Like I always say, there are certain players that can fit into Wenger's philosophy but he fails to get those kinda players IMHO Players that have excellent technicality ala Cazorla both in defence,
midfield and attack especially midfield so the failure is in identifying and getting the right players for the system
Not exact matches
Of course we had the priceless advantage of having real men play for us instead of little timid
and afraid children in defence
and especially in
midfield or
attack like Ozil, Walcott
and all the other serail coasters who have made a rich living under their benevolent Uncle Arsene, who indulges their timidity
and blames the refs, rather than coward players.
But starting late in the first half,
and continuing in the second, Portland's
midfield,
especially, began getting better at hunting down
and attacking Orlando's dribbles.
Today winning teams have 9 or even 10 players, who press
and defend as soon as the ball is lost,
and especially the
midfielders and wingers are «2 way players», who are nearly all are as good in defending as in
attacking.
You are highlighting the
attacking depth —
especially in the
midfield and even more specifically the central
midfield.
Pace is a very important factor,
especially as our
midfield has so much creativity, it is crying out for players who can make runs in behind defenders
and players who can run on the counter
attack.
So when you wonder which players Arsene Wenger should start with in central
midfield against the Tigers, a lot of Arsenal fans might say the most
attacking ones we have available, which would probably be Alex Oxlade - Chamberlain
and Alex Iwobi, but I do not think the boss will be that gung ho,
especially after being caught out so badly against Watford
and then Chelsea.
Lack of qualities in some areas
especially in defense
and attacking minefields, here you may expect me to talk about DM instead of AM but for my quick view our AM with the exceptional of Mesut Ozil tend to dribble too often than looking for a killer pass, people may talk about Sanchez to be there but for me he is a better option among the available
midfielders, however the only proper number 10 we have is Mesut Ozil.
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
Flamini does nt have the ability to bring d ball out from defense to
attack, he cant dictate the play nor launch
attack from his position which is bad
especially when you compare him to the way modern defensive
midfielders plays this days... Things has evolved, good
and modern coaches now prefers to have ball playing
and technical defenders, we have that in koscieny
and Gabriel, also our full backs are excellent with the ball, but Flamini is not, you can see all see how we kept on loosing possession against Liverpool.
Lack of qualities in some areas
especially in defence
and attacking minefields, here you may expect me to talk about DM instead of AM but for my quick view our AM with the exceptional of Mesut Ozil tend to dribble too often than looking for a killer pass, people may talk about Sanchez to be there but for me he is a better option among the available
midfielders, however the only proper number 10 we have is Mesut Ozil.
The fact is that Arsenal are blessed with an amazing array of
attacking midfielders,
and especially have Cazorla (Wenger's Player - of - last - season)
and Alexis Sanchez who are more than capable of making the No 10 role their own next season, while we are desperate for a more defensive - minded
midfielder to share the burden with Francis Coquelin.
Hahaha.Which game were you watching?I'll give credit for fhe comeback
and goals but defensively
and even in
attack especially the 1st half we were garbage.I strongly warned against not playing a defensive
midfielder in this match
and I believe we could've won had Coquelin started or come on when we were 3 - 2 up.The only real positive in this match is Maitland Nikes though at times I thought his positional sense was garbage.He stood his ground very well
and defended very well in 1 v 1's.
Building a team is like building a car, You need a reliable set of tyres [defence], you need agility
and strength
especially in the defensive
midfield areas, computerized systems [intelligence / creativity] mostly in the
attacking midfield areas, precision
especially in the box.
rambo links defence
and attack and was one of the only players (now there are alexis, ox, rosa
and welbz) who penetrated the penalty box,
especially this wasn't happening enough from our
midfield.
Especially if we get Lemar our
attack will be absolutely stacked with talent
and depth so the last remaining position would be a roaming center
midfielder that could also potentially play a CDM role.
We have an abundance of
attacking midfielders, who are more concern with going forward than defending, Cazorla has been the exception, however we are going to need the steel for the upcoming season, when we are going to have to use two traditional DMs
especially in the away Champions league matches
and some big league games away.
We lost this game in the
midfield, Ramsey
and Cazorla were liability,
especially Ramsey who sits in the core of the team formation where all
attacks are started.
Keeping Giroud on this squad with the promise of substantial playing time... the offensive tactics of this squad is way too indirect
and is much more reflective of a hold up play / cross in the box scheme that suits Giroud's skill - sets but can't continue if Wenger really wants Lacazette to be successful... without Sanchez on the pitch this offence is a little bit like a headless chicken, passing sideways, providing relatively poor service to undersized players
and sub-par finishing... this isn't to suggest that Arsenal can't perform without Alexis but this offensive scheme is antiquated
and ill - advised,
especially considering our personnel (poor man's Barca)... if Arsenal doesn't want to pay the price to get topnotch players so we can press high
and play all out
attack, we would be better served by adopting a counterattack approach... unfortunately that would mean developing a far less skittish defensive group that could withstand the pressure
and we all know that Wenger hasn't opted for that approach considering our defensive pickups in recent years
and the lack of a «boss» in the
midfield
I actually rate Ramsey but being asked / played as a holding Mid is a tall order for him
especially with his natural position
and instinct being
Attacking Centre
Midfield.
If you correctly assessed the game
especially at first half, it was very slow
and that was due to the fact that Giroud was very slow, he didn't provides a room for our
midfielders to
attack with high pacy,
and this was the case in last season maybe some of you have forgotten.
But comparing him to our former captain
and midfield warrior Patrick Vieira may seem a bit premature,
especially as the former Gunner was more of an all - round player, helping the
attacking side
and chipping in with a few goals in every season.
Coaches are paid to produce results on the pitch
and yo win trophies for the team.If a coach fails those basic things then he is not go enough
and must leave.Sucess or failure comes down to the decisions of the coach ranging from decisions in the transfer market, training methods, team selection, tactics etc.Looking @ the transfer market - Wenger has a shambolic record - failure to act decisively
and always acting when it's too late, selling our top players to rival clubs, leaving other positions thin
and reinforcing wrong positions
especially buying lots of
attacking midfielders ignoring defensive positions
and failing to buy top class strikers or decent strikers.If Wenger is really serious about winning trophies would he buy a player like Welbeck a fourth choice play at Man United whom Vaan Gaal said is only good for the bench
and now he plays every game at Arsenal.Why sell Vemaleen
and buy Chambers?
If you correctly assessed the game
especially at first half, it was very slow
and that was due to the fact that Giroud was very slow, he didn't provides a room for our
midfielders to
attack with high pace,
and this was the case in last season maybe some of you have forgotten.
The 25 - year - old
attacking midfielder started the 2014 World Cup winners» opening game of Group D
and played well,
especially in the first half, at the Signal Iduna Park.
The depth chart, as it stands today, only makes that clear,
especially in
midfield and attack where there is very little depth of the kind Liverpool will surely need if they are to make a deep run in Europe
and hold on to a top four spot in the league.
Town had started positively,
especially Alex Pritchard; the
attacking midfielder cleverly used good body position to relieve pressure
and win fouls deep in his own territory.
A needless piece of skill from Moses leads to Liverpool losing possession in their own half, this situation is
especially dangerous as the
midfield have advanced expecting a counter
attack and are therefore out of position to defend.