That is why I think Arsene Wenger may swap his full
backs on both sides of the pitch for tonight.
Having said that, we clearly do need reinforcements at full -
back on both sides of the pitch — if Evra and Rafael both got injured tomorrow, we'd have no quality attacking full - backs available to replace them.
Not exact matches
The continual experiment
of Cazorla
on the left
side of the
pitch most be stopped, play him behind the striker and let him do his thing, he should have been building his confidence
back while Ozil was out in that position, if you (wenger) wants jack to play so much, let him play behind giroud and bench cazorla, but this experiment must stop allow, Campbell, ox or Gnabry to show themselves in that position, even RYO and COQ would do a much better job
on the left
side of the park.
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.
Talented left -
back Sead Kolasinac will join from German club Schalke and it is good news that Wenger is looking to do his business early in the transfer window, but it is at the other end
of the
pitch that he must recruit well to get the fans
back on side and quell the unrest.
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
But ultimately it all depends
on who is
on the
pitch and if luck is
on Arsenal's
side, we'd have Santi Cazorla ready to put the ball in the
back of the net.
He blames the defending... well then here's an idea: don't play two LB's in a
back three, maybe sign a DM for once in your life, and don't play an out
of form RWB
on the other
side of the
pitch.
I don't care where the club ends up by the end
of that season, but I do know that I won't be as frustrated with the way they play
on the
pitch as I have been for at least four years now, since their failing tika - taka
side pass,
back pass style
of football became too obvious.
In a game that the former Ayr United boss did little research
on - he singled out Juan Carlos Oblitas, Peru's left winger, as no threat to his left
back Martin Buchan... despite them playing
on opposite
sides of the
pitch.
Ozil needs to be played more centrally if we hope to benefit from his creativity with the ball and Welbeck's first touch is far too sloppy to be played along
side Lacazette... we need to find a formation which allows more service to those making runs from the middle
of the
pitch... Lacazette can not play so much with his
back to goal or we're simply playing the same unsuccessful offensive scheme we played with Giroud, who is much better in that type
of role... I can only hope we keep Sanchez and purchase a true defensive midfielder then switch to a 4 -4-1-1, which allows us to have Ozil play more centrally with Sead and Sanchez
on the left
side and Ox and Bellerin
on the right, which would stretch defences so much that we could overwhelm most opponents with both runs in behind and overlapping runs out wide
The build up to the two goals came from his
side of the
pitch, a full
back in the modern game that carried zero attacking threat, zero composure
on the ball, and zero recovery speed is as useful as a ballboy.
I hope wenger sees these and benches ozil when he doesn't deliver to have a taste
of Wilshere, but never wenger, he prefers his best
on the
pitch than giving willing and passionate players chances, the likes
of Campbell, Gabriel, Gibbs instead
of easy monreal, Perez shud av played more last season e.t.c, I hope to say xhaka, Ramsey, Wilshere in front
of them, Sanchez / Perez if Sanchez goes, lacazette / welbeck upfront, giroud as sub, Gabriel along
side koscielny and kolasinic, bellerin and gibbs / monreal as full
backs, I want szesny
back as
back up to cech and Martinez as understudy.................. but I won't get it cos it is wenger......... smh
If Mourinho can't get his players
back on side, and the likes
of Sanchez and Pogba performing
on the
pitch in the final few weeks
of the season, the United board have a huge decision to make
on whether to persist for a third act.
When West Ham tried to squeeze out the duo, Spurs had two viable options - they could either return
back to attacking from the centre or commit more men
on the right
side of the
pitch (primarily Bale or / and Parker)
Ozil drifted into some space
on the right hand
side of the
pitch and floated a beautiful chipped pass over the
back four for Giroud to run onto and glance a header over Tim Howard in the Everton goal.
Antonio Valencia has slotted in well at the right -
back position but is not a natural defender and
on the other
side of the
pitch, England international Luke Shaw has not impressed as highly as many
of the United faithful had expected.
Its been obvious to most that this squad
of players has not been right since the end
of that 1st great season under Bilic orchestrated
on the
pitch by Payet.This was followed by a disastrous Summer window when we bought bulk instead
of quality, top that off with the Payet wanting to leave fiasco and we have never been the same since.Odd good displays which flattered to deceive but in general a gradual and consistent decline to the bottom.Moyes has inherited this group and i can honestly not see how it will change until January in the transfer market.He will not get a bumper warchest to improve thats for sure and who would want to buy some
of these under achievers to create money for new buys.Its a mess and has been since that awful Summer transfer window plus
on top
of which far too many
of this lot have under achieved drastically be it new players we have bought or the OLD boys.Its an ageing
side especially at the
back and needs a serious overhaul.
He can play
on either
side of the
pitch out wide in attack but perhaps his best position is full
back.
Even in the Udinese game, when he gave a broadly satisfactory performance given it was his first outing, he had the embarrassment
of Bacary Sagna offering to swap
sides (when he came
on as a replacement for Gibbs, Sagna came running across the
pitch suggesting that Carl might prefer to move across to his favoured right -
back position).
Such was the home
side's control, centre -
back Joel Matip attempted the most passes
of any player
on the
pitch (120), closely followed by defensive partner Ragnar Klavan with 118.
While analysing the tactical trends that emerged during the 2009 - 10 Premier League season, Football Further speculated that the increasing popularity
of «inside - out» wingers could lead to full -
backs being re-deployed
on the opposite
side of the
pitch in a bid to counter the threat
of wide players cutting in from the flanks onto their stronger feet.
Having committed his future now with Monaco, the Gunners and Spurs not only lost out
on a full -
back who could play
on either
side of the
pitch, but also a midfielder, as Sidibe's versatility is another focal point
of the attributes that he possesses.
Fast forward
back to the present and the current young gem
of the Gladbach
side is 20 - year - old midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud, a player whose inventive skill and imagination
on the
pitch has already won him a flock
of admirers across Europe, including a number
of Premier League
sides.