Wenger’s attacking Arsenal can finally be a happy problem

No other Premier League team can match the array of permutations available to Arsenal in positions that can be lumped together as “attack”. Arsene Wenger, their manager, says he has never had so many creative options at this stage of a campaign.

We are not just talking strikers here. The roles could be set out on a planning table as centre-forward, inside-right, inside-left, No 10, wide right, wide left and roving deep midfield.

When results are bad, this kaleidoscope is held against Wenger as proof of dangerous romanticism: As if the club have bought more paintings than any gallery could accommodate. When it all goes right, there are endless possibilities for a generation of players who retained Wenger’s faith when less patient managers would have run them out of town.

As Brighton showed by scoring twice in the second half, the rear of this Arsenal team is sometimes no match for the front. Yet help is on the way. Villarreal centre-back Gabriel Paulista is almost through the door. But all the chatter is about the squadron of creative forces Wenger can put together between now and May.

Take Tomas Rosicky, that 34-year-old firefly. The Czech might be seen these days as a bit player, but at the end of a memorable weekend for football’s so-called “zombie” competition, he was Arsenal’s leading man.

This 3-2 FA Cup fourth-round victory against Brighton began as a mismatch and ended as a classic knock-out tie, with a home side who are improving rapidly in the championship fighting back against Premier League opponents who crossed the Rubicon at Manchester City seven days earlier.

That big road win against the defending Premier League champions opened Arsenal’s eyes to the merits of grittiness and unity. It was an un-Arsenal type of victory, built on defensive tenacity, topped off with just the right amount of ambition.

Arsenal carried that joy into the first half here, cuffing Brighton within two minutes with Theo Walcott’s driven finish.

Chris Hughton’s men were on the carousel with their guests, admiring their passing, until realising that they, too, were protagonists in a game watched by a record Amex Stadium crowd of 30,278. The gap in class, though, was as wide as that at the local prom.

Arsenal were able to start with Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla, their two best in-form players, on the bench. Francis Coquelin, a revelation at City, was also held back. Absent altogether were Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and Mikel Arteta.

The boom-bust cycle of expectation that has bedevilled Arsenal since 22005 has not passed yet. Hearing the current optimistic noises, many will shout, “Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg”, to recall a time when Wenger could field a world-class attack that also collected trophies.

The point now is that they can summon an impressive array of talents who can all play in more than one position and bring a different chemistry to each mix.

As Hughton said: “A difference with Arsenal now to a couple of years ago was that when they made changes, they might bring in youngsters, but now they’re bringing experienced players in and they have greater depth to their squad.”

Naturally, Wenger watched the bantams beat the heavyweights at Stamford Bridge and City lose to Middlesbrough with a sense of danger about the trip to Sussex.

“After yesterday’s result, we were a bit cautious,” he said. “It wakes you up, even if you are facing a championship side.”

This is one of those points on the chart where an Arsenal surge seems feasible. The returning Walcott was super-quick and eager. Rosicky was like an old showman reminding the youngsters he still has it. Mesut Ozil is back, looking stronger from his gym work, while Cazorla and Coquelin looked a fine midfield combo at City.

“We know how quickly in football momentum can die when you drop a little bit in quality,” said Wenger. “We have to show that we can compete in every single game now.”

If Wenger burns the midnight oil picking teams, he never shows it. But his pen will hover longer between now and May. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

Paul Hayward is The Daily Telegraph’s chief sports writer.

FA Cup 4th round replays:

Feb 3 — Fulham v Sunderland, Sheffield United v Preston

Feb 4 — Manchester United v Cambridge, Bolton v Liverpool