubt that he was high on Wenger’s wish list even 24 hours before putting his signature to an Arsenal contract. I think Wenger has, in many respects, been waiting for that perfect, world class striker to introduce into the fold.
When Giroud was injured, Wenger had to behave in short term interests. Welbeck took to the position well during the autumn. He has the upper body strength to hold the ball up but he also has pace to get in behind players, which Giroud lacks. Effectively, he was able to reduce our dependence on both Walcott and Giroud by combining some of their best assets. The team seemed to attune itself to Welbeck too and he had the intelligence to make space for Alexis Sanchez. However, once Giroud returned, Welbeck got injured and the Frenchman began to produce the form of his life.
This has seen Welbeck shunted back out to the wings again. He has been favoured there by Wenger for the same reasons that Ferguson used him on the flank. He is a good attacker, that makes intelligent, selfless runs, but he lacks ruthlessness in front of goal. A United supporting friend of mine nicknamed Welbeck “unlucky, Welbeck.” This because he would so often get himself into great positions, only to lack the finishing touch, causing the crowd to simultaneously utter “unlucky, Welbeck.” Tactically, he is a smart player, but his decision making at the crunch moment can let him down.
He has been preferred to Theo Walcott so often on the right hand side due to his defensive fastidiousness and because he is technically proficient. He is not a flight risk with the ball at his feet (at Villa Park in September, he recorded a 100% pass completion rate). Unusually for a player that wants to play in the centre so desperately, Welbeck also offers great width from either the left or right. He tends to hug the touchline and has the pace to beat a full back. He’s similar to James Milner in that he always plays the role assigned to him to the book, which explains why managers like him so much.
Welbeck started through the middle for FA Cup matches against Manchester United and Reading. Despite his headline grabbing goal against United, the truth is that he struggled in both games. The issue here is that the team has become so accustomed to Giroud playing as a ‘pivot’ and a target man that Welbeck’s style seemed alien to them. His proclivity towards spinning in behind and looking for through passes was just not a style the team has been used to and so often his runs went unrewarded.
I think Welbeck provided some decent polyfilla whilst Giroud was injured. It has been more difficult to appraise his contribution in the second half of the season because he has been injured for so much of it. Personally, I think he looks a better fit for Arsenal in either one of the wide forward positions. If he is to be a centre forward for Arsenal, I think he has to play it regularly so that the team become acclimatised to playing with this sort of striker. I think Wenger would prefer a more mobile centre forward than Giroud as a go to option, whether he thinks Welbeck has the overall star quality he is looking for in that position remains to be seen.
One thing is for sure, Welbeck, at 24, still has plenty of development years left in him and his manager certainly knows a thing or two about developing strikers. For his part, Welbeck will have to improve his decision making at decisive moments to make the jump from ‘tactically and technically sound forward’ to the ‘killer striker’ he sees himself as. When Welbz signed for the Gunners, he told the press that he “visualised himself playing in this team,” with a supply line containing the likes of Ozil and Cazorla, there’s certainly scope for him to fit in. Next season, he will need to stay fit and imprint himself firmly on the squad. The potential is certainly there, but those words have been uttered about Danny for a few years now.
