Check his stat so far
as a defensive midfielder on google, stats don't lie..
I thought Diaby actually did quite well
as a defensive midfielder on Sunday but he does hold onto the ball too long and he has rarely been as consistent as that.
Not exact matches
The
midfield is a diamond arrangement with Ozil at the north of the diamond, Carzola and Xhaka
on the sharing the deep lying role in the west and the east of the diamond and Coquelin
on the south of the diamond
as defensive midfield.
obviously I would prefer to have a much more suitable alternative in the
defensive midfielder positions but if they focused more
on defensive end and the occasional long - ball, this would allow Bellerin and Sead ample opportunities to bomb forward
on their respective wings while still having enough cover to maintain their
defensive shape... it would likewise allow for overlapping runs
on both wings, thereby letting both Sanchez and Perez to cut inside and get shots away in and around the top of the box with their most dominant feet... if goals were needed I would sub Bellerin for OX and bring Ramsey in for Elneny then switch to a 3 -2-4-1 (more of a 3 -1-5-1 with Ramsey playing higher up the pitch) and I would only use Giroud
as a sub when the game dictated it for tactical reasons... this would allow us to be a high energy team with incredible link - up play and a much more direct approach in the offensive end
Yes he could be alot better at finishing, but let's see, maybe we got a new sturridge... What I am mad
on Wenger about is not so much the lack of a proven striker to our ranks... No it's that we haven't bought a central defender to cover, but most important, we haven't bought a
defensive midfielder, that we need so much!!? Wenger makes the same mistakes over and over, everybody else can see it, just not him... hmm: / but still lets respect him
as a man and judge when we are atleast half way into the season... COYG!!!!
the Ramsey, Xhaka partner ship is not a balanced one
as none of them are truly
defensive midfielders and I know from our previous experience they are no good at all what is going
on at Arsenal with this kind team selection it will probably be a draw if not a loss hope I would be proved wrong
Xhaka can not tackle which is amazing considering he is supposed to be a
defensive midfielder, Ramsey lacks discipline which he has always done and regards himself
as up there with Messi & Neymar which is he is nowhere near, both of them lack the athleticism which is necessary in their positions in today's game
as could be seen from Sundays performance they were completely outplayed some fairly average players
on the Liverpool side.
I knew aubameyang would not be
as effective here at arsenal because of our style of play, our football is pathetic, lack of vertical penetration, lack of proper wingers to offer width and one
on one dribbling or crosses from the by - line, lack of a proper
defensive midfielder, zonal marking
on corners instead of man marking, i can go
on but we all know our weaknesses.
I think Wenger thought Xhaka would be the next Goretzka Wenger doesn't believe in spending big
on defensive midfielders Eleny is not good enough and Wenger only got him because he cost # 5 mil We had Coquelin by luck really
as he came from the youth group
It's difficult to blame Ozil for the difficulties he's faced at Arsenal without looking at the big picture... like the fans, he too was lied to by Wenger... there is no doubt in my mind that he was told by Wenger that he was trying desperately to recreate our earlier success by acquiring players that fit the system he ran when Henry was in his prime...
as we know this hasn't happened... in order for Ozl to flourish he needs some speed up front, forwards that can make intelligent runs, a boss in the
midfield to compensate for his obvious
defensive liabilities and defenders who can transition from defence to offence quickly and efficiently... much like he had in Real and with the German National squad... unfortunately he ended up
on a squad that has a striker who plays with his back to goal, very few intelligent runs into the box, minus Sanchez, no one to take pressure off him in the
midfield, once Cazorla was injured, average
defensive midfielders around him, which simply highlighted his lacking
defensive qualities and defenders who lack the necessary cutting edge when it comes to transitional passing... instead of blaming Ozil, which is simply too easy, especially considering his mopey disposition, we should be asking ownership and / or Wenger why they brought him in if they didn't intend
on doing what was necessary to get the best from him... can you imagine Ozil playing with the likes of Henry, Viera, Petit and Pires, it would be incredibly to watch and even more difficult to stop... so the only thing different between his experiences in Real and with the German team versus his time at Arsenal are the players around him and we all know who is in charge of making those decisions, the Grinch who stole soccer
Rest 4 will be given freedom We should sell Xhaka
on Summer and buy Jorginho from Napoli... He is terrific
defensive midfielder talent and can pick long passes
as well... He can be directly slotted in place of Wilshere and then Ramsey and Wilshere will compete for further in
midfield..
