It was like a back six with three
midfield players in front of that.
Not exact matches
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It's difficult to blame Ozil for the difficulties he's faced at Arsenal without looking at the big picture... like the fans, he too was lied to by Wenger... there is no doubt
in my mind that he was told by Wenger that he was trying desperately to recreate our earlier success by acquiring
players that fit the system he ran when Henry was
in his prime... as we know this hasn't happened...
in order for Ozl to flourish he needs some speed up
front, forwards that can make intelligent runs, a boss
in the
midfield to compensate for his obvious defensive liabilities and defenders who can transition from defence to offence quickly and efficiently... much like he had
in Real and with the German National squad... unfortunately he ended up on a squad that has a striker who plays with his back to goal, very few intelligent runs into the box, minus Sanchez, no one to take pressure off him
in the
midfield, once Cazorla was injured, average defensive
midfielders around him, which simply highlighted his lacking defensive qualities and defenders who lack the necessary cutting edge when it comes to transitional passing... instead
of blaming Ozil, which is simply too easy, especially considering his mopey disposition, we should be asking ownership and / or Wenger why they brought him
in if they didn't intend on doing what was necessary to get the best from him... can you imagine Ozil playing with the likes
of Henry, Viera, Petit and Pires, it would be incredibly to watch and even more difficult to stop... so the only thing different between his experiences
in Real and with the German team versus his time at Arsenal are the
players around him and we all know who is
in charge
of making those decisions, the Grinch who stole soccer
With Mathieu Flamini sitting
in front of the defensive line, the four
midfielders should have more chance
of being able to control the centre
of the pitch and stop the talented and powerful Chelae
players from getting too much pressure and pushing the Gunners back towards our own penalty area.
Ozil loves having fast direct
players in front of him Walcott + Aubameyang would be brilliant could swap positions during games plus with us having a small
midfield adds much needed hight.
Ramsey is a central
midfield player that rarely offers an above average performance and yet we choose to play him out on the wing ahead
of the
in - form Ox or letting Sanchez slot back out wide to let Giroud up
front.
In the midfield, (including RWB & LWB) we have a whole bunch of tweeners... none offer the full package, none make sense in our manager's current favourite formation, except for Sead on the left and Ox on the right, and all of them have never shown any consistency for more than a heartbeat... Sead, who I'm including in this category because of our present formation, looks like a positive addition, minus his occasional brain farts, but I would rather see what he could do in a back 4 before making my mind up... Ox, who has never played better, which isn't saying much considering his largely underwhelming play in previous seasons, seems to have found a home in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
In the
midfield, (including RWB & LWB) we have a whole bunch
of tweeners... none offer the full package, none make sense
in our manager's current favourite formation, except for Sead on the left and Ox on the right, and all of them have never shown any consistency for more than a heartbeat... Sead, who I'm including in this category because of our present formation, looks like a positive addition, minus his occasional brain farts, but I would rather see what he could do in a back 4 before making my mind up... Ox, who has never played better, which isn't saying much considering his largely underwhelming play in previous seasons, seems to have found a home in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in our manager's current favourite formation, except for Sead on the left and Ox on the right, and all
of them have never shown any consistency for more than a heartbeat... Sead, who I'm including
in this category because of our present formation, looks like a positive addition, minus his occasional brain farts, but I would rather see what he could do in a back 4 before making my mind up... Ox, who has never played better, which isn't saying much considering his largely underwhelming play in previous seasons, seems to have found a home in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in this category because
of our present formation, looks like a positive addition, minus his occasional brain farts, but I would rather see what he could do
in a back 4 before making my mind up... Ox, who has never played better, which isn't saying much considering his largely underwhelming play in previous seasons, seems to have found a home in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in a back 4 before making my mind up... Ox, who has never played better, which isn't saying much considering his largely underwhelming play
in previous seasons, seems to have found a home in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in previous seasons, seems to have found a home
in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured
player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention
of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put
in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average
players who couldn't make any
of the top 7 teams currently
in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average
players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting...
in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure
of this club to provide him with the necessary
players up
front, minus Sanchez
of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger's)
Ozil needs quality behind him
in central
midfield (not just
in front of him) ie Cazorla, Rosicky, Viera quality
players.
I understand the logic behind your thinking and I agree, this could be lethal, but it then means wilshere ramsey flamini and arteta are bench
players or have to be sold because none
of them can operate as the sole
midfielder in front of our back four, arteta is probably the most well rounded for this but against better opposition I don't think he has the physique or pace to really command that area, he has the intelligence to read the game but without the other attributes he can only do so much.
Chelsea's
players have a different make - up to ours however, with their
midfielders much more comfortable
in the two
in front of the defence
in the shape
of Kante and Bakayoko, while Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey play very differently.
