Arsene Wenger has no defence for Arsenal’s lack of cover

One injury should not leave Arsenal in this much defensive jeopardy. It was clear early last week that Shkodran Mustafi’s thigh problem would most likely render him unavailable to face Southampton and manager Arsene Wenger shuffled the pack accordingly.

Wenger abandoned the three-man defence that had revived the Gunners’ fortunes since April in favour of a back four against BATE Borisov, chiefly to rest Per Mertesacker for yesterday’s clash at St Mary’s Stadium.

Yet it took just three minutes for Arsenal’s three-man defence to implode, with Mertesacker badly at fault. He compounded a poor clearance by allowing Dusan Tadic to glide in behind him and release Charlie Austin, whose crisp finish provided an opening goal that looked for a long time as though it would be a winning one.

Substitute Olivier Giroud deserves credit for a deft header two minutes from time to salvage a point which neither side appeared particularly happy with at full-time.

Arsenal were rewarded for their perseverance and incessant possession, albeit much of it sterile. However, for the second successive League game, a slow start and defensive mistakes put them in a hole their attacking players were unable to dig them out of.

Mustafi was at fault against Manchester United before limping off 15 minutes into Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat. Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal had formed a cohesive unit in recent weeks - Arsenal had won all six matches this season the trio had started without conceding a goal prior to United’s visit — but they are yet to prove consistent over a long period.

And what happens when one of them is absent is much worse. Mertesacker is a diligent professional who always fronts up in defeat - unlike so many of his team-mates - but it is clear why he is retiring to head up the club’s academy set-up at the end of the season.

Mertesacker remains capable of superb one-off performances - as evidenced in May’s FA Cup Final - but he is susceptible to any opponent with pace and contributes to Arsenal’s vulnerability on the counter-attack.

With Arsenal 2-0 down against United, it was noticeable that Wenger opted against introducing Mertesacker to replace Mustafi and chose attacking midfielder Alex Iwobi, switching from a 3-4-2-1 to a 4-2-3-1 in the process. The Gunners needed to chase the game, of course, but to do so with 75 minutes remaining was a huge gamble unless Wenger simply did not consider Mertesacker up to the task.

Arsenal did not have a centre-back on the bench against BATE and that was also the case yesterday.

Mathieu Debuchy may be enjoying an improbable renaissance in his Gunners career but he was not considered worthy of inclusion here, nor were Calum Chambers or Rob Holding.

Wenger made the surprising admission last week that he still prefers Arsenal to play with a back four but is using a three-man defence because it best suits his players.

However, Wenger surely needs to either return to four at the back, entrust one of his current options with greater responsibility — probably Holding — or address the position in January, given the suspicion Arsenal could use an upgrade in the area regardless.

They have conceded 20 goals in the League this season - the highest figure in the top six and more than Bournemouth (19) in 14th place and Swansea City (18) in 19th.

The Gunners were not at their fluent best against Southampton and wasted a host of chances to overcome United but it is their errant defending which has caused the most damage of late, not that Wenger seemingly wants to discuss it at length.

“I felt that the Manchester United game played a bit of a part in the head of our defenders,” he said. “It was a bit in their head and they were a bit apprehensive to start well again and that’s why it is sometimes not good to talk about the problem because you create a bigger one.”

Wenger took Mertesacker off with 26 minutes remaining, with Danny Welbeck entered the fray, and Arsenal went to a back four. Tracing back to Arsenal’s opening-weekend win against Leicester, that formation has been Wenger’s go-to move in chasing a game but despite two more dropped points on the south coast, he is reluctant to use that shape from the outset.

“We played a big part of the game with a four yesterday but away from home recently we’ve done quite well. We’ve won games but BATE Borisov and Southampton are not of the same calibre, you have to consider that. I am very frustrated, as in the second half there was a lot of time-wasting.”

There may be some fringe Arsenal players who feel they are wasting their time if not selected to start soon. Giroud’s intervention was a timely reminder of his talents, amid reports in France of a January loan move. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil both had afternoons to forget, suggesting Wenger could do worse than look to Jack Wilshere or Theo Walcott, the latter not even on the bench yesterday, to freshen things up.

Wilshere may even get a chance in central midfield should the hamstring complaint with which Aaron Ramsey finished yesterday’s game develop into anything serious.

Mustafi is expected to return for Wednesday’s match at West Ham. Arsenal will hope their defensive discipline returns with him.

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