We at Arsenal pay the highest ticket prices in the country, and we have rarely seen all that excess profit spent
on players when we need them, such
as Arsene Wenger's refusal to sign a
defensive midfielder until this January, despite lacking in the role since Vieira's departure in 2005.
If its Cavalho, then Chambers becomes Vermaleen's replacement and Hector is coming of age
as our second Right Back for the season (Jenkinson is still
on our books though not available to us this season) and if its Sokratis, Chambers will become our holding /
defensive midfielder.
Although Wilshere has not nailed down a regular position in his career so far, playing both
as an attacking
midfielder, either centrally or
on either flank,
as well
as a more
defensive - minded player, it appears that he wants to work
on becoming more of a deep - lying ball player in the Alonso or Pirlo mould.
Tough tackling
defensive midfielder was strongly linked with a move to Arsenal but the switch broke down over wage demands, among other factors, but we can see Arsene Wenger revisiting this in January
as he looks to add much needed steel to a
midfield that is perhaps too heavy
on creativity and not enough in the way of grit.
A long - time target for Arsenal, Lars Bender is
on the Gunners» radar again this January
as one of their top targets to strengthen in the
defensive midfield department.
With the right
Defensive Midfielder we wouldn't notice Ozil
Defensive weaknesses
as much and he could concentrate
on what he does best.
Most of us have been crying for a
defensive midfielder and I personally think this should be our first priority
as Arteta is getting
on with age and with all due respect, seems to struggle a bit against more physical teams who apply pressure.
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Defensive Midfielder
Laurent Blanc responded to the loss of his most
defensive midfielder in somewhat surprising fashion, throwing
on a much more attacking player in Lucas Moura and abandoning the 3 -5-2 that PSG had struggled with in favor of a 4 -3-3, bringing Marquinhos off the back line to serve
as his holding
midfielder.
do nt be surprised if we see song back
on a loan would be the easiest
midfield option to get at short notice just to get him
on loan for a season just to fill the gap i think wenger likes familiarity with some players knowing the arsenal way would be an ok squad filler in case we have injury pile up at Christmas or new year period
as you would expect would be an upgrade
on kim kalstrom i think anyways and being at barca cant have done his skill set any harm maybe he learn to more
defensive responsibility
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In the
midfield, (including RWB & LWB) we have a whole bunch of tweeners... none offer the full package, none make sense in our manager's current favourite formation, except for Sead
on the left and Ox
on the right, and all of them have never shown any consistency for more than a heartbeat... Sead, who I'm including in this category because of our present formation, looks like a positive addition, minus his occasional brain farts, but I would rather see what he could do in a back 4 before making my mind up... Ox, who has never played better, which isn't saying much considering his largely underwhelming play in previous seasons, seems to have found a home in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied
on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put in altogether, but
on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put
on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name
on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy
on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players
on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies...
as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his
defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger's)
it goes without saying that AW must leave and another coach to come he can stay close to the team
as manager or head of board but it is clear that our team is in need for so many years of a
defensive midfielder (William Carvalho) and a left back (J Rodriguez)
on top of them if we buy Mbappe and this player from Celtic, Dembele i believe our team will be in very good shape
as we will have players to cover all spots in good order we can get rid of players such
as elneny, gabriel, debuchy, jekinson, lucas, chamberlain, mertezaker, coq and get back jack wilshere who together with ramsey, xhaka, santi they can make a quite productive
midfield together with Carvalho watching their backs if we sell ozil, sanchez we can move for 3 more players such
as gueye, mahrez and gibson
What I believe Mr Wenger should have done last year was to kept Coquelin
as Arsenal main
defensive midfielder, Wilshere replaces Cazorla and the 34 million in transfer fee and # 120,000 in weekly wages spent
on Xhaka should have been spent
on a better striker.
Having Ozil of all people play
as a winger especially in front of either full back in Debuchy or Monreal is suicide because he will not track back whatsoever and in a formation like that which is designed to thrive on position you need a work horse on the wings for whichever full back you plan to have overloading the wing AS WELL AS a positionally astute defensive midfielder to come across and provide cove
as a winger especially in front of either full back in Debuchy or Monreal is suicide because he will not track back whatsoever and in a formation like that which is designed to thrive
on position you need a work horse
on the wings for whichever full back you plan to have overloading the wing
AS WELL AS a positionally astute defensive midfielder to come across and provide cove
AS WELL
AS a positionally astute defensive midfielder to come across and provide cove
AS a positionally astute
defensive midfielder to come across and provide cover.
