However, if Arsenal were to begin to press better as a unit, there would have to be
a change in midfield as Cazorla is not suited to a pressing game.
Meanwhile, there is also a significant
change in midfield as despite suggestions that Paul Pogba was fit to feature, neither he nor youngster Scott McTominay get the nod as Marouane Fellaini comes in next to Nemanja Matic.
Not exact matches
As for the visitors, they've made three
changes with Alex Oxlade - Chamberlain restored to the
midfield in the absence of the injured Aaron Ramsey, and Theo Walcott is brought back
in on the right wing which allows Alexis Sanchez to replace Olivier Giroud up front.
However, Rodgers is tactically smart and
changing his style is probably the more likely option, with Daniel Sturridge
as the focus
in attack and a unit of exciting attacking
midfielders being him.
In turn, it remains to be seen where the talented
midfielder's short - term future lies,
as Conte hasn't shown a willingness to play him so far this season and there are no immediate signs that the situation will
change.
Louis van Gaal
changed his tactics to try to surprise Arsenal and counter his team's defensive problems, with three central defenders and with Luke Shaw and Valencia playing
as wing backs
in a
midfield five, with Rooney and van Persie up front.
As reported by Sky Sports the manager has defended his decision to stick with the same starting XI for all three group games so it looks like he will do so again and if he does need to
change things it is likely to be
in midfield or attack.
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
As reported by Metro, Jurgen Klopp has dealt another blow to the ego of the former Gunner by explaining that he has now
changed his mind about playing the England international
in central
midfield and that was reportedly the main reason he wanted to leave us and go to Anfield.
So for a
change Arsene Wenger put Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and an unfit Alexis Sanchez
in the Arsenal
midfield, with Olivier Giroud
as the target man
in the middle.
Kinda makes sense though, the only reason people are asking for another CDM is because we all fear the possibility of injury to coquelin and know flamini is usless, beilick is inexperienced so it begs the question what happens if an injury where to occur, but wîth how many
midfielders we have
in the squad i think it could allow us to
change a tactical approach and potentially experiment with people like Ramsey and Wishere potentially playing a deeper role??? But the striker is a must
as i mentioned earlier Giroud went 8 games without scoring a goal and none of the other strikers stepped up to the plate, we cant have a drought of goals when your the quest for titles...
While the
changes that Blanc has made
in midfield might not be quite
as important
as the
changes he's made
in the dressing room, they've had a very obvious impact on the team.
Time for some brutal honesty... this team,
as it stands, is
in no better position to compete next season than they were 12 months ago, minus the fact that some fans have been easily snowed by the acquisition of Lacazette, the free transfer LB and the release of Sanogo... if you look at the facts carefully you will see a team that still has far more questions than answers... to better show what I mean by this statement I will briefly discuss the current state of affairs on a position - by - position basis...
in goal we have 4 potential candidates, but
in reality we have only 1 option with any real future and somehow he's the only one we have actively tried to get rid of for years because he and his father were a little too involved on social media and he got caught smoking (funny how people still defend Wiltshire under the same and far worse circumstances)... you would think we would want to keep any goaltender that Juventus had interest
in,
as they seem to have a pretty good history when it comes to that position...
as far
as the defenders on our current roster there are only a few individuals whom have the skill and / or youth worthy of our time and / or investment,
as such we should get rid of anyone who doesn't meet those simple requirements, which means we should get rid of DeBouchy, Gibbs, Gabriel, Mertz and loan out Chambers to see if last seasons foray with Middlesborough was an anomaly or a prediction of things to come... some fans have lamented wildly about the return of Mertz to the starting lineup due to his FA Cup performance but these sort of pie
in the sky meanderings are indicative of what's wrong with this club and it's wishy - washy fan - base...
in addition to these moves the club should aggressively pursue the acquisition of dominant and mobile CB to stabilize an all too fragile defensive group that has self - destructed on numerous occasions over the past 5 seasons... moving forward and building on our need to re-establish our once dominant presence throughout the middle of the park we need to target a CDM then do whatever it takes to get that player into the fold without any of the usual nickel and diming we have become famous for (this kind of ruthless haggling has cost us numerous special players and certainly can't help make the player
in question feel good about the way their future potential employer feels about them)...
