Squad Analysis

[oba101]

I've been harping on about this for a while now. I believe the balance is wrong. I believe that before we buy we should sell. I believe we should rip apart the current squad in a bid to thrust forward.

Gallas, Ljungberg, Rosicky and Adebayor should be the sacrifices made in order to obtain balance in the squad. Once we have a balanced squad, we're able to slip practically any striker into our team and have them achieve as they would've done in weaker leagues.

* Gallas <=> Alex-esque defender.
* Ljungberg <=> Young true winger.
* Rosicky <=> Experienced winger, preferably goal savvy.
* Adebayor <=> Make weight for better striking options.

Great, now we need a major overhaul! :roll:

how is it a major overhaul. freddie never plays, rosicky is only fit half the time and gallas just got here, not to mention toure's more in sync with the rest of the squad. oh and adebayor isn't exactly adept to coming off the bench and being proficient which makes him a s***e third choice.

you're replacing two players from the first team, three if you include henry and you restore balance and harmony.

Okay. To acheive balance, harmony, etc, we sell two people who just got here, replace them, with people who will also just be getting here, and replacing a young, promising striker, I may agree with you about that.

And replacing Freddie too, I may agree too, but he still has something to offer, Wenger knows, he said it.

 

[patrick42uk]

did i dream this or did wenger actually say in an interview this season that this year will be theos year?

i have a feeling the boy is going to explode next season. Anelka makes sense because he is steady and reliable, you know what he brings to the table with certainty and goals is a part of that. perfect hedge for theo.

 

[qs]

I think at this point we need to change a little. For so long we were built around Henry and now its time to look at the squad and decide what system best suits our players.

Given that we don't have a single winger at the club I'd suggest we switch to a 4-3-3 as it gets the best from Fab, Rosicky, Bert, Diaby, Denilson, Robin and Theo. Bar the back 4 thats always going to remain a flat 4 those are the players for the future.

Add in a proper striker to play up top centre and another player who like thats Robin/Reyes type position as a sort of wing forward and I think we'd be alright.

Freddie should go though. He's part of that Henry, Pires, Dennis, Paddy team and we should wash our hands of that now and move on.

 

[qs]

did i dream this or did wenger actually say in an interview this season that this year will be theos year?

i have a feeling the boy is going to explode next season. Anelka makes sense because he is steady and reliable, you know what he brings to the table with certainty and goals is a part of that. perfect hedge for theo.

Anelka makes sense in terms of style and ability but he'd be bad for morale IMO.

 

[patrick42uk]

they dont have a problem with him at bolton as far as i'm aware of. anyway, wenger will know the personality well.

 

[clockwork orange]

Given that we don't have a single winger at the club I'd suggest we switch to a 4-3-3 .

99% of the teams playing 4-3-3, play it with wingers that's what 4-3-3 is about. The other option is to play it like Spain did at the 2006WC (the match v Ukrain was a good example), in which ONLY the fullbacks provide width, but playing with only 1 player on each wing would be a disaster in the EPL.

Secondly we're short on wingers, but surely Theo can play like one.

 

[kel varnsen]

In terms of upfront there is only 2 players that remotely look like first teamers, rvp and ade. the question is, how many more strikers do we need and also how many do you think wenger will buy? what role can theo and bendtner play? can they realistically fill a gap?

With the sale of henry, there is the danger of focusing too much on the front position, but lets not forget that there is still that deficiency in terms depth on the wings. the questions in this regard would be; will wenger sign another winger? what role does walcott play? is hleb, rosicky, freddie and theo enough?

I think there is potentially an opportunity for wenger to show his strength in signing offensive players because IMO we'll need at least 2-3 wingers/forwards now. But i also fear it might be a case again of wenger placing too much faith on young players not ready for the responsibility.

imo, to really have a bit of depth and be prepared for a long season, we need a striker, a winger and maybe a central defender.

rosicky and hleb are a given first choice on the wings and i am perfectly happy with that. we've played some of our best football ever, under wenger's reign, with said players on the wings. individually, hleb and rosicky are, imo, world class footballers. they, like most other footballers, just need the right 'supporting cast'. more movement up front and hleb and cesc will shine. however, ljungberg looks past it and doesn't really offer us the pace he once used to. walcott isn't ready. at least not for a starting position on the right wing in a 4-4-2 formation. for now, he's better out wide in a five man midfield. a new back up winger, who can play on either wing and give rosicky and/or hleb a bit of rest from time to time, and i'll be happy.

gallas and toure is not the ideal central defender partnership. tbh, i don't like it. not only do i think gallas is vastly overrated, but they are too similar and not strong enough in the air. i'd like to see senderos go and an experienced defender come in.

