While Cesc was considered one of the world's best in his position
of center midfielder, he had a tendency to roam high up the pitch (away from his assigned terrain), leaving gaps in the midfield and the defense exposed.
I'd much rather our situation with the strikers be like it is with our midfield, Since the signing of Xhaka, none
of our center midfielders or defensive midfielders can for certain say that they'd be guaranteed a place in the starting line up (I'm referring to the likes of Ramsey, Elneny, Coquelin, Wilshere) perhaps Cazorla, but given his age now it would still be questionable.
Not exact matches
This will give us a lot
of speed, two tall and heavy
center forwards and solid
midfielders to put through balls.
A lack
of speed in the final third, a
midfield enforcer and a pacey
center back to partner Koscielny, fix these and all being equal we would have a genuine shot at the title.
haven't you seen Giroud drifting to the wings because our players who were supposed to be playing there were too busy at the
center of midfield doing God knows what?
The good news is, if we can finally close the deal on Lemar and bring in a top class
midfielder to take Ozil's spot (and ideally also an imposing holding
midfielder and either another top class
center back and / or Mustafi reaching more
of his potential consistently), next year and beyond could be a lot
of fun!
It is always baffling how little attention is paid here the importance
of a competent ball distributor in the
center of midfield.
Peru might not have much quality in
midfield, but their
center of defense has been stellar in this tournament.
However, with the return
of Santi, presence
of Xhaka, Coq, not to mention Elneny, AW will rethink to sacrifice one winger for Rambo, because definitely our
center of midfield area will be in balance.
Not sure it wl manage in th
center of Midfield M
We finally have a solid striker (even if he will take some adaptation time I think he'll be true class) in Lacazette, we have solid
center backs (once they are all healthy) much better than in recent seasons, Giroud is our killer weapon off the bench rather than the key we are relying on as the main source
of goals, Coquelin and Elneny are now
midfield fall - back options rather than Flamini (no offense Mathieu, I appreciated your efforts, just making the obvious comparison), two high quality keepers, etc..
In fact, in the modern day game, as much as any team requires a «
midfield creator» who can provide assists and be the engineer to break down the defensive walls; it's equally important that you possess a «
midfield destroyer» who, at times, proves to be the 3rd
Center - Back, ahead
of the two men at the heart
of the defence.
am not a pestimestic person neither am lookong to spread negativity, but i cant find a reason to be optimestic about the season, our rivals city and chelsea look extremely strong and complete teams, and our team is still after two years
of deer need crying for top class
center forward and defensive
midfielder, and when i say top class welbeck remy are not included.
Our
midfield needs to pressurise them more in the
center of the pitch.
This season we have seen a lot
of injuries to our defensive area, which i consider to be a warning
of whats to come later on in the season, we should have added an experience
center half and a Defensive
midfielder, now all arsenal game will lie and a knife edge especial when we see a defensive player go down,.
This trio
of teenaged
midfielders may eventually be the go - to starting trio in the
center of the pitch for the USMNT if things pan out for them, but what's truly impressive is that all three
of them are already making an impact for their respective club sides despite their young age.
with this new formation we don't need ozil a
midfielder of corentine toiisso xhaka and other new addition jean kolasinac new
center forward new left forward who can dribble take on defender we are good
Either we play 4 -2-3-1, to get the best out
of Özil or we try 4 -1-4-1, with some intense pressing to flood the
midfield, still with Özil in the
center of the pitch rather than the wing.
What if told you vidal is a DM by trait and has been pushed in
center midfield because
of a certain pirlo.
Ramsey wil shine in a forming part
of a threesome man
midfield in a 4:3:3 formation with a strong defensive
midfielder at d
center and Ramsey and Xhaka by the sides... And a trio attackers
of Sanchez Lacazatte Welbeck... #myarsenaldream #
For example 4 -3-3 concentrate less on playing in the centre and attempting to dominate it as it's contest Arsenal will win and take advantage
of the fact that the full backs haven't got pace, which normally means the defensive
midfielders or
center backs often end up doubling up on the wingers... thus clearing a space in the middle and allowing people like Ozil and Giroud to play to the strong points
of their game.
His ability to play at
Center - Back, Right - Back and as a defensive
midfielder was what made Wenger splash out # 16m to bring him to the Emirates and, when it comes to competition for places, Chambers has a good chance
of getting the nod over others to play anywhere at the back or, just ahead, as defensive
midfielder.
lets see what developments will be in
midfield and at
center back as clearly our remaining focus is likely to be the remainder
of the domestic and europa cup competitions.
Asides not buying enough to give us depth in quality (which is very essential in winning the EPL), Wengers style makes us an easy team to defend against by playing central
midfielders on the wing, who always drift to the
center of the pitch when we are on the attack.
Both
of Marco Reus and Thomas Müller were kept on the bench in favor
of Toni Kroos, as Germany pushed Mesut Özil out wide and looked to match Italy in the
center of midfield.
Jones has been played at right back,
center back and even in holding
midfield, yet has never looked out
of place.
