He doesn't believe in spending big
on defensive midfielders because «Attacking is in our DNA» Im not sure why he got Xhaka for # 35 mil.
Not exact matches
I knew aubameyang would not be as effective here at arsenal
because of our style of play, our football is pathetic, lack of vertical penetration, lack of proper wingers to offer width and one
on one dribbling or crosses from the by - line, lack of a proper
defensive midfielder, zonal marking
on corners instead of man marking, i can go
on but we all know our weaknesses.
I think Wenger thought Xhaka would be the next Goretzka Wenger doesn't believe in spending big
on defensive midfielders Eleny is not good enough and Wenger only got him
because he cost # 5 mil We had Coquelin by luck really as he came from the youth group
Elneny in his first season slightly outperformed Xhaka in his first season.To me he's far better.He has improved so much this season and I hope he won't be benched.He's a
defensive midfielder but people confuse him to be a box to box player just
because he's everywhere.He's really good in 1v1's and is usually positionally excellent.His passing is also very good.I look forward to seeing him build
on his performances and have a break out season.
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's)
Is it
because Arteta has a wealth of experience to pass
on to our youngsters by his example, or does Le Prof think the team will actually have need of a 33 year - old
defensive midfielder next season?
Having Ozil of all people play as a winger especially in front of either full back in Debuchy or Monreal is suicide
because he will not track back whatsoever and in a formation like that which is designed to thrive
on position you need a work horse
on the wings for whichever full back you plan to have overloading the wing AS WELL AS a positionally astute
defensive midfielder to come across and provide cover.
Our 3 back is just so wrong.We don't have natural wingbacks even in this formation.It also seems to me that lots of people here believe if you're good at right or left fullback then automatically you're good at RWB / LWB which quite frankly is untrue.That's why Oxlade Chamberlain can be considered at RWB but not right back.At RWB or LWB you're asking too much in terms of attack from Bellerin and Kolasinac.A proper wing back can be viewed as a more
defensive winger which quite frankly none of them are and they don't possess the flexibility too to play that way.Our
midfielders are also not disciplined enough
because in 3 back there's a huge gap in the centre of the field that must be covered by our CM's so indiscipline only means disaster.We also have Ozil who looks like he's playing at RW in 3 back.In that we're limiting his impact
because Ozil takes
on his man
because he wants to not
because he likes to.You can't play such players at the wing.He's a proper No. 10 who likes to be given freedom.That's why Ozil plays likes he's lazy
on the ball and stuff.It's
because he wants to be free and for that you need to put him at No. 10.
Even at Manchester United with two
defensive midfielders on the pitch Carrick and Fletcher, Welbeck still drop deep and wide and he refuse to hold a position high up the pitch
because his not comfortable their.
There you go with the assumption that we'll deploy 4 -1-4-1 next season... Ever consider we landed
on that
because our personnel dictated such in the fact our only
defensive option in
midfield (coquelin) can not provide the «traded support» in a deep
midfield two?
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
My suggestion is that if Sanchez can learn that, he has the potential to do it much better than giroud does
because he is faster off the mark and can dribble.he's too honest in his running so I disagree with those that think it's the set up of the team that failed him.his movement is still a little naive for the premier league Secondly
on the left wide argument.Wenger is jamming attacking
midfielder out there so as to provide cover for the
defensive midfielder using two box to box battlers.it only makes sense
because we have lots of them and it can be effective if well mastered.the catch is sacrificing a winger for the the attacking
midfielder.if your memory serves you well you'll remember that artetas downward spiral began when teams noticed he was the hub for our possession and started deploying their number 10 to press him.it's been working for ages and can be used
on any
defensive midfielder regardless of the size so You'll end up with your much cried for cavarlho, kedihra, bender, schneiderline, and every other one passing sideways and backward
because of the pressure so I personally appreciate the innovative move but Again appeal to Ramsey and Wilshire to take their job more serious.
Are you really naive enough to believe that Wenger would bring anyone into this current locker room that is going to be given a strong voice... have you not been watching, listening or reading about our club for years... Lehman is a blind Wenger follower, which is the only reason he was even considered... just for a second think of all the strong personalities that have played for this club that have never been seriously considered even though they have expressed legitimate interest in participating in the coaching process... even worse, think of all the former greats who aren't even allowed
on the same pitch as Wenger
because they have offered their advice and / or criticism to the infallible one... I dare you to find a manager that has distanced himself from his former players as much as this man... it's the very reason why only one player I can think of has ever returned to play for Wenger and that was Flamini, which was hilarious considering we were desperately looking for a top quality
defensive midfielder but Wenger could somehow find no one better than Flamini in the whole wide world... let's face it this club was simply trying to appease it's disgruntled fans by declaring that Wenger would no longer be given Ca rte Blanche when it came to the backroom staff so they probably asked him to give them a list of those who he would allow in the locker room...
on that list he wrote Lehman, Pires and Bergkamp, likely
because the first two are the only former players who haven't publicly questioned his horrible decision - making and the last one
because he won't get in an airplane
I think Coquelin has covered our needs for a
defensive midfielder, but we still need another option in the team with a more ball - playing approach, especially
because Arteta is coming to the end of his career and Flamini will, I think, be moved
on this sommer.
Sanchez / Welbeck Lacazette I want us to play 4 -3-3 so that we can match Liverpool in the
midfield as I don't want us to be overrun.Xhaka can't defend and he should not start this match and if possible all other matches for the rest of the season.Coquelin's tackles has caused us to score some goals every single season he's been here and I think we've missed that this season.I just don't know why he's been left
on the bench
because if paired with the right partner can be used in a very
defensive sense to great effect.Our team is so poor tactically.
I don't even know why he started Welbeck ahead of Walcott in the first place, Welbeck was giving away the ball too often
on the right and wasn't helping Bellerin in defence.Bellerin too can't be blameless for being caught out of position many times, he didn't even know who he was marking.The reason why we lost the
midfield battle wasn't
because Coquelin didn't do much, the problem was with Ramsey and Cazorla, they were loosing possesion too often in our own half giving more room for counter attack Coquelin alone couldn't contain opponent's pressure for the full 90minutes he needed help too defencively from Ramsey who didn't give him any, Ramsey now sees himself as an AM who could go forward at anytime and ignore his
defensive responsibility.Koscielny didn't do much to prevent the second goal.
I'm not certain how it would play out but it would have been interesting to see Perez playing in a front 3 with Sanchez and Lacazette, with Perez
on the right, but in order to do that we would need a true
defensive midfielder so that we could still have Ozil in the middle, playing behind the front 3, and Sead and Ox / Bellerin taking turns making wide side runs... unfortunately Wenger has made sure that could never happen
because it would require buying the proper back 3 to handle this situation and he would have to bench his beloved Walcott and Ramsey
on a regular basis... like I said before, I'm very concerned that Wenger will play Lacazette out wide
on the left with Giroud in the middle, which means Sead will likely be in the back 3 and Ox will be played in the left wing - back position, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever... God, I hope I'm wrong
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...
And I'm not splitting hairs here, but he is considered to be a very talented
Defensive Midfielder, which we are obviously well stocked up
on but he left
because he didn't expect Wenger to give him any game time.
Although maybe the phrase
defensive midfielder is a bit of a misleading one, as Arsenal fans have got used to the fact that our manager is not all that keen
on an out and out
midfield warrior and we only have only had the brilliant and combative Francis Coquelin in the first team
because another injury crisis forced Wenger's hand and then Coquelin proved his worth and made himself undroppable.
on a strong
defensive performance... I think there's a lot of solidarity at the back and we got a lot of help from the
midfield players
because they defended well from the front.