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 didn't watch the match last night as I was
on the field playing I ran my heels off I was in their faces I was angry I got a well - deserved yellow and could have been sent off later on I intercepted a good few balls and assisted with 2 goals and won the match From the highlights and the analysis I understand the Arsenal were weak in midfield the Arsenal needs an enforcer someone just like me a motivator and in the face of the opponents a thorn in the side I also believe MR wenger was at fault we all knew we would be weak in defence the least MR wenger should have had is a strong fresh midfield after all we had a tough encounter with city + traveling why didn't he use Rosciky, Carzola and Campbell On a different note I like chamberland stature he is tall and has pace and energy why not adapt him to the defensive midfield position with clear emphasis to be in the opponents face The arsenal and Mr wenger need to wake up fast now we have this weekend to prepare for Chelsea if we believe we are title contende
on the field playing I ran my heels
off I was in their faces I was angry I got a well - deserved yellow
and could have been sent
off later
on I intercepted a good few balls and assisted with 2 goals and won the match From the highlights and the analysis I understand the Arsenal were weak in midfield the Arsenal needs an enforcer someone just like me a motivator and in the face of the opponents a thorn in the side I also believe MR wenger was at fault we all knew we would be weak in defence the least MR wenger should have had is a strong fresh midfield after all we had a tough encounter with city + traveling why didn't he use Rosciky, Carzola and Campbell On a different note I like chamberland stature he is tall and has pace and energy why not adapt him to the defensive midfield position with clear emphasis to be in the opponents face The arsenal and Mr wenger need to wake up fast now we have this weekend to prepare for Chelsea if we believe we are title contende
on I intercepted a good few
balls and assisted with 2 goals
and won the match From the highlights
and the analysis I understand the Arsenal were weak in midfield the Arsenal needs an enforcer someone just like me a motivator
and in the face of the opponents a thorn in the side I also believe MR wenger was at fault we all knew we would be weak in defence the least MR wenger should have had is a strong fresh midfield after all we had a tough encounter with city + traveling why didn't he use Rosciky, Carzola
and Campbell
On a different note I like chamberland stature he is tall and has pace and energy why not adapt him to the defensive midfield position with clear emphasis to be in the opponents face The arsenal and Mr wenger need to wake up fast now we have this weekend to prepare for Chelsea if we believe we are title contende
On a different note I like chamberland stature he is tall
and has
pace and energy why not adapt him to the defensive midfield position with clear emphasis to be in the opponents face The arsenal
and Mr wenger need to wake up fast now we have this weekend to prepare for Chelsea if we believe we are title contenders