defensively song is just not ready

Song is not ready to play as a dm for a challenging side, and needs to be a sub player until he gains more experience for that position. every time we play a big game and he is up against top mids he gets destroyed. he does not have the defensive knowledge yet and is too inexperienced. If you do not have the experienced, the DM needs to make up for it with pace and agility to cover ground to make up for the defensive lapses.

I said it, after the swansea game and people are starting to agree with me now. coquelin should replace song for the moment. at least he has the agility, quick feet and pace to make up for his defensive lapses, while song does not.

I am hoping that coq can be our new flamini but with much better technique.

For the game against Sunderland however i suggest this team

song coquelin
arteta/rosicky

since ramsey is struggling too much now.

Lets not jump too conclusions, Its very difficult to go away to Italy at the San Siro and play, Yes the players did not turn up, But that does not mean its the end of the world.
Jump to these type of conclusions if there is a losing streak or something.

Song is amazing player and we are lucky to have him. You cant really blame him, he is getting no help.

we've seen him play amazing there in some games so i dont think he's that bad there but i guess improvements are always welcome ryt?

Problem is that we dont play with a Defensive Midfielder. We play with 3 CM's and among them one tries to play as a CAM and the other DM. Both cant do the job 100% right

Song wont be found out against smaller teams cause he is a clever player But against top teams they WILL target him.

RealGunner wrote:Problem is that we dont play with a Defensive Midfielder. We play with 3 CM's and among them one tries to play as a CAM and the other DM. Both cant do the job 100% right

Song wont be found out against smaller teams cause he is a clever player But against top teams they WILL target him.

Song tries to help everyone out which is why sometimes he forgets about himself, I think if he got the right help he would be a monster.

i miss song of 09/10
verminator scored 8 goals
song not only did his own job well covered for TV5
Last season it was more balnced when we had song-jack-cesc
wilshere's defending got better throught the season and when cesc got marked tightly he could drop deep and create from there
so our mid3 shifted roles during games nicely
this one just what RG said
sometimes it would look like a flat 3
song cannot be compared to flamoney
arsene just wanted someone with great stamina that can cover alot of ground
but sadly his passing stats are not available
though i agree we should give coq more chances
song has almost the most apps this season if it wasnt that 3 match ban

Arsenal are in same situation of Real Madrid.

Since we have Xabi alonso playing deep,there is no need for a DM in the formation.Hence we uses Lass and Khedira as BTB midifielders and they place themselves higher up the pitch than Alonso.

Arteta sits deep and creates,so song is asked to play a B@B role,explained by his runs and assists and he positions himself higher up pitch when attacking.

Song,Khedira,Lass etc rarely played pure DM role this season imo.

song lacks discipline. REWB is right. there were times last season when we were getting hit on the break, and Song would be one of the furthest forward.

How hard is it to understand that ones role should mimic that of Romeu, De Jong, Busquets and Cambiasso?! Coquelin to get a real chance!

I remember something song said when he was asked about his positional play, his answer was something along the lines of - "but i want to score too"

It really would be better for him and the team if he just put the pretensions of being a skillful attacking midfielder aside and concentrate on his defending, and give arteta more opportunity to go forward.

Should focus more on his defending duties, i don't mind him bombing but there is a time and a place. Surely he must think we are getting outplayed in midfield let me sit back and defend for a bit.

Songs tactics are directed by Wenger.

I don't think I'd use the words "not ready." If he gets told purely to defend, he is good at it. I don't think that more experience will necessarily make him more skilled at defending. The problem is that he prefers attacking, and has grown into a different type of player than we probably need him to be.

But experience isn't the problem IMO.

REWB wrote:made a mistake again today for the 2nd goal...

was that not Arteta ?? if Song was playing defensive mid...i think he would haved stopped Sessegnon

We must buy a world class (or top top class) defensive midfielder in the summer, one preferably with experience.

M'Vila I like a lot, and as Rennes are struggling, surely they can't demand the outrageous sums they asked for last summer again - even if Euro 2012 could showcase his ability.

M'Vila sticks to DM, doesn't go forward, and is very strong. French and 22 this summer, could be the right option (I know he isn't THAT experienced but his trueness to staying in his position could counter that).

Song simply goes AWOL. He attacks. This is not meant to be his job. The best option would be to play Song alongside an M'Vila with Wilshere just ahead. But of course, if we sign a DM, there will be plenty of options we could try.

Coquelin? I rate him very highly, but unfortunately, we are not in the situation where we can put in inexperienced kids from the start of next season. He will make it at Arsenal, but next season he should remain a squad player for now imo.

Frimpong? Not as good as Coquelin at the minute, and too rash, but has potential. Sadly, he also has a tendency to get bad injuries.

De Jong is having contract problems at City, and despite his outrageous wages, we could at least attempt to do something with him. Would be perfect.

Adit wrote:Arsenal are in same situation of Real Madrid.

Since we have Xabi alonso playing deep,there is no need for a DM in the formation.Hence we uses Lass and Khedira as BTB midifielders and they place themselves higher up the pitch than Alonso.

Arteta sits deep and creates,so song is asked to play a B@B role,explained by his runs and assists and he positions himself higher up pitch when attacking.

Song,Khedira,Lass etc rarely played pure DM role this season imo.

Exactly. Song is used as a B2B midfielder hence he is sometimes out of position. There r games where he holds his def.mid position and plays brilliantly. I think these r the instruction from Wenger.

This will b more evident when/if Diaby returns. Song will sit deeper and hold his position. He is a beast when the coach plays him as a pure Def.Mid rather than the B2B

How can he not be ready? Isnt he in his prime right now?

If younger players can grasp the role, he should be able to buy no I think.

Maybe he just will never be that guy.

The Franchise wrote:How can he not be ready? Isnt he in his prime right now?

If younger players can grasp the role, he should be able to buy no I think.

Maybe he just will never be that guy.

You got it, saying he's not ready is funny since he's one of the most senior player in the team and easily our 4th best player. Thing is our squad quality in general is low so 4th best doesn't mean much. He is more technical than Flamini but does not have a lung to run non stop whole game. Wenger is to be blamed here, instead of imposing discipline on Song to minimize his limitation, he gives him all the freedom in the world to go forward. Song was not exposed much at the beginning of the season due to Arteta amazing covering work, now that he's off form from injuries, Song is found out once again just like last year. Until Wenger changes his mind about Song position and responsibilities ( heck the whole midfield), threads like this will pop up once in awhile. There are so many other areas need fixing before questioning Song position though.

What was that about Song not being able to play as a defensive midfielder

song still has to learn how to cover the back four well but i don't blame him at moment cos there's a lack of creativity so his being forced to try