Wenger confident he can fix Arsenal’s problems

“There’s a problem of course. What is important when you have a problem is to do something about it.

“The second thing is the strength to do something about it, and I’m confident we have both. We have the strength and we will do something about it.

“Let’s not go overboard. Every period is difficult. In every game you focus to get the best out of your team.“We have rebuilt the team a little bit in two ways. First in bringing in new players, secondly in getting some players back from long term injury, like Jack Wilshere. I feel there is a lot of strength in our team.

“Patience and keeping our mental strength will turn that around in an easy way.”

What you guys think?

So I am guessing he will fix the following?
1. Depth
2. DM
3. Striker
4. Left back
5. Winger

Which Arsenal players do you thin are really good enough to be starters and compete for the PL title?

IMO, this guys are good enough:

Scezny
Sagna Koscielny XXXX XXXXXX
Wilshere XXXXX
Walcott - Cazorla - XXXXX
---------XXXXXX

Diaby, if not constantly injured, would also make it there IMO, and Arshavin was a class player but as he never plays, I don't know if he can still deliver.

Arsenal need more than anything a world class striker. So, they either try Podolski there or spend big to sign one, which pretty much would be Falcao or Cavani as the only world class strikers in "worse" teams than Arsenal.

For DM I would go with Capoue, Fellaini is a good option but I don't know if he is good enough for the ball for Arsenal's play. You could also try Vermaelen as DM, he might be ok there and better than at CB.

Getting a CB and a good left back is definitely tricky.

I think in terms of personnel (though not always training/cohesion), central defense still looks strong (not world-class but very good), right-back looks terrific (provided we hang on to Sagna), midfield just needs tweaking to be right-as-rain. Maybe some of the young players coming up, and training ground changes (!?) could radically alter the situation in a few months time. But as things stand ... I'd say three or four solid signings are in order over the next two transfer windows.

1. One genuinely good attacking player. (Either out-and-out winger who can cross & ideally beat his man with a dribble, allowing Walcott/Podolski more time to play centrally; or a straight-up striker who can compete/rotate with Giroud up top. Huntelaar, Adrian, Aubameyang all seem decent options in different ways.)
2. Central midfielder. (Someone combative though not necessarily a DM. Strootman would be great if Arsenal can get him.)
3. Experienced GK to add depth. (What do people think of Michael Rensing, former Koln player & hero, currently sitting bench at Leverkusen and available on a free next summer?)
4. Experienced LB to compete with Gibbs. (I dunno, Tremoulinas? Baines ideal but I think near-impossible to get.)

For me, Adrian + Strootman + Rensing + Tremoulinas would be a strong transfer haul over the January & summer windows, and while not exactly cheap, within the realm of possibility for a club like Arsenal.

But as I've said before, I think the malaise at Arsenal isn't ultimately down to personnel. I think the staff needs a little change-up, possibly more of a ruthless, hard-edged quality at the club. Guys who are confident/cocky but not because they've been mollycoddled since they were 16-year-old starlets but because they've played the game, know what they can do, and will go out on the pitch and do it. So in that respect transfers plus a shift in culture would be ideal.

free_cat wrote:Which Arsenal players do you thin are really good enough to be starters and compete for the PL title?

IMO, this guys are good enough:

Scezny
Sagna Koscielny XXXX XXXXXX
Wilshere XXXXX
Walcott - Cazorla - XXXXX
---------XXXXXX

Diaby, if not constantly injured, would also make it there IMO, and Arshavin was a class player but as he never plays, I don't know if he can still deliver.

Arsenal need more than anything a world class striker. So, they either try Podolski there or spend big to sign one, which pretty much would be Falcao or Cavani as the only world class strikers in "worse" teams than Arsenal.

For DM I would go with Capoue, Fellaini is a good option but I don't know if he is good enough for the ball for Arsenal's play. You could also try Vermaelen as DM, he might be ok there and better than at CB.