If Arsenal stick with three centre backs then Mustafi must be considered a far better choice for the third birth alongside Kos and Holding rather then Monreal.Kolasinac has to come back in at left eing - back and Bellerin revert to the right.
Midfield is a very different matter.Arsenal still desperately need a proper
defensive central player.Ozil in this current side can not be considered anything more than a luxury.All of Bournemouth's creativity will come down the flanks so it's necessary to put players
on to the pitch who are prepared to fulfill their
defensive duties.This also means that unless Ramsey can work out that he's playing in
midfield not
as a number 10 he has no place
on the team either.
Or should the boss,
as I think, turn his focus
on to the
midfield and
defensive side of the Arsenal team?
Our 3 back is just so wrong.We don't have natural wingbacks even in this formation.It also seems to me that lots of people here believe if you're good at right or left fullback then automatically you're good at RWB / LWB which quite frankly is untrue.That's why Oxlade Chamberlain can be considered at RWB but not right back.At RWB or LWB you're asking too much in terms of attack from Bellerin and Kolasinac.A proper wing back can be viewed
as a more
defensive winger which quite frankly none of them are and they don't possess the flexibility too to play that way.Our
midfielders are also not disciplined enough because in 3 back there's a huge gap in the centre of the field that must be covered by our CM's so indiscipline only means disaster.We also have Ozil who looks like he's playing at RW in 3 back.In that we're limiting his impact because Ozil takes
on his man because he wants to not because he likes to.You can't play such players at the wing.He's a proper No. 10 who likes to be given freedom.That's why Ozil plays likes he's lazy
on the ball and stuff.It's because he wants to be free and for that you need to put him at No. 10.
I do nt think we need another
defensive midfielder we have Xhaka who in my personal opinion had a decent first season (made some early mistakes but we saw him adapt to the role and learn
as the season went
on - i aspect him to do develop even more next season)
At the moment, the youngster is playing
as a
defensive midfielder in the Barca B team, so I'm sure that Wenger will be keeping a close eye
on him and whether he gets a chance in the first team.
guys look i am going to sound ridiculous but arsene is going to sign a defender and not a central
defensive midfielder cause arteta and flamini are both in wenger's good books
as these players have settled for the fourth they hit 30 or maybe the mediocrity mind has pulled an hamstring
on the club, it seems that Wenger played a game of «expected» but it itself is now derail course so therefore pressure mounted up looks like he is heading for the french market under 10 million valuation» JUST MY PREDICTION»
Furthermore, when Wenger identified him
as being a man who could add to our struggling
midfield in the tackle and strengthen our poor
defensive record, why
on earth was # 35 million spent
on a player with a reckless tackling ability?
With this type of formation we would need to use Coquelin
as an old - fashioned
defensive midfielder, with his main priority
on protecting the back four, which is what he's best at.
We'll be too vulnerable
on the counter with Wilshere
as our most
defensive midfielder (I may be wrong though).
We all can see that we
as a team need a world class
Defensive midfielder and a central defender with intelligence and pace,
as well
as pure goal scoring animal that exists purely to put their boot
on the end of the ball whenever it's within the opponent's area.
From having to rely
on Flamini and Arteta
as holding /
defensive midfielders, we now have Coquelin, Elneny and Xhaka.
As such a team that is as heavily reliant on possession as Arsenal being allowed to have the ball with no defensive midfielder present to provide even a modicum of cover meant we were ripped apart time and time again on the counte
As such a team that is
as heavily reliant on possession as Arsenal being allowed to have the ball with no defensive midfielder present to provide even a modicum of cover meant we were ripped apart time and time again on the counte
as heavily reliant
on possession
as Arsenal being allowed to have the ball with no defensive midfielder present to provide even a modicum of cover meant we were ripped apart time and time again on the counte
as Arsenal being allowed to have the ball with no
defensive midfielder present to provide even a modicum of cover meant we were ripped apart time and time again
on the counter.
