The (not so) Super Hoops were officially relegated last week and for them the game is more or less meaningless. However, a number of individuals, knowing that the game is televised as well, will want to use the last opportunity this season to showcase themselves, with a desperate hope that somebody will come and save them from Championship football.
And with HR saying today that nobody should expect QPR to go back up straightaway and that they might even do a ‘Wolves’ next season, I reckon he will have managed to scare them all into finding another club as soon as possible – and help the club to reduce the wage bill considerably in the process.
It looks like QPR find themselves in a horrible mess and who knows how it all will end…
Let’s hope that the likes of Julio Cesar (or Green), Taarabt or Remy, etc do not produce a ‘world-class’ performance against us on Saturday, as we could really do with QPR taking it easy.
I cannot help but feel that Arsenal are running on their last legs at the moment, especially up-front. As expected, Giroud’s suspension means we need to adjust our attacking formation and game plan. Arsenal are often slow to adjust to a key player missing out for a while (Mertesacker and Arteta’s injuries last year come to mind), and it remains to be seen whether our attack will be well-drilled, focussed AND potent once more against the Hoops.
Key question is therefore, who will start up-front: Theo, Pod or maybe even Gervinho?
Many have questioned whether Podolski is fit enough to play in the central striker position at the moment, and I have a feeling he will not start tomorrow but is likely to be used as a substitute. Theo on the wing has not done much for us recently, and I have a feeling he will start centrally tomorrow.
This leaves us with ‘the wingers’. I reckon QPR will sit back a lot and make it hard to penetrate them through the middle. Therefore, good wingplay is key, which in my view means that either Gervinho (my preference) or Ox will start – maybe even both?! But playing Gervinho – Theo – Ox together is untried and therefore risky; it would also mean Arsene would have to leave two of Jack, Santi and Rosicky out of the starting line-up – assuming that Wenger won’t tinker with the Arteta-Aaron axis in midfield.
So, who will start up-front and in the hole tomorrow. With a meagre two goals in our last three PL-games, Wenger will have to choose as many players as possible who can score a goal (or two) tomorrow, and yet he will need to have a threat from the wing(s) as well. I am going with Cazorla – Theo – Ox up-front.
This leaves me with the question who will play behind them: Jack or Tomas…. Not an easy choice right now. If Tomas is fully fit, I reckon he’ll start with Jack replacing him after 60-70 minutes. Jack does not look fully fit to me at the moment, but if he has been training well this week, he could start against QPR…. I go for Tomas.
As said above, I expect Ramsey and Arteta to play behind the attackers and in-front of our back four. Our back four will probably have Koz and BFG as our CB’s, and I reckon it will be Nacho on the left this time and Jenkinson on the right.
The full backs will be very important tomorrow as we need drive, confidence and quality contributions by them – both in defence as well as in supporting our wing-play. I am going for Nacho because Wenger seems to alternate between him and Gibbs from one game to the next, and for Jenkinson, because I reckon Sagna needs a little break and we could really do with the Finglishman’s drive and tenacity tomorrow.
My predicted line-up in summary:
I am desperately hoping for a focussed, energetic and powerful display by the entire team, and taking all three points home tomorrow. Arsenal did not manage to win any of the last six away games in the league against QPR (L2 D4), so fingers crossed we’ll break that mini-trend tomorrow.
Over the course of the last week, one particular rumor caught my attention and my imagination (as I imagine it did for a lot of Gooners): Cesc Fabregas might be made available for sale. Initially I took it with a pinch of salt, as the said rumor keeps coming up again and again only for it to be shut down and Cesc to score a couple of goals for Barca. But this time, somehow, it seems a tad more viable. Having said that, it may turn out to be another damp squib, but I’m indulging my imagination happily for now.
So yes, Cesc is unhappy that he is not playing regularly. He’s also lost out on Pep, who’s moved to Bayern, and apparently Cesc is not getting along well with the new manager, who it appears wants to make the side better but without Cesc as the central force. So Barca might look to sell Cesc, and Cesc himself might want that considering that he would want to play regularly keeping in mind the upcoming big tournaments for the national team.
So what can possibly happen? Cesc may go to Bayern to be reunited with his childhood hero, Pep, or Cesc may be go back to Arsenal. Oh and Cesc apparently has been looking for a place in London. So there!
Now before I go on, I would LOVE to see him back. It would be a statement of intent more than anything else, and a statement of intent from Arsenal right now, for me is as good as winning a trophy (hopefully it can lead us to winning an ACTUAL trophy as well).
