5. TV5 Is No Longer The Verminator
When Thomas Vermaelen first arrived at the Emirates, he was a monster of a defender with a knack for scoring the occasional goal with his thunderous left foot. He was the new Vidic of Arsenal, and it really looked like he was going to blossom into a world class defender. The Verminator was a nickname well deserved, but in this new season, TV5 has been curiously inconsistent. He no longer looks like the defender he once was, and he ventures forward too much into the opposition's half for someone who is supposed to be leading Arsenal's defense. He was culpable for Van Persie's goal 3 minutes into the first half, and he made a series of other defensive errors that could have easily turned the game into a goal-fest. Vermaelen has seriously lacking in defensive acuity of late, and Arsene Wenger might do well to consider rotating the central defensive pair to motivate TV5 and and provide some much needed competition.