Cazorla – Page 4 – Bergkampesque

Who should Arsenal go for if we miss out on Higuain?

July 7, 2013July 7, 2013TotalArsenal

It takes a very philosophical Gooner to not be frustrated by Arsenal’s lack of progress in the Torture Window, so far. Many fellow Gooners got themselves excited by the calibre of players we are being linked with this summer, and I am one of them.

It looks like Arsene wants to add established quality players, who can hit the ground running. We all welcome this but it seems to be a lot harder than expected. Is the club negotiating too hard, or are other aspect throwing a spanner in the works? I don’t know, and the lack of information by the club is frustrating, although to some extent understandable, as they have to protect our negotiation position as well as our transfer targets.

Of course the TW has only been open officially for a week, but it is clear that the club have been working hard to get their transfer targets during the last six weeks. It looks like Arsenal are unwilling to pay the full clause release sum in Fellaini’s contract, and as it is only effective till mid-August, it’s most likely that a deal, if at all, will happen towards the end of the TW. A risky strategy and I would not be surprised if we are to lose out on the Belgian midfield beast (which for me remains the most important position to recruit for this summer).

The lack of progress regarding Higuain might have less to do with money and more to do with pride. Letting the Argentine forward go without an announcement by Real Madrid of their purchase of a star new player, might be holding things back right now. Buying of the super-rich comes with its own dynamics, it seems.

The brain tells me to remain patient and trust the club is doing everything to make the deals happen. But I cannot deny feeling restless and a tad frustrated right now. Part of me wants us to tell RM where to stick Higuain and move on the more realistic and achievable targets.

You see, I feel to some extent that we should stick we the current strike-force, as they are all likely to progress further in the coming season. Theo (14), Pod (11), Santi (12), Giroud (11) scored 48 PL goals between them and except for Santi – who quite frankly has been sublime last season – I reckon all players can improve their goal tally by 33-75%.

Giroud’s second seasons at his previous clubs have seen a dramatic improvement of around 100%; I am not banking on a similar improvement by I reckon he will improve by 50% next season. The Pod has done well on the left wing this season, but I reckon he will be fitter and more adjusted to the PL next season, and a productivity improvement by a third is not inconceivable. And then there is Theo who is getting more prolific every year, and we should see further improvement next season, somewhere between 33-50%.

Therefore, I believe our current four main attackers could reach a total tally of around 62 goals next season, an improvement by 14 goals. If our remaining midfielders (from whom we need more ‘open goals’ next season), defenders and squad players in attack (Gerv, Ox), can at least match their total goal tally of 24 last season, Arsenal could score in the region of 86 goals, which would match the Mancs total of last season. That would surely be enough to become champions (if accompanied by a lean and mean defence next season).

I reckon we need more strength in depth, though, as those four attackers will have to cover three positions in all games we play. Ox should improve further and hopefully will start scoring more regularly, and there might still be a role for Gervinho; but we need a bit more quality/lethalness in the squad.

I am not going to say no to the likes of Higuain, Jovetic or Rooney joining us this summer, far from it; and I hope the club will give everything to bring one or two of them to the home of football. But I hope we’ll draw the line at some point and move on.

As per the above, I would also be happy to see the likes of Michu or Benteke join us. The most important thing is to keep our attackers together and give them a chance to improve further next season, but add some strength in depth that we can rely on.

Arsenal had the third highest goal tally in the PL last season, and that with three players who had their first season in the PL, and one player who was unsettled until January. More is to come, one way or another. So let’s stay patient and hope Gazidis and Wenger do what’s best for the club.

But as always, let us know where you stand on the Higuain situation and who you beleive Arsenal should buy to improve our attack further.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

0.57 goals/assists per game: What’s not to like about Cazorla?

June 26, 2013June 27, 2013TotalArsenal

Super Santi had a great first season for Arsenal!

Cazorla is good for Arsenal, and Arsenal are good for Cazorla!

He possesses everything you wish for in a footballer: bags of talent, stamina, enthusiasm, assists, goals, team player and football intelligence.

Arsene likes to build his teams around football conductors of the highest order, and he is still looking for the player who can take over from Fabregas. He tried Cazorla and Jack, and both had some good and some less impressive games in the ‘hole’ position.

After a phenomenal first season for the LLanara/Spain born maestro, all eyes will be on him next season: will he become the very fulcrum of the team?

Personally, I am not convinced Cazorla can play the game-controlling and orchestrating ‘Bergkamp/Fabregas role’ to full effect. Rather than driving the game forward from the centre of midfield, Santi appears to prefer playing close to the opposition’s box, where he is most dangerous in terms of producing assists and shooting at goal himself.

And what fine contributions he has made for us last season: 12 goals and 16 assists in 49 games – 0.57 goals/assists per game.

Without any doubt, Santi was our best footballer in 2012-2013, and my favourite performance by the Spaniard was the away game against Bayern: he was simply outstanding during that game!

But Arsenal have also been very good for Santi, and the main reasons for this seem to be Wenger’s great coaching skills and the freedom he is allowed by the Frenchman to ‘express himself’.

The stats tell their own story:

Santi’s career stats prior to joining Arsenal: 47 goals and 40 assists in 304 games – 0.29 goals/assists per game; so, he almost doubled his average goals/assists per game return (0.57) this season. He has also improved on his Malaga stats, where he played just one season: nine goals and five assists in 42 games – 0.33 goals/assists per game.

I reckon Santi performs best in a free role, in which he is allowed to move everywhere and the opposition never really knows where he will be next, or what he is going to do next. The ‘Bergkamp/Fabregas’ fulcrum role needs to give structure and impetus to the team: it requires a player who directs play and who bosses the centre of midfield to a large extent, and for that a player needs vision, pace, dribbling skills and a great ability to produce through-balls, and of course, create many chances for others and score regularly himself.

We have seen glimpses of this by Cazorla, but I believe the conductor role does not suit him as much as his free role (on/from the left or right wing).

It remains to be seen what Wenger will do with regards to the conductor role: will he hope that Jack will finally have an injury free(ish) season, or will he move Cazorla back in the ‘nr10 position’?

Given the continuous links – however tenuous in some cases – with typical (4-2-1-3) AM/nr.10 players like Jovetic, Rooney and Fabregas – and many, but not me, will argue Fellaini is also this sort of player – we can say that Wenger might not be convinced his current players are (right now) suitable for this pivotal position.

Let’s get Higuain (could we get any closer??), sign up a DM beast, and then maybe put the icing on the cake with a top class AM/nr.10 conductor. Somebody who can hit the ground running and make a difference straightaway. And over time, the likes of Jack, Ox or Eisfeld can be readied to take over.

But regardless of where Santi is going to play next season, I for one, cannot wait to see the Spanish magician in action again!

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Ox, Jack, Santi, Gibbs, Theo: all capable of igniting Wengerball, but is it enough?

June 16, 2013TotalArsenal

How can we get back to sexy football?

17 Highbury Terrace wrote during the previous blog: ‘Unless we change our personnel in MF I just don’t see us able to play anything pretty.’

I fully agree with 17HT’s statement: for pretty, sexy football changes have to be made to the midfield. The key questions are whether we have enough talent in our squad currently to do it and how long it will take to get there.

