The Season Ahead

Yeah read the article this morning - good read...

I still get the concern with Giroud personally.. Would Giroud have made that run Sanogo did for the second against City?

"As Joachim Low said during the World Cup; “players must be mobile nowadays. Static strikers do not exist anymore.” That seemingly spells bad news for Olivier Giroud who lacks that filibustering quality typically known in the English football lexicon as just “running around a bit.”

Completely agree with the benefits of being able to mix it up between 433 and 4231. That's the kind of tactical pliability that we have been accused of lacking in the past.

Emiliano Martinez officially promoted to first-team, given shirt # 26.

Hope he gets some games and/or gets farmed out in January. Between Ospina and Sczczesny, I don't see much chances for him.

Favourites for title?

Wenger said: "Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool, Man United and us."

On Sanchez: "He is very committed, can be a very good Premier League player. He is very exciting."

On pre-season preparations? "It's been very calm, the calmest I've known. But the reality is tomorrow at 5.30."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-press-conference-live-wenger-4051887#ixzz3AS1b1gVX

what is wenger's plan for alexis? wasn't he brought in to be converted to center forward? i mean after walcott is back, he should be starting on right wing. cazorla on left is good for the balance. is he going to experiment mid season, usually it never works?

i don't understand ...

You would've thought that if Alexis was going to be used centrally he'd be played there before the start of the season.

What if it doesn't work out for him there? Which would be understandable since it's not his natural position, what happens then? We get back to where we were, possibly even weaker than last season in the CF position. Last season we atleast had Bendtner as backup to Giroud, now we have Sanogo...

RedMamba wrote:what is wenger's plan for alexis? wasn't he brought in to be converted to center forward? i mean after walcott is back, he should be starting on right wing. cazorla on left is good for the balance. is he going to experiment mid season, usually it never works?

i don't understand ...

There is absolutely no balance with Santi on the left, he doesn't stay on there.  He is terrible on the wing and really shouldn't play there, Santi looked best in the middle of the field yesterday after ox came on for wilshere.

Artilleristen wrote:

RedMamba wrote:what is wenger's plan for alexis? wasn't he brought in to be converted to center forward? i mean after walcott is back, he should be starting on right wing. cazorla on left is good for the balance. is he going to experiment mid season, usually it never works?

i don't understand ...

There is absolutely no balance with Santi on the left, he doesn't stay on there.  He is terrible on the wing and really shouldn't play there, Santi looked best in the middle of the field yesterday after ox came on for wilshere.

+1 Have to agree here. I am getting tired of Santi on the left / free roll, since what it means is he will be wherever the ball is on the pitch. More times than not being on the wrong side of the pitch allowing for it to be overloaded.

without santi, we'll end up losing on possession!
without santi, we'll have to unnecessarily change the system that wenger has been working on for sometime, and there is nothing wrong with the system, it just needed 1 or 2 suitable players.

so santi 1st gets shafted to wing, now he goes to bench? while scrubs like giroud get free pass to 1st team!
what do we gain from it?

RedMamba wrote:without santi, we'll end up losing on possession!
without santi, we'll have to unnecessarily change the system that wenger has been working on for sometime, and there is nothing wrong with the system, it just needed 1 or 2 suitable players.

so santi 1st gets shafted to wing, now he goes to bench? while scrubs like giroud get free pass to 1st team!
what do we gain from it?

Thats what happens when world class players are brought in, Ozil and Ramsey are better than Santi period. The system flat-out does not work correctly with Santi on either wing, he refuses to stay on the wing when he is played as a winger. All game yesterday there would be times were Santi would be right on top of Alexis on the right. I would rather have the proper spacing, and a little less possession, than high possession and a lack of spacing, which makes the attack far more predictable. Thats why Santi should not pay on the wing!

Playing Cazorla and Ozil together is somewhat redundant given how similar they are as players, but we do win a lot of games with that sort of set-up which is the main thing. Regardless of it's pros and cons, if a particular set-up is winning you games you don't change it unless you have to.

Cazorla was poor in the Palace game, but he was outstanding in the City game before that in the same team. Key difference between both games was the amount of space he was afforded to influence the game. Against Palace he was closed down quickly every time he got on the ball and Arsenal's off the ball movement was poor which limited the options he had when he had the ball.

Against Besiktas, though, Arsenal could play much better, Cazorla could be outstanding again and suddenly there's no problem with him on the left hand side.

When Ozil and Walcott return, his place will be under threat but that's how it should be when you're trying to challenge for major honours.

GoonerJay29 wrote:Playing Cazorla and Ozil together is somewhat redundant given how similar they are as players, but we do win a lot of games with that sort of set-up which is the main thing. Regardless of it's pros and cons, if a particular set-up is winning you games you don't change it unless you have to.

Cazorla was poor in the Palace game, but he was outstanding in the City game before that in the same team. Key difference between both games was the amount of space he was afforded to influence the game. Against Palace he was closed down quickly every time he got on the ball and Arsenal's off the ball movement was poor which limited the options he had when he had the ball.