Back to my train of thought: Arsenal have the first right of refusal for Cesc and if the above situation were to arise, it would be an interesting dilemma for Arsene, Arsenal and Cesc.
The first problem would be the fact that Cesc could cost around 30-35 mn, with a wage of 110k +. If Theo gets 100k, then surely Cesc will want more.
The second problem is the fact that the timing is all wrong. We already have a very talented midfield with Jack doing well, Ramsey coming back to form, Rosicky and Arteta forming a solid experienced base and Santi delighting more often than not. Add to this list Theo and Poldi, and we’ve got an abundance of riches (a few of which aren’t doing as well as they should, but still…). So the issue becomes why would you need a creative MF? Where would Cesc fit in? You’d surely not drop Jack for Cesc. But interestingly we were linked with Gotze and currently being linked with Draxler, and operating from a viewpoint of some smoke where there is fire, as well as Arsene’s continued maintenance of the fact that he’d buy anyone who’d improve the squad, then we can perhaps conclude that Arsene himself has been looking into the creative midfielder scenario. Perhaps he has something in mind in terms of formations or player rotations for next season.
The third problem is the budget of 60-70mn that Arsene apparently has for players and new wages. Add to this the departures of Arshavin and a few others, and perhaps we would have another 4 – 8 Mn in yearly wages (assuming Arshavin is on 80k a week).
The fourth issue is the supposedly advance negotiations with Steven Jovetic, who would cost around 25Mn and have wages around the 90k mark (I presume of course).
The fifth issue is that Arsene supposedly is also on the lookout for a Keeper, a DM and possibly a defender and a forward. Now the money’s starting to look thin.
Finally, the above conjecture can only come into play if we make it to the Champions League, which I’m fairly confident we will (touch wood).
So the question becomes whether we even need Cesc or not? Given that Jovetic is apparently close, and he was being touted as a good finisher and a forward player. Now my issue with the said is that Jovetic, I don’t think is the answer to our goal scoring woes. From what I can gather, Jovetic is a false no 9 player, something of a Bergkamp. It appears that he is better in playing in the hole rather than being up front, or possibly being the second striker in a 4-4-2 formation. If were to get Jovetic, we’d have a similar conundrum as the one spelled out above with regards to our talented midfield.
My take on it is that Cesc needs to be looked at as a false no 9 player as well, rather than a creative MF player in our formation. At Barca and for Spain he’s played that role time and time again, and his finishing has certainly improved. For me, if indeed Cesc is available and if indeed Jovetic is being targeted, we need to choose one of the two, and not both. If we were to get both, we’d be spending up to 60mn in transfer fees alone and not getting the best value out of it.
Given the choice, I’d always pick Cesc. Partly, I speak out of sentimentality, but partly I speak as someone who’s seen Cesc play regularly and have seen the love he has for our club and how he can capture the imagination of the fans. This article here (http://1nildown2oneup.net/the-greatest-goal-makers-in-the-premier-league-revealed-and-is-fabregas-yet-to-add-to-his-tally/) paints a very interesting picture as Cesc being in the same league as Henry and Bergkamp in terms of the all time assists in the EPL. So even though Jovetic appears to be class as well, is 10mn cheaper, will get less wages, is a couple of years younger, I’d put forward the case of Cesc returning.
Now if Cesc returns, then 35 mn are gone out of the 60-70mn kitty. Our player departures will help us in terms of the wages for Cesc, so we’re still left with 25-35mn in the kitty. This amount is just about enough to get a 12mn rated DM, a 10mn GK and a 10mn forward. I’m not going to throw multiple names in the list, as we’ve been linked with everyone and anyone, but I will mention one name. Loic Remy of QPR may be available for 5mn. Now I would love to hear what you guys think about him as I personally haven’t been much impressed, so I’m not sure if he’d be a good intake. We have also been linked with Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin who appears to be a good prospect. There are also the French DMs we have been linked with and Wanyama, so there are quite a few options. Personally, if we can also get in Ashley Williams I wouldn’t be disappointed, although I think that would mean the end of TV which I wouldn’t be too keen on. I think he still has quite a bit to offer us.
My proposed formation/squad for next season is as below:
Would it not be sweet if Aaron were to score once again the winner against the Mancs?
Let’s show the grey-haired broody woman with the boy inside what class means! + Line- Up
We have spoken enough about our match against the Mancs over – the last few days, so this pre-match will be short and sweet.
