Manchester United made a number of major
changes to their squad last summer and worked their way back into the Premier League top four, so here are five more weak links that manager Louis van Gaal could ship out, plus five suggested replacements...
Not exact matches
His form for the Eagles
last season could be enough
to convince them
to make a bid as they remain interested despite a
change in manager, and it certainly looks as though he'll be desperate
to move on as having been frozen out again, he'll need regular football elsewhere
to secure his spot in the World Cup
squad next summer.
We are
changing a manager who ran out of ideas
last summer on how
to improve on this
squad.
There is still a way for them both
to play but it is more unlikely that Wenger will
change the formation, with the
squad that Arsenal have I do feel we could play 4 -4-2 diamond and the 2 man CF made up of a tall strong CF (Giroud / Welbeck) and a pacey off the
last man shoulder type of CF (Theo / Alexis).
Its like a deja vu...
last year L City were prompted
to make
changes in
squad after losing
to us and they became champions..
Play the strongest team available do not underestimate any team in the premier league especially as every teams
squad has been improved.There is absolutely no point in destroying Man U and then losing
to Watford due
to playing a weaken team.Get the game won and then make the
changes in the
last 20 minutes or so.
From the perspective of the Ligue 1 giants, they are expected
to make significant
changes to their
squad this summer as they failed
to defend their league title
last season, while they also fell well short in the Champions League yet again.
He reminds of Victor Moses who was just a
squad player before Conte came in
changed formations and now Moses is a different player altogether who was integral
to Chelsea lifting the title
last season.
Luiz was a key part of Chelsea's title - winning
squad last season, but the Blues have not looked as convincing at the back lately, prompting Conte
to make a big
change for the visit of United.
For once it will be a stress free day we are in win win position if Wenger buys someone its a bonus if not it does not matter the
squad is getting stronger and other injured players not
to far away from returning we now have enough depth in
squad to see us through
to end of season so lets enjoy seeing other clubs racing around trying
to make
last min signings for a
change!!!
the truth is that we did nt have a first 11 or
squad to win in a weak league
last year... so far chelsea and the manchester clubs have invested in big
changes... and almost certainly for the better... spurs and leicester (if they keep konte and mahrez) can build on their foundation of
last season..
The Blues suffered across the board
last year as they finished in 10th place in the Premier League, and there was a concern that perhaps significant
changes could be made
to the
squad under the new manager.
Man City will have
to pick themselves up after
last night's disappointment, while Arsenal have had a full week
to recover from
last weeks win over Norwich, so that may be a factor in Arsenal's favour, as well as Wenger having a full
squad to choose from for a
change.
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
And there lies the problem, if Arsenals
squad was strong enough we would have won the league over the
last 10 years, but we havent so there is the answer
to that question, Time for a
change!!
When you think about how few
changes where made
to give us the
squad we have now compared
to last season you realise that many of the wobs needed a bit of teaching.
Having won the FA Cup
last season, Arsenal are not far off building a title - winning side, but manager Arsene Wenger still needs
to fine - tune his
squad with these
changes in personnel:
What I will say what I noticed
last nite was that we need a complete overhaul in our
squad which is not going
to happen in 1 transfer market, so strap in for more of the same cause nothing's goer
change anytime soon
I will never insult Wenger but he ran out of ideas on how
to improve this
squad last summer, he ran out of ideas
to fix our naive defending a long time ago, and I for one find it hard
to believe that anything will
change.
tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day
to day
to the
last syllable of endless gallic bullshit....4 th place junkies wetting themselves over 3rd place finish should realise that other teams will be strengthening in summer definitely the others in top 4 and always a surprise or two outside... wenger has f @@@@@ us over for ten years now selling top players and bringing in a string of jokers... yes that
changed with ozil and sanchez... but giroud coquelin and monreal while all decent and can help us
to another 4th place but not beyond that (coquelin could still be a top class player but ai nt there yet) walcott and podolski will never deliver and merteshaker would not be in any other top 15 team in europe... so the idea that the
squad is on the cusp of greatness is moronic and confirmed by end of season performance... we need four quality signings but i would settle for two (attacker plus DM) and an upgrade (left back)..
Having failed
to live up
to the # 32.5 m price - tag that he was signed for from Aston Villa
last summer, the 25 - year - old is expected
to be heading for the exit door ahead of next season with Jurgen Klopp making
changes to his
squad.
