Tag: formation

Five positive developments for Wenger to turn things round

TotalArsenal

Whether we like it or not, we are going through another transitional period. Supporters have every right to be disappointed in the club for being once more in this position.

However, we are where we are, and there are some developments within the team and on the field which could play a major part in turning the season round for us anytime soon.

Arsene Wenger has been here more than once before in his career, and he has always managed to turn back to winning ways eventually – albeit without turning this into silverware at the end of the season for quite a while.

The season is still long, and although it looks like Arsene just cannot make this team gel and play in a cohesive and effective way, things could fall into place again in the foreseeable future.

Five developments that could turn things round for Arsenal:

  1. There has been an even spread of goals between our Arsenal strikers this season, and we are more than matching the strike-force of the Mancs at the moment. Theo scored 8, OG 6, Gervinho 5, and Podolski scored 5 too = a total of 24 goals in all competitions. The Mancs: van Judas scored 11, Hernandez 8, Rooney 3, Wellbeck 1 = a total of 23. It is now really important to start scoring more in the games that matter; especially in the Premier League. Giroud has started to do that, and with Theo back in the starting-11 and the Pod hopefully finding his form again, Arsenal should be able to increase the goal per game ratio in the PL significantly.
  2. The imminent return of Gibbs and Szczesny to our ‘five in defence’ should help us considerably in going back to the tight defence Arsenal had at the start of the season. Mannone did relatively well, but the return of the more experienced and demanding Pole will mean a step improvement for us; and the same goes for Gibbs who has been missed tremendously over the last few weeks. Arsenal still have statistically one of the tightest defences and there is every reason to believe we can get back to a period of solid defensive performances.
  3. The return of Jack Wilshere has made a big improvement to the team. In our 4-3-3 system, he plays in such an important position and he has all the skills to link our play together; to both support Arteta and Cazorla in their respective duties of protecting the defence and making things happen in attack. He is getting fitter by the game, and we simply are dependent on him in terms of keeping a good shape to our team and starting to play the way Wenger wants us to. Hopefully Rosicky will be fit soon too, so Jack and Santi can get a break now and again.
  4. Our wings will soon be in full flow again. 4-3-3 only makes sense when a team possesses aggressive wing-play. Last season we had Theo and Sagna forming a formidable partnership; and at the start of this season, we saw the development of fluent wing-play on the left between Gibbs and Pod. Just imagine both wings starting to operate at their full potential again: it would make a huge difference to our team
  5. Last but not least, we should hope for the possibility of us going on a winning run again. A good win against the Spuds could rekindle our season and lead to a run of good results. Our players could start clicking together all of a sudden, and there are no more inter-lulls to break up our momentum again.

Admittedly, I am trying to convince myself that all is not lost and Arsenal will turn this season round, but reading the above again, I can see how things could still fall back into place for us.

Total Arsenal.

Nobody wants to play on the wing: Arsene should switch to 4-5-1!

TotalArsenal

Gervinho is injured and will soon depart for the ACN, Theo does not want to sign a new contract until he is promised he will be played centrally, Podolski wants to play centrally as well, and Ryo is on loan at Wigan. Arshavin is no longer in Arsene’s plans and prefers to play centrally too, as does The Ox.

Nobody is passionate about playing on the wing except Gervinho and youngster Gnabry, and yet we play a 4-3-3 system in which good, classical wing-play is essential for it to succeed.

I have not totally given up on our 4-3-3 system, but without adequate wing-play and our midfield regularly being overrun by the opposition, I reckon it is the major reason why Arsenal look so shapeless, and are unable to dominate games as much as we used to do.

Just like during big parts of last season, Arsenal are currently no longer looking like the Arsenal we became so used to over the years. Gone are the times of total dominance in midfield and control of the game, and of creating a large number of chances in a single game. Our defence, midfield and attack work like individual units, and we are struggling to play as a whole team: a cohesive group of players who know what is expected of them, and what to expect of the others.

Ever since Chamakh was replaced by the then fit again van Judas, back in January 2011, Arsenal have played in the current 4-4-3 4-3-3 system. Arsenal have never managed to get above the 2.0 goals per game average, whilst the traitorous Dutchman was our main striker.

During the first half of the 2010-2011 season, Arsenal knew how to dominate games and we scored about 2.4 goals per game. We played 4-5-1 with Chamakh as our ‘holding striker’. Often playing with his back towards the opposition’s goal; he would shield the ball well, and allow the midfielders to bounce the ball of him in order to come closer to the goal and have enough time to pick a deadly pass, or attempt to score themselves.

I was convinced that Arsene would go back to our previous 4-5-1 system after the traitor was sold. With Giroud, Arsene has bought a better version of Chamakh, and with an overabundance of capable midfielders, it seemed logical to me he would revert back to this highly successful formation.

