Everton vs Arsenal, Saturday, 29th December 17:15

[sabret00the]

No new years day for Robin.

 

[qs]

I want Cesc not to start this game. His movements looked wierd in the recent games so maybe a rest might benefit him.

I would start:

--------------Almunia
Sagna, Kolo, Gallas, Clichy
Eboue, Diarra, Flamini, Rosicky
----------------Hleb
-----------------Ade

I do hope Wenger will bring both Bendtner and Eduardo to this away game this time.... and bold enough to use them if necessary.

TACTICA If you were a manager your days would be numbered. Probably less than tripple digits.

--- Almunia ---
- Sagna --- Touré --- Gallas --- Clichy--

------------------ Flamini ----------------------
- Hleb ---------Cesc---------------Rosicky

------------------------Bendtner----------------
------------Adebayor----------------------------

4-4*-2* as Bendtner can certainly drop deep to defend and add unto Ade's movement in the attack ( I mean take avantage of the spaces Ade's movement will create ). This brings the 4-4-2 in a precaucious way as Wenger looks to be respecting some teams to much. We need this one badly, and I am praying for WH, they get the better of an excellent united side. Who bets ?

I like your line up there with one minor change. Drop Rosicky and put Eboue on the right, Hleb on the left. We need to be more direct in our play in these away games, at least until we score. Plus he's better defensively and we need to stop Everton as well as out play them. They're a classy side lately and we can't let them play around us.

 

[dublingunner]

The importance of this game can't be underestimated. It's a bad time for the club at the moment, we haven't been in form for the whole month of December and a glimpse on Arsenal.com to read Wenger's quote "1 point difference is not that big a deal" tells me volumes about the growing unease. This match feels like our game against Sp**s last year after we'd just had 2 defeats in a row to Fulham and Bolton. "Moment of truth" and all that.

I've only read bits of the whole 4-5-1 debate because I find it tiring frankly and I'm with Stiiphunn I think it was who is saying basically that it's too easy and too lazy to say 4-4-2 is a magic solution and the formation is the sole reason behind our poor form. How can people give Wenger so little credit? How can you possibly think that if the solution was that simple he would not see it? How can you think a man of his record and experience could possibly let "cowardice" cloud his decision making? Listen to yourselves. As Stiiphunn says, there has a valid reason behind Wenger's decisions even if it's not blindly obvious, and it's impossible to prove that if we had always played 4-4-2 we'd be in a better position than we are now. He is the one who is around the players day-in day-out, not us. He is the one who has the behind the scenes nuggets of knowledge that we never hear about. He is the one who has won titles and revolutionised a club in 10 years, not us. But yet some clowns posting on a internet message board somehow think they know better than him and he can't see the wood for the trees. It astounds me it really does and it makes me laugh every day when I come here for a read.

My opinion on tomorrow's match is that Wenger will probably stick with the players he has used consistently when they're fit. We know he's not one for rash decisions. I just see now that Gallas is fit and Eboue is out so perhaps Bendtner will get a start. I hope so, but I won't be jumping up and down if it's 4-5-1 with Diaby in for Eboue either.

It is the performance that matters most. If we play well we'll beat Everton regardless of which players in which formation. That's what we need to get right tomorrow. If we lose and Utd win, suddenly it'll seem like a long way back and the word crisis will be getting thrown around, here as much as anywhere else.

 

[arsenalfc0719]

Wenger said, "I will rest Eboue because he has played many games and he leaves soon for the African Nations Cup. Theo is rested too but I think he will be in contention for West Ham. And everybody else is available."

This means we will play 4-4-2.This made my day.

 

[Lukazan]

Oh dear. Besides one of the 3 around us I can't think of a worse game than this to go in to with how we're playing.

Newcastle, Boro and Portsmouth are all tough games but certainly very winnable if the players are up for it and the tactics are right. Everton on the other hand are a very good side and I'm going to predict they'll be the ones taking 5th spot, not Manchester City or Sp**s (ha).

4-5-1 here and we've got no chance.

 

[Gurgen]

Wenger said, "I will rest Eboue because he has played many games and he leaves soon for the African Nations Cup. Theo is rested too but I think he will be in contention for West Ham. And everybody else is available."

This means we will play 4-4-2.This made my day.

You think so?

I think he will put Hleb on the right, Rosicky in the middle and Diaby on the left.

 

[USArsenal]

oh no no no.. not that...

 

[Jasard]

Aww you ruined it Gurgen

 

[Gurgen]

Sorry

Don't want to make this any worse, but I think there is a possibility that Wenger will play Diaby in the centre and Rosicky on the left

 

[USArsenal]

oh, now that would be even worse.. but to be honest, if he proceeds to stick with a 4-5-1, Diaby wont be in the middle... we might see Rozza on the right, Diaby on the left and Hleb in the hole...

i hope to God not though... 4-4-2 please

 

[MDGoonah41]

I don't quite get this Adebayor criticism of drifting to the left. We are not a team that gets to the byline and crosses the ball, we rely on continous movement and creating space for other players.

If Adebayor sticks to the centre, he has 2 big defenders on him, he won't be creating any space for the midfielders to run into, moreover we will be more static as a team, he will then we criticized for poor off the ball movement and not creating space. Seems like he can't win.