Flamini isnt the best
player we have but he is the only
midfielder disciplined enough (for the most part) to stay back
in front of our backline which allows the likes
of ozil, cazorla and ramsey to commit numbers to the attack without worrying about leaving the back exposed.
Secondly Nolito is more
of a wingman than a striker and although we don't have too many recognised wingers at the club, especially not to a high standard
of ability, we should be focusing less on another
midfield type
player and instead be targeting a
player who will be a regular upfront and be able to deliver to the high standards
in front of goal that we expect.
Let's get real here.It is very unlikely that ANY professional
player will ever say anything derogatory about a teammate that has just left the club.If Jack had said about Coq - «Grew up playing with him
in the Youth Team and have fond memories
of a
player they though he had very limited ability he always gave his all.Very surprised and disappointed the club never invested
in a World Class defensive
midfielder that we have quite obviously been lacking for a number
of seasons and would no doubt have improved the defensive weakness we have shown over a number
of seasons» we would have echoed his thoughts entirely.If he had said about Theo - «A
player who should have been so much better than he ended up being.He had everything needed to be a prolific
player for our club but I can understand the fans frustrations with his continued lack - lustre performances and total lack
of a football brain.I think this is best explained by the managers preference to play a
player of such limited ability as Alex Iwobi
in front of Theo pretty much says it all» we again would have all nodded our agreement.Although Jack never mentioned Alexis Sanchez I would imagine something along the lines
of «If the Manager had not persisted with
players with such limited ability such as Francis and Theo and instead bought the world class
players needed into the club then Sanchez would still most likely be here.The fans must wonder what the hell goes on at the club as they pay fortunes for the privalage
of following our club but it seems the millions generated ends up purchasing a new Texas Ranch for the Owner or
in a yearly renumeration
of # 9million pounds to our manager».
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
I still don't understand people's obsession with boxing
players in to a specific role... The whole «true DM» is a dying breed, even Coquelin is arguably something else considering the advanced positions he takes up often
in front of Santi and takes major risks
in winning the ball back for us... IMO, the reason Coquelin has had such a successful integration into the first team is that he focussed incredibly hard on the basics
of his role first and foremost before adding other elements to his game (long - balls, driving runs into space, more aggressive ball movement
in general) it's not rocket science to tell a
player to curb the attacking side
of their game and focus primarily on defence before attack... Nor is it that hard to see that playing
in a
midfield pairing with either Ramsey or Cazorla is going to be different as well.
Firmino can play
in a number
of roles from out wide
in a central
midfield role as well as up
front and the Figueirense
player may feel a high profile move to Liverpool could aid his push for a first Brazilian national team cap.
Well im not
in a wonderland he has his failings as we all do and great teams find a way to win good teams sit where we are 6 -5-4 but thats besides the point and it would be nice if your aunty had bolocks cause then we d be second but ive watched the games were an offensive team most the time although were terrible
in the pissing rain but for the most part the game plans have worked weve created chances quality scoring chances one after the other problem is for me the finishing unless we sit back with 9 man behind the ball or ten when you push forward you will give up a goal if you lousy forwards fail to finish the set ups have been there this year but our strikers have failed to kill the games if we create quality chances and grab leads
in the first 60 minutes like we have for the most part and
in those games those games should
of been killed even if we give a goal or two alongside the strategy but we failed to hit multiple should be goals we tried laca we'll see abou auba although hes a bit lazy so far but we'll see but we've lacked that quality
in front goal a
player the chances have been there im looking at the failure
of the strikers and maybe that is his fault but monreal has scored as many goals recently as our strikers and thats sad our defenders or a
midfielder will score and our stikers cant tally one
in th first 60 mins
of a game alongside them then were tired for last 40 give them hope there still only down one and we rue our missed chances while they push thats where iv been frustrated with this season not the tactics but the finishing
It is no accident that when coquelin stepped
in the breech arsenal suddenly became more balanced, even the
players themselves have been quoted saying something similar, we have been asking for this type
of player for years now, a true Defensive
Midfielder, not the flashy type, not the box to box, but one who sits
in front the back four and do the ungrateful job.
Alex Iwobi would likely be the
player to lose out most on action, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil's place
in the line - up not
in question, and that
midfield should create a large number
of chances for whoever gets the nod up
front between Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre - Emerick Aubameyang.
I would offer some defence for Cech.We have a very fragile Defence
in front of him with little or no
Midfield cover, and he certainly had better and more drilled
players in front of him when he was at Chelski.But it's there to see that mistakes are happening too often and he will know himself he is not at the level he once was.
Ozil is NOT a commander
of the troops and as has been proven when things are going badly he disappears, its NOT only him we have no Iron man
in midfield to control the
players both
front and back and its an oft repeated criticism but it's clearly true that we NEVER replaced Viera
in that
midfield role and while we Cesc we had an almost replacement but since then nothing
of the like.