As 4-3-3 is not working, I would love it if Arsene reverted back to 4-5-1. We could play Giroud alone up-front – I am sure he would love that – but we also have the Pod who could play in such a system.

In midfield: Jack, Arteta and Cazorla are automatic first choices in the centre of the 5, whilst on the edges Arsene could play the likes of Santos, Coquelin, Ox, Podolski, Theo, Ramsey, and Rosicky and Diaby (if they ever get fit again!). On top of that, we have talents like Gnabry and Eisfeld coming through quickly and they would have a better chance to fit into a 4-5-1 system than in the current, tactically demanding, 4-3-3 system.

It would allow us to start dominating games once more, and with that, find our identity again.

Our defence would benefit massively as they would get a lot more protection from the solid midfield in front of them; whilst the wing-backs can enjoy themselves again with surging forward runs and effective wing-play – Gibbs, Sagna and Jenkinson are ideal for this.

As a team we would score more and the goals would be shared between the forward(s) and midfielders; making us less dependent on the strikers, as is the case in the current 4-3-3 system.

It would not take much for Arsene and Steve to restructure the team into a 4-5-1 formation, and I am pretty sure it would suit the current squad of players really well.

Total Arsenal.

Wenger’s major first-team selection headaches

TotalArsenal

Mannone or Szczesny, Theo or OG or Pod, Ox or Rambo, Pod or Gerv, Jenkinson or Sagna, TV or Koz?

Arsene Wenger is facing a number of major first-team selection decisions in the next weeks, in order to get his system of football working properly again.

Arsenal are going once again through a major transitional period, which was forced upon us predominantly by the traitorous departure of you-know-who. Various new players are being incorporated into a new system of football, and it should come as no surprise this is taking some time; although most of us were fooled – including this Gooner – into believing Arsene had somehow worked miracles in gelling together the new squad over the summer, after witnessing a number of fine team performances at the early start of the season. It just was too good to be true.

It is clear to everyone, we are going through another transitional period, and in order to get out of it as successfully as possible, Arsene is faced with a number selection choices for his ‘ideal’ first team squad.

I am assuming that Mertesacker, Arteta, Cazorla, Jack and Gibbs are automatic first team starters, but for the other six team positions first choice decisions have to be made.

Assuming everybody is fit, who would you make our first team starters?

Mannone or Szczesny

They are both young and relatively inexperienced, and are both promising talents. Vito had a number of fine performances recently, and Wojcieh has had a very rough patch in his football career since the Euros. Who is the biggest talent as well as the safest pair of hands, and who fits best with the rest of our defence right now?

Theo, OG or Pod as our main central striker

Van Judas’ enforced departure and the subsequent purchases of Podolski and Giroud, Theo’s continuous contract shenanigans, and the late arrival of Santi Cazorla, meant that, except for Gervinho, Arsenal had to incorporate into the team an entire new strike force.

Giroud has been our main man up-front, but Theo and Pod really want to play there as well, and Arsene has also tried Gervinho as our central striker. Many of us have suggested we should play two up-front: Giroud and Theo, Giroud and  Pod, or even Pod and Theo, but let’s assume Arsene is going to stick with our current 4-3-3 system this season; who would you play upfront and why?

Ox or Rambo (or Gnabry)

I personally still feel that Theo should be an automatic start on the right, but we know that his starting position is a major part of the current contract negotiations, and as a result, Arsene has seldom started him on the wing this season. We played Ox there and Rambo. The latter was played there if and when we felt we needed an extra body in midfield. Both have had mixed performances on the right, and I feel it is an area in which we need to strengthen during the winter-break. But who should Arsene go for until then: Ox, Rambo, or maybe even Gnabry?

Pod or Gerv

The left wing is the most natural position for Gervinho, but Podolski has been Arsene’s first choice LW in most of our games until now, with Gervinho regularly starting in the centre or on the right. The Pod looks utterly ineffective on the left without his twin-brother Gibbs supporting him, but the young Englishman has almost recovered from injury, so things could improve again for the feisty German. Who would you choose?

Jenkinson or Sagna

Well, this is probably the most difficult one to decide on. One is less experienced, but has done very well for us this season; the other has returned from a long injury and is a safe pair of hands for us. Jenkinson is the better crosser, but Sagna is the calmest and most composed of the two. Sagna had a great partnership with Theo last season, but Theo is not playing much on the RW anymore; who would fit best with your first choice right winger?

TV or Koz

That is another hard one to decide on for us, and TV’s captaincy difficulties do not make things any easier. Some might argue they should play together and Mertesacker should be left out, but I reckon that none of them can bring to the team what the big German is giving us at the moment. TV and Koz are very similar players and are great to have in our team, and I would struggle to choose between them, but who would get your vote?

