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

[redanddread]

Arsenal are a team known for their attacking flair BUT how good is our attack really.

This season we've seen the arrival of Pep & his particular brand of attacking football & also witnessed the rise of Klopp's own heavy metal version. Both look superior to ours in terms of personnel & execution imo. Furthermore, the transformation that has happened at the Fulham bus stop is nothing short of meteorical with Conte's switch to a 343 delivering some eye catching performances and a deluge of goals.

Last year was the outlier as normally the team that wins the league also scores the most goals. I don't have the stats at hand but I'm sure that we haven't been close to the top of the goal scoring charts for quite a while now.

This "lack" of attacking prowess has seen us thwarted by many a team over the last few years that are able to "park the bus" intelligently and hit us on the break. Middlebrough & Sp*rs immediately come to mind.

We will not win the league without our offense being one of the top 2 or very close to it. I believe that we lack real quality in the wide positions but are also restrained by what at times seem to be a lack of a clear cut attacking plan. We know that Wenger embrace's the notion that player intelligence will trump all but do we have the players who can execute his instructions at the highest level vs the elite teams. Özil, Sanchez & Cazorla aside, I have my doubts.

Ironically, most gooners have bemoaned our teams defensive vulnerabilities for many a year and rightly so but it's usually the most potent offense that wins the league and we've been far from potent "when it counts" for quite a while now.

In summing up I'd say that if attacking football has a direct risk & reward relationship, which it does, I don't think we see enough rewards for the risks that we take.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

We have been scoring more than 2 goals in most games this season.

Our attack is very young and moving away from Giroud. It may take some time.

But mostly I think we are losing to much goal with some heavy misses. We are missing way to much clear cut chances.

 

[redanddread]

We have been scoring more than 2 goals in most games this season.

Our attack is very young and moving away from Giroud. It may take some time.

But mostly I think we are losing to much goal with some heavy misses. We are missing way to much clear cut chances.

@Makingtrax posted some stats in the race for the title thread and showed we were way down compared to Liverpool & City on the actual chance creation. When we get shut out nowadays it's not so much missing lots of chances that's affecting us, it's actually not creating them that is the major concern.

 

[NotAUserName]

@Makingtrax posted some stats in the race for the title thread and showed we were way down compared to Liverpool & City on the actual chance creation. When we get shut out nowadays it's not so much missing lots of chances that's affecting us, it's actually not creating them that is the major concern.

The reason we are not creating enough chances this season is simply down to how we are utilizing our players. Alexis used to create a lot more from the wing but he is now playing as a striker. Özil is a bit off form but even his new position where he's playing as some sort of secondary striker means we lose another avenue of chance creation. Cazorla too used to contribute here but Wenger has moved him deeper to help our build-up play. This leaves Coquelin as the player with the most passes in our attacking third but he is 10th in our team for chances created. It's an overall tactical **** up and our exceptional conversion rate is the only reason we are close to the top spot.

 

[redanddread]

The reason we are not creating enough chances this season is simply down to how we are utilizing our players. Alexis used to create a lot more from the wing but he is now playing as a striker. Özil is a bit off form but even his new position where he's playing as some sort of secondary striker means we lose another avenue of chance creation. Cazorla too used to contribute here but Wenger has moved him deeper to help our build-up play. This leaves Coquelin as the player with the most passes in our attacking third but he is 10th in our team for chances created. It's an overall tactical **** up and our exceptional conversion rate is the only reason we are close to the top spot.

Is Le Coq really the player with the most passes in our attacking 3rd? I find that hard to believe. He is playing there as a tactical tweak to ensure that we can win the ball higher up the field. He's not there as a playmaker. His passing has improved but is obviously not as creative as some of his colleagues.

Surely a "complete" tactical ****up wouldn't have us undefeated for 16 games?

However, something does need to change you feel for us to start creating more good chances. Next weekend @ OT should give us some idea as to whether we can create good chances against teams that can adopt intelligent tactical positions on defense.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

@Makingtrax posted some stats in the race for the title thread and showed we were way down compared to Liverpool & City on the actual chance creation. When we get shut out nowadays it's not so much missing lots of chances that's affecting us, it's actually not creating them that is the major concern.

I know we are behind. But we are still missing chances we really should be putting into the net.

It has nothing to do with comparisons with City or Liverpool. They could have created billion chances by now but that doesn't justify us missing some very easy chances this season.

 

[redanddread]

I know we are behind. But we are still missing chances we really should be putting into the net.

It has nothing to do with comparisons with City or Liverpool. They could have created billion chances by now but that doesn't justify us missing some very easy chances this season.

As I understand it we're top of the chance conversion league, or were until recently. Sp*rs & Middlesbrough games weren't a case of missing several good chances.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

As I understand it we're top of the chance conversion league, or were until recently. Sp*rs & Middlesbrough games weren't a case of missing several good chances.