For instance, facing Manchester City (at Home) on the September
of 13th, I would play the following ------------------ Welbeck (CF)---------- Sanchez (LCAM), ---- Ozil (RCAM)---------------------- Ramsey (CM)---------------- Flamini (DMF) Monreal (LWB)---------------------- OX (RWB)------ Mertesacker, Konsielny, Chambers (CBs)----------------- Szczesny (GK) Key: CF — Centre Forward, LCAM — Left
Center Attacking
Midfield, RCAM - Right
Center Attacking
Midfield, CM — Central
Midfield, DMF — Defensive
Midfield, LWB — Left Wing Back, RWB — Right Wing Back, CB —
Center Backs, GK — Goal Keeper
Nothing like one underachiever blowing smoke up the ass
of another... we know that Ozil has some incredible technical gifts, but to be considered the best you have to bring more than just assists to the table... for me, a top player has to possess a more well - rounded game, which doesn't mean they need to be a beast on both ends
of the pitch, but they must have the ability to take their game to another level when it matters most... although he amassed some record - like stats early on, it set the bar too high, so when people expected him to duplicate those numbers each year the pressure seemed to get the best
of our soft - spoken star... obviously that's not an excuse for what has happened in the meantime, but it's important to make note
of a few things: (1) his best year was a transition year for many
of the traditionally dominant teams in the EPL, so that clearly made the numbers appear better than they actually were and (2) Wenger's system, or lack thereof, didn't do him any favours; by playing him out
of position and by not acquiring world - class striker and / or right - side forward that would best fit an Ozil -
centered offensive scheme certainly hurt his chances to repeat his earlier peformances, (3) the loss
of Cazorla, who took a lot
of pressure off Ozil in the
midfield and was highly efficient when it came to getting him the ball in space, negatively impacted his effectiveness and (4) he likewise missed a good chunk
of games and frankly never looked himself when he eventually returned to the field... overall the Ozil experiment has had mixed reviews and rightfully so, but I do have some empathy for the man because he has always carried himself the same way, whether for Real or the German National team, yet he has only suffered any lengthy down periods with Arsenal... to me that goes directly to this club's inability to surround him with the necessary players to succeed, especially for someone who is a pass first type
of player; as such, this simply highlights our club's ineffective and antiquated transfer policies... frankly I'm disappointed in both Ozil and our management team for not stepping up when it counted because they had a chance to do something special, but they didn't have it in them... there is no one that better exemplifies our recent history than Ozil, brief moments
of greatness undercut by long periods
of disappointing play, only made worse by his mopey posturing like a younger slightly less awkward Wenger... what a terribly waste
And undersecond - year coach Greg Ryan, the fresh faces are making large contributions.Goalkeeper Hope Solo, 24, has started 17
of the last 20 games, though she facesa battle now that veteran Briana Scurry has returned after taking a year off.Tina Frimpong, 24, brings unprecedented speed to the U.S.
center back position.In the defensive
midfield Leslie Osborne, 23, is filling in for 29 - year - oldShannon Boxx, perhaps the U.S.'s most influential player, who'll miss the nextsix to eight months after blowing out her right knee.
However, while the
center of midfield is United's biggest problem, it is not their only problem.
United's
center of midfield was lacking last season as well and was routinely bailed out by the brilliance
of Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic.
Michael Carrick put in one brilliant performance in the Champions League semifinals against Schalke, but their
center of midfield is substandard for Champions League as well.
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...
Further complicating this match is the sheer number
of injuries for both teams — Manchester United have six defenders and
midfielders unavailable for this match, including their first - choice
center back pairing
of Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly.
Sissoko is a powerhouse B2B
midfielder that would bring much needed direct pace and attitude to the
center of the pitch.
They also use a 4 -2-3-1 formation while employing two Argentine forwards
of their own with Gonzalo Higuaín occupying the striker role as the number nine while Paulo Dybala plays as the number 10 as the attacking
center -
midfielder.
Saúl (8): Very mature performance from Saúl in the
center of midfield.
Either way, it's another player that Juventus wasn't going to necessarily use all that much if the main in the
center of the
midfield stay healthy and fit heading out as Beppe Marotta trims down the roster ahead
of the season opener next weekend and the summer transfer window coming to a close at the end
of the month.
But if reports are to believed, then maybe another option for Max Allegri in the
center of the
midfield isn't exactly keeping Juve's summer transfer campaign completely shut and done.
Barça spent upward
of $ 220m to sign Coutinho and Dembélé, and it seems unconscionable on its face that Ernesto Valverde would drop one
of them — or perhaps remove a versatile, influential
midfielder like Ivan Rakitić — to accommodate Griezmann, whose best position is in a free, Messi - like shadowing role behind a hulking
center forward anyway.
Much
of Arsenal's defensive stability came from Mohamed Elneny and Ainsley Maitland - Niles clogging up the
center of the pitch / denying Östersunds»
midfielders time and space.
Lapadula and the teammate closest to him would rush toward Roma's
center - backs as the majority
of Milan's
midfielders pressed ball side in behind them.
Mata's ability to drift into the
center of the pitch starting from the right and find these little pockets
of space in between the opposition's defense and
midfield is very important when teams sit back against United.
Despite playing with three central
midfielders, without any positional directive, only one
of them typically drops back to receive a pass from the
center backs.
If you've listened to any Arsenal podcasts, read any fan sites, or watched any postgame punditry over the past few years, you've heard that Arsène Wenger's refusal to buy a prime - age
center back, an elite defensive
midfielder, or a real striker is the reason why Arsenal never challenge for the Premier League title or make it beyond the Round
of 16 in the Champions League.
His partnership with Nabil Bentaleb in the
center of midfield has been one
of the highlights
of the season, as well as giving the fans a partnership that has developed from our youth system.
Playing alongside Granit Xhaka in the
center of Arsenal's
midfield gives him the freedom to make penetrating runs forward to create scoring chances.
Without the supercharged defensive skills
of Chelsea's
midfield, the Gunners need a better plan for protecting the
center of the field, where they are frequently outnumbered.
We are so fragile in the
center of midfield.
Since we're still a little worried they haven't shaken the habit
of over-elaborating in front
of goal we've brought back Kevin Mooney
of USA.Arsenal.com to talk offensive directness,
center - back pairings,
midfield depth and much much more in lieu
of a busy week
of games against PSG and then Hull.