At 6ft 4in, the 25 - year - old brings a towering presence to any back - line, while 26 career goals highlight his attributes at the other
end of the pitch too.
Not exact matches
Ramsey — overpaid, overused, injury prone, not clinical enough as a passer or finisher and he's played out
of position way
too much to the detriment
of our supposed offensive and defensive schemes... obviously I think he has some skills and I'm pleased he didn't let his horrible injury years ago
end his career but he holds on to the ball
too much, gives away the ball
too often and
too cheaply, doesn't play good enough defensively considering the previous concern and often finds himself to far up the
pitch way
too often for a guy who doesn't score or assist near enough... better suited for Wales where the team is set up to accommodate his and Bales skills
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
Nothing like one underachiever blowing smoke up the ass
of another... we know that Ozil has some incredible technical gifts, but to be considered the best you have to bring more than just assists to the table... for me, a top player has to possess a more well - rounded game, which doesn't mean they need to be a beast on both
ends of the
pitch, but they must have the ability to take their game to another level when it matters most... although he amassed some record - like stats early on, it set the bar
too high, so when people expected him to duplicate those numbers each year the pressure seemed to get the best
of our soft - spoken star... obviously that's not an excuse for what has happened in the meantime, but it's important to make note
of a few things: (1) his best year was a transition year for many
of the traditionally dominant teams in the EPL, so that clearly made the numbers appear better than they actually were and (2) Wenger's system, or lack thereof, didn't do him any favours; by playing him out
of position and by not acquiring world - class striker and / or right - side forward that would best fit an Ozil - centered offensive scheme certainly hurt his chances to repeat his earlier peformances, (3) the loss
of Cazorla, who took a lot
of pressure off Ozil in the midfield and was highly efficient when it came to getting him the ball in space, negatively impacted his effectiveness and (4) he likewise missed a good chunk
of games and frankly never looked himself when he eventually returned to the field... overall the Ozil experiment has had mixed reviews and rightfully so, but I do have some empathy for the man because he has always carried himself the same way, whether for Real or the German National team, yet he has only suffered any lengthy down periods with Arsenal... to me that goes directly to this club's inability to surround him with the necessary players to succeed, especially for someone who is a pass first type
of player; as such, this simply highlights our club's ineffective and antiquated transfer policies... frankly I'm disappointed in both Ozil and our management team for not stepping up when it counted because they had a chance to do something special, but they didn't have it in them... there is no one that better exemplifies our recent history than Ozil, brief moments
of greatness undercut by long periods
of disappointing play, only made worse by his mopey posturing like a younger slightly less awkward Wenger... what a terribly waste
players like Ozil always present the fans with a bit
of a conundrum, especially when times are tough... if you look around the sporting world every once in awhile there emerges a player with incredible skill, like Ozil, Matt Sundin or even Jay Cutler, who have a different way about themselves... their movement seemed almost
too lackadaisical, so much so that it seemed to suggest indifference or even disinterest on the part
of the player... their posture always appears somewhat mopey and they generally have an unflattering «sour puss» expression on their face... for some their above average skills are enough to keep them squarely in the mix, as their respective teams try desperately to find a way to get the best out
of them visa vie player acquisitions or the reworking
of tactics... when things go according to planned the fans usually find a way to accept their unique disposition, whereas when things go awry they become easy targets for fans and pundits alike... in the case
of Ozil and Sundin, their successes on the international stage and / or with their former teams led many to conclude that if we surrounded such talented individuals with players that have those skills that would most likely bring the best
of these players success would surely follow... unfortunately both the Maple Leafs and our club chose to adopt half - measures, as each were being run by corporations who valued profitability over providing the best possible product on the field... for them, they cared more about shirt sales and season tickets than doing whatever was necessary... this isn't, by any stretch, an attempt to absolve Ozil
of any responsibility for his failures on the
pitch... there is no doubt oftentimes his efforts were underwhelming, to say the least, but this club has been inept when it comes to providing this prolific passer with the kind
of players necessary for him to flourish... with our poor man's version
of Benzema up front, the headless chickens in Walcott, the younger Ox and Welbeck occupying wide positions far
too often and the fact that Carzola, who provided Ozil with great service and more freedom to roam, was never truly replaced, the only real skilled outlet on the
pitch was Sanchez... remember to be considered a world - class set - up man goals need to be scored and for much
of his time here he has been surrounded by some incredibly inept finishers... in the
end, I'm not sure how long he will be in North London, recent sentiments and his present contract situation seem to suggest that he will depart at season's
end, but how tragic would it be if once again we didn't put our best foot forward and failed to make those moves that could have brought championship football back to our once beloved club... so when you think about this uniquely skilled player don't be so quick to shift all the blame on his shoulders because he will not be the first or the last highly skilled player to find disappointment at the Emirates if we don't rid the club
of those individuals that are truly to blame for our current woes
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.
A rumoured # 5 million bargain from Swiss club Basel, Elneny came very cheap and fans did not know
too much about him, but as Wenger often does, he seemed to pull a trick from under his sleeve and presented us with a central midfielder who is not afraid to get stuck in at either
end of the
pitch.
With Giroud out through injury and Alexis Sanchez probably due for a rest the Gunners will be much changed at both
ends of the
pitch but is this
too much?
Cazorla is the one player we trust to safely carry the ball upfield through a congested midfield but in his absence, the Ox can carry the ball upfield
too but operating as a Left or Right Midfielder / Full Back not through the middle or as a winger, to play in the middle
of the
pitch, you have to be consistently reliable, and to play in the final third you need to be consistently incisive with a visible
end product, the Ox ain't consistent and rarely has an
end product but that boy sure can drive forward and when he drives, Ozil especially needs to stay close enough to him to receive the ball because we all know he's gonna make a terrible decision the closer he gets to goal.
Jose Altuve has looked like a tougher out
of late, and Hill
ends up getting him to ground out here on five
pitches — Altuve was only out by about half - a-step,
too.
Indeed, in the first half there was probably
too much
of that, with little time on the ball for either side and a tendency to release the ball rather
too quickly either out
of a desire to get it up to the other
end of the
pitch as quickly as possible or to get out
of the way
of a set
of flying studs heading in your direction.
It made the final few moments interesting as the visitors pushed for another, but they left it
too late as Mansfield's defence stood firm and the forward players ran the clock down at the other
end of the
pitch.
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.
Round and round it would go, nothing
of any importance being said, and then finally, at the
end of the day, a few words whispered in the half - dark: this girl was mean to me at school today, homework was
too hard, I cried on the football
pitch.