I have no doubt that our team will be really up for this and we’ll see a tremendous progress from when we played MU last. Arsenal have gone through a long, and often painful, transition but there are strong signs that our current crop of players are getting it together now. We are nowhere near the sort of football that Wenger wants us to play but the foundations of a good team have become clearly visible. And these are mostly reflected in my predicted line-up for today’s game:
A settled back-four with good back-up as well;
A goalkeeper who appears to have re-established himself;
A solid and safe anchor in our double DM positions which includes our new captain;
A choice of three in the pivotal role of advanced AM – Jack, Tomas, Santi;
An attacking formation based around Giroud in the centre with freedom for the ‘wingers’ to move around the pitch;
A more conservative style of play with seven players mainly focussing on defending and possession of the ball, and four predominantly concentrating on bringing home the bacon.
There should be no doubt that Bould and Wenger will build further on the above during the summer, in order to get us back to Wengerball again, for which further quality will have to be added as well. The basis is looking a lot better than when we played the Mancs last time, and I reckon this will show today.
There are so many things to look forward to today.
How will Nacho and Cazorla – I reckon they will start on the left today – cope against the strongest opposition in the PL? How will the ‘fluid-three’ up-front work? Or will Pod play in the Giroud role and stay centrally? Will Theo finally have a good game again and show us all what he is capable of – might he even start in the middle today? How will Aaron and Mikel cope in the double DM-anchor against the Mancs, and will the Mancs target Arteta as our ‘weakest’ link again? How will the back-four cope with the Mancs’ versatile attackers? Will Szczesny have a top game today? How will the Pod deal with the added pressure of being the ‘main man’ today? Will we be able to dominate the game and play our passing game? Etc, etc.
Well, whatever the outcome of the game, let’s hope the boys really, really fight for this one and give everything they got. Once the whistle blows there will be no respect for the Mancs and we’ll fight them on every inch of the pitch. We need three points, we need a top performance of all eleven players, we need to restore some pride, and we need us, the supporters, to give their all in standing behind the team today.
Let’s show the grey-haired broody woman with the boy inside what he deserted last summer!
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.
Giroud has often disappointed many Arsenal fans this season.
Every Arsenal fan knows that Wenger will buy a new striker in the summer, but many fans are split on what role they want this striker to have at Arsenal; whether that be playing with Giroud, replacing Giroud from our starting line-up and being our main striker, or being a squad player and rotating with Giroud.
Giroud is our only out and out striker at the club with Chamakh and Bendtner out on loan and likely to be sold at the end of the season. People may point out that Walcott, Gervinho and Podolski have played as the main striker many times this season, and we may see one of these players used there permanently next season, but I feel this is unlikely. They will be needed to play out wide next season, and Wenger has also stated that he feels Podolski plays better out wide, and we know that in certain games where teams defend deep, Walcott can be ineffective as our main striker.
When it comes to Giroud there are generally three view expressed by fans. I will explain these views to you in more detail.
The first is that Giroud is the right man to be our main striker and has the quality, desire and workrate to become a brilliant striker for us but; as this is his first season in the Premier League, he is taking time to adapt and needs to be given time to settle if he is going to become a great striker for Arsenal. Giroud cannot be expected to perform brilliantly in every match he plays in his first season in the Premier League. Another striker is needed at Arsenal in order to take some of the pressure away from Giroud to perform in every match he plays in.
The second is that Giroud is just not good enough to be our first choice striker and no matter how much time he has to adapt to the Premier League, he will never be good enough to be our first striker. He lacks the composure in front of goal which means he will never be able to score lots of goals to become a great striker for us. He is only good enough to be a squad player and nothing more.
The third view expressed by fans, is that, Giroud has all the qualities needed to become a great striker for us but he is not getting the support which he needs. And in the summer transfer window Wenger needs to buy another striker who can play alongside Giroud with the skill set and technical/physical attributes, which will allow this new striker and Giroud, to complement each other when playing for Arsenal.
The question is now, whether Wenger is buying a new striker with the thought that he will replace Giroud from the starting line-up, play alongside the Frenchman in the starting eleven, be rotated with Ollie in the starting line-up, or to deputise for him next season.
I feel when Wenger does buy another striker in the summer he will not permanently replace Giroud from the starting eleven. I see Wenger rotating Giroud with the new striker, although the new striker may be given a slight preference to the starting line-up.
As Arsenal fans we may disagree on our opinion of Giroud, or what role at Arsenal a new striker is needed for, but we can all agree that Wenger needs to buy another striker in the summer, which I am sure he will do.