Look Wenger will never
change how many times did he get ARSENAL won the FA Cup
last year and he said there was more
to come he had the chance in the summer transfer window
to really strengthen the
squad and he failed.
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...
Wenger
last won the premier league when most of our
squad were at school his status amongst them is far less than it was with the lies of Pires and Henry etc al He's lost his touch lost his mettle and he doesn't have the respect of the players any more The board keep him on because he spends next
to nothing and makes them a fortune Its time he went and the board
changed tact but I really doubt it will happen anytime soon
I agree with those odds simply because i believe the some team that were stronger than Arsenal
last season have done some really good business
to further strengthen there
squads, Bernardo Silva & Kyle Walker for Man City with what they already have plus what pep will add plus its gonna be his second season so he will be a bit more familiar with the EPL and this may make them really tough
to beat, Tiemoue Bakayoko & Antonio Rudiger Chealsea plus a top striker and Chelsea will sill be one of the teams
to beat, Tottenham are gonna be solid, they've kept the team together and Victor Lindelof & Romelu Lukaku for Man - u and Mourinho is not done yet if the rumors are true and there also the Mourinho second season thing, as much as i'd like
to be hopeful for next season, i really do nt think Lacazette and Kolasinac are enough
to make us challenge for the league plus having Europa league will give the team less time
to recover for the weekend games, the formation
change is the only thing i see can make the difference.
Although it will be incredibly difficult
to ever match his contributions on the pitch, it's vitally important for a former club legend, like Henry,
to publicly address his concerns regarding the direction of this club... regardless of those who still feel that Henry has some sort of agenda due
to the backlash he received following earlier comments he made on air regarding Arsenal, he has an intimate understanding of the game, he knows the fans are being hosed and he feels some sense of obligation, both professionally and personally,
to tell it like he sees it... much like I've continually expressed over the
last couple months, this team isn't evolving under this current ownership / management team... instead we are currently experiencing a «stagnant» phase in our club's storied history... a fact that can't be hidden by simply
changing the formation or bringing in one or two individuals... this team needs fundamental
change in the way it conducts business both on and off the pitch or it will continue
to slowly devolve into a second tier club... regardless of the euphoria surrounding our escape act on Friday evening, as it stands, this club is more likely
to be fighting for a Europa League spot for the foreseeable future than a top 4 finish... we can't hope for the failures of others
to secure our place in the top 4, we need
to be the manufacturers of our own success by doing whatever is necessary
to evolve as an organization... if Wenger, Gazidis and Kroenke can't take the necessary steps following the debacle they manufactured
last season, their removal is imperative for our future success... unfortunately, I strongly believe that either they don't know how
to proceed in the present economic climate or they are unwilling
to do whatever it takes
to turn this ship around... just look at the current state of our
squad, none of our world class players are under contract beyond this season, we have a ridiculous wage bill considering the results, we can't sell our deadwood because we've mismanaged our personnel decisions and contractual obligations, we haven't properly cultivated our younger talent and we might have become one of the worst clubs ever when it comes
to way we handle our transfer business, which under Dein was one of our greatest assets... it's time
to get things right!!!
Whereas it has been looking for quite some time as though Arsenal would soon be losing two of the best players in the
squad, with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez nearing the end of their current contracts and showing no signs of wanting
to put pen
to paper on a new one, there have been some Arsenal transfer rumours in the
last few weeks that have raised our hopes that the German playmaker, at least, could be set
to change his mind and pledge his future
to the Gunners after all.
However that is set
to change during the
last week of the window as they try and add more quality
to their
squad.
With the lack of depth in Liverpool's
squad Klopp is unable
to ring too many
changes, even if he might have been tempted
to following defeat against Palace
last time out.
Manchester United are expected
to rotate their
squad a bit after making seven
changes each in the
last two games.
Ernesto Valverde responded
to the criticism about his management of the
squad in the wake of
last week's Champions League elimination by making wholesale
changes.
Arsenal put up a very meek display during their 3 - 1 defeat against Chelsea
last weekend and it is now widely expected that manager Arsene Wenger will be making a host of
changes to his
squad for the encounter against Hull City this weekend.
The Companion is all about the Ultimate Team mode and allows you
to use the transfer market at all times - great for being able
to pick up a player right at the
last minute - manage your
squad and your club by
changing formations and using your consumables as needed, and visit the store
to buy packs, a good thing since FIFA shops tend
to run many limited time specials.