Arsenal has depth, but it isn't quality squad depth, Rosiscky, Cazorla, Ozil all play the same position and neither of them add a great deal more than the other, our
midfield is stoked but the areas we actually need depth in are barren, we have no solid
defensive midfielder with our usual reliance
on a CAM moved back,
as a result players like Ramsey and Wilshere who are box to box players end up creating more imbalance in an already unbalanced team.
Pedro and Willian would serve
as better wingers
as we saw in the league last year and Matic is a massive improvement
on the
Defensive midfield position compared to Elneny and Coquelin.
There is no real debate
on the signing of Kante,
as ultimately he's a game - changer
as witnessed last year in terms of adding energy, drive and
defensive coverage in Chelsea's
midfield.
Let's get real here.It is very unlikely that ANY professional player will ever say anything derogatory about a teammate that has just left the club.If Jack had said about Coq - «Grew up playing with him in the Youth Team and have fond memories of a player they though he had very limited ability he always gave his all.Very surprised and disappointed the club never invested in a World Class
defensive midfielder that we have quite obviously been lacking for a number of seasons and would no doubt have improved the
defensive weakness we have shown over a number of seasons» we would have echoed his thoughts entirely.If he had said about Theo - «A player who should have been so much better than he ended up being.He had everything needed to be a prolific player for our club but I can understand the fans frustrations with his continued lack - lustre performances and total lack of a football brain.I think this is best explained by the managers preference to play a player of such limited ability
as Alex Iwobi in front of Theo pretty much says it all» we again would have all nodded our agreement.Although Jack never mentioned Alexis Sanchez I would imagine something along the lines of «If the Manager had not persisted with players with such limited ability such
as Francis and Theo and instead bought the world class players needed into the club then Sanchez would still most likely be here.The fans must wonder what the hell goes
on at the club
as they pay fortunes for the privalage of following our club but it seems the millions generated ends up purchasing a new Texas Ranch for the Owner or in a yearly renumeration of # 9million pounds to our manager».
This is an incredibly difficult question to answer for a variety of reasons, most importantly because over the years our once vaunted «beautiful» style of play has become a shadow of it's former self, only to be replaced by a less than stellar «plug and play» mentality where players play out of position and adjustments / substitutions are rarely forthcoming before the 75th minute... if you look at our current players, very few would make sense in the traditional Wengerian system... at present, we don't have the personnel to move the ball quickly from deep - lying position, efficient one touch
midfielders that can make the necessary through balls or the disciplined and pacey forwards to stretch defences into wide positions, without the aid of the backs coming up into the final 3rd, so that we can attack the
defensive lanes in the same clinical fashion we did years ago...
on this current squad, we have only 1 central defender
on staf, Mustafi, who seems to have any prowess in the offensive zone or who can even pass two zones through so that we can advance play quickly out of our own end (I have seen some inklings that suggest Holding might have some offensive qualities but too early to tell)... unfortunately Mustafi has a tendency to get himself in trouble when he gets overly aggressive
on the ball... from our backs out wide, we've seen pace from the likes of Bellerin and Gibbs and the spirited albeit offensively stunted play of Monreal, but none of these players possess the skill - set required in the offensive zone for the new Wenger scheme which requires deft touches, timely runs to the baseline and consistent crossing, especially when Giroud was playing and his ratio of scored goals per clear chances was relatively low (better last year though)... obviously I like Bellerin's future prospects,
as you can't teach pace, but I do worry that he regressed last season, which was obvious to Wenger because there was no way he would have used Ox
as the right side wing - back so often knowing that Barcelona could come calling in the off - season, if he thought otherwise...
as for our
midfielders, not a single one, minus the more confident Xhaka I watched played for the Swiss national team a couple years ago, who truly makes sense under the traditional Wenger model... Ramsey holds onto the ball too long, gives the ball away cheaply far too often and abandons his
defensive responsibilities
on a regular basis (doesn't score enough recently to justify): that being said, I've always thought he does possess a little something special, unfortunately he thinks so too... Xhaka is a little too slow to ever boss the
midfield and he tends to telegraph his one true strength, his long ball play: although I must admit he did get a bit better during some points in the latter part of last season... it always made me wonder why whenever he played with Coq Wenger always seemed to play Francis in a more advanced role
on the pitch...