in order for us to become dominant again we need to be strong up the middle again from Goalkeeper to CB to DM to ACM to striker, like we did
in our most glorious years before and during Wenger's reign... with this
in mind, if we want Ozil to be that dominant attacking
midfielder we can't keep leaving him exposed to constant ridicule about his lack of defensive prowess and provide him with the proper players
in the final third... he was never a good defensive player
in Real or with the German National squad and they certainly didn't suffer
as a result of his presence on the pitch...
as for the rest of the
midfield the blame falls squarely
in the hands of Wenger and Gazidis, the fact that Ramsey, Ox, Sanchez and even Ozil were allowed to regularly start when none of the aforementioned had more than a year left under contract is criminal for a club of this size and financial might... the fact that we could find money for Walcott and Xhaka, who weren't even guaranteed starters, means that our whole business model needs a complete overhaul... for me it's time to get rid of some serious deadweight, even if it means selling them below what you believe their market value is just to simply right this ship and
change the stagnant culture that currently exists... this means saying goodbye to Wiltshire, Elneny, Carzola, Walcott and Ramsey... everyone, minus Elneny, have spent just
as much time on the training table
as on the field of play, which would be manageable if they weren't so inconsistent from a performance standpoint (excluding Carzola, who is like the recent version of Rosicky — too bad, both will be deeply missed)...
in their places we need to bring
in some proven performers with no history of injuries... up front, although I do like the possibilities that a player like Lacazette presents, the fact that we had to wait so many years to acquire some true quality at the striker position falls once again squarely at the feet of Wenger... this issue highlights the ultimate scam being perpetrated by this club since the arrival of Kroenke: pretend your a small market club when it comes to making purchases but milk your fans like a big market club when it comes to ticket prices and merchandising... I believe the reason why Wenger hasn't pursued someone of Henry's quality, minus a fairly inexpensive RVP, was that he knew that they would demand players of a similar ilk to be brought on board and that wasn't possible when the business model was that of a «selling» club... does it really make sense that we could only make a cheeky bid for Suarez, or that we couldn't get Higuain over the line when he was being offered up for half the price he eventually went to Juve for, or that we've only paid any interest to strikers who were clearly not going to press their current teams to let them go to Arsenal like Benzema or Cavani... just part of the facade that finally came crashing down when Sanchez finally called their bluff... the fact remains that no one wants to win more than Sanchez, including Wenger, and although I don't agree with everything that he has done off the field, I would much rather have Alexis front and center than a manager who has clearly bought into the Kroenke model
in large part due to the fact that his enormous ego suggests that only he could accomplish great things without breaking the bank... unfortunately that isn't possible anymore
as the game has
changed quite dramatically
in the last 15 years, which has left a largely complacent and complicit Wenger on the outside looking
in... so don't blame those players who demanded more and were left wanting... don't blame those fans who have tried desperately to raise awareness for several years when cracks began to appear... place the blame at the feet of those who were well aware all along of the potential pitfalls of just such a plan but continued to follow it even when it was no longer a financial necessity, like it ever really was...
In Wenger's traditional 4 -2-3-1 formation, Lemar could either take over Cazorla's role
as the deeper - lying playmaker with a licence to roam forward or play on the left wing, but if Wenger decides to stick with the formation he finished last season with, three at the back, Lemar might struggle to displace Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez
as one of the two attacking
midfielders, however, that might
change if one or both players leave the club.
Manchester City
midfielder James Milner says having a baby has
changed him and that he wants to become more of a father figure to his teammates
in the dressing room
as a result.
As much as I'd like to see Chambers in the middle (provided he is mentally recovered from Sunday), I'm much more interested in seeing if there is any change in the team's mentality — do we collectively compete to win the ball back, if we are up with 20 minutes to go will our wing backs and box2box midfielder play more pragmatically etc. etc
As much
as I'd like to see Chambers in the middle (provided he is mentally recovered from Sunday), I'm much more interested in seeing if there is any change in the team's mentality — do we collectively compete to win the ball back, if we are up with 20 minutes to go will our wing backs and box2box midfielder play more pragmatically etc. etc
as I'd like to see Chambers
in the middle (provided he is mentally recovered from Sunday), I'm much more interested
in seeing if there is any
change in the team's mentality — do we collectively compete to win the ball back, if we are up with 20 minutes to go will our wing backs and box2box
midfielder play more pragmatically etc. etc..
Apart from the two chances for Sunderland and a half chance for Son
in the 6 yard box, both teams looked slow
as the ball predominantly stayed
in the
midfield, occasionally
changing hands due to a miss - pass.