I have deliberately not made any choices yet, as I don’t want to influence the debate too much today. However, I will post my choices later in the day.

Bergkampesque always welcomes contributions of (new) bloggers, so please don’t hesitate to comment. 🙂

Total Arsenal.

Big test for Jack, TV as LB, Theo or Coquelin, Pod instead of OG?

TotalArsenal

Full CL squad in Germany: Man-1, Shea, Sagna, Vermaelen, Arteta, Djourou, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Wilshere, Giroud, Cazorla, Santos, Podolski, Theo, Arshavin, Jenkinson, Coquelin, Chamakh.

Arsenal’s fourth CL game this season will be the biggest test we have had until now. A loss today is likely to have serious implications: psychologically, as well as practically. With a home match against Montpellier next, and an always tricky last away game against Olympiacos, we cannot afford to lose tonight. More than anything, our players need to find themselves again, to rediscover their spark, to get our system of football ticking again; to get in the groove, and to start believing again.

However much we would like it; there is no way Arsenal can go into this game with an ‘all guns blazing’ attitude. Schalke are simply set-up to deal with this, and will instead blast us away with deadly counter-football. That’s why – as predicted in my pre-match report a fortnight ago – we played so tentatively against them at the Emirates. Stevens is a mini-master at tactical preparation and his teams are always well drilled in keeping their structure and dominance across the team, and especially in midfield. Tonight will once again be the battle of midfield: Arsenal need to win it at all cost. But it won’t be easy.

If Arsenal will go out all guns blazing, we need to play at a murderous tempo and play a high-line to keep the pressure up. Schalke 04 will be hoping, we’ll just do that. As soon as they regain possession, they will aim to launch their wingers and central attacking midfielder – probably Afellay, Farfan and Lewis Holtby, but Draxler is also fully fit again – and, as we have all witnessed two weeks ago, in Huntelaar they have the quintessential goal poacher, who does not need many opportunities to gun us down.

Big test for Jack

I have no doubt that Arteta and Cazorla will start, and we know what we can expect of them. They are solid performers who will pull their weight tonight. I have no doubt that Arsene will play Jack tonight and it will be a big test for him, and I expect him to shine. He will need to sit quite deep; often on a line with Arteta to give us a good anchor in midfield. As the game progresses, he will be able to move forward more to support Cazorla: getting this balance right will be crucial in my opinion.

Jack has the potential to become as good as Fabregas and I reckon tonight we’ll see once again what a great prospect he is.

Vermaelen as LB?

Playing Santos again, after he had such a difficult game against the Germans a fortnight ago, would be a big risk. Arsene simply cannot afford to be complacent about it, and I reckon he will move TV into the LB position, and start Koz next to Mertesacker, which is currently the best CB-pairing.

If it was me, I would hand Mertesacker the captaincy and tell TV that from now on he will play as LB until Gibbs is back, but as Arsene does not bother that much about who is his captain, I reckon TV will keep the armband for the time being. The sooner he hands it back to Arsene, though; the better!

Theo must start, but it might be Coquelin at RM

So much has been written about our toothless-ness in previous games that Arsene has no choice but to shake things up a little bit. He is happy with our defence and our midfield is also strong, but Arsenal need to reinstall the wings in our attack, and sort out the wing-support from the full backs. Without it, we will simply have no impact on tonight’s game at all, as Schalke will be happy to deal with all our (predictable/one-dimensional) attempts through the middle. We simple need to mix things up again: to add some variety to our attacking football, and starting Theo is a must.

There are rumours he is ill, but he has travelled with the squad and we have no alternative to play him unless he is too ill. If that is the case, I reckon Coquelin is a strong contender to be played at RM. He has impressed me when he played there before and he is solid defensively, but, obviously, he is not a proper winger; although he is a decent crosser of the ball.

Podolski instead of Giroud?

I really hope we’ll see the Pod played centrally tonight: he is wasted on the left, especially now Gibbs is out. I like Giroud, but I reckon Podolski deserves a chance centrally now and I think he’ll do well there tonight. Giroud is a great player to have on the bench, and I am going to put my neck out by saying that Wenger will not play the – predicted by most – line-up of: Pod-Giroud-Theo.

As I said before, Arsene knows he needs to shake things up as he, like anybody else, is worried about our ability to create chances. Therefore my predicted line-up for tonight’s game is:

Sagna – Mert – Koz – TV—–

——Arteta—Jack————–

————Cazorla—————-

Theo(Coq)–Pod–Arshavin-

Come On You Rip-Roaring Gunners!!!!

Total Arsenal.