Against Besiktas, though, Arsenal could play much better, Cazorla could be outstanding again and suddenly there's no problem with him on the left hand side.

When Ozil and Walcott return, his place will be under threat but that's how it should be when you're trying to challenge for major honours.

If they worked so well together than why did the team get crushed against the top 4, and after spending the most days on top of the league why did Arsenal finish 4th?
Without a true left winger the attack is forced to go 99.99% through the middle or the right, making the attack overly predictable by allowing teams to force everything only to the middle. The best teams have balanced attacks that work on both sides because they have wing players that play on the wings creating a balance for their teams attack. I think that if the team was balanced by wingers yesterday the attack would have been more successful, but that also would be dependent on Wenger not wasting time with Wilshere as a CAM, I'm not even sure whether or not he should be considered a Top player. For Arsenal he really should be nothing more than a glorified squad player only starting/getting significant playing time when Arsenal play team below the Championship in the League and FA Cup.

If they worked so well together than why did the team get crushed against the top 4, and after spending the most days on top of the league why did Arsenal finish 4th?

Because there are nine other positions on the pitch who also contribute towards the team's successes or failures. Surely I don't need to explain to you that neither defeat or victory is the responsibility of just two players.

Without a true left winger the attack is forced to go 99.99% through the middle or the right, making the attack overly predictable by allowing teams to force everything only to the middle.

Arsenal do attack more through the centre and down the right, but predictable or not it often works for them. Last season Arsenal had no problem dispatching teams that played the way Palace did and they played the vast majority of the season without any pace in the frontline whatsoever. Arsenal found a way through eventually.

The problems arise when things aren't going your way and something needs to change, which is what we didn't have last season because our alternatives were injured. So if Cazorla on the left didn't work, we couldn't call upon Chamberlain or Podolski. That won't be a problem this season since we've now got Alexis and Campbell.

So I don't necessarily disagree about having a different player on the left hand side to change things up when our attack isn't working as well as it should be but if we play Cazorla, Ozil, Alexis and Giroud together and we win games then, quite simply, that's the way to go.

1. Roaming around from his wing is santi's designated role. I cannot believe he doesnt give a sh*t and f's off by himself!

2. This has always been arsenes choice system. pace and goals on one wing, creativity and possession on another. santi played only half a season in the middle, then ozil arrived who displaced wilshere, not cazorla. and before santi, there was nasri!

3. For those opting for less possession, possession still is wenger's preferred approach. podolski is not a bad left winger either, he has goals/assists to his name, payed more than santi, but we know how he is treated by wenger!

4.  santi and alexis are completely different types of players. neither are WC but i think both are on similar levels of class. we take cazorla for granted just because he was a bargain.  he had a bad season. ozil had even worse one. alexis has had bad seasons too. means nothing!

5. cazorla had a bad game against crystal. so did everyone else incl. alexis and ramsey! when afforded the space, the whole team (system) comes to life.

6. defeats against big teams is not cazorla's fault at all. whole team needs to defend better, and despite roaming, cazorla pulls his weight. its ozil who is completley disinterested in defending and arteta who gets bypassed like a cone. we had this fixed in 2012 with wilshere in no.10.

7. walcott is the only proper goalscorer in the team, i don't think he'll be much happy riding the bench when he is back. he must think, apart from injuries, he has proven himself. the only illusion he is under is that he should play in the middle! so pace off the bench seems a good argument but wenger is not a rotation manager, he has a first team and the rest for only until the first team gets hospitalized!

8. the gaping hole? the tip of the iceberg where lumps like giroud and bendtner and sanogo strut their stuff without impunity!

wenger said himself that coz of walcotts absence in the start, sanchez will have to play on the right. i hope he is brought in and can play in the centre, if not then it may turn out to be a missed opportunity again.

"GoonerJay29"
"Arsenal do attack more through the centre and down the right, but predictable or not it often works for them. Last season Arsenal had no problem dispatching teams that played the way Palace did and they played the vast majority of the season without any pace in the frontline whatsoever. Arsenal found a way through eventually.

The problems arise when things aren't going your way and something needs to change, which is what we didn't have last season because our alternatives were injured. So if Cazorla on the left didn't work, we couldn't call upon Chamberlain or Podolski. That won't be a problem this season since we've now got Alexis and Campbell."

So I don't necessarily disagree about having a different player on the left hand side to change things up when our attack isn't working as well as it should be but if we play Cazorla, Ozil, Alexis and Giroud together and we win games then, quite simply, that's the way to go.[/quote]
I think having Alexis and Theo on the pitch with Ozil will utilize his strengths more, and it will make the attack more dangerous.  One of the things that pissed me off about the team last year is that Giroud's lack of pace hurt the break away attacks, but with Theo on the right, Alexis on the left, and Ozil and Rambo in the middle Giroud's lack of speed is negated by having more attacking players with speed.  I am nearly 100% sure that Arsenal's possession game would be better w/ Theo and Alexis as Alexis played in that same system at Barca, and the rb and lb playing will have more wing cover, which will funnel the attack towards the middle, allowing for a better defensive showing.

