2. Gervinho Adds More from the Left
Gervinho is a player who inspires frustration and amazement in equal measure - that being said, I've always liked the Ivorian and think he adds pace to the wings, as well as strong dribbling ability. However, what he does not add is width and crossing, and as such playing Gervinho on the right side, makes him far less effective than playing him on the left. This is especially true when a team is compact and keeps ten men behind the ball. Gervinho is not a winger, he is better considered as more of a wide forward - when played on the left he will often cut inside to get the ball on his favoured right foot for a shot, and when he does play the ball across the middle it is usually a cutback after taking his man on and reaching the byline. Given the players habits and skill-set Arsenal cannot get the most out of him on the right side, and in fact the only reason he is being employed on the right is because Podolski is an automatic starter on the left. Whether Podolski should be an automatic starter on the left is a wholly different topic, but using Gervinho on the right does not utilize his skill effectively and it is no more than a waste of an in-form player. It also mutes the attack on the right side and makes Arsenal more predictable in the final third.