To be fair to the young Frenchman, it was his consistency and the discipline he showed in that problem
position of defensive midfield, as much as his reading of the game, work rate and defensive ability that made it such an impressive second half of the season for him.
I doubt whether either will start but I also reckon they will both be on the subs bench, even though both play in the same
position of defensive midfield.
Not exact matches
When Arsenal played with Arteta as
defensive midfielder that situation never occurs he tends to control the flow and pace
of Arsenal game with his passing and by holding his
position, he also runs into space very well and always available for a pass.
By now we sould have known a
defensive midfielder is
of extreme importance and so are a few other
positions.
Last season we needed a
Defensive midfielder this Fraud of a coach ignored signing a defensive MF player and we had to rely on Flamini till the emergence of Le Coq in midfield which was purely Luck, that season we would have ended in a weak position 7 probably if he did not com
Defensive midfielder this Fraud
of a coach ignored signing a
defensive MF player and we had to rely on Flamini till the emergence of Le Coq in midfield which was purely Luck, that season we would have ended in a weak position 7 probably if he did not com
defensive MF player and we had to rely on Flamini till the emergence
of Le Coq in
midfield which was purely Luck, that season we would have ended in a weak
position 7 probably if he did not come around.
obviously I would prefer to have a much more suitable alternative in the
defensive midfielder positions but if they focused more on
defensive end and the occasional long - ball, this would allow Bellerin and Sead ample opportunities to bomb forward on their respective wings while still having enough cover to maintain their
defensive shape... it would likewise allow for overlapping runs on both wings, thereby letting both Sanchez and Perez to cut inside and get shots away in and around the top
of the box with their most dominant feet... if goals were needed I would sub Bellerin for OX and bring Ramsey in for Elneny then switch to a 3 -2-4-1 (more
of a 3 -1-5-1 with Ramsey playing higher up the pitch) and I would only use Giroud as a sub when the game dictated it for tactical reasons... this would allow us to be a high energy team with incredible link - up play and a much more direct approach in the offensive end
We need defenders and
defensive midfielders not another attacking
midfielder who Wenger will play out
of position.
Young Frenchman Kurt Zouma can ply his trade in the centre
of defence but may be more valuable as a
defensive midfielder, following a string
of accomplished performances in this
position last term.
Xhaka can not tackle which is amazing considering he is supposed to be a
defensive midfielder, Ramsey lacks discipline which he has always done and regards himself as up there with Messi & Neymar which is he is nowhere near, both
of them lack the athleticism which is necessary in their
positions in today's game as could be seen from Sundays performance they were completely outplayed some fairly average players on the Liverpool side.
You cant escape he fact that Podolski was played rarely and when he was he was played out
of position much the same way that Wenger has assembled a squad
of players most
of which are a talented bunch, but, Wenger has failed to build a team who fit n with each other, we have a
midfield that overtly populated with players who al excel in the same role BUT have no solid
defensive midfield talent and no options in defence when players have crap periods or are long term injury problems.
This stems from a lack
of strong
defensive backs and
midfielders, being played out
of position, and Wengers sh@tty job at team rotation.
Although Wilshere has not nailed down a regular
position in his career so far, playing both as an attacking
midfielder, either centrally or on either flank, as well as a more
defensive - minded player, it appears that he wants to work on becoming more
of a deep - lying ball player in the Alonso or Pirlo mould.
Look back at our heavy defeats last season and you will see it was our fullbacks and most
defensive midfielder that were too far out
of position when we were conceding goals
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)
The sheer amount
of attacking
midfielders we have that all play the same
position and that add no different dynamic to the game and the lack
of defensive cover we have.
Our counterattacking is not good enough and missed chances pile up more pressure with a weakening
defensive midfield position we need accurate and high tempo passing which require a lot
of off the ball movement to give the guy with the ball more options
of where to pass the ball.
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.
I think he can play everywhere in the
midfield — certainly not in a
defensive role — but all the other
positions are not out
of reach for him.»