Taking what I have said in this post into consideration, could you tell us the names of any strikers you would like to see at Arsenal, what you think they could offer to Arsenal (how they would solve our attacking problems) and what role you would like them to have at Arsenal.
However there are three conditions you have to take into consideration when coming up with your choice of striker:
The striker you choose should have an affordable transfer fee that Arsenal would be able to pay.
The striker you choose should have affordable wages that Arsenal would be able to pay.
Your suggested strikers should have good reason to come to Arsenal/have a very good chance of coming to Arsenal. If writing any other comments, I would like you to take this question into consideration.
Do you want a new striker to replace Giroud from the starting eleven, play alongside Giroud in the starting eleven, to be rotated with Giroud in the starting eleven or do you want Giroud to remain as our main striker next season with a new striker being Giroud’s deputy?
Wanyama is the sort of DM Beast we have been missing this season.
Arsene Wenger’s comments about no longer needing a traditional defensive midfielder at Arsenal have been well publicized. His theory is that the modern game demands balance and for all players to collectively attack and defend, opposed to being “purely specialists”.
This theory has been met with little success in important Cup/CL games, as well as against the top clubs domestically. In the majority of those games that we have lost, we failed to settle in early because of shaky defensive starts, and/or were bossed in the midfield by stronger and more physical presences (Ramires of Chelsea, Schweinsteiger of Bayern and Parker of Tottenham are the most notable). It was clear in those games that a proper, traditional holding player would have helped to counter both the strength of their defensive midfielders, as well as the creative talents on the opposition’s side.
Also, one must consider that our best performances have come in games where we have played rather compartmentalized, with our more attacking-minded players focusing on offense and a demand for all our players to track back, while our defenders be disciplined at our own end, only joining the attack when need be. This pattern was evident during our early season successes, in addition to the recent upward trajectory in our performances since the draw against Liverpool. The correlation is no surprise, since I believe we lack the personnel to properly play the type of football that Wenger envisions for this squad.
There is some truth to AW’s theory that the modern game has and continues to evolve. A midfield “enforcer” will be useless unless the individual is either well disciplined and/or has the technical ability to protect the ball and find his teammates further up the pitch. At Arsenal, we have a very capable player in Arteta based on AW’s defined role for a holding player, in that he is intelligent, anticipatory, disciplined and efficient with his passing. However, what AW fails to realize is how much better we could be if Arteta had pace, strength and the ability to play any variety of pass (short, long, over the top etc.), in addition to the skill set he already has. However, this breed of player is certainly rare, and to ask this from Arteta would be absurd when you factor in his age and natural playing position.
The old-fashioned approach is to employ a classic double defensive midfield spine, such as WBA, Athletico Madrid, Malaga, AC Milan, Bayern Leverkusen etc. with both midfielders generally sitting back to protect the back four and only attacking when necessary; while other clubs have switched to a formation with two attacking midfielders and one designated holding midfielder, such as Swansea City, Ajax, Barca (the Catalans has played this formation for a long time) etc, to take advantage of the creative talents in their central midfielders.
Finally, there are teams like Bayern, Manchester City and Real Madrid who play with two central midfielders, taking turns in attack and sitting back, with one generally being given the responsibility to carry the ball up field to transition the attack, better known as the classic box-to-box midfielder. All of these clubs heavily rely on the players designated as traditional B2B midfielders and all of which are world-class talents (Schweinsteiger, Yaya Toure and Xabi Alonso).
The traditional box-to-box position, or ‘Vieira role’, requires an individual to have outstanding endurance, strength, ball control, pace, creativity and mental strength on both offense and defense. It is by far the most physically demanding and mentally draining position in football, which also requires an elite level of skill to consistently be effective and dominate at both ends of the pitch. Because of how rare it is to find the perfect blend of skill and natural physical gifts, I am led to believe that the traditional B2B midfielder is a dying breed. I believe teams have switched to either a dual DM set-up or a sole DM with two AMs, due to all the aforementioned reasons.
However, as the modern game continues to evolve, so has the box-to-box midfielder position. The modern day B2B midfielder is not expected to carry the ball up field as often, and mainly joins the attack through a flat passing system. This allows the B2B midfielder to evade the direct attention of the opposition and experience less physical strain when running up and down the pitch. Teams like Juventus, Chelsea PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Everton etc. commonly incorporate such a midfielder in their starting formation.