Arsenal – Man United: Exorcising our Demons

TotalArsenal

Today we return to Old Trafford (I’m not going to go into what happened last time we were there as I’m sure you’ve all since erased any trace of it from your memory! ). The bus has been packed with a Priest, Bomoh, Curandero, N’anga, Nganga, Quimbanda, Sangoma, Shaman, and a Witch Doctor in an effort to cast off any evil spirits that still linger.  We may have to resort to such drastic measures because our trips there in recent times have been quite dour. At the Emirates there was also the Arshavin for Ox debacle which saw boos rain throughout the stadium. Our last triumph at Old Trafford came via a Adebayor goal in the 06/07 season;  only Walcott remains from that squad.

Missing in Action:

Arsenal: Both Szczesny and Gibbs are back in training but are unavailable. Gervinho is 3 weeks away (ankle), Diaby (thigh), Fabianski (ankle), Rosicky (tendon), and Ox (Hip) is facing a late fitness test.

Man United: Missing several CB’s in Vidic, Jones and Smalling. The dangerous Kagawa is also out.

Predicted line-up:

Arsene has pulled a rabbit or two out of his hat in previous games against United (Song at CB, Szczesny in goal, Ramsey starting (and scoring), and Coquelin starting), but I expect the same line-up as the one that took on QPR last week. I’d love for Theo to start, but after 120 minutes against Reading I anticipate he with come on as an impact sub.

Giroud was red hot against Reading and I fell his introduction turned the game on its head. He needs to start because his fortitude and power will cause a threat for both Evans and the ageing Rio. Although I’m not the biggest fan of Ramsey out on the wing (worked far better with Yossi last season) I feel an extra body in midfield is needed to gain control in this match. Ramsey has an unrivalled work rate clocking up 6.86 miles last weekend against QPR, which is the second highest for our team this season (highest = Ramsey vs Man City with 7.01 miles).

Jack returning is a colossal boost for the team. His seamless transition last week was a joy to behold. He offers so match to the team both defensively and offensively and will only help Cazorla alleviate some of the burden he’s had to hold over the last few weeks. It also means that if Carrick attempts to shut out Cazorla our attack will not suffer as much as Jack can create plenty of opportunities.

Referee:

Mike Leslie Dean…bugger!

On that note, under the Wenger reign against Manchester United there has been a total of 9 penalties (2 for us, 7 for them). ALL at Old Trafford.

One to Watch:

Against Schalke Farfan ran riot down our left creating all sorts of problems for Santos. Today he will be facing a similar opponent in Valencia. He is very quick and dangerous if given time and space. This is only further compounded by Rafael Da Silva who also likes to get forward at every opportunity. Santos has to be on his best behaviour for us to be a chance of winning, there is no two ways about it, discipline! discipline! discipline! If he neglects his duties Podolski will have to worry more about defending (with Ramsey in the side we need him up top to offer support and a target), and Vermaelen will get pulled away leaving BSR room to move. If Santos does not guard his area then I give Bould permission to rough him up in any way he sees fit!

Key Match-up:

They have tussled before and today they square off again. In my opinion Vermaelen is the perfect defender for BSR, he can go with him anywhere, outdoing him in strength, speed and agility. Arsene did say the Emirates Cup match against Ajax is when he really took notice of Vermaelen so hopefully he can pocket him again. BSR has scored 7 goals with 3 assists in his 9 games so far this season continuing on from his form last season so Vermaelen along with Mertesacker (best tackle accuracy in the league, missing only 1 in 13 tackles) must not give him an inch, otherwise he will make us pay. We have the best defense in the league at the moment surrendering only 6 goals thus far, long may it continue. I’m not asking for Vermaelen to injure him (that would be very bitter and rude of me), I’m just asking if the opportunity arises to crunch him with a fair tackle then he should! If he somehow becomes injured then Karma does exist.

Pre-Match Finger:

My pre-match finger today goes to…Brave Sir Robin.

A lot has been made of his return against his former club. Arsene stated:

‘I hope it (reception) is a respectful one because he has played for us for eight years, and he has done very well for us.

‘We campaign against discrimination, it was still the case last week so why should it not be the case this week?’

Whilst Sir Alex has, rather naively suggested  that “If you think about all the former players who come back to Old Trafford, they always get a warm applause.

“I don`t think that will be a problem tomorrow, I think the fans will recognise the eight years he gave them and that will be nice.”

A warm applause…like hell Fergie! He will get a very hostile reception at Old Trafford and in my opinion he deserves every heckle, every obscenity, every rude gesture! Childish…yeah probably, rational…no not at all, but passionate…you bloody well bet we are!

We are angry and we will be spewing vitriol at you whether at home or at the game. Brave Sir Robin you lost your chance at legend status, let you be forever know as an injury plagued traitorous disappointment!