For me the current first team is a combination of a number of engines – hard workers who motor our team along: Arteta, Ramsey, Koscielny, Giroud, Jenkinson; a number of specialist – quality players who perform their roles really well in most games: Sagna, Rosicky, Szczesny, Mertesacker, Nacho, Podolski; and a number of players who have (the potential for) that little bit extra quality and magic: Santi, Ox, Jack, Gibbs and Theo.

The problem, and simultaneously the exciting thing, is that those who can offer the magic, which is a big – but not the only – part of pretty football, are still mainly young. As fans, we do not have much patience anymore, and with money burning in our pockets, it seems right to now go out and add the sort of quality players who can deliver straightaway.

There is good reason to believe that in two years from now Santi, Ox, Jack, Gibbs and Theo will make us play scintillating winning football. They need to be lucky with injuries so they develop their talents to the max in the next 24 months. If we had been winning silverware in recent years, I would argue more vigorously that we need to be patient, as I strongly believe that these five players will be among the very best in Europe in the next two to five years (and Santi is very, very close to being there right now).

It is really important now to add to the squad in such a way that the development of those five (potentially) extra-quality players is not held back, and yet instant progress is made during this and the following season. I know that many are in agreement that we need to add that extra bit of defensive steel in midfield in order to free up the more creative minded players in midfield. We have discussed this more or less to death, and the links with Fellaini, Wanyama and Capoue are at least good signs that Arsene is looking to recruit for this position this summer.

But the more difficult issue is what to do with the ‘hole’ position. Jack has great potential for this one, and so does Ox, and many will argue that Santi is the right player to hold the biggest role in Wengerball right now. If we get Rooney or Cesc, which remains a half decent possibility, the team would make a big jump forwards, but at what price in terms of development of Ox and Jack, and Santi?

Santi can play in a free role on one of the wings, Jack can play next to the beast of a DM Arsene is going to get us, but what about Ox? He could play again on the wing next season, but this just does not seem to do him much good at Arsenal.

It would be some gamble by Arsene but what if he started him in the hole next season? Just imagine AOC getting the freedom to make things happen in the middle of our midfield, whilst being supported by Jack and Santi behind and next to him! Would that mean the start of the rebirth of pretty, sexy Wengerball? Or is Ox still too young for this, and should Arsene look to add an experienced, quality player right now; and if so, who should it be?

Written by TotalArsenal.

What if Arsenal bought no new midfielders and promote Coquelin, Eisfeld and Frimpong?

May 27, 2013TotalArsenal

What if Arsenal bought nobody this season?

I know this is sacrilege to the transfer horny hordes out there, but it is a necessary question to ask in my opinion. The paint on the old season has not even dried and everybody is talking greedily about the players we need to buy – and I have been as guilty as anybody. We all feel we have £70m+ burning in our holsters! 🙂

Yet, I feel there is not enough recognition for the incredible feat our boys have achieved since our painful loss against the Spuddies.

In a previous post I discussed our defence, and in this one I would like to focus on the midfielders we already have. It will be hard to do so without discussing our attack as well, but let’s give it a try.

Ever since Fabregas and that other guy left Arsenal two seasons ago, Arsene has been struggling to get his midfield – the most important ‘department’ of ‘Wengerball’ – to play the football he wants to play.

This season, Arsenal’s midfield has been our weakest area, either not supporting our defence sufficiently enough and/or not contributing to our attack enough. If we take out Cazorla’ goals, our remaining midfielders – Arteta, Ramsey, Rosicky, Diaby, Wilshere – have only scored a handful of open-play PL goals, and the assists-count is also nothing to boost about.

However, if we look back at the last eleven games (including BM away) our team has done very well: winning nine out of eleven matches and conceding just a few goals in the process.

So, if Arsenal were not to buy any new midfielders, how would we cope?

It all depends what Arsene is planning to do next season. If he wants to return to more attractive, attacking football, he will have to invest in at least a DM and possibly a nr.10 midfielder/attacker as well.

With the imminent return of Mourinho to these holy football shores this summer, no team will be able to compete for the big domestic prices without having a mean defence. Even if he did not, it might be best for Arsenal to continue with two defensive midfielders who operate under a conservative remit, which has been one of the main factors of Arsenal stopping to concede unnecessary – and often early – goals.

If Arsene decides to continue with this – un-Wengerball-like – unadventurous double-DM pivot next season, he does not have to buy anybody, as the likes of Arteta, Wilshere, Ramsey, Coquelin, and possibly Frimpong, can all play there with decent to very good effectiveness.

This would leave us with the third midfield position in Arsenal’s 4-2-1-3 formation: the ‘1’, also known as the ‘player in the hole’ position, or simply AM. Many believe Cazorla is the best man for this position, others prefer Wilshere in the hole, or Rosicky, or even the Ox.

If Arsenal were not to buy another midfielder, and simply stick to our end-of-season formation, we would probably cope quite well in midfield, as long as the emphasis is on defending and not making play from that area, as well as scoring far more goals than our midfielder did last season.

We would see a battle, this summer and at the start of the season, between Wilshere, Cazorla, and maybe Ox, to claim the AM position (I expect Rosicky to remain a back-up midfielder next season).

Jack is best suited to conduct play in midfield: to give us shape and find the deadly through-balls. However, he appears unready to score a decent number of goals in that position next season.

Santi is best suited to play close to the box, where he can find through-balls for his fellow attackers and can shoot at goal as much as he likes. However, his positioning there often leaves a big gap between the DMs and the opposition’s box, and this might be the main reason why he has been played more and more on the wings as the season progressed.

You would say that Ox is the most intriguing player in terms of determining his potential AND the most suitable position for him. Next season, we should see him make a big step forward, especially if Arsene is not to buy another attacking midfielder, which for this post I am assuming he isn’t.

Can Ox develop into a player who can do to a large extent what Wilshere and Cazorla can do: bring the ball forward from midfield and produce through-balls – ala Wilshere – as well as score goals from outside and inside the box – ala Cazorla?

I reckon he might well get there and it looks like Arsene is slowly developing him into an all-round AM. But next season is probably too early for him to take on the AM role as our main man.

So, although Arsenal have some fine players for the hole position, we are currently missing a candidate who has it all.

Eisfeld is a very promising talent who is both good at pushing forward from midfield/producing through-balls and scoring goals/producing assists. It would be good to see him getting more and more games in the first team, but he clearly has a long way to go.

If Arsenal were not to buy any midfielders, we could still cope well, even though our AM position would continue to be a work in progress. It would probably not be pretty, but if Arsene sticks to two defence-minded DMs, we could go on a very good run in the new season.

However, if Arsene wants to return to Wengerball, he will have to look for one or two additions. Firstly, a more traditional ‘beast of a DM’ (who can play a bit of footie as well): the DM should enable Wenger to reintroduce a proper box-to-box midfielder (ideally Jack if fit), and as a result play with a more attacking, flowing style of football.

Secondly, an experienced, more a Bergkamp type AM/nr10, who can set up attacks from midfield through speed, physical strength, great overview of the game, and ingenuity; produce a large number of assists and score double figures PL goals himself.

The key question, fine fellow Gooners, is: do we want Arsene to return to Wengerball OR, for the sake of stable progress and possibly the best chance of finally winning something next season, continue with, and build further on, what he and Bould have established during the latter part of the season?

