Attack, Attack, Attack! - Score or go home empty handed.

[redanddread]

This is our problem to be honest. We rely on elite quality. I think you could take 3 players out of City, Liverpool and Chelsea's attack and yes they might feel the standard drop but they'd still look threatening and maintain their style. The only 2 similar attackers that we have seem to be Welbeck and Perez. We don't have another player like Özil- Santi is brilliant but so so different, we have nobody like Sanchez at all with his mix of technique, guile, pressing, ability in the air etc, Giroud makes us play one way and Ox, Iwobi, Theo and Ramsey are completely different players.

We rely on good games from Özil and/or Sanchez or plan B Giroud off the bench.

Solution? Find a style that incorporates our 2 best attackers but isn't dependant on them.

What he needed to have done is surround Özil & Alexis with decent quality. We've been gagging for some extra quality upfront or out wide for so long it's a joke. Decent enough quality that if you take Özil & Sanchez out of the game then the drop off isn't as significant.

I hear you about the system but Wenger's "intricate" passing style depends on having the quality to execute that gameplan and outside of Santi, Özil & Sanchez the team doesn't have the players to deliver.

 

[SYS]

 

[say yes]

Amazing what dropping Giroud can do for you.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

We have scored more goals than brilliant Chelsea and Liverpool this season.

How did that happen?

 

[SYS]

We have scored more goals than brilliant Chelsea and Liverpool this season.

How did that happen?

Pool are on 32 with their match today

 

[Garrincha]

Crazy stat when you compare our average wide options to the top clubs round Europe.

Its great how Alexis upfront has brought back the counter attacks of old... I really missed them!

 

[SYS]

 

[MutableEarth]

Alexis' free role up front has slowly evolved before our eyes. We now have more options with which to attack space. A few bloggers have noted how much our shape has changed. Due to watching most matches from work it is not something I've been able to analyze fully but Ox being in the team changed our shape aswell at points which has in turn improved his performances slightly.

Alexis is the major key and IMO will prove to be as hard to replace if not harder than Özil. Those two must be kept. We need to blood players who can replicate their style and have potential to do so on their level.

 

[SYS]

 

[SYS]

 

[Trilly]

Monaco wtf

 

[Trilly]

The chance creation seeems to be back. We don't have to rely on maintaining that exceptional conversion rate. That's good.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Something I've noticed is that our chance creation seems to increase when Ramsey's on the pitch, I mean he came on vs West Ham and we score 4 without reply in what less than 15 minutes? I think his one touch quick passing is also very underrated. He's a positive and dynamic player for all his other faults when he plays at CM (at times anyways).

It's a fine balancing act though because I still think if we've got Ramsey partnering Xhaka instead of Coquelin partnering Xhaka then we could get punished and outnumbered by tougher opposition.

 

[Optimistic]

Something I've noticed is that our chance creation seems to increase when Ramsey's on the pitch, I mean he came on vs West Ham and we score 4 without reply in what less than 15 minutes? I think his one touch quick passing is also very underrated. He's a positive and dynamic player for all his other faults when he plays at CM (at times anyways).

It's a fine balancing act though because I still think if we've got Ramsey partnering Xhaka instead of Coquelin partnering Xhaka then we could get punished and outnumbered by tougher opposition.

We actually created plenty of chances against West Ham before Ramsey started playing. We just didn't convert them.

I'm a big Ramsey fan and his time will come this season, I'm sure. But as of yet he hasn't hit a vein of form, so it's not worth dropping the defensive security we gain from Coquelin just to put him in, IMO.

 

[carlito'sway]

Monaco wtf

We actually created plenty of chances against West Ham before Ramsey started playing. We just didn't convert them.

I'm a big Ramsey fan and his time will come this season, I'm sure. But as of yet he hasn't hit a vein of form, so it's not worth dropping the defensive security we gain from Coquelin just to put him in, IMO.

Fair point. We could/ should have led 2 or 3-0 at half time.

 

[Sanchez11]

Anybody got that feeling from the good old title days. You cant beat good old counter attacking football we invented it ffs!

 

[SYS]

 

[skip spence]

One thing I find strange is that each time we go down and really need a goal Wenger subs in Giroud and puts Alexis on the flank.

But don't we always need goals? If that's the most likely way to score, why don't we always play like that? We don't become defensively weaker if Giroud goes up front and Sanchez to LW. I understand the 'Giroud is good against a parked bus' argument, but most teams we play mostly defend deep anyway.

 

[CurryFlavoured]

The chance creation seeems to be back. We don't have to rely on maintaining that exceptional conversion rate. That's good.

We've probably improved but still not great, especially at home. I still think we struggle to create enough clear chances when you consider the amount of possession and territory we get.

 

[Vinci]

The more worrying thing is that we concede in almost every game. It's 11 games in a row now without a clean sheet in all competitions. Usually we don't concede more than one, but if that conversion rate drops we are going to drop a lot of points.

We laugh at Liverpool for the goals they concede, but we arguably have much better personnel and are far from a solid defensive force ourselves.