Anyways it has a lot to do with the 4-5-1 too as it relies a lot on midfielders scoring, but thats another debate, but cracking intelligent jokes on Adebayor drifting to the left here as well as in the Adebayor thread without giving reasons as to why he shouldn't do it is foolish.

I don't know how everyone else feels, but I'll explain why I don't like what Ade does. I understand the concept of him drifting wide to create space. The problem is, our midfielders don't run into space. We play outside the box for the most part, so Ade drifting wide to "create space" doesn't really create the space it should, since our players don't get into the positions. By him drifting to the left, he removes an outlet option for Eboue/whoever is on the right side of the pitch. He also limits the space for Clichy on the left side, where he likes to attack. Ade is basically trying to do what Henry did, and it makes sense since Henry was his idol. But Henry was a good dribbler of the ball and could take a shot with his left foot as well as his right. Ade does not have nearly the same ability one on one with a defender. Because of this, he seems to offer little end product when he is isolated out wide and the ball is played into his feet.

By staying central, he is providing himself as an outlet to all of our midfielders. He's also creating a bit more space on the wide areas. Sagna has shown he can put in a cross with the best of them, when Eboue actually gives him the ball. Clichy's crossing leaves a lot to be desired at times, but he still gets into the positions when he has the space. In a 4-4-2, the midfielders have an extra option with the second striker, and defenses can't focus on just cutting off the supply to Ade. When he drifts wide, we're essentially playing a 4-6-0, which congests things in the center of the pitch.

That's my criticism of his positioning. If he were better on the ball in terms of beating his man or picking out a player in tight spaces, I think it would be more effective. But as it stands, I think it makes it tougher on the rest of the team.

 

[illmatik]

I think Cesc will play a much better game against Everton, they will play with an attacking sense rather than Pompey who had Diop and Muntari all over him. Cesc will have some freedom and hopefully he can take advantage of it

 

[USArsenal]

anyone know if Arteta is fit for this match?

 

[Juicy]

I don't quite get this Adebayor criticism of drifting to the left. We are not a team that gets to the byline and crosses the ball, we rely on continous movement and creating space for other players.

If Adebayor sticks to the centre, he has 2 big defenders on him, he won't be creating any space for the midfielders to run into, moreover we will be more static as a team, he will then we criticized for poor off the ball movement and not creating space. Seems like he can't win.

Anyways it has a lot to do with the 4-5-1 too as it relies a lot on midfielders scoring, but thats another debate, but cracking intelligent jokes on Adebayor drifting to the left here as well as in the Adebayor thread without giving reasons as to why he shouldn't do it is foolish.

I don't know how everyone else feels, but I'll explain why I don't like what Ade does. I understand the concept of him drifting wide to create space. The problem is, our midfielders don't run into space. We play outside the box for the most part, so Ade drifting wide to "create space" doesn't really create the space it should, since our players don't get into the positions. By him drifting to the left, he removes an outlet option for Eboue/whoever is on the right side of the pitch. He also limits the space for Clichy on the left side, where he likes to attack. Ade is basically trying to do what Henry did, and it makes sense since Henry was his idol. But Henry was a good dribbler of the ball and could take a shot with his left foot as well as his right. Ade does not have nearly the same ability one on one with a defender. Because of this, he seems to offer little end product when he is isolated out wide and the ball is played into his feet.

By staying central, he is providing himself as an outlet to all of our midfielders. He's also creating a bit more space on the wide areas. Sagna has shown he can put in a cross with the best of them, when Eboue actually gives him the ball. Clichy's crossing leaves a lot to be desired at times, but he still gets into the positions when he has the space. In a 4-4-2, the midfielders have an extra option with the second striker, and defenses can't focus on just cutting off the supply to Ade. When he drifts wide, we're essentially playing a 4-6-0, which congests things in the center of the pitch.

That's my criticism of his positioning. If he were better on the ball in terms of beating his man or picking out a player in tight spaces, I think it would be more effective. But as it stands, I think it makes it tougher on the rest of the team.

I agree with this. What could be more helpful would be him continually making runs in behind the backline, tiring them and pushing them back. The cost of this is that he will end up being offside sometimes, and that can frustrate fans, but I think it's a small price to pay for tiring out a back four, and being available for all kinds of different passes and crosses.

 

[arsenalfc0719]

Sorry

Don't want to make this any worse, but I think there is a possibility that Wenger will play Diaby in the centre and Rosicky on the left

You just made it a a whole lot worse.Please god 4-4-2.

 

[MDGoonah41]

I wouldn't be shocked at all to see Diaby on the left, Hleb on the right and Rosicky in the hole.

 

[USArsenal]

i would be OK with that (assuming we will play the 451).. just not Diaby in the middle... dont think he's ready for it...

 

[number_0]

no diaby at all please, the guy is useless to me, would rather eboue, denilson or walcott.

 

[illmatik]

Diaby can be a great player if he is having his type of game

 

[GoonerGurjit]

I'm hoping this will be the team Wenger puts out against Everton:

--------------------Almunia

Sagna-----Toure---Gallas-----Clichy

Hleb---Flamini----Fabregas---Rosicky

----------Bendtner---Adebayor

Subs:

Lehmann
Senderos
Gilberto
Diaby
Eduardo