The former could come at the cost of results/winning something; the latter at the cost of our enjoyment of our football (and winning something is not a given either).

Let’s see what will happen in the TW this summer: it will tell us a lot of what direction Wenger and Bould will be taking with our team.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Everyone wants our Santi Cazorla! Arsenal vs Transfer Window

May 25, 2013TotalArsenal

Intro

It has begun!!! Silly season is upon us and will not cease until 23.00 BST on the 31^st of August. Until then we shall be linked with 452 keepers, 1021 CB’s to replace Vermaelen (because the media tells us he’s leaving), 289 RB’s (because Sagna is leaving and the media don’t do enough homework to know we have Carl Jenkinson on our books), 45 672 strikers (or just multiple variations involving Higuain, Jovetic, Villa, and Rooney), and 3 stories about Isco (created by incessant phone calls to Talksport by an individual under the alias of GLIC). You know what though…I love it! Yes they can get a bit repetitive, tiresome, and leave us more than a little angry when they don’t come to fruition. But what else are we going to do in the off-season? It’s too long to be without the Arsenal, and like any drug addict I need my fix…or I’ll KILL YA!

Wherever I am, a transfer update page is open on my computer screen and updated regularly (I’m sure a lot of your do the same). If there is nothing I’ll sift through the comments on BK to see who has the inside gossip.

Being linked with a player allows us to drift off for a second (or in VCC’s case, drift off for a mini nap) and think about how well he would fit in our team. This can leave us toying with the idea for quite some time. Cesc back??? What happens to Jack? Do we shape the team around him? Is he going to bring the best out of Theo? Will he punch Reina in the face this time if he tries to put a Barcelona shirt on him again? All important questions!!!

Flying the coop:

Stories will definitely be circulating about Vermaelen (captain not starting media assume he’s not happy), Sagna (heading into his last year and media will jump on previous comments and Arsene not signing up older players), and Arsene himself (last year surely he’ll leave blah blah blah).

Then there are the youngsters: Miquel, Henderson and Coquelin may want more game time?

Frimpong is injured again and is out for 8 weeks, will we resign him? (I hope we do, his injury troubles have curtailed his development, but I like Frimpong and I think (given an injury free run) he is good enough to be our future DM.

Djourou: You would assume is unlikely to be in our future plans so is unlikely to leave.

What to do with Denilson (please Dennis help him leave!!!), Bendtner, Park, and Santos? Hopefully all sold to loosen up the wage bill for incoming players.

Squillaci, Chamakh, and Arshavin will be out the door. Will Fabianski and Mannone depart? Hull has been promoted and may line up a bid for Mannone. He enjoyed his loan spell there and I’m sure Hull supporters would love to see him between the sticks again.

Previous Encounters:

Arsenal 2012/13

Players Purchased

Lukas Podolski – £11,000,000 Draw (injuries have meant we haven’t see what Lukas is capable as of yet)

Olivier Giroud – £13,000,000 Win/Draw (team didn’t utilise Giroud fully, good patches and bad. Will come good)

Santi Cazorla – £20,000,000 WIN WIN WIN!!! (absolute gem. Cheap as chips and top little player)

Nacho Monreal – £8,300,000 Win (another shrewd bit of business. Just what we needed with Gibbs’ history)

Players Sold

BSR, Vela, Bartley, Song, Lansbury, and Almunia

Arsenal 2011/12

Players Purchased

Carl Jenkinson – £1,000,000 Win (Improved immensely. Arsenal through and through. Legend in the making)

Gervinho – £10,600,000 Loss (jury is out on Gerv. I don’t mind him but hasn’t shown enough)

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – £12,000,000 WIN WIN!!! (Possibilities are endless with this kid!)

Joel Campbell – £950,000 Draw (still a relative unknown, shown glimpses. Could be another Arsene gem)

Park Chu-Young – £3,000,000 Loss (never really sure he existed. Marketing gimmick no doubt)

André Santos – £6,200,000 Loss (lost me with the BSR shirt swap. Showed glimpses, Monreal is the better choice!)

Mikel Arteta – £10,000,000 Win (new position new player! Real leader and has given his all from day one!)

Per Mertesacker – £10,000,000 Win (slow start but the leader of our defence. Steadied the ship and helped Koscielny)

Thomas Eisfeld – £400,000 Draw (big hopes for Eisfeld. Goal scoring midfielder with a bright future I feel)

Players Sold

Fabregas, Nasri, Clichy, Traore, JET, Eboue

Arsenal 2010/11

Players Purchased

Marouane Chamakh – Free Loss (started well. Lost confidence and went all downhill from there)

Laurent Koscielny – £10,000,000 WIN WIN WIN!!! (top notch defender, only getting better and an Arsene gem)

Sebastien Squillaci – £4,000,000 Loss (collected his pair slip, not suited for the EPL given the stage of his career)

Ryo Miyaichi – Undisclosed Draw (injuries have ruined his chances. Impressive highlight reel. One for the future hopefully)

Players Sold

Senderos, Eduardo, Simpson, Merida

Form Guide:

Arsenal 2012/13

Grade = B

Yes we lost the Brave Sir Robin to our enemies but after his stunt we really had no choice but to get rid of him (I know some of you would have kept him for another year, but it would have been too toxic to the players. Anyway we’ve done that to death).

With his departure we gained Santi Cazorla…and what a revelation he has been in his first season (don’t think so? Read what other supporters think about him below!). With a grade A striker in front of him he will flourish. We have more than adequate cover for Gibbs with Spanish international Monreal. It will be an interesting tussle between the two left backs and hopefully they can bring the best out of one another.

Song was a big loss I feel. I hope he comes back to Arsenal after having a tough first season at Barcelona. Podolski was affected by injuries for most of the season so I don’t think we really know what he’s capable of as yet! Giroud’s form was up and down. He gives his best for the team and will be a handy squad player giving us that PLAN B.

Arsenal 2011/12

Grade = C

Fabregas couldn’t fight his DNA and finally moved back to Barcelona. It was a massive loss and he left a crater in our midfield! The season long injury to young Jack didn’t help matters either. Fat boy Nasri left also. He set the premier league on fire for 6 months but hasn’t done much since. 22 million for him was a good bit of business. The Ox was a great purchase and will be a world beater in time. Jenks made everyone eat a little humble pie. His spirit and determination is a joy to watch. Arteta and BFG brought with them leadership and much need experience. Unfortunately Santos and Gervinho didn’t deliver. The loss of Clichy hurt given, repetitive injuries to Gibbs and an abdominal injury to Santos.

Arsenal 2010/11

Grade = B-

Not a whole lot lost, but not a whole lot gained either. Koscielny has the potential to drive the grade higher if he continues to improve. Eduardo had to depart because he was a shadow of his former self.

