From Daid Lennon : 4-4-2-v 4-3-3
Hi Myles,
I couldn’t agree more with the post from Stuart Laws.
With power players, 4-4-2 worked and won Arsenal trophies and titles.
When Wenger tried to reinvent his third team, using Barcelona as the blueprint (but on the cheap) he had to change his formation to accomodate the smaller, frailer, but arguably more skilfull midfielders we now have.
This is why we have no recognised defensive midfielder of any stature.
Arteta has always been an attacking, passing midfielder and Diaby, when he plays, is a dribbler, a bulldozer but not a DM.
Our midfield recycles the ball well,so invariably have high possession percentages, but there is no real directness and penetration because, as we have three in the middle this removes, the possibility of having a true partnership up front and two out and out wingers.
In addition the three in the middle often occupy the same space and so we play way too narrow to exploit spaces behind the opposition fullbacks.
If we changed our transfer policy, bought a truly colossal but mobile Defensive Midfielder and a proper striker (not centre forward) this would release a number of players into their preferred positions and also return to a winning formula, namely 4-4-2.
I could go on about the defensive inadequacies of 4-3-3 but I may start to bore people! Many thanks.
From Andy : worst Arsenal team since 1996?
Myles,
If you take a few minutes to check out the statistics you might notice that this Arsenal team is top of the EPL form table (last 6 games) and 2nd in the form table all the way back to 20 games. over the last 20 games arsenal would be 2nd in the league, only 6 points behind united (http://www.footstats.co.uk/?task=formguide).
That sounds to me like a team that is starting to gel after a summer of upheaval when our captain and most effective midfielder decided to jump ship and go for glory and we had to rebuild the way we play all over again. i
If we can keep this squad together for the next 3-4 years and give the core of young players a chance to grow surrounded by seasoned pros like Arteta, Cazorla, Rosicky, Mertesacker and Podolski, I can’t see any reason why we won’t be competing at the business end of the league again very soon.
It’s hard to see what could have been done to keep the players that left over recent seasons, especially when the big boys with bottomless pockets come calling and we are still trying to pay off the stadium debt. we aren’t called the “Bank of England” club for nothing.
We always balanced the books first and I don’t think it’s fair to continually lay all the blame for that at Wenger’s feet.
If you ask me, he has performed miracles to navigate us through this turbulent period and keep us involved in the Champions League every season despite all the shit he has had to deal with.
Name me one other manager who could have achieved something similar?
I honestly can’t think of one.
From Haroon: Why Wenger changed from 4-5-1
Why do we not play 4-4-2 and stick with 4-5-1 when we are not winning Myles??
Vieira doesn’t play for us any more.
Back in 1996, DM was an important position. Paddy could do it and play as an attacking midfielder too. He battered his way to wengers first title. 5 years later he was one of the most solid DM in europe.
How many people could do the defensive job Vieira did? Keane. Mascherano. Makelele were the obvious ones. Since Vieira left wenger couldnt play the same formation. So he played 2 players to do a one man job as he didn’t have the money to buy the “top top player” he bangs on about. That’s when we went to 4-5-1.
Then he saw Barca use the system to destroy Europe and thought he could do the same. It started as damage limitation and then became a dream.
Sunday was depressing. Utd weren’t bothered. Still we couldnt beat them.
We don’t have a proper striker, Myles.
AFC DOESNT HAVE A PROPER STRIKER.
Gervinho Theo and Podolski play on the wings. Giroud is good enough to be on the bench for us right now but is our main man. Bendtner, Chamakh, Park and Joel Campbell are all out on loan. How can you expect to win a title with that? You can’t. That’s why Wenger said at the start of the season that RvP will win the title for Utd.
Credit where it is due for our boys on Sunday.
The first 35 was great. All I want is passion. Ramsey and Theo were pumped. But if we had better composure in the final 3rd, and picked a better pass, we should have been 3 up before Sagna had a howler.
We’re linked with another French kid but from Spain now. Wenger won’t drop Giroud. Podolski will stay on the wing.
We need a proper CF, a proper left winger, a proper defensive midfielder and another keeper (although I think WS will come good again) for us to win the title.
Wenger won’t do half of that this summer.
He will say we went unbeaten for the last 15 games and will be better next season.
Myles says :
If there are seven words in the entire Oxford Modern Dictionary that I don’t want to read on a glorious Thursday morning they are : If we can keep this squad together.
It’s the Stockholm Syndrome, Andy.
You’ve been taken hostage and you’ve learned to love the guy who hijacked your plane. You’re helping him to sell the future year after year, decade after decade.
Fans like you are preventing Arsenal FC for becoming the winning football team that it’s been in the past.
This squad is average average average.