Prediction:

Sir Alex will no doubt use his usual tactic of soaking up pressure and trying to hit us on the break. If we stay disciplined, and convert our opportunities I see a 2-1 victory to the good guys. We will be riding the wave from the Reading victory, washing away all off our demons at Old Trafford.

Written by: Oz Gunner

Wilshere to start, Gerv-OG-Ox/Gnabry up-front, Santos or Jenkinson as LB?

TotalArsenal

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For tomorrow’s game against QPR, Arsenal need to do something different in order to break the horrible spell that has come over us since last Saturday. I am sure a lot of talking will have taken place between the players and the managers over the last few days, but such apparent lack of confidence and form within the team cannot be resolved by just talking things through. We need to see a few changes in our formation in order to drive the team forward again.

QPR have never been an easy opponent for us; according to the Guardian, they are statistically our least favourite opponents, next to Manchester United. This is only their second year in the PL, after a period of absence of 15 years, and as we all know they are bottom of the league, and therefore even more desperate for a result than we are right now. It is rumoured that Hughes made as many as 40 new signings since his arrival, but clearly things are not working out for him, and time is running out. I cannot say I am sorry about that, but I do feel for the Hoops in general at the moment.

We need to sort out the wings and the creative side of our midfield tomorrow, and we also could really do with keeping a clean sheet tomorrow. I wonder what our GK hero, David Seaman, who we once bought from QPR, makes of our current GK situation?! And what would we give to have him back – being in his early thirties again?!

So, what will be the team for tomorrow?

I cannot imagine Arsene playing Santos again tomorrow, in front of the home crowd. Santos is the sort of player who needs games, as he will gradually get better, but the risks are too high that a) he will be targeted by QPR, b) he is confidence is shattered, and c) the crowd will further exacerbate the situation with expressions of discontent with every mistake he makes. He also played two games in four days and I reckon he is not fit enough to play a third game in seven days. Therefore, I believe he will not play tomorrow and either TV will play on the left, or Jenkinson will be moved there, and Sagna will move back in the RB position.

In midfield, we need real, new impetus as both Arteta and Cazorla need help. Ramsey and Coquelin are both falling short in the lynchpin role at the moment, and I reckon Arsene will start with Jack. He simply has to do so tomorrow, as long as he is fit, of course. I am sure he will not play the whole 90 minutes but he will bring that much required extra-spark in midfield. If all goes well, Cazorla will get a lot more support in setting up attacks, and is allowed to play closer to our central striker. I reckon this is crucial in order to make our attack more potent.

In attack, I believe Podolski will get a break and start on the bench. Giroud in the centre only makes sense if we play with proper wingers, and that’s why I reckon Gervinho will start on his favourite left and The Ox will start on the right, if he is fit enough. If not, I reckon Gnabry will get a chance from the start. He might by young and inexperienced, but he will allow Arsenal to keep its natural shape tomorrow, and he will offer that extra bid of drive in our attack.

Predicted Line-up:

Mannone

Sagna – Mertesacker – TV – Jenkinson

Arteta – Wilshere

Cazorla

The Ox(Gnabry) – Giroud – Gervinho

Total Arsenal.

With a special thanks to VCC for providing background info on QPR (for whom he has a soft spot).

We Schalke overcome: if you are going through hell, keep going!

TotalArsenal

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Last night, Arsenal were toothless, idealess, dare-less, spark-less, wingless, driverless and leaderless. All the signs are that we have entered a mini-period of crisis and this is the time to unite behind the team; to live the value of Victoria Concordia Crescit.

Yet, I am pretty sure the opposite will happen today on the blogs and at the AGM.

I was very disappointed after we lost to Norwich on Saturday. Like many others, I did not see it coming and that’s when it hurts most. Last night, I was more prepared for a difficult game in which we could lose or draw. We carry injuries in a number of key areas, we lack form, a number of players have been played too much recently, and the normal automatisms are not working at the moment – an occupational hazard that comes with changing almost an entire team in the space of 24 months. And we were up against a very well-drilled, confident, quality team who deserve a lot of credit for the way they beat us last night. Anybody saying that Schalke is just a mediocre team that we should have beaten easily, does not know much about football.

I never thought Arsenal were insipid or lethargic last night. We are suffering badly from a lack of form and confidence: the machine, or system if you want, is not working in a number of places. This is mainly due to the aforementioned injuries (faulty parts) in key areas, currently non-functioning automatism (disconnected wires) and ineffective management decisions and interventions (wrong instructions).