 

[kel varnsen]

the winger issue is interesting. i think the solution does not lie with hleb and rosicky, but rather the full backs. if we can get the current set up to work, it'll be far more effective and productive than conventional wingers will ever be able to give us.

milan - man u was pretty much the perfect example of how devestating having wingers that cut in and open up room for the full backs to make runs on the outside. when the wide midfielder drifts in, the opposing full back is left in a real dilemma. does he stay with the winger and open up a lot of space on the wing or does he let the winger cut in. neither of which is acceptable. it's more demanding, both physically and tactically, than just having a regular winger out wide, but when it works, it's the smartest thing you can do.

eboue, i think, will return to his old self again, after a slightly disappointing latter half of the season. on the left, however, i'm more concerned. the way we play, rosicky cuts in from the left, making diagonal runs in front of the central midfield. often, even cutting in as far as the right side, in front of hleb. that gives clichy a lot of space to run into, but unless he can provide a decent cross or a pass, the whole move is pretty much wasted. clichy needs to improve vastly next year, if our left side is to get better.

 

[qs]

Given that we don't have a single winger at the club I'd suggest we switch to a 4-3-3 .

99% of the teams playing 4-3-3, play it with wingers that's what 4-3-3 is about. The other option is to play it like Spain did at the 2006WC (the match v Ukrain was a good example), in which ONLY the fullbacks provide width, but playing with only 1 player on each wing would be a disaster in the EPL.

Secondly we're short on wingers, but surely Theo can play like one.

Well by wingers I meant out and out wingers. My point is that Robin and Theo are both well suited to playing as wing forwards, that sort of half way between a winger and a striker. Its where Robin plays for the Dutch and IMO where he is best.

so you'd have something like this

----------------- Gilberto-----------------
--------Fabregas-----Rosicky---------
van Persie----------------------Walcott
-------------------Ade----------------------

Thats right now. Obviously we need signings. Someone better than Ade to start in that position every week for starters. In Theo's position as well I'd like to see at least another signing(maybe Babel).

Of course you can post up little formations like that and they can be meaningless because you can say Chelsea have lined up like that but end up playing 4-5-1. I think we'd have to be more attacking than even Uniteds system. Bert could cover but the front 5 need to be getting on top of the opposition defense all the time.

 

[the dawn raids]

one signing has to be a proven goalscorer in the EPL (obviously all signs point to anelka here); as has been mentioned we just dont have the time for someone else to adapt to the league. a winger is still needed, but id rather worry about that after weve got some goalscoring power secured.

 

[Jasard]

Given that we don't have a single winger at the club I'd suggest we switch to a 4-3-3 .

99% of the teams playing 4-3-3, play it with wingers that's what 4-3-3 is about. The other option is to play it like Spain did at the 2006WC (the match v Ukrain was a good example), in which ONLY the fullbacks provide width, but playing with only 1 player on each wing would be a disaster in the EPL.

Secondly we're short on wingers, but surely Theo can play like one.

Well by wingers I meant out and out wingers. My point is that Robin and Theo are both well suited to playing as wing forwards, that sort of half way between a winger and a striker. Its where Robin plays for the Dutch and IMO where he is best.

so you'd have something like this

----------------- Gilberto-----------------
--------Fabregas-----Rosicky---------
van Persie----------------------Walcott
-------------------Ade----------------------

Thats right now. Obviously we need signings. Someone better than Ade to start in that position every week for starters. In Theo's position as well I'd like to see at least another signing(maybe Babel).

Of course you can post up little formations like that and they can be meaningless because you can say Chelsea have lined up like that but end up playing 4-5-1. I think we'd have to be more attacking than even Uniteds system. Bert could cover but the front 5 need to be getting on top of the opposition defense all the time.

A line up like that is actually a pretty amazing set up. I really do hope Wenger is thinking along the same lines, although im not sure what hes thinking recently :shock:

Cant see why he wont try it in pre-season.

 

[oba101]

Because playing Walcott at the left wouldn't use his pace and crosses as effectively as he would on the right, seeing that he has to cut back to cross, after beating the player on the left, or, cross with the outside of the foot, which is very hard, and only Rosicky does that quite well.

And Theo's pace and crosses are his strongest points. And that's a 4-5-1.
RvP played very well last season, he's shown he can do it, why not play him as a CF then? He's also shown he can be good on the right, but then, different tactics, different coaches, and besides, he wasn't so good when he was on the left wing for us.

