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
Although I've
found it very cathartic to speak, vent and end occasionally rant about all things Arsenal, we need to
act carefully and intelligently right now or we're going to get played by this club even worse than at present... the pro-Wengerites and the suits, who represent a considerable proportion of the season ticket holders, don't want to believe that there is no plan and that Wenger has mailed it
in for several years now or that things are going to get much worse before they get better... why would they... many have spent a considerable sum buying some of the highest priced tickets
in the World... they want to have a front row seat to see something special and to be seen doing so, which simply provides ample justification for the expense and the time invested... to many of them, Wenger is the sun
in their soccer universe... his awkward disposition, misplaced arrogance and his utter lack of balls makes him a rather unusual cult figure, but the cerebral narrative seemed to embolden those who already felt pretty highly of themselves... many might not even of really liked football that much before his arrival and rarely games they weren't attending... as
such, they desperately believe that Wenger, and only Wenger, can supply them with their required fix... if he goes, they were wrong and that's a tough pill to swallow... they would have to admit that they were duped... they will definitely resent whoever made them feel this
way, but of course it will be too late by then... so when we go overboard with ridiculous comments bordering of anarchy, it scares the shit out of them and they shift their blame towards us rather than at those who really perpetrated this
act of treason... we aren't the enemy... we simply woke much earlier and the reason our comments have gotten more vile
in recent years is out of utter frustration...
in order for any real change to occur at this club we need to bring as many supporters as possible with us or the big money interests will fade and our ultimate objective will be lost... so it's time to focus on the head instead of the heart for now