Squad Analysis 2015/2016

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

I think CHambers is living off two good performances this year tbh. I've seen very little that suggests he can be a real option.

 

[Toast]

Is horse **** worse than dog ****?

 

[Makingtrax]

But isn't it then Wenger's job to get better strikers?

Absolutely right if he can. Not sure who's in charge of doing the deal (Gazidis?) though, whoever it was cocked up badly.

 

[Hunta]

Is horse **** worse than dog ****?

More of it.

 

[fabo]

Absolutely right if he can. Not sure who's in charge of doing the deal (Gazidis?) though, whoever it was cocked up badly.

You are a ******* *****.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

I think CHambers is living off two good performances this year tbh. I've seen very little that suggests he can be a real option.

Because he has played very little.

 

[MutableEarth]

Lot of talk about xG. I like the model but like most shooting stats, dont really factor in the high velocity of blocked shots. To play Arsenal, you know we're gonna try to shoot from close to goal so just overload your 18 yard area with bodies. Shooting outside the box, while incredibly inefficient, can be a useful tactic but so can clever movement at close quarters, something we still should be better at.

LCFC concede big chances but they also deep block the area and block more shots than anyone. That is why their xG against is so high. They were organized in defense and attack, efficient in both areas. Deserved champions IMO.

It really only highlights how disorganized we are as a team both defensively and offensively. Sadly, that is down to Wenger and his staff.

 

[Jury]

Is horse **** worse than dog ****?

What would you rather have your foot caked in? Dogsh!t is like ****ing plutonium. Horseshit, in comparison, is like a lush salad.

 

[Makingtrax]

You are a ******* *****.

A forum's no different to life mate, you're bound to meet both good and f****** up people - you know them by their comments.

 

[US_Gooner]

Squad needs a complete re-think from top to bottom.
Today looked like someone spilled puzzle pieces onto the pitch.

 

[LordBump]

The squad is mostly fine, although still need those big signings.

It's the manager and whatever coaching is going on that's the problem.
We look like the worst drilled team in the PL. We just seem to be running all over the joint.

Get some disciplined structure and we look very different.

 

[Toast]

I'm starting to think another summer of underinvestment may leave the club in a world of **** when Wenger does finally leave at the end of next season.

GK
Cech - signs of decline.
Ospina
Szczesny

RB
Bellerin
Jenkinson?
Debuchy - surely on his way out.

CB
Per - declining
Kos - declining(?)
Gabriel - raw as hell
Chambers - never plays. Unknown quantity, really. Raw as hell.

LB
Monreal - getting on in age. Still solid though.
Gibbs

CM
Coquelin
Wilshere - very injury prone.
Ramsey - injury prone.
Elneny
Cazorla - getting on in age. Still solid though.

CAM
Özil - might leave?

Wingers
Walcott - very injury prone / might leave
Ox - injury prone
Sanchez - might leave?
Iwobi
Campbell - will probably leave

Strikers
Giroud - *sigh*
Welbeck

That squad is ****ing poverty. If we see another summer of underinvestment this is likely to be the squad we'll be taking into the next season, plus 1 or 2 additions and some youngsters. Recent summers have shown us that we'll likely get one big name and (maybe) some (expensive) squaddies. That clearly won't be enough. Our key players are either declining/old or unsettled.

I fear that if we don't invest big in key areas (CB, CM, ST) this summer, Wenger will do a Ferguson and leave our next manager with a declining/mediocre squad to rebuild and us with a rocky transition.

And even if we do invest big this summer, is Wenger really capable of getting the right players? Worrying times.

 

[Trilly]

Think about how 'well' we've performed despite clearly being one of the most poorly coached teams in the league.

Massive room for improvement here, even with all the underperformers players at the club. Some guys are simply hopeless but a lot of the average guys would suddenly look better under new management.

 

[Gooner n Proud]

We needed to play with a more pragmatic approach from February to see out the season as the team were in a good position and with the injuries we had the players who were fit really cannot initiate the 'passing' game so it would've been wise for Arsène to alter slightly his tactics at some stage and I think its one of the decisions that has cost us.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Ok I'll put this here, but this season has reaffirmed the reasons why I hate the 4-2-3-1 formation. Especially when it comes to us and the way we try to play.