Then there are the clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United who have seemingly gone back and forth between all the aforementioned strategies this season, adapting based on the personnel available to them and the strength of the opposition. However, I believe this “versatility” has more to do with lacking the right personnel in the squad (whether it be injuries or not having the proper DMs in the squad) to consistently play one way than adjusting based on the opposition.
If we quickly examine the statistics of goals conceded among these five clubs without a true DM or a consistent formation in center of the park, compared to the other domestic top clubs (Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton), there may be some truth in the theory that Arsenal are in need of a proper DM, or a more stable DM set-up:
Club
Games Played
Goals Conceded
1 Goal Games Lost
Manchester City
30
26
2
Manchester United
30
31
3
Chelsea
30
32
5
Arsenal
30
33
5
Everton
30
35
3
Tottenham
31
38
6
Liverpool
31
40
3
One must keep in mind that some clubs approach the game more defensively and that the statistics are not purely based on the effectiveness of Chelsea and Manchester City’s defensive midfielders. City is widely considered to have the best goalkeeper and strongest back four in the EPL, while United have conceded less goals than Chelsea, but the latter are in fourth, despite only conceding one more goal than them.
In the case of Chelsea, Ramires, who is recognized by most as Chelsea’s best DM option, has only started 21 games due to the rotation policy of the FSW. Of Chelsea’s 7 losses this year, he only started 4 of those games, half of which were to the current top 2 clubs. Again, it’s not the most telling sign that a quality, proper DM is at the foundation of a club’s success, but it’s definitely something worth keeping in mind.
Also worth pointing out, is Everton’s record of conceding fewer goals than Tottenham despite working with considerably less. The trio of Fellaini, Gibson and Osman in the heart of Everton’s midfield has worked wonders for them this season. However, it’s worth nothing that the Toffees have always been known for having a stingy defense, which matches the club’s reputation in the transfer market.
What do these statistics mean to Arsenal? Well, if one takes into account our goals scored domestically this season (59), we will all see that goal scoring has not been a huge issue (though consistent goal scoring in clutch situations is a different matter altogether and not what my article focuses on). However, together with Chelsea and Tottenham, Arsenal has a high number of games lost by 1-goal margins. 5 games lost represents anywhere from 5-15 points in the table, and if we look at the current table, Arsenal could be as high as 3rd if we were able to come out with draws in those contests.
It is my opinion that a true beast of a DM would have helped us to gain more points in those 5 games lost by a 1-goal margin. While it is true that there were several parties at fault in those games lost by 1 goal (i.e. lapses by GK or DEF, turnovers etc.), it never hurts to have a proper presence helping to protect the back four. The DM could have aided in stabilizing the back early in games, allowing everyone to settle into the game and the creative players to focus more on offense. Clearly, as the other teams stand now, Arsenal would have a distinct competitive advantage if we were able to acquire a proper, beast of a DM this summer.
So what is the best foundation for Arsenal to build on going forward?
As I stated earlier, I believe Arsenal should abandon asking any central midfielder to play the traditional box-to-box role, simply because we lack a player with the talent to perform at such a level, while maintaining a clean bill of health. In addition, efficient and elite, traditional box-to-box midfielders are increasingly rare to find and we lack the resources/recent success to lure the caliber of player like Schweinsteiger, Yaya Toure or Xabi Alonso.
The dual DM set-up, similar to that employed by Juventus, is an intriguing option since we already have a deep-lying playmaker in Arteta who could eventually mirror his game after Pirlo. However, in Vidal, Juventus have the ideal, modern day DM that Arsenal currently does not. Vidal is not only aggressive, a tough tackler, has the strength to knock a player off the ball and the ability to strip them of it, but also the goal scoring instincts, ball control, passing range, pace and endurance to run up and down the pitch for the duration of an entire match. He’s a versatile midfielder who contributes at both ends of the pitch, without the burden of having to also transition the attack with the ball at his feet (as a traditional B2B midfielder is expected to).
Thus, I would be happy to continue in Arsene’s favoured dual DM pivot set-up, with the caveat that none of our players be expected to play as a traditional box-to-box midfielder. The injuries we’ve accumulated by forcing players into this role are astonishing and it’s clear that the perfect balance between talent, physicality, mental endurance and ability to remain injury-free is non-existent in this squad. The set-up Arsenal was most successful with last season was with Arteta and Song interchanging between attacking and defending, with Song performing more of the modern box-to-box role, only sitting back to defend when Arteta joined the attack.