This week’s Arsenal Archive goes back to 2000. We lost our Dutch left-winger Marc Overmars in the summer to Barcelona for £25 million. How on earth could we replace the ‘Roadrunner’? Simple…go out and sign French ace Robert Pirès for £6 million. Initially he found English football tough to handle, but once he got settled in he never looked back. In 2001/02 he won the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the year and Arsenal’s player of the season. After 189 appearances and 62 goals Pirès left Arsenal, but he will always be remember as one of the best ever to put on the Arsenal kit. Here’s to you Bobby Pirès, thanks for the magical moments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28S8kFG7hBM

One to Watch:

What will become of our Captain Courageous/fearless leader/the Lion of Flanders? Will he continue the captain’s curse and fall on his sword? Or will he put his head down and work his socks off over the pre-season and become the player we all know he’s capable of? I think it’ll be the latter! Vermaelen doesn’t look like a quitter who walks out when the going gets tough. Yes he has been replaced in the starting 11 but run to another club with his tail between his legs…I think not! I expect him to kick Arsene’s door down and tell him he’s ready to fight. Arsenal will be a better team if he fights for his position, not only for his development, but for the benefit of BFG and Koscielny.

‘Pre-Match’ Finger:

My special transfer edition finger goes to the newspapers who print/report nonsense time and time again. We constantly hear ‘sources’ or ‘reports’ etc etc but some of the things suggested in these articles are complete rubbish. Here is a look at which newspapers to look at over the summer transfer window, and which to wipe your behind with [courtesy of footballtransferleague.co.uk (all data collected since 2006)]:

I suppose if you use the scattergun approach you’re bound to be right sooner or later.

‘Pre-Match’ pat on the back:

A pat on the back goes out to any player signed by Arsenal over the transfer window. Welcome aboard, you have made it to the best club in football today. Arsene deserves a lot of credit for his work over the transfer window also. I’m sure he never sleeps and I feel it’s the busiest time of the year for him.

My biggest pat on the back goes to anyone willing to take Denilson off our hands! Please someone take him, I can’t bear the thought of him playing in the Arsenal kit again. It’d be enough to turn a man into a lunatic!

Seeing him watch Jenas as he sprints by. Pat Rice yelling at him to get off the ground and to carry on. Seeing him fall over like he was shot when no one was around…ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

This week ‘Ask the opposition’ returns to help with our transfer window needs. It is designed to get some friendly banter from our opposition fans and get their insight for the match ahead. This week we see returning Chelsea fan CD from chelseadaft.org , James from http://scfc2.co.uk/ (@swansinfo), Paul from tomkinstimes.com, and a host of other opposition supporters from various blogs. Thanks for your help gents!

1) What area/s of weakness does Arsenal have on the pitch?

Redwhiteandermblue (Spurs): I don’t like your new strikers. Podolski’s okay but no more, and Giroud’s a French Andy Carroll, but with less technique. The fact they score is because they’re at the end of a Wenger-trained team with some very talented players in it. I’ve always been a Walcott fan. He made a considerable step up this year, and may continue to improve–I think the question may be how much time he’s willing to put into training. Your defending has improved immensely since you benched Vermaelen. I’m still not a Mertesacker fan. You don’t have a DM, but I’m not sure that’s a weakness. I’ve gotten to like Arteta over time.

Now suffering in Spain (Spurs): You badly need a D.M.

Spurs disciple (Spurs): Arsenal’s weaknesses are that they lack width (even from the fullbacks) and a defensive midfielder – not a role I would ever have expected Arteta to play in is Everton days.

Human being in Croydon (Spurs): Their weakness isn’t on the pitch; it’s marauding around the technical area.

Roo (Spurs): DM, RB and in need of another striker.

Spurs or Sex? (Spurs): I think you lack a clinical finisher, a DM and most certainly a goal keeper.

Alberts Chip Shop (Newcastle): poor goalkeeper and poor defence plus lack of a DCM

Se7en (Man U): GK, centre back, right back, central midfield & wide forward/striker.

Cordon726 (Man U): GK, CB, RB, CDM, ST

CD (Chelsea): I look at Arsenal from the outside in and it’s always been the spine of the team in recent seasons that appears to be the problem. Any side that loses the likes of Fabregas, Song and Van Persie needs to ensure they have players that can replace those people in those areas and I don’t believe that Arsenal have.

Right now, I would say that a holding midfielder and a 20-30 goal a season striker is what the Arsenal need. Arteta isn’t a ball winner, Wilshire isn’t and Rosicky isn’t. Ramsey works hard all game but again, I wouldn’t categorise him as a holding midfielder.

I would play Theo Walcott through the middle up top for a full season as I believe he could be another “Henry” but I’m not the manager. Those are the two main areas Arsenal MUST strengthen this summer to challenge.

James (Swansea): To me, Arsenal seem to lack a real goal scorer and a top class finisher that I would expect from a top 4 club. Maybe Giroud will be that man but you don’t seem to have replaced RVP yet (but that is difficult to do!) I also feel you’re a bit brittle in the centre of defence and lack a real leader back there. I always remember Arsenal sides based upon their defensive leadership and strength but no you can’t have Ashley Williams

Paul (Liverpool): I do think that goalkeeper has been a problem for several seasons, based on what I have seen.

Schad (Southampton): 1. Inconsistency in central defence.

2. Lack of a midfield anchor for the games where it’s needed.

3. Gervinho.

4. Could use a world-class striker, but who couldn’t. Attack is top-four worthy as is, just probably not going to drag you to a title in the near future.

TomW19 (Southampton): Right back, Centre back, maybe also in defensive midfield.

SM (Hull): I think Arsenal’s main weakness at the moment is that they are lacking a solid striker. With RVPs departure neither Podolski nor Giroud has really stepped up and claimed the spot. Podolski hasn’t even really been played up forward.

2) What player/s would improve that weakness?

Redwhiteandermblue (Spurs): Erm, Jovetic or Higuain, to name a couple.

Now suffering in Spain (Spurs): A player like Sandro ( No! You can’t have him)

Spurs disciple (Spurs): If they had Lennon/Ben Arfa and Sandro/Fellaini they would be title chasing.

Human being in Croydon (Spurs): A defensive midfielder is a must (Tiote might slot in well) as well as a decent keeper. Cesar would be a good bet, as QPR have to get rid of him ASAP.

Roo (Spurs): not sure but it’d have to be top top quality.

Spurs or Sex? (Spurs): You never replaced Song, whom I thought was a very good DM. Someone like Matuidi would be great for you. Maybe Song himself would want a return seeing as Barca use him sparingly.

Alberts Chip Shop (Newcastle): Krul / Cesar, Sissoko, Mbiwa.

Se7en (Man U): Cesar/Begovic/Mignolet, Piszcek/Richards, Williams/Vertonghen, Strootman/Fabregas/Cabaye/Song, Jovetic/Alexis/Ben Arfa/Muniain/Higuain.

Cordon726 (Man U): GK- I think Julio Cesar would be a great signing.

CB- Not sure who, but the defender needs to have pace.

RB- either M. Richards or M. Lowton.

CDM- I think Arsenal should try to resign A. Song.

ST- Benteke or Lacina Traore from Anzhi

CD (Chelsea): There isn’t many holding midfielders up to the standard to choose from is there. Someone like Tiote from Newcastle would be ideal but to be honest anyone who is prepared to sit, win a tackle and then give the ball to someone else would do these days!

As for up top for the Arsenal, I would play Walcott there but if you had to bring someone in, why not someone like Higuain from Real Madrid. A proven, natural goal scorer? Just imagine if you were prepared to spend big and you were able to bring someone like Falcao in? Imagine just how many goals he would score!

