Good morning all,
Last night was horrible. After the match, I felt like like I had drunk 9 espressos , and that once it hit ninety minutes all the caffeine had worn off. In reality I had probably endulged in excessive consumption, yet the night felt oddly harrowing anyway.
All the pundits and observers have had their say and opinions. What seems difficult to argue against is that this was an extremely familiar feeling with this team. I felt after the Monaco game last season that we had been outdone by ourselves but also by a very promising young team, one which had been ravaged over the summer. Olympiakos felt much of the former, even though they did play well. It all felt very Arsenal. I wasn't in the know in the early millennium, but I gather the great Arsenal teams were capable of similar performances in Europe.
I would really not dwell on the fact there we were bad last night, and look at how we can 'not be bad' the next time we play in Europe or when we play a canny side- starting this weekend.
I seriously think the structure of our team does not work. It worked last year, but it was not a long term strategy for success. The typical XI since we beat Liverpool in many ways was a balanced and settled side, but it was one which was dependent on nine players plus being in very diligent form.
I want us to look at breaking up our midfield two. Now, I like both players and see the merits in their partnership in regards to balance between energy and quality on the ball, but as a pair they do not dominate. I think for this reason, Ramsey has to come back in to central midfield. His qualities are known, but who is then omitted and the structure of the team is unknown.
In many ways, I'd be of mind to keep a similar team, but shape it in a 4-3-3 formation, using a nice SOLID midfield three. Introduce Ramsey to the Cazorla and Coquelin blend, and see where that takes us. Its not an ideal midfield for a team aspiring to win the top honours, but until Christmas I think it will have to do.
Sanchez and Ozil I believe should be played as nominal wide men behind Theo, with licence to switch positions and with a lot of freedom. I do not buy that Ozil can not play wide in a side; but the structure of the team does have to be right. If the defence and midfield behind allow him more leeway to be higher up the field when we receive the ball on the counter, I think the better for Arsenal. Sanchez does not really play any 'one' position in my view anyway, and therefore any system which frees him up is of benefit to the team.
This proposal is entirely folly for many reasons, but most will suggest mainly because Wenger is wedded to his classic 4-4-1-1 or 4-2-3-1. And in many ways I agree. Yet clearly last year he did want to try a formation without a nominated '1' or #10 behind the striker, hence why Ozil played wide there. Where we came undone using the formation last season was when Ramsey and Wilshere both bombed on and left Arteta alone.
Yet our best result last year was at the Etihad using the above formation. Time to experiment with it again? I think why not.
Break up the CazorCoq
posted on 30/9/15
Ozil is definitely not a flop.
Torres, Veron, Baptista - these were flops.
Ozil was just overpriced for what he has delivered for us - based on performances alone, £25m odd would have been about right
posted on 30/9/15
Don't see much difference with Torres and Ozil tbh, Torres flopped worse but it's comparable... if Ozil cost 5m or free would still not be happy with him, he is more of a negative influence on our team than positive.
posted on 30/9/15
comment by DubbedTheNewWenger90 (U19529)
posted 41 minutes ago
I've said it time and time again. Wenger is not getting the best out of our players in particular Ozil.
To suggest us replacing him with Mahrez is hilarious and even idiotic.
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This.
posted on 30/9/15
I am not saying replace Ozil with Mahrez. I am saying replace Ozil with Alexis. And Mahrez can do a good job on the wing.
I like Ozil. But frankly too many of his passes are going sideways at the moment. And with Santi we have two doing the same. Wenger teams win or lose on tempo of their passing. At the moment there is too much two touch football. With Giroud that was necessary because he wasn't making runs beyond defenders. Walcott is doing that but the only one who is playing him in at the moment is Alexis. Ozil should be doing that but he is taking the easy option to Santi who go back and forth and occasionally into Alexis.
If you find Theo with the first time ball you automatically stretch play because of his positioning. If you however play into Alexis, you have to wait till he creates something or finds a pass. That actually creates problems because the opposition know that.
posted on 30/9/15
"Wenger's one of the best for getting extra from players, countless top players leave Arsenal and decline on an individual level (won trophies with their teams but had better form at Arsenal), compare that to player who got better after Arsenal. Ozil failing are down to his weak bottler mentality, he's just not cut out for the PL."
Think you left out a keyword there. "Was." Wenger 'was' the best in getting the best out of players and building attacks.
He can't even do that anymore. That was the one redeeming quality of his and he's lost that too.
posted on 30/9/15
How can you say Ozil has flopped? Highest amount of chances created in 2015. What more do you want from a playmaker??
Yes in some bigger games he hasn't done well but then again the whole team plays trash. In the big games you get one or 2 chances to score and if your CF doesn't take them then the game is lost and Ozil looks like a clown.
posted on 30/9/15
Sell him in the summer and get Isco.
posted on 30/9/15
IMO Wenger teams have always performed best when they have goals coming from midfield runners. It's the key to breaking down those stubborn deep-lying defences. Our best title challenges in recent years have been as a result of the likes of Fabregas and Ramsey chipping in with plenty of crucial goals.
With a Cazorla-Coquelin-Ozil midfield you get very few late runs into the box. The simple remedy would be to start Ramsey alongside Coquelin, but that would actually involve Wenger making a difficult decision.
posted on 30/9/15
Ramsey has to start with coq and Ozil needs to be dropped.
I bet you if Santi played there he would have a far greater impact than the invisible Ozil
posted on 30/9/15
The people who say Ozil is a flop dont undersstand how he plays. His job is to make himself available to get the ball and play a pass to break down the defence, or at least thats what I've seen him do repeatedly. it helps put or keep pressure on the oppposition and as Boss said, highet chances created in 2015. hat means hes doing his job.
I dont think 4-3-3 will work in the current PL as it lacks natural width. We need to put Ramsey back at CM imoand the formations in the league have to be flexible. At the moment Id say we play more of a 4-1-4-1 as the 2nd CM tends to drift forward, ut with teh full backs also getting forward it sometimes looks like a 3-1-7 when we re attacking. Last night at timmes had abot 18 players in their box when we were attacking, its just too much.
Our best side was built on hitting on the break at speed and getting past defences with space to pass into and shoot. Maybe that s why Walcott is being developed as a CF. Once hes used to the role we can have Ozil making defence splitting passes and Walcott, Ox and Sanchez running at pace with Bellerin and Gibbs helping out wide and support from midfield. If we do go back to what was Wengers most successful tactics Giroud will be surplus to requirements.