Based on our pattern of success this season, there is considerable merit in pursuing a compartmentalized strategy for the rest of this season and going into next year. However, I believe if we buy a technical, traditional DM this summer that we can afford to play with two attacking midfielders and only commit one central midfielder to a primarily defensive role. This will effectively eliminate our current, unsuccessful dual DM pivot set-up (ineffective against top clubs for the most part anyway), where one midfielder is forced to play in a traditional B2B role (i.e. Jack and Diaby), in order to compensate for the lack of a true DM.
Let me be clear though that buying a proper DM does not mean that I believe our attacking players should not honour their defensive responsibilities and avoid playing a collective team game.
The purchase of a traditional DM will only serve to better protect our back four, help slow down and outmuscle the opposition in the middle of the pitch, while unleashing the creativity up field.
I’m also a fan of the dual DM set-up at Juventus (aka the set-up we established last season), so long as we can find the ideal beast to play alongside a deep-lying playmaker like Arteta. However, based on the style of football Wenger wishes to achieve at Arsenal, i.e. the flowing and beautiful approach, we may be better off shifting to a 4-1-2-3 formation with two attacking midfielders, much like other clubs that have adopted the same philosophy (ex. Ajax, Swansea City, Barca etc.).
Have your say: What DM set-up do you believe would be the best for Arsenal?
Santi has scored four in his last five games for Arsenal – Let’s hope he will continue his fine form tomorrow! 🙂
A week without Arsenal playing football can feel very long around this time of the year. It is a real shame we are out of all cup competitions and only have the league to supply us with the much needed footie-drugs. However, the waiting is over as we will be playing the Baggies at the beautifully named The Hawthorns tomorrow afternoon.
There can be only respect for Steve Clarke. With Villa fighting for survival at the bottom of the league and Birmingham playing a division lower, WBA are punching well above their weight at the moment. The Baggies BoD obviously know how to select and attract high calibre managers, and although Clarke is not a big name as such, he clearly is doing a fantastic job at the moment. Of course, this is only Clark’s first season, and as his counterpart at Villa will know, a manager can go from rising star to having to endure a season-long dogfight from one season to the next.
West Brom are in a not too dissimilar position as Swansea at the moment. They are save and know they have done relatively very well this season. It is now all about finishing as high as possible in the table, but that is not necessarily the best driver for starting a game really motivated. Arsenal on the other hand, are fighting for every point till the end of the season, and a win tomorrow will put us, at least for 24 hours, above Chelsea in a Champions League spot.
That is the sort of incentive that should get the boys really up for tomorrow’s encounter, and I expect us to be hungry and focussed from the start. Despite Theo and Jack’s continued absence, and Diaby being out for the rest of the season, Arsene still has a strong squad to choose from. He will even have to disappoint a number of players who have had plenty of first team football already this season.
Defence
I reckon Arsene will start the same back-five as he did against Reading last week. I am pretty sure the central triangle of GK and CB’s will remain unchanged: Fabianski – BFG – Koz. Arsene has the luxury of having four quality and fit FB’s to pick from; I reckon he’ll go with experience and pick Sagna and Monreal, but he could surprise us once again, with going for either Jenkinson or Gibbs, or both, in tomorrow’s line-up.
Midfield
I am going for Arteta and Ramsey in the double pivot, and I reckon they will be given instructions to play once again conservatively: stay close together and in line, and focus hard on keeping it tidy in front of the defence. For Arteta this comes naturally, but Ramsey will once more have to play really disciplined. In front of the Spanish-Welsh pivot, I am expecting Rosicky to direct our play tomorrow. Rosicky’s experience and ability to give our team focus and shape will be much needed against the Baggies.
Attack
I would love Podolski to start up-front, but I reckon Arsene will stick to what he has preferred most of the season, and play Giroud in the CF position instead. I would also like to see Gervinho start with either Cazorla or Podolski on the other wing, but I feel that Arsene will want to start with both Pod and Cazorla on the wings, which means Gervinho, and also the Ox, will miss out tomorrow.
Arsenal won five out of their last six PL games and let’s hope we’ll make it six out of seven tomorrow. However, WBA have lost only four out of their fifteen home games until now, so it won’t be easy. There is no time for complacency: only a fully committed and focussed performance against The Baggies will give us a good chance to come back with all three points. Anything less and it could all turn sour again.
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?
I’m a fan of Wenger, but over the last 8 years, he has come into a lot of criticism for his unwillingness to change from Plan A; criticisms which not even the most ardent Wenger supporter could fully refute. On the flip side, I do believe he comes under excessive criticism from some sectors over his stubbornness, the reason being his changes are normally subtle; rather than substituting or changing systems, he would rather change players’ roles or moves.