James (Swansea): I think that Arsenal should try and sign someone like Benteke from Aston Villa. He could be a help I think

Paul (Liverpool): There are some very good goalkeepers out there. Szczesny is fine for his age, but not exceptional, and hasn’t quite got that authority yet. With Reina possibly moving to Barcelona, we may be in for the same keepers!

Schad (Southampton): 1. Kyriakos Papadopoulos seems to be getting tossed around as a possibility for every English club.

2. Someone who is not Morgan Schneiderlin because we will cut you.

3. Someone who is not Gervinho.

4. The usual £40m suspects.

TomW19 (Southampton): Micah Richards, Srna, Sahin.

3) Jovetic or Higuain?

Redwhiteandermblue (Spurs): Higuain, but I haven’t seen Jovetic that much.

Now suffering in Spain (Spurs): Not sure on that one – not seen enough of either.

Spurs disciple (Spurs): Higuain – though neither scare me from what I’ve seen.

Human being in Croydon (Spurs): Higuain.

Roo (Spurs): Higuain.

Spurs or Sex? (Spurs): Giroud has done OK in his first year but I don’t see him ever becoming a threat like Henry/ van Persie and for a club like Arsenal being a “good” striker won’t really cut it. Higuain would be ideal for you guys I think.

Alberts Chip Shop (Newcastle): Jovetic.

Se7en (Man U): Higuain, haven’t seen Jovetic play as much.

Cordon726 (Man U): Higuain if I had to choose, but both are good. I would prefer Benteke or Traore.

CD (Chelsea): Higuain all day. I would take him as soon as he was offered to us; I believe he is that good. You have strikers that have to work hard at their game and others where it comes naturally to them. Higuain is a natural and top drawer.

James (Swansea): Higuain

Paul (Liverpool): Both are very good players. Higuain is a reliable scorer, Jovetic is more versatile and has more flair, playing out wide as well as through the middle. Rafa Benítez wanted Jovetic and Aquilani in 2009, and funds were taking away from him for the former. Instead we went into the season short of strikers and it all fell apart.

More injured than Owen (Liverpool): You can afford but won’t get Jovetic. I think Higuain would be a huge deal for you and fits the style

Schad (Southampton): Higuain; more of an out-and-out goalscorer.

TomW19 (Southampton): Higuain

SM (Hull): I think Jovetic should do quite well for you guys if the move is completed.

4) Julio Cesar or Szczesney?

Redwhiteandermblue (Spurs): Cesar. Szcz has proven to be a good pundit. Too bad about the keeping.

Now suffering in Spain (Spurs): Cesar

Spurs disciple (Spurs): Cesar next season. Chesney will be decent in the future, but still not mature enough for a keeper.

Human being in Croydon (Spurs): Cesar.

Roo (Spurs): Neither.

Spurs or Sex? (Spurs): Julio Cesar is 10x better than Chesney. From what I’ve seen of Chesney, he makes the odd save here and there but is too error prone. Cesar is one of the world’s best, **** knows why he went QPR (money).

Alberts Chip Shop (Newcastle): Cesar.

Se7en (Man U): Cesar, his signing wouldn’t threaten Chesney’s long term No. 1 slot either.

Cordon726 (Man U): Cesar without a doubt.

CD (Chelsea): Believe it or not I would say Szczesney all day over Julio Cesar. He is young, learning the game and is already a good shot stopper. Someone like him will only improve and in time will prove his worth.

James (Swansea): Don’t rate either of them!

Paul (Liverpool): Szczesny. He’s still quite young and should improve with time. Cesar was great but not sure he’s that special anymore.

More injured than Owen (Liverpool): Cesar isn’t great, not messing about here. Szczesney is inconsistent but a better bet. Why pay the wages for a crap Brazilian?

Schad (Southampton): Not Julio Cesar.

TomW19 (Southampton): Szczesney

SM (Hull): I think Cesar is past his best, so I think sticking with Szczesney is probably the best option, though signing Cesar as back up might be a promising move.

5) What player would you buy from Arsenal and why?

Redwhiteandermblue (Spurs): Cazorla, in a heart-beat, if we were willing to pay for him (Ha. Ha. Ha.). We need a first rate playmaker. Cazorla may have edged Mata for best playmaker all-PL, to me. Good as Mata is, he has more to work with. I can only guess you start Cazorla on the wing because you feel obligated to start Wilshire in the center. Your team is therefore better w/o Wilshire. Incidentally, I used to rate Wilshire very highly, though I dislike his chavvy ways. Now I’m afraid he’s joining the list of young players who become injury-riddled through overuse. Too bad, because I don’t want anyone injured.

Now suffering in Spain (Spurs): Cazorla – classy player.

Spurs disciple (Spurs): Cazorla. Exactly the sort of player we need. Next best bets are Wishere and Walcott. The rest I wouldn’t want at all, as they are not improvements on what we have.

Human being in Croydon (Spurs): Cazorla would fit in well at Spurs, as he’s the sort of player we need – a creative midfielder who scores goals.

Roo (Spurs): Cazorla. – Your best player by miles IMO. And scores a fair few goals from midfield, which we lack massively.

Spurs or Sex? (Spurs): I’d take Cazorla in a heartbeat. Looks class

Alberts Chip Shop (Newcastle): Walcott – pace to burn.

Se7en (Man U): We have already signed your best player last year so would have to say Wilshere. Begging for some quality in midfield, great short and long-term option even if he does annoy me a bit.

Cordon726 (Man U): Cazorla – he’s Arsenal’s best player.

CD (Chelsea): I would take Theo Walcott off of you in a heartbeat. Anyone with pace causes problems as Chelsea have seen time and time again. If you can harness his pace and bring the best out of him as a finisher, you could have something really special on your hands. I can see it, I know other supporters can see it, I just can’t understand why Arsene Wenger doesn’t!

James (Swansea): I would love to have Santi Carzola (he would fit right in at Swansea with the Spanish connection we have)

Paul (Liverpool): Wilshire. He’s your best player, and would add something extra to Liverpool’s midfield, especially now Steven Gerard is not as all-action as of old.

More injured than Owen (Liverpool): Obvious. Wilshire, why? He’s the classiest midfielder in the prem for his age group. We don’t need Walcott or Chamberalin as we have options there ourselves.

Schad (Southampton): Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. It’d be fitting.

TomW19 (Southampton): Cazorla because he’s a good player and we need more creativity.

SM (Hull): Mannone. In a heartbeat. Looked great on his two loan spells at the club, expressed interest in joining, and would be a great keeper for us.

Prediction:

For the transfer window psychic prediction I got in touch with my bubbly African friend Yakman again. This is how it went down:

Oz: How many players will be signed in the transfer window?

Yakman: 4…possibly 5

Oz: Interesting! Will Jovetic be one of them?

Yakman: Yes, it looks that way!

Oz: Will Sagna and Vermaelen leave Arsenal?

Yakman: Possibly, but I think not!

Oz: Finally, will the supporters be happy with the overall outcome of the transfer window?

Yakman: Not everyone will be pleased.

Overall I’m excited by what this transfer window will bring. While I agree not everyone will be pleased (some won’t unless we sign Messi, Ronaldo, and Kompany), I think those supporters with a bit of reason will be happy and excited for what next season holds. I have complete faith in Arsene and I think this time we will have the right personnel to win the league. With a bit of patience and luck we’ll make it through this transfer window…I’ll be seeing you at the open bus parade!