In games where you get only few good chances you have to convert them.

Being top on some stat tables doesn't justify Iwobi missing his chance against Sp**s or Sanchez his chance against Boro.

 

[redanddread]

In games where you get only few good chances you have to convert them.

Being top on some stat tables doesn't justify Iwobi missing his chance against Sp**s or Sanchez his chance against Boro.

Hey, I agree but you have more chances of scoring the more chances you create and we're not creating as many chances as some of the other top teams.

 

[Makingtrax]

Hey, I agree but you have more chances of scoring the more chances you create and we're not creating as many chances as some of the other top teams.

Wenger is a big fan of xG and a bit of a data freak. The closer you get to the goal the more chance you have of scoring according to the analysis.

If Wenger is urging his team to get in close, it would fit with the data: fewer chances but a high conversion rate and second most touches in the opposition box (after City), and we're averaging just over 2 goals per game similar to Chelsea and City.

But more importantly our defence stats are better than the other teams.

 

[redanddread]

Wenger is a big fan of xG and a bit of a data freak. The closer you get to the goal the more chance you have of scoring according to the analysis.

If Wenger is urging his team to get in close, it would fit with the data: fewer chances but a high conversion rate and second most touches in the opposition box (after City), and we're averaging just over 2 goals per game similar to Chelsea and City.

But more importantly our defence stats are better than the other teams.

okay

 

[NotAUserName]

Is Le Coq really the player with the most passes in our attacking 3rd? I find that hard to believe. He is playing there as a tactical tweak to ensure that we can win the ball higher up the field. He's not there as a playmaker. His passing has improved but is obviously not as creative as some of his colleagues.

Surely a "complete" tactical ****up wouldn't have us undefeated for 16 games?

However, something does need to change you feel for us to start creating more good chances. Next weekend @ OT should give us some idea as to whether we can create good chances against teams that can adopt intelligent tactical positions on defense.

That tweet was from two weeks ago so it might have changed, but yes, Coq is heavily involved in our attacking play.
He is also not there to ensure we can win the ball higher up, in fact he is less effective at winning it. Besides, if Wenger really did want us to win the ball higher up then surely the more effective way will be to instruct our forward players to press the opposition.

Maybe I shouldn't have said "complete" as I like Alexis at striker but like I said, our clinical finishing and the individual brilliance of Mustafi and Koscielny is the reason why we're doing well so far, neither of which can last the season. I'm still giving Wenger the benefit of the doubt and intrigued to see how we'll line-up now that players have returned from injury.

 

[redanddread]

That tweet was from two weeks ago so it might have changed, but yes, Coq is heavily involved in our attacking play.
He is also not there to ensure we can win the ball higher up, in fact he is less effective at winning it. Besides, if Wenger really did want us to win the ball higher up then surely the more effective way will be to instruct our forward players to press the opposition.

Maybe I shouldn't have said "complete" as I like Alexis at striker but like I said, our clinical finishing and the individual brilliance of Mustafi and Koscielny is the reason why we're doing well so far, neither of which can last the season. I'm still giving Wenger the benefit of the doubt and intrigued to see how we'll line-up now that players have returned from injury.

Wenger has said that is why Le Coq is playing higher up the pitch. At least I'm sure he did..

 

[Jury]

Our attacking patterns still look off the cuff and unstructured. Add to that out tendency to do stupid sh1t at the back and I don't feel confident about our chances of a big trophy this year. We've got out of jail a few times already. It wont last.

 

[Jury]

Also, we're still doing that same clueless stuff, like punting balls into an empty box or aiming them at total mismatches. We waste a lot of time doing this when we desperately need a goal.

 

[NotAUserName]

Wenger has said that is why Le Coq is playing higher up the pitch. At least I'm sure he did..

Then the unintended consequences are far worse than whatever we might gain.

Personally, I think Coquelin is there so we are not short of bodies in attack. Ideally, you want your deepest midfielder, the one pulling all the strings to be a very good passer and secure in possession, Cazorla. Since the beginning of the Coquelin-Cazorla partnership, Coquelin has always played deeper and Santi a bit higher. This however slows down our play as Santi would have to drop deep, collect the ball and move forward. It also left us with a spare midfielder (Coquelin) who wasn't so involved when we had the ball. Wenger has now permanently played Cazorla deeper and Coq higher so our build-up play is quicker and we have the benefit of that extra midfielder in Coquelin higher up the pitch. Another problem of this set-up, other than the creative aspect, is that it makes us vulnerable defensively (think PSG match) as Cazorla is not the player you'd want protecting the defense.

For me the only way to solve it without having to limit Özil's goalscoring or play Sanchez on the wings will be to switch to a midfield 3. You have Xhaka as your deepest midfielder, he is good at controlling play and defensively sound. This allows Cazorla to play higher up where he'll be creating more chances. Then you add a third midfielder (Ramsey/Elneny/Coq) who can try to replicate Coquelin's pressing but is also good in attacking positions (Ramsey/Elneny).