Seemingly a like - for - like
change in the middle of the Arsenal
midfield as Wilshere replaces Xhaka.
Idrissa Gana Gueye returns to Everton's
midfield in place of the injured Gyfli Sigurdsson,
as Sam Allardyce makes just one enforced
change to his team for today's encounter with Stoke City.
As well as Monreal replacing Gibbs, Arsene Wenger showed the strength of his squad by making two changes in midfield without really weakening the tea
As well
as Monreal replacing Gibbs, Arsene Wenger showed the strength of his squad by making two changes in midfield without really weakening the tea
as Monreal replacing Gibbs, Arsene Wenger showed the strength of his squad by making two
changes in midfield without really weakening the team.
«City's full - backs sometimes tuck
in and play like
midfielders so maybe it wasn't
as big a
change for him
as it might have been under a different manager,» says Carragher.
In this article for EPL Index, I tactically analyse how this new formation has
changed the
midfield strata of the team, with cases from the thrilling 3 - 2 away win over West Ham United
as well
as the 2 - 1 triumph over rivals Arsenal.
In midfield Eric Dier struggled to show his best form, while Dele Alli has a frustrating night
as he was moved all over the pitch,
as Tottenham
changed shape to try and get back into the game.
I thought a great example was Pep when we played them
in December and he got it all wrong
in the first half but was lauded
as a genius for
changing to overload the
midfield in the second half.
Dybala played
as a supporting striker or attacking
midfielder when Allegri was forced to
change formations
in late - January and it helped Dybala's game immensely and allowed his creativity to shine on the field.
However, the roles
change drastically
in a two - man
midfield in the absence of Carrick,
as both will have to make their contributions at either box.
As far as the team news is concerned Argentina are set to go with the same lineup which took the field against Paraguay three days ago although we can expect couple of changes in Uruguay lineup as they will be looking to pack the midfield to counter Argentina's superior ball possession abilitie
As far
as the team news is concerned Argentina are set to go with the same lineup which took the field against Paraguay three days ago although we can expect couple of changes in Uruguay lineup as they will be looking to pack the midfield to counter Argentina's superior ball possession abilitie
as the team news is concerned Argentina are set to go with the same lineup which took the field against Paraguay three days ago although we can expect couple of
changes in Uruguay lineup
as they will be looking to pack the midfield to counter Argentina's superior ball possession abilitie
as they will be looking to pack the
midfield to counter Argentina's superior ball possession abilities.
The
change of formation at half time theoretically gave Palace a numerical advantage
in midfield but you would never have known it
as West Ham dominated the second period of the game.
As regards to the composition of Sporting Lisbon on Thursday evening, we believe that the coach Pinto will not change anything significant in relation to the team that won against Benfica, so only Carrico in the middle should «jump in» instead Elias, while even before defenders Onyewu and Rodriguez, midfielders Rinaudo and Pereirinha are out as well as the young striker Jeffre
As regards to the composition of Sporting Lisbon on Thursday evening, we believe that the coach Pinto will not
change anything significant
in relation to the team that won against Benfica, so only Carrico
in the middle should «jump
in» instead Elias, while even before defenders Onyewu and Rodriguez,
midfielders Rinaudo and Pereirinha are out
as well as the young striker Jeffre
as well
as the young striker Jeffre
as the young striker Jeffren.
In the
midfield and attacking areas, the Italian manager ended up making only one
change,
as he took off Xabi Alonso and played with Cristiano Ronaldo right from the start.
This
change meant that Banega dropped into a deeper
midfield role and I feel like he wasn't
as influential
in the second half versus the first half.
Rajiv van La Parra replaced Abdelhamid Sabiri, a
change which saw a tactical shuffle
in the attacking
midfield positions
as Tom Ince took up the number 10 role, with the restored van La Parra operating on the left flank.
In terms of the starting lineup, the only probable change will be enforced: Sergi Roberto will replace Iniesta in midfield, because new signing Paulinho is not in the squad as he'll be unveiled on Thursday and join training on Frida
In terms of the starting lineup, the only probable
change will be enforced: Sergi Roberto will replace Iniesta
in midfield, because new signing Paulinho is not in the squad as he'll be unveiled on Thursday and join training on Frida
in midfield, because new signing Paulinho is not
in the squad as he'll be unveiled on Thursday and join training on Frida
in the squad
as he'll be unveiled on Thursday and join training on Friday.