I also pose the question that if Wenger was such a poor tactician – as some fellow Gooners believe – we would not be the best second half team in the premiership this season; as it is in second halves when in-match tactical changes tend to show really well.
Despite my support, the defensive frailties are a tactical issue that Wenger has not really addressed for the vast portion of the season – much to the frustration of our fans, who grew wearisome of watching a Vermaelen cock-up that Mertesacker couldn’t keep up with to stop. Times were looking bleak until finally, at the Allianz Arena in Munich, it appeared that Wenger rectified the mistakes he was making at the back. The first question is why? What caused the change in system that had been plaguing our defence?
First things first, it is clear that in Munich we had nothing to lose. With no Wilshere, our midfield threatened to be overrun; we had lost 3-1 at home and were no longer under the illusion we could win this game stylishly. For once our team had the luxury of going for broke, and Wenger took it with both hands. With a team who had come under a lot of fire for shoddy-defending, Wenger saw the chance to try something new against top class opposition.
Secondly – The Tottenham loss and the missing game against Everton. Mertesacker spoke about how the Tottenham game caused the defence to have a closer look at their issues. I believe the break that was enforced due to Everton’s FA Cup game massively contributed to its effectiveness, as it gave the players a longer time to reflect.
In what was considered our biggest game of the season, two high-profile Vermaelen errors gave us the excuse to drop our captain – giving the now-impressing Koscielny his chance. I know it maybe too early to draw conclusion, but the Bayern game seemed to show me that the more disciplined Koscielny is a far better partner to Mertesacker than the gung-ho Vermaelen.
But what caused us to stick with Bould-ball? Well, quite clearly the performance against Bayern. Now I’m not just talking about the fact that we won, the crucial part of the win was that we scored twice, and could well have had an ONSIDE Walcott 3rd , or narrowly–missed Gervinho 4th. There is no point dwelling on the missed chances, but the point is that when fans watched the game they were thoroughly entertained, watching a defensively focused team that produced a game that in no-way could be labelled as anti-football.
Swansea, a fairly attacking team, then faced us next.This could not have been timed better; a slightly weaker team that like to attack enough to allow us to test out our new system once again. Despite early errors, we showed over the 90 minutes how sturdy our defence can potentially be. In spite of the praise received for the result, there is still reason to worry as questions can be raised as to when the system is effective. The deeper 4-2-3-1 sacrifices something in the attack, and that should be kept in mind when we are facing opposition that will look to lock us out. For example, don’t expect Reading or WBA to attack us like Bayern or Swansea.
My final and main reason I think this system will work, is actually due to the problems we’re having. The play is breaking down in the midfield; watching the silly passes, it seems to me that this is due to the lack of familiarity with the tactical style. It is very clear that our new defensive system requires our midfielders to step up. It is very plausible that in a few weeks we will still retain a serious attacking threat, without sacrificing our defensive strength.
You can view the decision to start dropping deeper as a negative way of playing, but I disagree: with more attacking fluency our team could play a beautiful attacking game, whilst maintaining defensive solidity. Others may disagree, but I believe we have the quality there, and as the crunch time approaches we might just be starting to show it.
Written by: Rohan
Rohan has recently started up his own Arsenal weblog: Ashburton Arsenal. It is a great blog with some fine articles for you to read, and I encourage you to have a look at it and a leave a comment on his site:
During the summer, Arsenal lost their best player, captain, top scorer and talisman to one of their fiercest rivals. Naturally this sent the fans into a frantic panic as for the umpteenth time a leader had jumped ship. Arsene Wenger uncharacteristically delved into the market and secured the signing of the French league’s top scorer, Olivier Giroud. This was met with mixed reactions because on one hand he had finished the season as the league’s top scorer and that is encouraging. On the other hand, this was his break-out season and his quality hadn’t yet been tested on a consistent basis. Players such as Andre-Pierre Gignac, who had one fantastic season and then faded away, came to mind.
He started the season on a frustrating note, missing sitters that ultimately cost us vital points, most memorably against Stoke and Sunderland. The fans were encouraged, however, because of his other contributions on the field. His tireless work rate and his intelligent movement did enough to convince everybody that his goal drought was just a temporary affair, as he was still adapting/in a transitional period.
