Too much emphasis on pace

Pace is a good weapon to have but it only really works well if the players with pace have decent end product to go with it. I wouldn't say Werner or BJ convince in that department.

The trick is to find a winger who ticks as many boxes as possible. Try and uncover the next Salah.

comment by Ioavirgo (U10470)
posted 37 minutes ago
comment by Ioavirgo (U10470)
posted 0 seconds ago
comment by The rain cloud (U8779)
posted 28 minutes ago
Do we rely on pace though?
Wingers and an on form no 10 is what we need.
Pace will still cause problems to a deep sitting ‘low block ‘ .
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Johnson has pace..I don't see problems caused. He's a chip and chase player. We need close control players all over the pitch. Especially upfront
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Werner is another chip and chase winger although he wants to play centrally
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Has Werner been any good for you lot? Looks all pace and no end product. Like a slightly more sheet Theo Walcott

Exactly. These players work well for forest and lower table teams that rarely face low blocks so they can counter. Perhaps even a Conte team. But top teams need technicians with pace. Not headless sprint chickens

Werner has 3 assists in his handful of games. He's done ok.

BJ is hot and cold, but he is far from the end product so needs to be stuck with and he needs to work on his final ball and movement.

We aint replacing BJ any time soon.

Son is +30, Werner is on loan, Solomon was a freebee, so there is defo scope to add another quality winger for the left side.

I've often thought the same and wondered why we'd spent so much on Johnson, for example, as his pace was effective in a counter attacking side. Against a side that camps in, what else does he offer? We need more guile and creativity to carve teams open. Pace does nothing, particularly when you don't really utilise the flanks in this system. The main problem Ange has is that his full backs are tasked with coming into midfield meaning his wide forwards need to stay wide to be effective and stretch teams. They don't. Both Son and Kulusevski like to cut in which means we end up very congested and narrow.

For me the answer is to put Son back in the middle and play Timo wide left. He does hug that touchline more and there's a reason he's assisted a few goals so far. It's a personnel issue for me.

both

I don't have the stats but it feels that in a lot of games recently, for all the pretty football City, Liverpool and Arsenal play, they have opened the scoring against low block defences with set pieces. Only then have they been able to score plenty in open play as the game opens up. Our set pieces have been good (9) but Arsenal have 14.

For low block teams the answer might be to drop Sarr for someone more creative like GLC or Bents to compliment Biss and Maddison?

comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 2 hours, 45 minutes ago
I've often thought the same and wondered why we'd spent so much on Johnson, for example, as his pace was effective in a counter attacking side. Against a side that camps in, what else does he offer? We need more guile and creativity to carve teams open. Pace does nothing, particularly when you don't really utilise the flanks in this system. The main problem Ange has is that his full backs are tasked with coming into midfield meaning his wide forwards need to stay wide to be effective and stretch teams. They don't. Both Son and Kulusevski like to cut in which means we end up very congested and narrow.

For me the answer is to put Son back in the middle and play Timo wide left. He does hug that touchline more and there's a reason he's assisted a few goals so far. It's a personnel issue for me.
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Put Son in the middle and we entirely lose the ability to put an aerial ball into the box which is always a good option vs the low block (and hence why City bought Halaand)

We dont want wingers who are exclusively pacey and we dont want wingers that are just ballers. Its hard to find ones that tick both boxes but even City can go from Doku to Grealish, or in the past, Mahrez to Silva or Foden.

Options are good. The perfect winger is probably impossible to find.

But as said above, dont write-off Johnson just yet. He has pace but if he can add a bit of trickery and improve his final ball then he can be very effective as an alternative to Deki.

comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 48 minutes ago
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 2 hours, 45 minutes ago
I've often thought the same and wondered why we'd spent so much on Johnson, for example, as his pace was effective in a counter attacking side. Against a side that camps in, what else does he offer? We need more guile and creativity to carve teams open. Pace does nothing, particularly when you don't really utilise the flanks in this system. The main problem Ange has is that his full backs are tasked with coming into midfield meaning his wide forwards need to stay wide to be effective and stretch teams. They don't. Both Son and Kulusevski like to cut in which means we end up very congested and narrow.

For me the answer is to put Son back in the middle and play Timo wide left. He does hug that touchline more and there's a reason he's assisted a few goals so far. It's a personnel issue for me.
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Put Son in the middle and we entirely lose the ability to put an aerial ball into the box which is always a good option vs the low block (and hence why City bought Halaand)

We dont want wingers who are exclusively pacey and we dont want wingers that are just ballers. Its hard to find ones that tick both boxes but even City can go from Doku to Grealish, or in the past, Mahrez to Silva or Foden.

Options are good. The perfect winger is probably impossible to find.

But as said above, dont write-off Johnson just yet. He has pace but if he can add a bit of trickery and improve his final ball then he can be very effective as an alternative to Deki.
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Who said anything about aerial? Historically Ange sides have always played low crosses into the box. An aerial threat is nice if you have it but it's not essential in this system. Richy's aerial ability does not outweigh Son's ability to do everything else better in the centre forward position. We are a better team with him up top instead of Richy. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind whatsoever and no Richy purple patch in front of goal will change my mind on that.