“You are my Arsenal! My only Arsenal! You make me happy! When skies are grey!

You’ll never know just! How much I love you! Until you take my Arsenal away!

La la-la laaa-laaa! (OOH!) La la-la laaa-laaa! (OOH!)”

Written by: Oz Gunner

Pod to replace Giroud, Fluid-Three up-front, or 4-4-2 against MU?

April 25, 2013April 26, 2013TotalArsenal

Let’s talk Arsenal and footie again!

There is a game on Sunday; it cannot be called crucial as all our previous, as well as the remaining, games are of the same importance. It is likely to be a weird game, and the main reason for this is not to do with Van Persie (VP), but us playing a team who have just become PL champions.

I would have preferred the Mancs still needing something from this game. If we beat them on Sunday we will not get much credit for it, and if we don’t, the criticism will be very high. You could say it is a no-win situation, but in the end it is isn’t: it is about three points and moving on to the next match.

The guard of honour has to be done and I hope the fans show class and respect: we would expect the same. If VP turns up at TE, he will no doubt get a hostile reception, but I expect him to stay behind in worldly Manchester for this one.

So how are we going to play against the Mancs?

We’ll do a proper pre-match report on Saturday, but let’s discuss the key formational challenges. Without Giroud up-front, Arsene will have to make adjustments. We don’t have anybody who can play the ‘Giroud’ role. I don’t think Theo, Gervinho or Pod have the stamina and physicality required to play the way OG does.

In my opinion, Arsene will have to change the formation to 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1, or go with a ‘fluid-three’ up-front, just like he did at the start of the season.

I reckon the latter is the most likely scenario. Arsene has the luxury that all his remaining attackers are fit and ready to go, so he can choose three from Gervinho, Theo, Ox, Cazorla and the Pod. The idea is that any of these three can play centrally, left or right at any moment in the game. This will make us unpredictable for our opponents, but our team’s unfamiliarity with this attacking system might lead to some miscommunication, misplaced passes, and unspotted runs. We are also likely to miss the aerial focal point of Giroud’s added height in the box.

However, I reckon the Mancs would much prefer having to deal with Giroud’s height than having to accommodate for the attacking variety that our remaining attackers have in their lockers. Gervinho or Ox have the close control and can work themselves into the box with the ball; Theo adds speed and lethal finishing (a good game for him to find it again!); and both Walcott, Gervinho and the Pod can all be the fox in the box and any given time. On top of that, all of Ox, Pod, Theo and Cazorla can score from outside the edge of the box, and at least on paper this is a good attacking force to choose from.

As always with a 4-2-1-3 formation, the pivotal role is the most advanced midfielder, and Wenger has to make a big choice who this should be: Rosicky, Cazorla or Wilshere. It is too early to say who he will go for, but I am convinced he will not leave out Cazorla; so if he does not play up-front, I reckon he will be ‘in the hole’ on Sunday.

My other train of thought is that Wenger will want to strengthen the midfield against the Mancs; something he often does against a top-four team. I would feel more comfortable with this as well, but then I am a big fan of playing with a solid midfield, with lots of possession and passing options: I reckon this suits our current squad the most. Obviously, it does require our ‘midfield-wingers’ to play a disciplined defensive as well as attacking game, and it could mean that the likes of Gibbs and Coquelin will get a start there, although it is more likely to see a midfield of Cazorla – Ramsey –Arteta – Wilshere, or Cazorla- Wilshere – Arteta – Rosicky. We have plenty of options to play a very strong midfield on Sunday; although, a beast of a DM is still badly missing.

Playing four in midfield would give us the opportunity to play two up-front: either in a 4-4-1-1 or 4-4-2. I reckon if Arsenal want to get the best out of two of Pod, Theo, Ox, Gervinho (and Santi), one of these two formations would be our best option.

Now, the big question is which two attackers should be combined against the Mancs. Our highest paid, and also most prolific strikers are Pod and Theo, but could they hit the ground running on Sunday. I am not sure they would. Pod could play behind Theo and maybe it would work, but I reckon such a partnership needs time to develop.

Given Wenger’s recent remarks re the Pod being groomed to play in the middle up-front, I believe that he will start on Sunday, regardless of the formation. That leaves the question who will play behind him, and I reckon it will be Cazorla. These two have played a lot together this season and seem to have quite a natural understanding with each other.

However, I don’t think Arsene will go with either 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1, but with a fluid-three up-front:

Although the formation shows Pod in the middle, all three attackers will interchange regularly.

What do you reckon Arsene will do on Sunday?

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Rosicky to conduct, Nacho-Santi bulls on left, Sagna-Theo train on right: Everton preview

April 16, 2013April 16, 2013TotalArsenal

Little Mozart to conduct the symphony tonight?!

A rare treat for us nowadays: a meaningful mid-week game!

Having worked in Liverpool for a few years, I have nothing but respect for both Everton and Liverpool. The Liverpudlians know how to enjoy live and seize the day, and they know their football as well. And there is nothing but respect for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger over there, something the Mancs could learn a lesson from.

David Moyes is a fine, loyal manager, who, every few years, is able to put a talented team together with the potential to move into the top-four. It looks like he has done it again this year, and the Toffees come to the Emirates in great form – let’s not mention the embarrassing FA-cup exit though, but then, who are we to talk…?

This will be a tough game for us, as a confident and fully fit Everton will fancy their chances. A home win against the Northern Oilers and away draw against the Spuddies in recent games, Everton have proven they can handle the pressure and get results. The Toffees’ strength seems to come from the wings, and especially, from the centre of midfield, where the hard working Osman, Gibson and Fellaini form an impressive defensive wall as well as a fountain of creativity.

Eveton’s away record is not brilliant, with only four wins out of 15 games, although a glass half full Evertonian will tell you they only lost four away games all season.

So how are we going to combat the tough Toffees?

I reckon, Arsene will fall back to what he knows best and will stick with 4-2-1-3; and he will play his most experienced team.

Defence:

I am pretty sure Szczesny will return to the first team. The coded language from Wenger re Fabianski’s ‘injury’ tells me the Pole will be between the poles again tonight.

The back four is interesting once more: will Arsene drop TV again? I reckon, he will. This is no game for sentimentality and the best CB pair should play: Koz and BFG. On the right, I expect Mr Reliable to play, and on the left, I go for Nacho this time.

Midfield:

Zorro and Rambo to combat with Osman, Gibson and Fellaini in our double-DM pivot, with Rosicky in the hole. Given Arsene’s recent comments, Jack will get a rest and Rosicky is likely to replace him. Alternatively, Cazorla could be played ‘in the hole’, but I reckon the Professor will go with the Czech conductor this time.

Attack:

The above mentioned inclusion of Rosicky, would mean that Arsene has to choose to fill his three attacking positions from: Walcott, Gervinho, the Pod, Giroud, Ox and Cazorla. Will Wenger surprise us all and, after his recent comments re the Pod spearheading our attack any time soon, put the Pod centrally? I don’t think so: not for this game, as it would be too disruptive to our shape and system of football.