Getting a CB and a good left back is definitely tricky.

i agree with this completely. but i feel before a cb we need a:

1. top DM to replace arteta, this would make arteta a fantastic squad player. A dm that is a competent passer of the ball, mobile and quick footed. Nainggolan? world class dm imo

2. a top class Striker, someone that can not just finish but also create, is very good on the ball and mobile. adriano? cavani?

3. Left back, quick footed, good going forward and defensively. Christian Ansaldi is an amazing leftback. and incredibly underrated because he plays in russia.

4. winger that can cross, is great on the ball and is clinical with descion making. Andriy Yarmolenko

5.versatile AM, isco would be a great added creative force that would benefit us a lot interms of quality and depth.

Nainggolan
cavani
Christian Ansaldi
Andriy Yarmolenko
isco


this...team...is..world..CLASS.

This team we currently have is not '10th best team' bad, it's a 3rd/4th placed team at most, so if our team is not THAT bad then something else is the problem, Wenger needs to change formation before signing someone, most of our players don't fit this style of play we're trying.

We should move to a 2 strikers formation IMO, whether it's with 3 defenders, 4 defenders or something else. I would prefer a 4-3-1-2.


This is the best team (when everyone fit) we have in a 4-3-1-2. Is it a 3rd/4th placed team? Yes. Does it need to improve? Yes.

If Wenger would do this, it would totally need another striker as 3 strikers wouldn't be enough, Podolski can barely play 2 games in 1 week => Jaded => Injured. So another striker should be a priority in January.

Cazorla's back up would be Wilshere first, Ramsey/Rosicky second, oh there's Oxlade-Chamberlain aswell => Good enough, no need to sign anyone else.

In the centre midfield our only backup's would be Coquelin and Ramsey => Definitely needs another signing. Preferably a DM.

Jenkinson as Sagna's backup => Good enough. Vermaelen and Djourou as Koscielny's/Mertesacker' backup => Not entirely sure if good enough, but shouldn't be a priority. Santos as Gibbs' backup => Not good enough need to sign an experienced LB who can back up Gibbs when injured and not have a clown as his backup.

Mannone and Fabianski as Szczesny's backup => Not good enough, need an experienced not past it *cough* Reina *cough* goalkeeper.

So if we're going to change to a 4-3-1-2 we need 1 striker, 1 DM and 1 LB. Preferrably a backup goalkeeper and CB too, but shouldn't be a priority at this stage.

No need for Zaha, Downing, Reina or that shit we're linked with.

Sign Bony Wilfried, Moussa Sissoko and a good backup LB who doesn't mind staying on the bench (can't think of any lmao). Hell sign Huntelaar and Capoue, Adrian and Wanyama, so many options out there for these 2 positions.

Wenger wants players to adapt to his style... he doesn't adapt to the players' strengths. That's why i was a little surprised he signed Podolski and Giroud. Both are direct players... not really tiki taka. Gervinho and Walcott are horrible fits for the sytem too. Strange transfers.

Cazorla struggling is a shock. When i left, he was beasting.

I would make a run at Sneijder btw. He fits. Cazorla can play wide.

urbaNRoots wrote:This team we currently have is not '10th best team' bad, it's a 3rd/4th placed team at most, so if our team is not THAT bad then something else is the problem, Wenger needs to change formation before signing someone, most of our players don't fit this style of play we're trying.

We should move to a 2 strikers formation IMO, whether it's with 3 defenders, 4 defenders or something else. I would prefer a 4-3-1-2.

Szczesny
Sagna Mertesacker Koscielny Gibbs
Diaby Arteta Wilshere
Cazorla
Giroud Podolski

This is the best team (when everyone fit) we have in a 4-3-1-2. Is it a 3rd/4th placed team? Yes. Does it need to improve? Yes.

If Wenger would do this, it would totally need another striker as 3 strikers wouldn't be enough, Podolski can barely play 2 games in 1 week => Jaded => Injured. So another striker should be a priority in January.

Cazorla's back up would be Wilshere first, Ramsey/Rosicky second, oh there's Oxlade-Chamberlain aswell => Good enough, no need to sign anyone else.

