Wenger's fault

Tu Meke

I'm not debating how well Giroud played, but I believe he'd have gotten the same two goals coming on after 65 mins. It's not about "Shoe-horning" him in anywhere and to be quite frank nobody was making statements like that about him being upfront when he was there at the start of the season or when we were ripping ManU a new one.

I seem to remember everyone going on about how well he was doing and just pleading he stay fit or being peed because they new he wouldn't. Either way, it was established during the first half of the season that our team has a far greater attacking pontential and plays far more like we want to see with Walcott at CF.

Darren

Ronaldo isn't as quick as Walcott so that's kind of a moot point.

I'm not sure about the other fullback but Clyne (sorry if wrong spelling) is quick enough to cover Walcott from the other wing, provided he's not too high up the pitch himself. If the other fullback is also quick then placing Walcott on the wing greatly reduces impact his pace can have on the CB's. The CB's were slow. Our focus should have been to exploit that with Walcott's pace. Best done with him at CF because it give the opposition full backs no time to recover as Walcott doesn't need to cut in from the wing before he can shoot. It's a straight foot race he's already ahead in and they can't catch him without that cut inside to slow him down.

Sure they can still press that high if they want difference is that Walcott spends the whole game in a position where anyone on the team can hit him with a simple straight ball over the top. One he ALWAYS going to smoke Sakho and Toure to. Plus with Theo up top, Ozil requires far less time on the ball to get his pass away to him he can almost just hit it blind, knowing Theo is quick enough to get there. With Giroud he HAS to wait. And it's that wait which had him smothered by pool defenders. It's about doing things the easy way or the hard way. For whatever reason AW chose the hard way. And IMO, it's a lineup decision that cost us 2 points. The game was high paced end to end. Tailor made for the Ozil/Walcott combination.

Darren & Tu Meke

Something you BOTH seem to be missing as well. Probably the most important thing of all and best reason for not strating Walcott out wide with Giroud up top. As yet Arsenal FC haven't bought a striker. So given Arsenal and Theo in particular's record. It's a REALLY REALLY BAD IDEA to have both on the pitch at the same time. Especially with Giroud having played so many games on the trot. It's just asking for it.

Ronaldo was as fast as Walcott. He's also a far, far better player. If Klopp isn't going to change the way he presses to cater for Ronaldo then he wouldn't have for Walcott.

Walcott just isn't that good. Playing him cf wouldn't have had a huge impact given that it was Arsenal's midfield that was nullified.

Igive up

Don't ever let me catch you on here stating that a high pressing defence is vulnerable to pace through the middle. You've just spent the entire thread claiming that isn't true.

It is vulnerable. But you're suggesting Liverpool would have completely changed that pressing system had Walcott been striker when it's just not the case. Klopp always uses that system in big games, that's what you aren't getting, and as a result of how poor Ramsey and Flamini are Walcott and Ozil would still have be anonymous.

And you are also failing to acknowledge that they don't leave that much space in behind when they set up like this. The back four isn't really high up. It's the midfield and forwards that push high up.

If you can by pass that it leaves lots of space in between their defence and midfield. Arsenal couldn't because they're poor in deeper areas when pressed.

He's tried playing like this against Bayern but they've got the ability to pass around them and then get all their quality players running at that back four.

Walcott cf, lwf, rwf would still struggle given what Liverpool were doing further up the pitch.

And you are also failing to acknowledge that they don't leave that much space in behind when they set up like this. The back four isn't really high up. It's the midfield and forwards that push high up.

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Don't you mean "The back four isn't USUALLY really high up." Because Pool's got high up plenty. Yes, with a pacey forward they still don't push too high. Except Giroud isn't pacey is he. So that means we not only got the rampant pushing MF, but a much higher line behind them (because they could "Getaway with it" ) meaning we STILL had no time when we got the ball passed the MF.

The "Space behind the MF" you are talking about, wasn't there because Giroud up top allowed BOTH MF AND back line to push up. Walcott central means that space is a lot bigger

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If you can by pass that it leaves lots of space in between their defence and midfield. Arsenal couldn't because they're poor in deeper areas when pressed.

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Interesting. "If you can bypass that" See my initial comments regarded Ozil's inability/unwillingness to dribble through players and take the game by the scruff of the neck ball at feet. People disagreed. A dribbling CAM, would not have been so easily contained since they're capable of getting through that pesky midfield without having to pass the ball. Cazorla, Silva etc, would have been leaving a few pool players on their asses wondering where they'd gone, at times Ozil just lost the ball. Hence my stating this is a glaring weakness in Ozil's game.

This isn't just about the individual ability of the players. It's about the difference in space and time created for the midfield given which COMBINATION of players we have available. Given the personnel and strategy we knew we were up against, we required out and out pace centrally OR on BOTH wings. Sanchez injured and Ox off form meant the best option was Campbell Walcott Ox.

Why? Because Ozil can't/doesn't do what I'm on about. The only way it's a better idea to start Giroud is if Cazorla had been fit to play CM as he's one of the best in the league at shaking of a pesky pressing MF.

I wasn't blaming players, they done their best given what they had to work with. This was Wenger's fault. He should have known that's exactly what they'd do to Ozil and picked a team better equipped to exploit it. Klopp would have been a happy happy man to see Giroud up top and Walcott out wide, I guarantee you he was dreading the outside prospect of AW playing Theo through the middle.

Ronaldo was as fast as Walcott
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comment by #LiquidGenius (U20571)
posted 7 hours, 21 minutes ago
Ronaldo was as fast as Walcott
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Exactly