Although he favours an attacking
midfield position, over the years, Cazorla has proven himself equally adept at playing from a deep - lying
position and, despite his stature, he is more than willing to contribute to the
defensive side
of the game.
We play with overlapping fullbacks, without
defensive cover in the
midfield than we are often exposed if we loose the ball high on the pitch and fullbacks are out
of position.
Mensah can fill in a number
of different
positions, capable
of playing as either a left - back or
defensive midfielder though his preferred
position is said to be centre - back.
The problem is when you have an average
defensive midfielder then your backline can never be at rest.Coquelin should have started this match.Some people think he's average but I feel he's been played out
of position and being tasked with doing too much like a box to box player.How can someone who bases his game on tackling and interception lose that ability all
of a sudden and you tell me nothing's wrong but bdcause he's average.Are we fans going to ignore what is plain to us?Let's just pretend things are alright.Then after we win the cracks will be papered only for them to be exposed another day.
Although usually a left - back, Ajax and Netherlands star Daley Blind can operate in a number
of positions, including
defensive midfield.
Much
of their
defensive solidity has been down to having a settled back - four, in front
of David Ospina, who has displaced Wojciech Szczesny as the number one, in addition Francis Coquelin does a brilliant job in his
defensive midfield position.
Using him in a
position which demanded his use
of his toughness vis - a-vis tackling made for his red cards (though they were not all in
defensive midfield positions.
Arsenal has depth, but it isn't quality squad depth, Rosiscky, Cazorla, Ozil all play the same
position and neither
of them add a great deal more than the other, our
midfield is stoked but the areas we actually need depth in are barren, we have no solid
defensive midfielder with our usual reliance on a CAM moved back, as a result players like Ramsey and Wilshere who are box to box players end up creating more imbalance in an already unbalanced team.
Central
midfield, or the
defensive side
of it at least, has been a problem
position for Arsenal for as long as some younger Gooners will remember.
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
The big young Pole was bought from Legia Warsaw as a
defensive midfielder but has since been converted to a centre - back by Wenger and has had experience
of 10 games in that
position on loan at Birmingham last season.
The Gunners need strengthening in the
defensive midfield position ahead
of the new season but have not yet managed to find an affordable option as the likes
of Morgan Schneiderlin and Arturo Vidal have slipped away, joining Manchester United and Bayern Munich, respectively.
Used in a variety
of different
positions in Arsene Wenger's side, it is not clear if Wilshere truly specialises in any
of them, and it now looks as though he will be allowed to make way as the Gunners eye a more experienced and expert
defensive midfielder.
Bring in Ospina for Cech; Gabriel for Koscielny (Kos is 31 and its time we start testing Gabriel and Holding beside Mustafi to see what our long term first choice
defensive partnership will look like); Gibbs for Monreal (Wenger needs to start rotating these 2 more frequently as we need to ascertain if Gibbs can adequately produce the quality to hold that
position from next season for a few years as I'm thinking this might be Nacho's last or penultimate season with Arsenal, it will also give a hint as to the type
of Left - back to target in the summer — first teamer or backup and age as well); I'll like to see an Elneny — Xhaka partnership in this fixture as we might just never know, this might be our replica
of the Kos Mustafa partnership in the centre
of the park, Two disciplined (positionally, i mean) central
midfielders who can play box to box; Chamberlain for Iwobi, and Perez for Alexis should do the work.
I will say it again Coquelin is the only true DM arsenal has, Chambers can be converted into a DM also, which i feel would be his most suited
position, Xhaka is not really a DM but more a deep lying playmaker with some
defensive qualities, cazorla also has that trait, Ramsay, Iwobi and wilshere are actually want to be number 10s, who are considered box to box
midfielders but both lack the
defensive discilpline, Elneny is our only box to box
midfielder who is very disciplined and Ozil our number 10 who although provides a lot
of assist does not provide a goal treat.
We need two
positions filled, a centre back and a
defensive midfielder, and he isn't brilliant at either
of them.
It was a long list
of names associated with 2 key
positions — a holding /
defensive midfielder and a striker.