Ozil has more than double
of Silva's assists with a less clinical striker
in front of him,
in addition a
midfielder's job is to assist the striker so our German is clearly the better
player.
A quality
player in everyone position, the ability to defend and attack well, pace plus power across the
front and creativity on another level
in EPL terms coming out
of the
midfield.
With the goals drying up for Romelu Lukaku
of late, it seems clear the Belgian needs more help up
front, with both more creativity
in behind him and more
players who can contribute goals from
midfield.
licence coach but you don't need that to see what wrong, we have arguably the strongest
midfield In the country and a decent back 4 but the way we play doesn't get the best out
of our
players, I would play a
front 3
of Sanchez welbeck and either chaimbo / Campbell Ozil / corzola / Ramsey just behind then Arteta and chambers as DM but when you play ozil or corzola wide we lose pace and cover for the fullback we have to many
players who play No 10
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...
However, what is more likely is that Coutinho will start
of the left
of the
front attacking three with Emre Can filling
in the
midfield role, ahead
of fresh signing Alex Clade - Chamberlain who will be used more as a utility
player than anything else
in Europe.
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in the Premier League 2014/15: Arsenal & Man United stars ahead
of Aguero & Hazard Premier League team
of the season with just one
player per club: Kane & Aguero up
front, Liverpool & Arsenal stars
in midfield
This would indicate that
players are not assured
of a starting place if their performances drop and
players are being dropped / rotated; I would point to changes at centreback - Gabriel coming
in for Mertesacker & vice-versa, on the wing - Iwobi displacing Walcott / Campbell, central
midfield - Elneny displacing Coquelin / Ramsey, up
front - Welbeck / Giroud / Walcott competition over the season.
Bale is staying
in Real, Ronaldo will retire soon, Samper is overrated, as I said before any skill full
midfielder with a
front three
of MSN looks top top, Jese loved by Madrid but like Isco and every young
player at Madrid
in the last decade he won't be first team
player and will most likely be sold, don't need Modric, we have Cazorla and Wilshere, it sounds deluded but a
in form Wilshere is as good as Modric and
in terms
of replacing Cazorla we should go for Isco.
If your
players are really hanging on, one
of your central
midfielders could even drop into a position
in front of the back three.
This is more a team style issue than
player issue per se and is dictated
in some ways by the
midfield in front of them (see later).
In midfield, that would require either Anibal Godoy — more a box to box player — or Fatai Alashe — a favorite substitute for Stahre so far this season — to take Jungwirth's place in front of the centerback
In midfield, that would require either Anibal Godoy — more a box to box
player — or Fatai Alashe — a favorite substitute for Stahre so far this season — to take Jungwirth's place
in front of the centerback
in front of the centerbacks.
There's a chance Emre Can starts ahead
of Henderson
in midfield, but outside
of that and given the rest
players like Mané, Firmino, Salah, and Coutinho have been given over the last two games, the
front six seems to just about pick itself.
With so many big names and egos
in the Bayern squad, even the most finely calculated rotation system can not keep everyone happy and over the course
of the season many
players — particularly Robben,
front man Mario Gomez and Swiss attacking
midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri — have had cause to lament their lack
of playing time.
Grant is missing key and influential
players in just about every area
of the pitch ranging from the absence
of David James
in goal to John Utaka up
front, while there are a good three or four
midfielders currently on the treatment table.
Playing
in front of the back four, he would be the deepest
midfield player.
Every year it is the same story, and this has been attributed to a variety
of things such as Arsene Wenger's naivety
in the opening fixtures, the
players» lack
of mental strength, and Arsenal not addressing weak areas
of their team — usually up
front or
in midfield.
He would often vacate that space between the lines
in order to receive the ball
in front of the Benfica
midfield — exactly where they want one
of Zenit's finest needle -
players to play.
Overall the game was pretty even and it seemed to me that we were quite lucky that they were missing some
of their best
players, including Diame and Downing
in midfield and Sakho up
front.
Not only are they potent up
front but they have an experienced head dictating the play
in midfield with former Portsmouth and Burnley
player Matt Taylor, who is famous for his screamers, after the veteran joined Northampton at the beginning
of the season.
We have one
of Nordtveit and Obiang
in the defensive
midfielder position (I prefer the latter, but I don't think the manager does), Noble and Kouyate (almost guaranteed picks) slightly
in front, and that leaves just three more spaces for attacking
players to fill if he stays with the 4 -1-2-2-1 formation.
In front of them you have a defensive midfielder disruptor slash distributor in the middle with two wingbacks flanking that playe
In front of them you have a defensive
midfielder disruptor slash distributor
in the middle with two wingbacks flanking that playe
in the middle with two wingbacks flanking that
player.