 

[MutableEarth]

There have been notable improvements IMO, but there are still things that need to be worked on a lot more.

There are a few more structured moves (i.e. the overloads on the left creating space for Bellerin/Walcott comes to mind) that have clearly become a staple of the attack, as well as a slightly more co-ordinated high press leading to quicker counters than last season. (I say slightly, because we're still not that good at it)

IMO, the main issue is a surprising lack of flexibility. We're doing the same moves and not really giving opponents anything new to think about. We have enough quality to still hurt opposition defenses hard, but against tactically organized opposition, that alone won't cut it. Upfront, Alexis is doing a pretty good job, but I think Özil could step up a gear in order for their partnership to be more fruitful. On the wide forward front, Walcott and Iwobi are the players capable of the most damage in the final 3rd, and both are currently not at their best compared to the very start of the season. Problem is, Ox has underwhelmed massively and Lucas just got an injury. Ramsey solves part of the problem, but he comes with his own flaws.

The solution nobody really wants is to see a Giroud return with Alexis on the wing. Not only does that make our play even more predictable and unstructured, but Alexis doesn't even play that well alongside Giroud.

I'm not sure how this will be rectified because as much as Wenger has done some good work with the team, I don't think it will be enough. We're not absolutely crying out for more fresh blood, but with our forward line pretty much being so set that they can't even be replaced as adequately as we would like, either we explore that option in the market or use the academy.

I also think we lack goals from midfield. Xhaka has chipped in nicely so far, but Coquelin is a completely non-existent attacking threat, Cazorla has the key passes but his shooting has been awry for a long time now, Elneny is pure milquetoast as an attacking threat and Ramsey - despite his reputation for going Hollywood and getting into the box - is not even scoring as many goals as we would like. Statistically, (bar Alexis) he was our most profligate finisher last year despite racking up shooting opportunities.

 

[krackpot]

I also think we lack goals from midfield. Xhaka has chipped in nicely so far, but Coquelin is a completely non-existent attacking threat, Cazorla has the key passes but his shooting has been awry for a long time now, Elneny is pure milquetoast as an attacking threat and Ramsey - despite his reputation for going Hollywood and getting into the box - is not even scoring as many goals as we would like. Statistically, (bar Alexis) he was our most profligate finisher last year despite racking up shooting opportunities.

this is the key issue.

it hasnt helped that we keep disrupting the CM pair. the way we play needs a lot of understanding between them, and we keep changing it due to injury/form.

Coq: 8 games
Xhaka: 5
Caz: 7

our strong area (CM) is faltering, and this needs addressing. Once Wellbz returns, we might be a bigger threat.

 

[MutableEarth]

this is the key issue.

it hasnt helped that we keep disrupting the CM pair. the way we play needs a lot of understanding between them, and we keep changing it due to injury/form.

Coq: 8 games
Xhaka: 5
Caz: 7

our strong area (CM) is faltering, and this needs addressing. Once Wellbz returns, we might be a bigger threat.

We keep disrupting the pair because IMO, they are all good individually but none of them mesh. Only Coquelin and Cazorla have some semblance of an understanding.

Signing Xhaka was meant to make our midfield more multidynamic but now I can't see a pairing that is going to deliver that. (I had foolish hope for Xhaka-AMN down the line )

 

[redanddread]

Then the unintended consequences are far worse than whatever we might gain.

Personally, I think Coquelin is there so we are not short of bodies in attack. Ideally, you want your deepest midfielder, the one pulling all the strings to be a very good passer and secure in possession, Cazorla. Since the beginning of the Coquelin-Cazorla partnership, Coquelin has always played deeper and Santi a bit higher. This however slows down our play as Santi would have to drop deep, collect the ball and move forward. It also left us with a spare midfielder (Coquelin) who wasn't so involved when we had the ball. Wenger has now permanently played Cazorla deeper and Coq higher so our build-up play is quicker and we have the benefit of that extra midfielder in Coquelin higher up the pitch. Another problem of this set-up, other than the creative aspect, is that it makes us vulnerable defensively (think PSG match) as Cazorla is not the player you'd want protecting the defense.

For me the only way to solve it without having to limit Özil's goalscoring or play Sanchez on the wings will be to switch to a midfield 3. You have Xhaka as your deepest midfielder, he is good at controlling play and defensively sound. This allows Cazorla to play higher up where he'll be creating more chances. Then you add a third midfielder (Ramsey/Elneny/Coq) who can try to replicate Coquelin's pressing but is also good in attacking positions (Ramsey/Elneny).

Wenger has been touting Xhaka as a B2B. I wonder if he would pair Xhaka & Santi, with Xhaka breaking legs and making snappy passes in the final 3rd instead of Le Coq.

Le Coq isn't up there just provide bodies bro, he's there to try and win the ball higher up the pitch..