Sure enough, the goals came. All through the season, Ollie has proved that he is more than capable of scoring goals. The main concern though is that he is too inconsistent to be relied upon. He will go a few games without scoring, and just when Arsene decides to drop him from the starting 11, he makes a mind blowing substitute appearance and obliterates our opponents (refer to his performance against Newcastle).
On one occasion, I argued that he goes missing in big games but his goals against Tottenham, Liverpool and most recently, Bayern put a dent in my argument. So what is Ollie’s real deal? Many Gooners I have interacted with, have this question lingering in their minds. I will have a go at trying to explain the enigma that is Olivier Giroud.
First of all, I would like to carefully examine his strengths and weaknesses. Giroud is a fairly simple character to analyze so this should be a pretty straight forward analysis.
His most profound strength is his height and aerial ability. Few players have the heading ability that Giroud possesses. His ability to control headers, even when the cross put forward is poor, is a marvel. His headed goal against Reading in that famous 7-5 win in the league cup being my best example.
Another feather in Giroud’s cap is his intelligent movement in and around the box. Many of his goals can be credited to his incredible movement and ability to lose his marker. Another strength is his physical strength, which can be credited to his size. This contributes greatly to his hold up play. Giroud has quite the shot on him, and his shooting technique is also impressive. Rarely does he mis-hit a shot when he has a clear sight at goal, whether in or outside the box. Finally, there is Giroud’s ability to pick a deadly pass, even with his back to goal: his assist for Lukas Podolski against Montpellier as ample evidence.
That said, his weaknesses are also rather conspicuous. His lack of pace on the ball being the most detrimental to his game. I cannot even begin to count how many times he loses possession in a match. He is also guilty of making poor passes which is a very frustrating trait. He often attempts complicated flicks that never end well. Finally, another frustrating trait he has, is his reluctance to fight for possession even when he is the one who lost it in the first place. How many times does he lose possession then casually stroll away like he did nothing? annoying to say the least.
Given what we know now, why is Ollie so inconsistent?
The answer to this, in my opinion is quite simple. Arsene does not set up the team to play to his strengths, and even Giroud himself tries to play the sort of football that muzzles his strong points.
Let me start with the team as a whole. Arsenal play an intricate, technical passing game which is all well and good, but as a whole our team are very poor crossers of the ball. So poor in fact that I tend to believe that when our players cross, they don’t have a player they are aiming at; rather, they punt the ball and hope for the best. Even the best crossers in our team are average, or maybe just a little above average at best. What’s even worse is that our poorest crossers (Sagna, Ramsey and Gibbs) are the two who most frequently end up in crossing positions.
You would imagine that given how good Ollie is in the air, Arsene would ensure that everyone is well trained in the art of crossing. Take a quick glance at Bayern: they acquired Mandzukic whose dominant quality is his aerial ability. Immediately, Jupp Heynckes ensured that everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY in that Bayern 11, can deliver a proper cross. As a result, he is currently the 3rd highest scorer in the Bundesliga.
Another failure on Arsene’s part is that he sets up the team in a way that he expects Giroud to play a big part in their build up play, often forcing him to come and collect the ball from deep, and getting him involved in intricate passing. Giroud is no RVP, and just because this worked with him doesn’t mean it will work with Giroud, and so far it hasn’t. It takes someone of RVP’s skill on the ball and mobility to pull off this kind of game, and quite frankly, Ollie isn’t that person.
Ollie’s game is most similar to Dzeko of Mancity. Mancini has set up the team in such a way that all he asks from Dzeko is to get in the box, fight for the ball and score. He has been reaping maximum dividends as a result. Another prime example is Drogba. When he first arrived at Chelsea, Mourinho noticed that his only attributes were his brute strength, ball control, pace and shot. He quickly rearranged the team, playing him as a lone striker and shifted tactics to suit his game. The rest is history.
I also said that Ollie is partly to blame. He is blessed with his fair share of strength and not only does he not use it to bully defenders, he lets players much weaker than him outmuscle him. He lacks the kind of aggression that made Drogba a nightmare to play against. Even when he is on the ball, he will opt to try and dribble or pass his way into space, rather than use his power to shield the ball from his opponents. Something he is not very good at, and as a result, defenders are able to keep him out of the game.
Arsene may believe that he has it in him to eventually play the Arsenal way. That may be so, but the only way he will get this out of him is by building his confidence. The best way to do this is to make him comfortable in the team, by setting them up in a manner that allows him to score goals. Then slowly, the rest will follow. Even for the sake of the team’s efficiency, it would help if Wenger played to his strengths.
Bergkampesque 