The transfer window doesn't close until 11 pm on Wednesday night and Conte will still be hoping to make
a few changes to his squad before then.
Not exact matches
Right now arsenal seem
to be able
to execute a superb three man defense with the personnel in the
squad with three CB and with
few additions or
changes, but it's dangerous play.
Arsene Wenger made a
few changes to the Arsenal line - up for the trip
to West Brom, some forced on him due
to the injury problems of Wilshere and Arteta, but bringing Giroud and Koscielny back was definitely through the manager's choice and gave the
squad a very timely boost.
Having offloaded a
few players surplus
to requirements this week, the Spanish tactician is seemingly ready
to make big
changes to his
squad this summer.
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
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.
typical, it chops and
changes based around whatever your ill - informed negative rant will be based on for the day... The key
to a successful
squad is having
squad players who can support the first - team and fill in throughout parts of the season without needing a
few games
to get in form and know their place.
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...
If I was Wenger I would start training with this
squad for Chelsea, but for our midweek, I would have a
few changes made — Welbeck rests and Akpom comes in
to start.
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.
His habitual hatred of
squad rotation seems
to have lessened and he made a
few changes to the side that hammered Leicester City.
The English champions have enough depth in their
squad to cope with a
few changes, especially after adding Ross Barkley in midfield.
It hurts me as a true loving fun of Arsenal far away back here in Ghana.The pending current setbacks of our darling club is disheartening in the sense that, Mr Kroenke as the major shareholder should compare Arsenal
to other big clubs in europe on how they achieve their goals by investing in players and other managerial aspects.He should
change his way of thinking about making profit out of the club rather, spending should be his priority.You can never have a competitive
squad without improving on the players you have by adding new players who are enough
to compete rather than selling the
few talents that you already have, this will never help.
Perez seems
to be intent on trying
to change quite a
few of the current
squad's minds about leaving this summer, including the Portuguese international defenders Fabio Coentrao and Pepe.
The latest version of the game will have
few notable differences
to FIFA 16:
changes to tackling, free kicks and the updated
squads will all be significant, however, it's the titles new «story» based game mode that's been turning heads.