as for Coq, he is way too reckless at the wrong times and has exhibited little offensive prowess yet finds himself in and around the box far too often... let's face it Wenger was ready to throw him in the trash heap when injuries forced him to use Francis and then he had the nerve to act like this was all part of a bigger Wenger constructed plan... he like Ramsey, Xhaka and Elneny don't offer the skills necessary to satisfy the quick transitory nature of our old offensive scheme or the stout
defensive mindset needed to protect the
defensive zone so that our offensive players can remain aggressive in the final third...
on the front end, we have Ozil, a player of immense skill but stunted by his physical demeanor that tends to offend, the fact that he's been played out of position far too many times since arriving and that the players in front of him, minus Sanchez, make little to no sense considering what he has to offer (especially Giroud); just think about the quick counter-attack offence in Real or the space and protection he receives in the German National team's
midfield, where teams couldn't afford to focus too heavily
on one individual... this player was a passing «specialist» long before he arrived in North London, so only an arrogant or ignorant individual would try to reinvent the wheel and / or not surround such a talent with the necessary components... in regards to Ox, Walcott and Welbeck, although they all possess serious talents I see them in large part
as headless chickens who are
on the injury table too much, lack the necessary first - touch and / or lack the finishing flair to warrant their inclusion in a regular starting eleven; I would say that, of the 3, Ox showed the most upside once we went to a back 3, but even he became a bit too consumed by his pending contract talks before the season ended and that concerned me a bit... if I had to choose one of those 3 players to stay
on it would be Ox due to his potential
as a plausible alternative to Bellerin in that wing - back position should we continue to use that formation... in Sanchez, we get one of the most committed skill players we've seen
on this squad for some years but that could all change soon, if it hasn't already of course... strangely enough, even he doesn't make sense given the constructs of the original Wenger offensive model because he holds onto the ball too long and he will give the ball up a little too often in the offensive zone... a fact that is largely forgotten due to his infectious energy and the fact that the numbers he has achieved seem to justify the means... finally, and in many ways most crucially, Giroud, there is nothing about this team or the offensive system that Wenger has traditionally employed that would even suggest such a player would make sense
as a starter... too slow, too inefficient and way too easily dispossessed... once again, I think he has some special skills and, at times, has showed some world - class qualities but he's lack of mobility is an albatross around the necks of our offence... so when you ask who would be our best starting 11, I don't have a clue because of the 5 or 6 players that truly deserve a place in this side, 1 just arrived, 3 aren't under contract beyond 2018 and the other was just sold to Juve... man, this is theraputic because following this team is like an addiction to heroin without the benefits
No matter what you are
as a
defensive midfielder, if the opposition goes two against one
on you, there is little you can do.
For example 4 -3-3 concentrate less
on playing in the centre and attempting to dominate it
as it's contest Arsenal will win and take advantage of the fact that the full backs haven't got pace, which normally means the
defensive midfielders or center backs often end up doubling up
on the wingers... thus clearing a space in the middle and allowing people like Ozil and Giroud to play to the strong points of their game.
A steady presence in
midfield as he overcame some early sloppiness
on the ball to provide the hosts with important
defensive coverage to win the
midfield battle.
Base
on transfer fee, age, wages and style of play, Elneny is Mr Wenger best buy and he should play in place of Coquelin
as a
defensive midfielder alongside Ramsey.
The big young Pole was bought from Legia Warsaw
as a
defensive midfielder but has since been converted to a centre - back by Wenger and has had experience of 10 games in that position
on loan at Birmingham last season.
The money that would have been spent
on Cesc is surely better used to get a hard -
as - nails
defensive midfielder.
My suggestion is that if Sanchez can learn that, he has the potential to do it much better than giroud does because he is faster off the mark and can dribble.he's too honest in his running so I disagree with those that think it's the set up of the team that failed him.his movement is still a little naive for the premier league Secondly
on the left wide argument.Wenger is jamming attacking
midfielder out there so
as to provide cover for the
defensive midfielder using two box to box battlers.it only makes sense because we have lots of them and it can be effective if well mastered.the catch is sacrificing a winger for the the attacking
midfielder.if your memory serves you well you'll remember that artetas downward spiral began when teams noticed he was the hub for our possession and started deploying their number 10 to press him.it's been working for ages and can be used
on any
defensive midfielder regardless of the size so You'll end up with your much cried for cavarlho, kedihra, bender, schneiderline, and every other one passing sideways and backward because of the pressure so I personally appreciate the innovative move but Again appeal to Ramsey and Wilshire to take their job more serious.