As per recent posts, our wings are not working at all at the moment, and the lynchpin role between Arteta and Cazorla is lacking the quality so needed in our current 4-3-3 (4-2-1-3) system. Santos was not only a defensive liability yesterday, he also had very little to offer in an attacking sense. For the second game running, there was no partnership with Podolski on the left. Podolski is of course not a natural winger and he is heavily reliant on cooperation with both our LB and our creative, attacking midfielder in his current position. He needs the system to work, and it is not working at all on the left hand side at the moment.

As partly anticipated, Ramsey was played on the right and, just like Podolski, he is also not a natural winger. The only experienced natural winger we had, Gervinho, was played as a central striker, whilst we rested two central strikers and put one on the left wing! 😕

I was all for playing Gervinho in the centre in a fluid-three up-front but we needed at least one more proper winger in order to add a bit of variety and speed to our attack. In previous games we have used The Ox, and Theo as a sub, and although Ramsey is a safe pair of hands defensively, he cannot give us the width and threat of those guys. That’s why I hoped – and half expected – we would start with Gnabry on the right.

Coquelin and Arteta did not have a bad game defensively, but both failed miserably in offering some support to the once again isolated Cazorla. In midfield we looked so rusty and clueless and seldom or never dominated this crucial area. I personally dislike our 4-3-3 system as I feel it leaves players isolated in midfield far too often; not knowing who to pass to, whilst being hunted down by the opposition. But that’s for another post.

In a nutshell, we were once again without wings, creative support in the middle, and showed weakness at the back. On top of that, we lack form and confidence, and our system of football is not working with the current available squad.

So what to do?

For me, there are two options: wait till key players return and make the current system work again, or change our system/formation. Gibs & Pod on the left and Sagna & Theo on the right, with Diaby or Wilshere in the lynchpin position really will make a world of difference. As they are all due back soon, it might be worth hanging on to what we have got and know.

Alternatively, Arsene and Steve could decide to change the system altogether from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, or any other formation. I am sure we all have ideas about what would work best for Arsenal, and it would be good to hear your ideas now, or afterwards, in response to a post I will issue later this week, or next week.

These are testing times for all of us Gooners and many will demand the departure of Arsene, Gazidis, Kroenke and who knows else. But that is not the solution at this stage of the season.

We need to stick together and trust in the ability of Wenger and Bould to turn this round. Or to quote Winston Churchill: “If you are going through hell, keep going”.

Total Arsenal.

Gnabry to start, Coquelin or Ramsey, Gervinho instead of Giroud?

TotalArsenal

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What would we do during the dark, wet and windy, autumnal months without the prospect of top European football clashes involving the Mighty Arsenal?!

Football does not get much better than this. I cannot wait to see our red and white shirts take on the blue shirts of Schalke, on an immaculate, green pitch at the home of football, tonight. European football nights have always been special to me. I have fond memories all the way back to the late seventies and early eighties of cycling home from school with an incredible spring in my step, because that night there would be live footie on TV.

Some of the best European matches are often played at this stage of the CL-tournament, and tonight’s game against Schalke 04 promises to be a game of real quality – just like last year’s clash with Borussia Dortmund at THOF was a real treat for us all.

As I wrote yesterday, Schalke are a well-organised and strongly disciplined team, and will be well-drilled and prepared for tonight’s clash with Arsenal. They are likely to pressure us high up the pitch but will also be happy to soak up pressure; and they will be very dangerous on the counter, as they can make quick switchovers from the moment they gain possession – as Dortmund experienced so painfully at the weekend (they are as bitter rivals as we are with the Spuds).

Schalke will use their fast wingers on either side, but also make good runs through the middle, so Arsenal need to make sure not to lose possession cheaply, as they have the weapons to kill us on the counter; especially as we like to play with a high-line.

Our FB’s, Jenkinson and Santos (most likely) will get properly tested and they will need constant support from our wingers. However, the service needs to be reciprocated, as the wingers also need the support of the FB’s; if they are to get round the Schalke’s well-drilled defensive lines.

This brings us to two key selection conundrums: who is going to play on the wings, and which wing-FB pairs will be best tonight? The answers to these questions are linked to who we are going to play up-front: Giroud, Gervinho, or even, Podolski. The combination of the Pod left, Giroud in the middle, and the Swerve on the right, did not work at all on Saturday, and I am going to swim against the stream of most blogs today, and say we are not going to play with those three up-front tonight.

My gut-feeling is we will start Podolski on the left, Gervinho in the middle and Gnabry on the right, as this ‘fluid-three’ strike-force has worked really well for us, and the young German looks like a good replacement for The Ox or Theo, who are unfortunately unavailable tonight.

Another option is to put the Pod on the bench (he still is not 100% fit apparently), and play Gervinho on the left, Giroud in the middle, and Gnabry on the right. I reckon we are most likely to play Podolski because of his German footie experience, but I cannot see us start with both the Pod and OG tonight.