Let me quickly remind you before you forget again and again that this very problem was outlined before the close
of transfer window, instead
of making reinforcements, he sold our true back up central defender, didn't buy replacement after he «promised», and played an already poor left back out
of position for cover, we have not had a
defensive midfielder after Gilberto left, so tell me again how these problems are fresh from this season... Its time arsenal fans stop glory hunting and realise that even if Wenger hand us the EPL (a chance fatter gunnersaurus)... HE NEEDS TO GO!!!
In the
defensive midfield, we can go for a player in the mold
of Jean Michael Seri from Nice to push Wilshere for that
position.
Wenger has no concept
of defensive coaching — none whatsoever and frequently plays attacking players out
of position, even giving attacking
midfielders the
midfield anchor role as in the case
of Arteta.
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 contenders
Apart from his preferred
position at centre - half, the German international can also play with equal comfort at either
of the full - back
positions and even in
defensive midfield, surely Arsenal can do with a player like that!
The reason why this happens is because the
defensive midfielder is not holding his
position and does not control the flow
of the game.
Playing a glassed ankles Jack alongside Coquellin in a
defensive midfield position is not only playing a skilled player out
of his natural
position its also a massive risk both with our chances at competing AND his career and health.
He will be faster, more penetrative, some goals in there and will shield the four back players not out
of brute force but intelligence... He will not be a
defensive midfielder, but a deep
positioned play maker... A Xavi
of Barcelona and the 4.1.4.1 AW attempted and found Arteta too isolated could now work with a hard working Ramsey... imagine a 25 year old Arteta converted to his present role... definately he would be more effective than what we have today.
All those clamouring for Arturo, are absolutely right, he plays up the pitch because he can play there, and because Charles Aranguiz is the goto
Defensive Midfielder for Chile, at Juve, Pirlo occupies the deepest position, plus the midfield is packed with Pogba and Marchisio, hence he does nt need to do the Job of a defensive midfielder, and added to the fact that Juve completely dominate other Itali
Defensive Midfielder for Chile, at Juve, Pirlo occupies the deepest position, plus the midfield is packed with Pogba and Marchisio, hence he does nt need to do the Job of a defensive midfielder, and added to the fact that Juve completely dominate other Ital
Midfielder for Chile, at Juve, Pirlo occupies the deepest
position, plus the
midfield is packed with Pogba and Marchisio, hence he does nt need to do the Job
of a
defensive midfielder, and added to the fact that Juve completely dominate other Itali
defensive midfielder, and added to the fact that Juve completely dominate other Ital
midfielder, and added to the fact that Juve completely dominate other Italian teams.
Arsenal are in great need
of a
defensive midfielder, a
position that has been a problem for them all season and Ginter, originally a centre back, has slotted into the role with a natural ease.
Arsenal too could be open to this deal, with Arsene Wenger perhaps ready to cash in on Ozil while he can and improve his squad by bringing in a
defensive midfielder or a striker,
positions that are more in need
of strengthening.
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.
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...
Xhaka, who I like, or at least I like the Xhaka who plays for the Swiss national squad, has shown to be in way over his head in the premiership...
of course he showed late in the year that he can stretch the field with the long ball but our squad isn't really set - up for that style
of play... most
of his long passes are in the air not on the ground and our squad without Giroud, which should have been sold the minute the transfer window officially opened, is one
of the smallest in England... we need someone who can pick out the runs
of our forwards in the lanes and who is fast enough to come forward into space without conceding his
defensive responsibilities... we rarely see him shoot or even be in a
position on the field to do so, we rarely, if ever, see him used for set pieces and it appears that the only person at the club who has ever coached him up when it comes to tackling is Coq, which explains his atrocious disciplinary record... maybe it's me but didn't you see him coming in and contributing more from an offensive perspective, with his killer left foot, than a deep - lying
midfielder... if that wasn't the case we are the stupidest team alive for taking him over Kante
A
defensive midfielder and centre forward are the two
positions that have needed improvement since the summer
of 2012 when both Song and RVP departed.