Arsenal lack a ‘Talisman’

The title says it all, really. Arsenal do not have a ‘go to’ man, someone who can grab a game by the scruff of its neck, someone who can win it for his team. Fantasy Football actually brought this home to me – you want a points scoring Liverpool player, you pick Gerrard. You want a Chelsea points scorer, you pick Lampard. You want a Man Utd points scorer, you pick Ronaldo. Who from Arsenal?

It would have been – was, last season- Fabregas, but he has been a shadow of his former self this year. I have never seen him misplace as many passes as he did against Villa. I don’t think its any coincidence that his upturn in form came with the regular appearence of Mathieu Flamini, and his form has tailed off since the Frenchman’s departure.

Cesc is still a great player, but no longer seems to have that midas touch – perhaps, now he is surrounded by Nasri, Walcott and Denilson, he feels responsibility as a senior player, no longer has the freedom he did alongside Hleb, Rosicky – and Flamini.

You can no longer rely on Fabregas for goals or match turning contributions.

Adebayor? Van Persie? Both are too inconsistent, and too reliant on chances creted by others. They are strikers, finishers – top class players, but ones who feed too much off the rest of the side to be considered talismans.

So who… Gallas? His captaincy widely thought to be a mistake by Wenger? Toure? Out of form, often out of the side. Clichy or Sagna? Full backs cannot be talismanic.

Arsenal lack a leader, lack someone who can seize hold of a game, turn it around, control it – they lack a Gerrard, a Lampard, a Ronaldo – and until they get a similarly dominant figure, they will not push those three teams that do.

And they won’t have a shoe-in for Fantasy Football.