I feel Wenger will stick to what he knows and play Ollie centrally, with the Pod on the left and Cazorla on the right; although, I am also tempted to go for Cazorla on the left – forming a fine partnership with Nacho there – and Theo on the right to keep Baines busy….. But that would leave the Pod out, so maybe he will play centrally tonight…. pfffffff. Not easy, my friends, not easy. And then many of us want Arsene to buy at least one more attacker hahaha 🙂

I am going to go with Cazorla – Giroud – Theo up-front, as Arsene’s choices, but I probably get it wrong and won’t achieve an 11/11 once again tonight.

Predicted Line-up:

Anyway, here is hoping for a fantastic game and Arsenal playing at their very best, and collecting three more super-valuable points. Let’s give the Spuds a better, more in perspective, view of the mighty, red and white Arse!

Come on You Rip Roaring Gunners!!!!!!!!!!! Do Us Proud.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

The swerve of Gerv, rhythm of Ramsey & Rosicky, coolness of Cazorla, and Mikel’s Mastery

March 30, 2013March 30, 2013TotalArsenal

Well that was a fine and much-needed win today. It is only fair to say that Reading were easy prey this afternoon, and that a stronger team might have punished us for not finishing off our chances in the first half. But, once again, we played a lot better in the second half and, despite one costly lapse in concentration, Arsenal totally dominated the game from start to finish, and very much deserved their win today.

It was great to see Gervinho start a game again, and he took his opportunity to shine for us really well. The Gerv and Santi were clearly our drivers in the first half, and for most of the second half as well. Gervinho was everywhere and always made himself available, and he is the one of the few who wants to keep hold of the ball and attack the space in front of him, rather than just pass the ball to the nearest player as soon as possible.

Gervinho’s performance was by no means perfect, and he can delight us as much as frustrate us from one moment to the next, but with a goal and two assists, he deserves a lot of praise today. His positioning was great (especially in the box) and his ability to take the ball forward and make things happen was also on show today once more.

He took his goal well and provided two fine assists. The one for Santi was simple and effective; after he created a bit of space, by keeping the ball and moving forward towards the goal, he played a simple, low and well-measured pass to Santi, who this time round did show the required composure, and finished really well with a placed, curling shot past some Reading defenders and goalkeeper Taylor.

The second assist was the best one; The Gerv held off defenders around the box and then made a good, measured pass towards Giroud’s left foot, who could do nothing else but score.

I was impressed with Giroud willingness to work for the team today, and he created a lot of space in the box through his movement and ability to occupy more than one defender most of the time. And his work for the team was reciprocated by the fine pass Gervinho provided to him for our third goal.

Throughout the game, and especially in the first half, we were still wasteful with our chances, and both Cazorla and Gervinho deserve some criticism for some disappointing finishing. I guess this is something we have to accept of both players: they work hard, get themselves in good positions, and are attack-minded, but both of them – Gervinho more than Cazorla – will waste a lot of chances in the process as well.

However, Cazorla’s coolness for the second goal and Gervinho’s composure for his goal and assists, made the difference today, and in the end that is all that really matters.

Our defence was shielded magnificently today by Mikel Arteta, and you could see how much he has benefited from a well-needed interlull break. When Arteta plays like this, the whole team plays better. It allowed Ramsey to support Rosicky and Cazorla, who was found mostly in the middle of the pitch, in putting pressure on the opposition’s defence high up the pitch. Today that made all the difference.

However, I thought that Ramsey and especially Rosicky were a bit rusty in the first half and not dynamic enough. Luckily, they both improved strongly in the second half and it was their drive that kept our rhythm going throughout the second half. Towards the end of the game, Arsenal started to play some wonderful football and both Ramsey and Rosicky had big contributions in this.

Reading scored a good goal through Robson-kanu, who sneaked in behind Monreal to score with a diving header from a fine cross by McAnuff.

Ox did well coming on as a sub and winning a penalty straightaway, which was well taken by Arteta.

In summary, an easy win, and an important one; with the Spuds winning (as expected) at Swansea, and the Chavs dropping three very costly points at Southampton, our win today keeps the pressure up on both of them; and that’s all we can do. Our next game against West Brom will no doubt be a tougher nut to crack.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

The one PL player who best complements Arsenal’s top-core of players – Have your say!

March 27, 2013March 27, 2013TotalArsenal

During this interlull period, I thought I’d take the opportunity to have some fun on BK. If you look at every team in the Premier League, you could say that each club is built on the foundation of three players (some teams obviously have more than three, but for the sake of this article, let’s assume only three). These three players can be seen as the integral pieces of the team, as without them, the respective clubs would lose their established identity, or not have accomplished as much success this season (and seasons past in some cases).

The following is an entirely subjective list that I believe contains the three key players at each club, with additional cases easily being made for the players in brackets:

Arsenal – Wilshere, Cazorla and Walcott

Aston Villa – Benteke, Clark, Vlaar (Guzan or Westwood)

Chelsea – Lampard, Mata, A.Cole (Cech or Hazard)

Everton – Fellaini, Baines, Pienaar (Howard)

Fulham – Berbatov, Hangeland, Schwarzer (Ruiz)

Liverpool – Suarez, Gerrard, G.Johnson (Reina)

Man City – Hart, Yaya Toure, Kompany (Silva or Aguero)

Man Utd – van Persie, Rooney, Vidic (Evra)

Newcastle – Sissoko, Krul, Cabaye (Ben Arfa or Coloccini)

Norwich – Snodgrass, Ruddy, Holt

QPR – Cesar, Remy, Taarabt

Reading – McAnuff, Pogrebnyak, Federici

Southampton – Lambert, Schneiderlin, Ramirez (Boruc)

Stoke – Begovic, Shawcross, Huth (Walters)

Sunderland – Mignolet, Sessegnon, O’Shea (Fletcher or Cuellar)

Swansea – Michu, A.Williams, Vorm

Tottenham – Bale, Lloris, Vertonghen

West Brom – Foster, Olsson, Long (McAuley, Lukaku or Morrison)

West Ham – Jaaskelainen, Diame, Nolan (O’Brien)

Wigan – Kone, Al Habsi, Maloney

I am not claiming that teams with players listed in brackets have more than three players that construct the foundation of their respective teams, but that not being a fan of their respective clubs, I’m not totally sure if one is of greater importance than the three I listed.

Regardless, the point of this article is not to debate the players I’ve listed for each club (some clubs were incredibly difficult to even distinguish three important players), but to establish which player you would want most from any other team in the Premier League (to complement the three I’ve listed for our club), aside from the three players I’ve listed for each team.

For Arsenal, I have chosen Jack and Santi as centerpieces for our club for obvious reasons – they are by far the most skilled players on our side and when at their best, lead this team in providing our attack with shape and purpose. Without Jack and Santi, we’d definitely be a mid-table side lacking creative instincts; and they both are the closest things to world-class talents at Arsenal.

However, I struggled with the third key player, since based on history and past seasons, the honour could have easily been bestowed upon Sagna, Vermaelen or Koscielny.

Nacho is still too new to this team and there is debate among many supporters as to whether he or Gibbs should be first choice. If Szczesny or Ox were ever to meet their high potentials, or Gibbs or Diaby were ever able to consistently stay fit/healthy, each one would also be included in the discussion of our third most crucial player. With that said, I went with Theo simply because he is leading our team in goals and assists (tied with Santi and Podolski in each category respectively), is capable of providing quality crosses, and his pace makes him a terror for opposing defenders.

