5 Problems That Are Blighting Arsenal's Season

1. 'One Man Team' Syndrome

These days one of the most scathing remarks someone can make about any mildly successful footballing side would be that they are just a "one man team." It's a criticism that was most recently levelled at Liverpool and Luis Suarez last season, and the Uruguayan's departure has been followed by a dramatic downturn in the Anfield side's fortunes. Rather than this be seen as a marker of just what a special player Suarez is, however, it is used as a rod with which to strike at the remaining players and staff at the club. So far this season Arsenal have been similarly kept afloat by the performances of one man; new signing Alexis Sanchez. Sanchez has taken to the Premier League with remarkable aplomb and his contributions to his team have been extraordinary. His one-man heroics at Sunderland and two goal display against Burnley helped Arsenal end October successfully, and spared them potential blushes against two of the lesser teams in the Premier League. Sanchez is this season's Aaron Ramsey for Arsenal, and Ramsey's intermittent form this season has shown that relying on one player to carry the team is simply not sustainable. The weight of expectation has come down very heavily on Ramsey this season and, while a classy player like he is will surely find a balance to his form again before long, it has had a negative impact on his contribution to the team in this first three months. If Sanchez manages to scrape Arsenal back into fourth place by the end of this season, what's stopping the same expectation hamper him come the start of the 2015/16 season? Having a player in a side who is so good he can paper over the cracks left by other poor performers is great, but the solution has to be to fill those cracks before the paper slips away rather than expect it to hold forever. Other players have to step up to take responsibility for saving this season, and allow Sanchez to be the cherry on top of the cake rather than the only ingredient.