I am pretty confident that Gnabry will get to play on the right tonight, but it might not be as a starter. I would also not be surprised if we see Coquelin make an appearance on the right, or possibly Ramsey, with Coquelin playing next to Arteta in the middle.

Koscielny is apparently fit again but is unlikely to start. The other key selection conundrum is whether we should play Santos on the left. For me, he is the sort of player who needs to play regularly to get the best out of him, and once he gets going he is a good asset to have.

But we are missing Gibbs as he combines so well, and so naturally, with Podolski on the left. If Arsene wants to go save defensively, he could go for Jenkinson-Mert-Koz-TV, but this is unlikely to happen, and I think Santos will get another game, however risky this might turn out to be against the speed-merchants on the German wings.

The last area of concern is who is going to play between Arteta and Cazorla. This is a vital role and Ramsey struggled to make a real difference against Norwich. Diaby is still injured and Jack is apparently scheduled to play against QPR, so there are not many options for Arsene. It will have to be either Coquelin or Ramsey. Ramsey is the more experienced and often does well for Arsenal in European games, so it will probably be him.

Personally, I would go for 4-5-1 tonight, as that would give us a good chance to boss the midfield and prevent loss of possession as much as possible:

Mannone

Jenk-Mert-Koz-Santos

Coquelin-Arteta-Ramsey-Cazorla-Gervinho

Podolski

But Arsene is most likely to stick to 4-3-3, and on the basis of above mentioned conundrums, I reckon Arsene will go for:

Mannone

Jenk-Mert-Koz-Santos

Arteta-Ramsey(Coquelin)*

Cazorla

Gnabry(Ramsey)* – Gervinho – Podolski

* If Ramsey plays on the right wing, than Coquelin will play next to Arteta and Gnabry will be on the bench.

I hope we will not play with too high a defensive line, and that TV and Santos are fully focussed and can work in tandem to ensure a strong defence on our left. I am also hoping the wings work a lot better tonight, and that Cazorla will get plenty of support from either Ramsey or Coquelin – whoever plays tonight. Finally, I hope we will see far better movement around, and especially in the box, so Cazorla and co can create first-class chances for us again.

Obviously, we need to play at a high tempo if we want to trouble Schalke tonight, but also remain focussed and (defensively) disciplined throughout the game. I am going to keep a close eye on both Vermaelen and Mertesacker to see who is organising and leading the team tonight.

The big advantage Arsenal have, is their vast European CL-experience compared to Schalke and this combined with needing to bounce back, and playing at home, should help us to end up victorious tonight.

Of course we are all totally focussed on getting three points tonight, but let’s enjoy the ride. Tactically and technically this promises to be a very fine exhibition of football, and we will have to give our all to claim the three points.

Make sure your beers are extra cold and get yourself some quality pretzels: this is what we live for fellow Gooners. 🙂 😛 😀

Come on you Rip-Roaring Gunners!

 

Total Arsenal.

To all readers:

Although some bloggers might appear very familiar and informal with each others, please never hesitate to comment if you feel like it. Bergkampesque welcomes any contributions as long as they are made in a sensible and respectful way.

Have a go and make a comment, and you will find you’ll get a warm welcome, and it makes blogging a lot more fun! 😛

Three urgently needed improvements for the Schalke 04 game

TotalArsenal

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Will Gnabry get a chance on the right wing?

More Support for Cazorla – Better on-field Leadership – Sort out the Wings.

Just because we have seen a rat swimming in the sea, it does not mean the ship is about to sink. Arsenal played so well in recent away games against Liverpool, Man City and West Ham that we have no reason to despair as yet, even though our performance in and against Norwich was woeful.

Having had time to analyse the game in a bit more detail, I believe there are three urgently needed improvements Arsenal have to make for our game against Schalke 04 on Wednesday.