Yesterday, we brought on Walcott for Iwobi and switched to 4-3-3 and all of a sudden we were causing the City defence mountains of problems. Alexis was now more a forward than a left midfielder and didn't have to worry about get back into a midfield 4, while Walcott looked more dangerous in the last 25 minutes than he has done in all the times he's played since the reverse fixture. We were utilising Giroud a lot better, with Alexis getting closer to him without a worry, while Walcott was then looking the run in behind him. Sure Wilshere, Ramsey and Elneny wasn't a perfect midfield trio but it still looked a better balanced midfield than the majority of our midfields this season (ok at the start it remained 4-2-3-1 but into the second half Elneny dropped deep with Wilshere and Ramsey playing slightly ahead).

There's only one player that the formation gets the absolute best out of, in our squad, and that's Özil. Everyone else seems to be suited towards a 4-3-3. And this isn't me trying to excuse Giroud, because he's missed a lot of chance regardless, however yesterday saw us utilise some of his other attributes better especially when you have Alexis who was allowed to get closer to him and Walcott who was allowed to go in behind.

Look, perhaps we'll sign a couple of players who'll suite the 4-2-3-1 formation better like an all round striker and another midfielder and all of a sudden the whole system will work better but I still maintain at the moment it isn't a system that gets the best out of the majority of our players.

 

[Makingtrax]

We needed to play with a more pragmatic approach from February to see out the season as the team were in a good position and with the injuries we had the players who were fit really cannot initiate the 'passing' game so it would've been wise for Arsène to alter slightly his tactics at some stage and I think its one of the decisions that has cost us.

Would be interested in your take on the xG data posted on page 91.

 

[The_Roadrunner]

Would be interested in your take on the xG data posted on page 91.

The problem with xG and many current footballing statistics is we still don't have an accurate way of quantifying positioning which is vital to football. So as someone said earlier the problem with xG is that its not taking into account the positioning of the other team which again is a vital element. So in a vacuum a shot might look like a high percentage shot but if i reality two defenders were right in front of the shooter its not nearly as great a chance as it looks just mapped onto a static map.

A baseball game can be almost completely visualized just from the box score because of how the game is designed. Can't do that in football.

This is why overly focusing on xG and saying "well we should have scored more" is a fools errand. I'm fairly certain (I'd have to double check though) that all Wenger's team underperform on xG

 

[Gooner n Proud]

Would be interested in your take on the xG data posted on page 91.

It definitely interesting, I'd heard a bit about Expected goals before but never read up on it.

The stats about Arsenal aren't news to me as finishing has been one of our fundamental issues in the 2nd half of this season and in the 1st half of last campaign when Giroud was injured. Of course he's our primary forward and to go 16 games without a goal for a club like ours that creates a ton of chances shows your not on the level but I think the likes of Ramsey, Campbell, Walcott and even Özil himself deserves some criticism.
Personally I'd let Alexis off the hook as he was injured for around a third of the campaign yet has still managed 18 goals and 9 assists.

 

[Makingtrax]

The problem with xG and many current footballing statistics is we still don't have an accurate way of quantifying positioning which is vital to football. So as someone said earlier the problem with xG is that its not taking into account the positioning of the other team which again is a vital element. So in a vacuum a shot might look like a high percentage shot but if i reality two defenders were right in front of the shooter its not nearly as great a chance as it looks just mapped onto a static map.

A baseball game can be almost completely visualized just from the box score because of how the game is designed. Can't do that in football.

This is why overly focusing on xG and saying "well we should have scored more" is a fools errand. I'm fairly certain (I'd have to double check though) that all Wenger's team underperform on xG

Yeah, like all indicators they have to be treated with caution, but there's usually something you can take from them.
http://www.arsenalreport.com/leaguetables/
This table shows how well we did on several indicators.

 

[Makingtrax]

It definitely interesting, I'd heard a bit about Expected goals before but never read up on it.

The stats about Arsenal aren't news to me as finishing has been one of our fundamental issues in the 2nd half of this season and in the 1st half of last campaign when Giroud was injured. Of course he's our primary forward and to go 16 games without a goal for a club like ours that creates a ton of chances shows your not on the level but I think the likes of Ramsey, Campbell, Walcott and even Özil himself deserves some criticism.
Personally I'd let Alexis off the hook as he was injured for around a third of the campaign yet has still managed 18 goals and 9 assists.

Walcotts been one of our biggest disappointments this season for sure. In many respects he's similar to Vardy; not too tall, mobile, very fast and good movement in behind defenders. But for some reason he's regressed.
At the start of last season no manager would have taken Vardy instead of Walcott. But now . . . Injuries and rotation have reduced his game time and he's suffered badly. Vardy has played most of the season and grown in confidence with every game.
If Walcott went to a smaller club and got more game time he'd probably improve, barring injuries. Definitely a confidence player.