Sentences with phrase «like central defence»

But with all the forward options that Arsene Wenger already has in the Gunners squad and with the need for players in other positions like central defence and midfield seeming a much more urgent need, it seemed that these reports were unlikely to hold much water.

Not exact matches

That is why this Under 21 competition could be great for him, as it looks like Gareth Southgate will use him in central defence and that seems to be Wenger's long term plan as well.

Still, just 18, the Blackburn player has proved himself a capable performer in both central defence and as a holding midfielder — and has kept the likes of Didier Drogba quiet in his eighteen Premier League appearances.

I think its both Wenger likes central midfielders so spent a lot of money on one and is being cheap in defence and up front.

He angrily wondered how how Wenger could put Monreal and Kolasinac in central defence and leave an accomplished centre back like Mertesacker on the bench.

I certainly like the idea that Wenger still wants to strengthen the central defence, despite the signing of the Brazilian Gabriel from Villarreal in January and Subotic is a quality player.

Liverpool are in clear need of signings in central defence after some unconvincing displays from the likes of Dejan Lovren, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho so far, and could revive their interest in one - time target Inigo Martinez.

Things have got easier in central defence, with Holding - Kos - Mustafi looking like a good back 3, with back - up possibly coming from Chambers, Monreal, and Gabriel (Although that's not good enough if it's long - term injuries).

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

Improvement is inevitable for Gabriel who must do so to stand a chance in Brazil competitive (defensive) positions in central defence with the likes of Miranda, David Luiz and Marquinhos in contention.

So with that being said, I would really like to see Koscielny partnering Gabriel in central defence when Steve McClaren brings his Newcastle team to the Emirates.

With the season restarting in less than a month, Mourinho will want to stick with his regular combination in the backline, and this could see the likes of Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly make up the central defence.

So, who would I like to see as Arsenal's first choice central defence pairing.

Despite spending over # 70million on central defenders Nicolás Otamendi and Eliaquim Managala in recent years, neither has been overly impressive, and the fact that the defence has been ripped apart with alarming regularity by the likes of Leicester, Tottenham, Stoke, Liverpool (twice) and, in the weekend just gone, Southampton has meant that improving the backline has become a major priority for the incoming manager.

We were going to get spanked no matter what with our central defence playing like that.

As I said before, it looks like Hugo Diaz is going to be the young player who will get a chance to get a trial by fire starting alongside Paudie O'Connor in central defence.

«Also I like to have a right - footed and left - footed player in central defence, because that's where it all starts, and the distribution is better balanced when you can have that.»

So, Stone out till 2015, Barkley not ready to start training just yet, Mirallas out for a number of weeks, Howard flapping goals in, our central defence pairing acting like the Chuckle Brothers without the timing, Coleman and McCarthy doubtful for the next game at least, Lukaku looking more like a # 2.8 m player than a # 28m one, Osman and Pienaar looking like a shadow of their former selves, Everton outside the relegation zone by just two points.