In the centre midfield our only backup's would be Coquelin and Ramsey => Definitely needs another signing. Preferably a DM.

Jenkinson as Sagna's backup => Good enough. Vermaelen and Djourou as Koscielny's/Mertesacker' backup => Not entirely sure if good enough, but shouldn't be a priority. Santos as Gibbs' backup => Not good enough need to sign an experienced LB who can back up Gibbs when injured and not have a clown as his backup.

Mannone and Fabianski as Szczesny's backup => Not good enough, need an experienced not past it *cough* Reina *cough* goalkeeper.

So if we're going to change to a 4-3-1-2 we need 1 striker, 1 DM and 1 LB. Preferrably a backup goalkeeper and CB too, but shouldn't be a priority at this stage.

No need for Zaha, Downing, Reina or that shit we're linked with.

Sign Bony Wilfried, Moussa Sissoko and a good backup LB who doesn't mind staying on the bench (can't think of any lmao). Hell sign Huntelaar and Capoue, Adrian and Wanyama, so many options out there for these 2 positions.

that formation is poor imo, too eay to stop as it doesn't provide enough width. honestly if we have to change formation then i suggest something similar to the juve formation. 3-5-2.

I'm shocked sportsczy tbh, Giroud can fit cause he can do both, cross and link-up. His runs are perfectly timed and really good but we're struggling to hold the ball in the oppositions half which means very little chances for Giroud to score. He's done well though so far IMO.

But I don't see how Podolski, Gervinho, Walcott fit in this system tbh. Then mix Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain in there and it becomes shit football.

Exactly REWB, as I said even a 3 back formation would do, what I would like to see is a 2 strikers formation with 2 wing backs.

urbaNRoots wrote:I'm shocked sportsczy tbh, Giroud can fit cause he can do both, cross and link-up. His runs are perfectly timed and really good but we're struggling to hold the ball in the oppositions half which means very little chances for Giroud to score. He's done well though so far IMO.

But I don't see how Podolski, Gervinho, Walcott fit in this system tbh. Then mix Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain in there and it becomes shit football.

Exactly REWB, as I said even a 3 back formation would do, what I would like to see is a 2 strikers formation with 2 wing backs.

wenger has truly lost it with his signings, i thought this guy was a transfer genius, he was, turns out he isn't any more.

REWB wrote:

urbaNRoots wrote:I'm shocked sportsczy tbh, Giroud can fit cause he can do both, cross and link-up. His runs are perfectly timed and really good but we're struggling to hold the ball in the oppositions half which means very little chances for Giroud to score. He's done well though so far IMO.

But I don't see how Podolski, Gervinho, Walcott fit in this system tbh. Then mix Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain in there and it becomes shit football.

Exactly REWB, as I said even a 3 back formation would do, what I would like to see is a 2 strikers formation with 2 wing backs.

wenger has truly lost it with his signings, i thought this guy was a transfer genius, he was, turns out he isn't any more.

Wenger's tactics have been predictable this season thats why teams find it easy to defend against Arsenal and beat us.

Well Wenger has a point in that we can't just rely on January to save us because we have a number of games before that time, and it's not like we're going to get every deal sealed up on January 1st. I pretty much just want a DM, top striker if we can get one (if not, play 2 strikers and see if that changes how efficient the ones we have are), and a LB (if a top one even exists on the current market). DM is top priority because if we fix our midfield, everyone else will play better.

REWB wrote:

szy
sagna verm kosc ansaldi
wilshere nainggolan
cazorla
isco cavani Yarmolenko

this...team...is..world..CLASS.

The term world class is thrown around too much. IMO the word should never be used unless the player is amongst the very best in their position. None of Ansaldi, Yarmolenko, Nainggolan, and Isco are truly 'world class' for me, and I'm not even convinced the first 3 would get into our starting XI when everybody we currently have is fit.

