From James : Ozil or Cazorla
Myles,
That was an interesting read by Poet.
But he failed to touch on one scenario.
In the current 4-2-3-1 system, Ozil and Cazorla should be competing for the same starting spot at Number 10.
Clearly both are fantastic talents but we shouldn’t be trying to accommodate a player because he is a fantastic talent. Galatico fever!
Wenger tried it early last season by putting Ozil on the left wing while Cazorla played Number 10. Second half of the season he deployed a scenario of Cazorla dropping deeper to accommodate Ozil at Number 10. Sometimes you need to leave yourself a good bench to call upon and the Hammers game was a case in point where the attacking options were just not good enough.
A player may be annoyed sitting on the bench. But a successful team needs a highly competitive spirit to keep performance levels high. Lehmann’s comments in Amy Lawrence’s book (I think) about when he first joined the team he spoke about the highly competitive nature of training.
For me our midfield combination should be Ramsey and Coq behind Ozil or Carzola. This should include supporting appearances (if fit) from Wilshere and Arteta. Although Arteta’s role may be about to change with the signing of Sevilla’s midfielder, Grzegorz Krychowiak.
From GoonerNee : balance so vital in a winning team
Excellent analysis and thoughtful post.
I agree with “Neither are good enough yet, but their style is the right one.”
We have a good squad with some quality but not a team to create and score enough goals, defend against top teams. No leader, no partnerships, too predictable.
Use the team and formation that worked (last season and bring in squad players in the same system based on the opposition, need for a rest, etc.
Or buy better players in the same positions.