Quote Originally Posted by redgunamo View Post
When we sold RvP, suitable replacements were readily available to us, hence our consistency over that period.
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Are you sure? You could argue RVP has never been replaced. Santi replaced Nasri from the previous summer. Ozil then replaced Cesc. You could argue that Sanchez replaced Pires and the brief beauty of JAR on the left we'd been lacking for a decade - with decent attempts such as playing TR7 there and then AA23, and less decent ones like Gervinho and to a lesser extent Poldi.

But since RvP left, AW hasn't had a decent striker for the first time in his career and it's showing.

He was able to bodge defences when players like Kos came up trumps. But if you have a striker who doesn't have the pace to get a 1-on-1 or the skill to finish it, then all the creativity in MF is wasted.

And as you say, there are now so many teams with big money chasing fewer and fewer strikers, esp since the change to 4-3-3 meant that the old days of all teams having 2 up front so 3 good ones on the books has gone.

Given Sanchez and Ozil, don't you think last season would have been fine had we had a Wrighty or Titi or RVP up front?

We came 4th after selling Nasri and Cesc and getting Arteta. Because we had RVP. The next season, Santi, Olly and Poldi shared his goals between them.

But RvP hasn't been replaced and this is what half the problem stems from. The creativity is wasted without a top no.9.