Whole midfield needs to be scrapped

comment by Cinciwolf---- jealous little scottish to$$er (U11551)
posted 15 minutes ago
comment by Scruttocks (U19684)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Greatteamswinit4times- a terrible enemy (U6008)
posted 2 hours, 31 minutes ago
comment by Cinciwolf---- jealous little scottish to$$er (U11551)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Greatteamswinit4times- a terrible enemy (U6008)
posted 1 hour, 22 minutes ago
Spending 72 million on Pepe when it could have got you a top CM and CB is Emerys biggest crime.
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To be fair Wenger used to do exactly the same and waste money on luxuries when the problems were obvious
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Did he though? Wenger was seemingly blind in terms of not recruiting what they needed or getting that choice wrong, like Xhaka as a DM, but I don't remember him spending crazy money on positions they didn't need.
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Happened exactly like that for 5-10 seasons. We'd have glaring weaknesses in the first 11, ones that were so bad that whole seasons crumbled due to them yet instead of addressing those weaknesses Wenger would plump for a player that became "available".

While signing top players who became available is worth doing and we made great signings like that we suffered by not fixing the obvious issues.

*available meant their club were happy to sell at a decent price, it didn't matter whether we were well stocked in the position already
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Always felt to me that Arsenal under Wenger would need a spine to the team buy then go and sign the next fancy one trick pony attacking midfielder they didn't particularly need, Ozil probably the best example.
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Yeah it's true. What I said and I stand by though is that signing these players often wasn't a mistake (we ended up with many top players at decent prices), the mistake was only signing those players.

Ozil, Sanchez, Cazorla and even guys like Podolski, Arteta and Monreal. They were all decent signings (some excellent) but the problem was they didn't address our major weaknesses - they were merely "available".

The other thing that often happened is we'd reach the last week of the window and panic buy low quality players for the crucial postions. We needed quality in the positions and instead signed dross.

So not all Xhaka fault then?

comment by (kash) I'm the Mané - 6 Times Baby (U1108)
posted 6 minutes ago
So not all Xhaka fault then?
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Xhaka is a very poor player. There are other issues...

Guen is pretty overrated imo by our fans. He an excellent young player but he should not be starting week in week out. only genuine world class players or unreal talents should be starting at that age. Cesc is a probably the only one imo who could command a place week in week out at that age.

Guendouzi is extremely overrated by the fan base. Promising player and one for the future but he has pretty much been the mainstay of the MF since Emery arrived which is ridiculous

Last decent midfield we had was Fabregas, Flamini, Rosicky, Hleb, and that was broken up circa 2008.

For me it’s always been the most important part of a team, so for Arsenal to have neglected it and overseen its gradual decline for over a decade is borderline criminal.

Willock and Guendouzi have shown great promise, so starting from scratch isn’t necessary, but given the amount of players we’ve seen come, fail, and go in the last 10 years, I’m not at all confident that even if were to sign anyone in January - which given the situation with Xhaka and Torreira you’d think we’ll probably have to - there would be any great upturn in performance anytime soon.

Guendouzi isn't good enough to be starting in MF. He is one of the reasons our MF is so exposed.

Torreira is no better and for me he isn't suited to tbr league

Watching the game yesterday, players like Guendouzi and Torreira wouldn't look out of place at teams like Southampton. In fact it's probably about their level

Ozil and Xhaka are the ONLY MF players that need to be scrapped. Xhaka has been a long term problem and it's no coincidence that MF is repeatedly being exposed now that Ozil is starting week in week out.

It's pathetic the way the people who screamed for him to be played are now finger pointing at every other MF player they can. Blaming them for the problems. We had issues last season yes but we were never this weak in MF. We pressed the ball well last season. Only difference in playing staff on the MF score is OZIL! No Ozil we had a MF/FW that could rescue games from mistakes the defence made. With Ozil we have a MF constantly overstretched and scrambling.

OP Mesut Ozil HAS RETIRED!!! Yes he shows up, yes he runs about and kicks the ball. But he is just going through the motions so he can pick up his 300k. He's not interested in playing, has no plans to move on. He is content to simply come to work, do feck all, get paid and go home. From now until the end of his contract. He had it MADE then. “Set for life! Now I just gotta make sure I don't get hurt because I don't want no aches and pains while I'm spending my 60mil.” When he signed that contract, he signed off from playing competitively. He is simply seeing out his KERCHING CHIIIIING!!! contract.

HE QUIT ON ARSENAL A LONG TIME AGO!!! And its about feckin time fans like you returned the favour! Instead of bleating for/after him like a tragic repeatedly jilted ex.

‘ Ozil and Xhaka are the ONLY MF players that need to be scrapped’

If you’re going to include Ozil, then you have to include Torreira too. He’s clearly not happy in London, and looks like he has wanted out for almost a year now.

Add to that Ceballos doesn’t look cut out for the Prem... well, it ain’t great is it?

Oh and not forgetting, Mkhitaryan and Elneny are technically still Arsenal players...