Personally, my choice to complement the trio of Wilshere, Cazorla and Walcott would be Matija Nastasic from Manchester City.

The modern game demands that defenders be as comfortable playing the ball as they are with clearing it; Nastasic is the epitome of a ball-playing center half, who is rarely beaten by either pace or fancy dribbling/ball control. With a tackle win percentage of 96% (top in the league), a successful clearance percentage of 59% (top 10 in the PL), only 1 error leading to a shot (tied in 2^nd among defenders in the PL) and 0 errors leading to goals and no own goals (top in the PL); it’s easy to see why Nastasic is a viable candidate.

Of course, the case could be made against Nastasic that it’s easy to be a top defender when you’re playing with steady, veteran players in Kompany, Zabaleta and Clichy beside you, and a world-class keeper in Joe Hart, behind you. However, watching Nastasic play this season, I can honestly give him full credit for further stabilizing the City back line, and not just being a product of an already stable back four/five.

What makes Nastasic’s accomplishments even more outstanding, is the fact that he’s accomplished incredible statistics for a defender at the tender age of 19, and who is in his first season of one of the top leagues in the world. In addition, he is playing in one of the most demanding positions mentally, and is constantly challenged by some of the best attackers in the world.

Now, I would like to open the floor to the rest of you. Do you believe the three players I’ve listed for Arsenal make up the foundation for our team? If not, who do you believe should take their place?

And who would you like to see at Arsenal from any of the other clubs in the EPL, excluding the players I’ve listed (however, you can choose from the players in brackets)?

Written by: Highbury Harmony.

Santi, Jack, Ox, Jovetic, Benzema, Isco: who should play ‘in the hole’?

March 26, 2013TotalArsenal

Most of us believe that Arsenal need to get a beast of a DM in the summer, in order to strengthen the ‘double-pivot’ in our midfield. For this article, I am going to assume that Arsene will strengthen our midfield over the summer with a midfielder who can either replace, or play next to, Arteta in the ‘2’ of our 4-2-1-3 formation. It does not look like Arsene believes that either Coquelin or Frimpong are ready for this pivotal role on a full-time basis, although this could still change over the coming summer.

I am also assuming that Arsene will not change next season to either 4-4-2, 4-4-1-1 or 4-1-2-3 as our Plan-A formation and playing philosophy, but that we will continue with 4-2-1-3. Therefore this post is all about the ‘1’; our most advanced/attacking midfielder in that particular formation.

This is a fascinating position, and having the right man in it will make all the difference. In order to decide who should ideally play ‘in the hole’, we need to establish what such a player needs to be capable of in order to get the best out this crucial position.

The most important task for the ‘1’ is to initiate attacking moves; to direct our play going forward. One of the two double-pivot midfielders can help with this, but the main driver of all our attacks is our most advanced midfielder. Success should be measured by the number of attacking moves initiated from this position, and key in all of this is, that the advanced midfielder combines a great overview, with quick decision making and accurate execution of passes, forward runs, and deadly through-balls. This player needs vision, close ball control, passing, speed, drive, stamina, and can get past a man, or two, if needed.

An attacking midfielder in a 4-2-1-3 does not necessarily need to score a lot goals, or even produce a large number of assists; but what he does need to do, is start attacks and get the best out of the other attackers (and FB’s).

A good ‘man in the hole’ gives our team shape and purpose by conducting our play, and will produce a great number of indirect, or penultimate, assists.

The advanced midfielder in our formation has three attackers in front of him and should get extra support from the box-to-box midfielder. Although, I believe that scoring goals is not the most important task for this position, it would be great if the advanced midfielder can offer this as well.

In the great many discussions we have had with regards to this position, I often detect a strong believe by fellow Gooners that we need a lot of goals from this position, in order to be successful as a team. If we were to play 4-4-1-1, I would fully agree that we need a great number of goals from the ‘1’ behind the centre-forward, but in a 4-2-1-3 this is less important in my view; in the main, our goals should come from the three attackers up-front.

This, for me, is an essential point; and unless we can find/develop a player who can combine the conducting/initiating part of this role with scoring a lot of goals, the main focus should be on the former. We had the perfect player for this role in Cesc, and it comes as no surprise to me that we have struggled to replace him properly ever since he left; although things are looking better now.

It is looking better because Jack finally recovered from his long injury lay-off and Arsene bought Cazorla. On top of that, Rosicky has been available since December last year. If we could put both Jack and Cazorla into one person we would get Cesc-2. Cazorla is a great attacker and, for me, would be ideal in a Bergkampesque 4-4-1-1.

The diminutive Spaniard can play everywhere and be effective, but I reckon he is most effective close behind the central striker, just outside the box. Using Santi in the hole, we could come close to the style of play of Bergkamp in a 4-4-1-1 formation.

However, I reckon that Santi’s tendency to play close to the box often keeps him from giving shape and purpose to the team, and as such leaves a big gap (behind him) in the team.

Jack, on the other hand is most effective in the wider midfield area, where he can find space and exploit it.

Jack has the vision, and natural/technical ability to give shape to our play and lead our attacking moves. When Wilshere gets the ball, the whole team starts to get into shape and action, because they know something promising will be created by him at any moment.

And I reckon, Rosicky is pretty similar to Jack in terms of type of midfielder.

If we were to get our beast of a DM, I believe we should move Jack in’ the hole’ permanently and play Santi on one of the wings, with a licence to move centrally if and when he wants; in fact, I would just give him a free role similar to Messi at Barca. It would be key, though, to have a proper winger who tends to stay wide on the other wing, and for the full-back on Santi’s side to link up really well with him.

I would prefer it if we can keep Rosicky as back up for Jack, but only if he is able to stay fit, which as we all know, is a big IF. It also looks like he might make a move back to Germany this summer, and I could live with that too, albeit reluctantly as we need experience in our team.

Ox might develop into a good replacement for Jack, but I reckon, like Cazorla, he would also play at his best behind the central striker in a 4-4-1-1 formation. And the same goes for Podolski, in my opinion.

So it is Jack for me from the current crop of players, but what about those players we have been linked with on more than one occasion: Jovetic, Isco and Benzema?

Of all those players, taking into account the question of this post and my assumption that Arsenal will continue with 4-2-1-3, I am most excited by Jovetic playing ‘in the hole’. He seems a very good mix between attacking midfield play and being a shadow striker. I can see him play at Arsenal in that pivotal position with Jack behind him as the box-to-box midfielder and a beast of a DM next to Jack.

Jack and Jovetic could take turns in ‘the hole’ role, or both fitted into the team as mentioned above.

Isco, from what I have seen (not much) and heard (quite a bit, thanks to HH and others), seems to fit best in ‘the hole position’ of a 4-4-1-1 formation, or on the wing in our current formation. And Benzema looks like a proper CF to me, who could also probably play behind the main striker in a 4-4-1-1 formation.

So Jack or Jovetic ‘in the hole’ for me next season, but do you agree? And if not, who do you believe should play as our most advanced midfielder next season?

Written by: TotalArsenal.