Chumlum wrote:

For me, Adrian + Strootman + Rensing + Tremoulinas would be a strong transfer haul over the January & summer windows, and while not exactly cheap, within the realm of possibility for a club like Arsenal.

I like Adrian, but I think Arsenal should try to get a better goalscorer. Cavani or Falcao are the only ones you should consider. Spend big for this one.
The other signings you propose I don't think are good enough.

REWB wrote:
Nainggolan
cavani
Christian Ansaldi
Andriy Yarmolenko
isco

Very good options without a doubt. I would change Nainggolan, who I don't even know who is he, for Capoue or Wanyama and I think you could really challenge for titles with Ansaldi, Cavani, Yarmolenko and Isco.
Although I think Isco is an unrealistic target.

Eman wrote:Well Wenger has a point in that we can't just rely on January to save us because we have a number of games before that time, and it's not like we're going to get every deal sealed up on January 1st. I pretty much just want a DM, top striker if we can get one (if not, play 2 strikers and see if that changes how efficient the ones we have are), and a LB (if a top one even exists on the current market). DM is top priority because if we fix our midfield, everyone else will play better.

REWB wrote:

szy
sagna verm kosc ansaldi
wilshere nainggolan
cazorla
isco cavani Yarmolenko

this...team...is..world..CLASS.

The term world class is thrown around too much. IMO the word should never be used unless the player is amongst the very best in their position. None of Ansaldi, Yarmolenko, Nainggolan, and Isco are truly 'world class' for me, and I'm not even convinced the first 3 would get into our starting XI when everybody we currently have is fit.

i mean it would be a world class team imo, not the individuals. i wasnt really serious when i was writing world class, i know none of them bar cavani are world class yet. However, The first 3 would get into our starting eleven. if you see them play you would understand.

free_cat wrote:

Chumlum wrote:

For me, Adrian + Strootman + Rensing + Tremoulinas would be a strong transfer haul over the January & summer windows, and while not exactly cheap, within the realm of possibility for a club like Arsenal.

I like Adrian, but I think Arsenal should try to get a better goalscorer. Cavani or Falcao are the only ones you should consider. Spend big for this one.
The other signings you propose I don't think are good enough.

REWB wrote:
Nainggolan
cavani
Christian Ansaldi
Andriy Yarmolenko
isco

Very good options without a doubt. I would change Nainggolan, who I don't even know who is he, for Capoue or Wanyama and I think you could really challenge for titles with Ansaldi, Cavani, Yarmolenko and Isco.
Although I think Isco is an unrealistic target.

wanyama is even more unrealistic than isco imo, celtic are going to want 20mill+ for him -_- he's a dm ffs. capoue maybe, but he isnt really that much of a good passer. nainggolan is a very quick, aggressive dm that is good at keeping moves flowing and not loosing the ball.

Wenger must fix Arsenal problems by the end of the summer or he can gtfo. We need at least 4 players.

Every year there 4 teams fighting for the EPL trophy and another 4teams fighting for the top 4, guess which one we fighting for? top 4 that's right.
EPL trophy
Chelsea
United
CIty
SPuds

for top 4
Liverpool
Arsenal
Everton
Fulham.

Raptorgunner wrote:Wenger must fix Arsenal problems by the end of the summer or he can gtfo. We need at least 4 players.

Every year there 4 teams fighting for the EPL trophy and another 4teams fighting for the top 4, guess which one we fighting for? top 4 that's right.
EPL trophy
Chelsea
United
CIty
SPuds

for top 4
Liverpool
Arsenal
Everton
Fulham.

Spurs have never put up a bigger fight than us for the top 4 in the EPL era. Let's not get so fired up that we begin complimenting Spurs of all teams

Yeahhh.... better fix it Maison Wenger otherwise !!!boss is waiting

Have you all read Michael Cox's recent article on Soccernet?
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/511?cc=5901

Team harmony has become forgotten when star players are involved – at least in England. Abroad, it's a different situation, and Real Madrid, Barcelona, Dortmund, Bayern, Juventus and even outsiders like Porto and Shakhtar are more cohesive than anything England has to offer. As mentioned, the picture was similarly bleak last year, and England's Champions League record was rescued only when Di Matteo concentrated upon a defensive-minded shape. Roman Abramovich then insisted he abandon that template and try to include as many playmakers within one side as physically possible, typical of the Premier League's current celebrity culture – where great individuals are included at the expense of creating a great team.