  1. More support for Cazorla in the centre of midfield. In our current system the lynchpin position is absolute key in terms of giving adequate support to Arteta – our more natural protector of the back four – and supporting Cazorla – our creative midfielder. Especially against teams who park the bus against us, we need a player who is good at defending, who can switch over to attack very quickly, can pick a good through-ball, and is confident with the ball in tight spaces. They need to be good passers and receivers of the ball and able to take on a player if possible. We have two very good players for this: Diaby and Jack, and two very decent players: Rosicky and Ramsey. All of them can also play in Cazorla’s position. If Jack is fit, we should play him against Schalke. If not, it will have to be Ramsey again. I thought he struggled against Norwich and he will have to step it up significantly if he is to make that role his own any time soon. Against Schalke he might get his last chance for a long while.
  2. On-field leadership needs to improve significantly. Some of you might recall my recent post about the perceived lack of leadership coming from Thomas Vermaelen. I reckon TV5 is struggling with the organisational and communicative tasks of leadership within the team. He leads well by example; although he often makes rash decisions – offensively as well as defensively – which put the rest of the team on edge, and in danger. I don’t think Thomas is a natural leader and he appears to be struggling with the new weight of responsibility on his shoulders. The sooner Arsene releases him of the captaincy responsibilities the better. I reckon Mertesacker would be a brilliant captain.
  3. Arsenal need to sort out the wings, if and when Giroud is being played in the middle. We need to stop being lop-sided towards the left, and have proper wing play on each side. It is either Giroud with proper wingers or no Giroud in our current system. Podolski is not a proper winger but a CF who can be positioned on the wing. In our ‘fluid-three’ system, Podolski does really well; especially when Gervinho is played in the middle and either one of The Ox, Theo or even Ramsey is played on the right. I prefer the fluid-three system at the moment, as it gives us far better movement up-front and it makes us a lot more unpredictable. But I would also like us to use Giroud more. However, playing Giroud with the Pod on the left and Gervinho on the right is not working at all, and I would be very surprised if Arsenal will use this combination again for a while. With the Ox probably out for Wednesday and Theo also a doubt, Arsene will be limited in his options. Podolski also appears to carry a knock and might be a doubt for Wednesday. Therefore, I would not be surprised – and also welcome it – if we were to start against Schalke with Gervinho on the left, Giroud in the middle and either Theo, The Ox, or Gnabry on the right – depending on who is fit enough to play.

I am sure the leadership thing will linger on for a while, as Arsene never seems to care that much about who is our captain. But the other two areas really need to be sorted out urgently in my opinion, if Arsenal want to return to winning ways.

Keep the faith fellow Gooners!

Total Arsenal.

No focus and disjointed all over the park: Arsene and Steve have a job to do!

TotalArsenal

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We have all learned over the years that supporting Arsenal is a roller-coaster ride, but last night’s unexpected woeful performance against the Canaries was nevertheless a painful stab in our Gooner hearts.

Away games after long inter-lull periods are often tricky for the top teams, as they have many internationals who only return late mid-week – often tired and carrying knocks – whereas the smaller teams tend to have lots of time to prepare for their home game with more or less the entire squad.

But of course, this cannot be a valid excuse, as we should expect Wenger and Bould to both make the right call on who is fit enough to play and make sure the team will start the game with the right game plan, focus and motivation.

As a team Arsenal failed miserably last night: the whole was definitely less than the sum of its parts.

I would struggle, though, if I had to pick a player who did not work hard enough yesterday. Individual work rates did not seem to be the problem – but as a team, something was missing. We never looked focussed or cohesive throughout the game. In fact, we looked rusty, toothless and disjointed all over the pitch, and totally deserved to lose.

It is utterly disappointing that Arsenal were not better prepared mentally for this game, and I tend to blame Wenger and Bould for this.

Last night I started to sense we were not going to win this game, as early as five minutes after Arsenal conceded Holt’s goal. It was against the run of play, but, unfortunately, we have become vulnerable again to conceding this sort of goals (ManCity, Chelsea x2, West Ham, and now low-on-confidence Norwich).

Conceding that goal should have told the whole team they needed to fight once again to somehow take the three points back home to London – as we did so well against West Ham in our last PL game – but we never lifted our game enough to achieve it.

In a nutshell: Arsenal were never focussed and ‘together’ enough to win last night’s game.

Not only were our wings thrust-less, we also lacked panache and energy to find a way through the Norwich yellow and green hedges in the middle of the pitch. There was simply not enough movement with or without the ball to trouble the Norwich busses, which was very disappointing to watch.

A very disappointing performance and a very disappointing result, but most of all I am disappointed in Wenger and Bould. Sending out a team that lacks focus and is disjointed all over the park is simply not good enough.

Some perspective is needed, though. It is so easy to jump to big conclusions about how rubbish everything is at Arsenal right now. But a team that beat Liverpool and West Ham away and played fantastic football against ManCity only a few weeks ago, still has plenty of credit left. It is now about how we respond to that unacceptable performance at Carrow Road in the next few games.

The players have a role to play, but I have little doubt that most if not all the players in our first team squad are genuine hard workers who give their all. We also have plenty of very good footballers and there is good strength in depth.

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The changes we need to see are mainly the responsibility of Wenger and Bould. We need better tactical and mental preparation for games, and we need to become a lot better at absorbing forced changes to our formation. Two and a half month into the season, we should not suffer so much from injuries to the likes of Szczesny, Diaby and Gibbs: good management is about making the right substitutions without the system of our football being adversely affected.

Arsene and Steve: over to you.

Total Arsenal.