RedMamba wrote:

6. defeats against big teams is not cazorla's fault at all. whole team needs to defend better, and despite roaming, cazorla pulls his weight. its ozil who is completley disinterested in defending and arteta who gets bypassed like a cone. we had this fixed in 2012 with wilshere in no.10.

wenger said himself that coz of walcotts absence in the start, sanchez will have to play on the right. i hope he is brought in and can play in the centre, if not then it may turn out to be a missed opportunity again.

I have never been truely impressed by Jack, and in the season that you are talking about Wilshere was not the CAM, he played Ramsey's position which he failed at with Santi as the came. He should honestly go out on loan to see whether or not he can still reach his potential, but he's British so he gets a pass on any bad, right?
And even in this "golden" season you talk about for jack he led the team in yellow cards with 3 and 1 red card, had 0 goals to his name and 3 assists. Explain to me how he made a difference

Artilleristen wrote:

RedMamba wrote:

6. defeats against big teams is not cazorla's fault at all. whole team needs to defend better, and despite roaming, cazorla pulls his weight. its ozil who is completley disinterested in defending and arteta who gets bypassed like a cone. we had this fixed in 2012 with wilshere in no.10.

wenger said himself that coz of walcotts absence in the start, sanchez will have to play on the right. i hope he is brought in and can play in the centre, if not then it may turn out to be a missed opportunity again.

I have never been truely impressed by Jack, and in the season that you are talking about Wilshere was not the CAM, he played Ramsey's position which he failed at with Santi as the came.  He should honestly go out on loan to see whether or not he can still reach his potential, but he's British so he gets a pass on any bad, right?  
And even in this "golden" season you talk about for jack he led the team in yellow cards with 3 and 1 red card, had 0 goals to his name and 3 assists.  Explain to me how he made a difference

never said wilshere had a golden season, just that 3 dynamic midfielders is better for defending. if ozil suddenly cares and learns to run, close down and pressure opponents instead of jogging casually when out of possession, we can send wilshere on loan.

wilshere is no scrub btw, and his moving to CAM coincided with our unbeaten run in the 2nd half of 2012. tbf laurent-mert partnership contributed more to it and we won a lot of games 1-0 

RedMamba wrote:

Artilleristen wrote:

RedMamba wrote:

6. defeats against big teams is not cazorla's fault at all. whole team needs to defend better, and despite roaming, cazorla pulls his weight. its ozil who is completley disinterested in defending and arteta who gets bypassed like a cone. we had this fixed in 2012 with wilshere in no.10.

wenger said himself that coz of walcotts absence in the start, sanchez will have to play on the right. i hope he is brought in and can play in the centre, if not then it may turn out to be a missed opportunity again.

I have never been truely impressed by Jack, and in the season that you are talking about Wilshere was not the CAM, he played Ramsey's position which he failed at with Santi as the came.  He should honestly go out on loan to see whether or not he can still reach his potential, but he's British so he gets a pass on any bad, right?  
And even in this "golden" season you talk about for jack he led the team in yellow cards with 3 and 1 red card, had 0 goals to his name and 3 assists.  Explain to me how he made a difference

never said wilshere had a golden season, just that 3 dynamic midfielders is better for defending. if ozil suddenly cares and learns to run, close down and pressure opponents instead of jogging casually when out of possession, we can send wilshere on loan.

wilshere is no scrub btw, and his moving to CAM coincided with our unbeaten run in the 2nd half of 2012. tbf laurent-mert partnership contributed more to it and we won a lot of games 1-0 

I hate 1-0, 2-1 games unless they are against the best.

There is a reason that everyone on the prediction board was predicting 4-0, 3-0, 3-1 etc.

We are Arsenal! Not being able to score 3 or 4 against the bottom feeders of the league needs to stop.

how do you like your 3-6, 1-5, 0-3 and 0-6s?  

Those still hurt A part of me died last season
It had taken a while to revive that after 8-2, but let's not go there now.

srigooner wrote:Those still hurt A part of me died last season
It had taken a while to revive that after 8-2, but let's not go there now.

Don't worry, it won't happen again!

It was a one off... just 4 or 5 times!

Good ready by Tim Stillman on our lack of team chemistry so far:

http://arseblog.com/2014/08/developing-chemistry/

Great read and spot on with everything.

It's what few of us in here already said after Palace n Besiktas. The balance isn't there without some of the key players while the new players are also taking time adjusting to our system. Along with the fact that fitness remains a problem.

We really should have played another friendly in pre-season.

Atm I would say keep the same team against Everton because changing anything now would be even worse. However Oxlade knows the system well so if he can draft in then that won't change much but rather improve us with his pace. Worry is Flamini coming in for Arteta on Saturday because Everton will undoubtedly be pressing us and Flamini will go in challenges when we inevitably lose the ball 200 times in the first half.

In light of recent transfer developments, I've made some updates to the opening post.