Seems to me that Arsenal are a club, and a team, caught on the cusp of this kind of elite problem.

It's true in terms of money: by most standards, Arsenal are a very rich club. But at the elite level they're still dwarfed by sugar daddy money and also the singular global commercial success of Man United.

And it seems true in terms of a team culture: this team just doesn't quite gel, or cohere, even though there are few if any reports of unrest or division in the dressing room. Fans want big, big signings (and not without justification). But it seems like Wenger is trying to foster a Dortmund-like (or earlier Arsenal-like) team ethic on a club that, in England, is tantalizingly close to those other big, starpower-driven clubs. And it's hard to do because Arsenal's standards demand success, more so than Spurs or Everton or even Liverpool these days, but the means are less than those of the three big clubs which fight for the trophies.

Arsenal's squad perhaps doesn't gel properly because it's constantly changing. We don't even have a "core" group of players that have been here for a long time any more.

We used to have Cesc, Clichy, Sagna, Song, Diaby, Walcott and van Persie who had all been at the club for similar lengths of time, knew what it was about and could help the new guys settle in.

Now of that lot, only Sagna, Diaby and Walcott remain and it looks like two of them are goign to leave, too. That's going to leave us with a group of players who have only been at the club for a a couple of seasons.

This lack of continuity, and our appalling pre-season this year (four friendlies, only one where the whole squad was together) has created this problem. And now we're going to add several new plays to it in January or in the summer.

"The danger of our situation is the margin for error is very small, but it is also a good opportunity to show we can be consistent, and I believe we can be," Wenger said.

"Let's not go overboard. We have 24 games to play, we are in all the competitions, how many clubs would love to [be], so it is down to us to make the season right and to turn the season around well on our side.

"I am confident we will and I believe we have the quality to do it."

It looks like everything is fine at Arsenal camp.

"We were a bit jaded [against Swansea], even if that is not accepted by many players, because we had two away games after the Champions League. I am confident we have refreshed and can show that."

I wonder what excuse he will come up with if we dont get a result this Saturday?

^we lacked a little bit of accuracy in final third

hopefully not though
Fresh Cazorla+Rosicky playing bit part and Giroud shining will win for it us
stoke beat albion ffs

We need a monster of a DM
A LB.
A RB (If Sagna is going)
Maybe a target man
Coaching for our wide players on crossing a ball!

Lot's of rumours about Diame. He will do, but I would prefer Fellaini or Wanyama. Fellaini may not interested in Arsenal and I feel Utd may come in for him anyway. Possibly Chelsea.
LB: Baines would be great, but he's gonna go to Chelsea imo as Cole is getting on a bit. Not sure who we can sign in this position tbh. Cheikh M’Bengue could be an option (20 odd appearances for the French U-21 side) We have Gibbs but he can't stay fit for a season.
RB: I really like the lad at Swansea, Angel Rangel. He's a late bloomer as he's showing the best form of his career at 30. Excellent going forward and can defend.
Target man: Wenger seems obsessed with finding a good one. Look at the fact Chamahk and Bendtner came and now Giroud. He must really see us needing one. Wenger missed a trick with Muchu. If Arsene does really have 70-100 million to spend in January, we could do worse than signing him. He's younger than I thought as well, only 26.

In dreamland we'll get:

Baines: 25m
Fellaini: 28m
Rangel: 6m
Michu: 25m

I think we will end up with Theo leaving for Liverpool for 10m (only a few months left on the contract remember) and possibly Sagna to ? for about 8m.

We will only spend some of the money coming in (around 18m coming in).

Henry (loan)
Diame 3.5m
Cheikh M’Bengue 7m