 

[cloista]

Bendtner could also play in the central role, and Vela (assuming he's not out on loan again) and Reyes (if he comes back) would also play as the Wing Forwards. Hleb could easily play centrally or on the flanks also.

 

[qs]

Because playing Walcott at the left wouldn't use his pace and crosses as effectively as he would on the right, seeing that he has to cut back to cross, after beating the player on the left, or, cross with the outside of the foot, which is very hard, and only Rosicky does that quite well.

And Theo's pace and crosses are his strongest points. And that's a 4-5-1.
RvP played very well last season, he's shown he can do it, why not play him as a CF then? He's also shown he can be good on the right, but then, different tactics, different coaches, and besides, he wasn't so good when he was on the left wing for us.

Did you even read the post?

Robin plays to deep to be a CF, it'd be a huge waste to play him up top on his own. He needs space to beat defenders and create opportunities. We need a finisher to play in the central area.

 

[kamikaze80]

kel, youre spot on re: clichy and walcott not being ready to start out wide in a 4-4-2.

i'v got this strong feeling that wenger has a plan. or maybe its more hope. its strange to say this, but i feel far more confident about this season now than i did before the henry sale.

i like your optimism, but i think this has thrown a monkeywrench in wenger's plans. it seems that this has been in the works for a few weeks at least, so i'm sure wenger has a contingency plan, but i dont think this was part of his 2-3 yr vision for the club.

 

[Webdesignlab]

Reyes may be coming back. Sorry to say it as some hate his guts. But really who is better than him right now for the LM slot? (I want to slap him too - do not get me wrong).

We already have him signed which makes it a lot easier. Now we only have to sort out a striker and maybe a DM or defender.

Shouting down Reyes may make you feel better, but he is miles better than the other options (Malouda, Babel) which would all cost us hard earned THx14 money (do you really want to spend that on Babel?).

 

[Mckenna]

good to know, maybe an extension?

anybody got a link to that vid with our three brazilians? I loved that one

Did you bang your head in your absence from us? If Baptista never touches an Arsenal shirt ever again it'll be too soon. Wanting someone to succeed is not enough. He's not good enough.

Well yeah I did bang my head, I have been boxing for close to 6 months now, dammit my coach is picking me apart every day in sparring, I have a nasty habit of blocking the punches with my head

He has the skill, you can't deny it, he hasn't showed us that but... and his skills are unique to the team, his versaitily can come in handy aswell

he scored some goals and wasn't totally useless

I cannot believe I just read that. As a criteria for buying someone - "not totally useless". Yes, if only all our signings could have that life-altering quality, we'd definitely be mid-table. Baptista spent a whole season at Arsenal and showed absolutely nothing to warrant a permanent move. Nothing.

In response to other posts, I think we might get another 'keeper, only if there's any truth to this rumour that Almunia is on his way. I think the defence is set for the moment (we have more pressing concerns) but do look for cover coming in January because of Eboue and Toure going to ANC.

It is in attack where concerns arise regarding depth, quality and transfer moves. First, I think we have to extend Freddie the same courtesy we gave Henry. He has got to become a victim of Wenger's ruthless streak sooner or later. He's just got to. In any case, there is a need for a winger, preferably someone who can score goals. Babel looked impressive at the U-21s, but there are other options out there. I cannot see any merit in selling Rosicky. He's probably the only player I could see in our squad covering for Cesc if he got injured.

The main area of concern has to be striker. One or two signings are absolute necessities. While I have faith that RvP will step up and become our main front man, the need for a new "big name" cannot go unanswered, as a show of reassurance to our other players. Similarly, this supposed "younger" signing sounds like a solid idea to create some real competition. I don't think we require an Anelka, though I wouldn't mind his signing, simply because our team no longer needs a forward in Henry's image, we need a forward that fits the team's needs and that is a born goalscorer. Exactly who fits that profile, I'll leave to Arsène.

One thing is for sure, we cannot afford to lose too many more players from the first team if we wish to preserve some semblance of stability at the club. We must now focus on improving the quality and depth of the squad, then on keeping Wenger.

 

[sabret00the]

I'll post a lengthy response to my selling idea later. in the middle of watching Mad Max. but just read this

Well, you say that, but...

"Wenger, like all the best managers, has form for offloading pivotal players when he believes they have offered their best. Vieira was allowed to leave in 2005, a year after leading Arsenal's Invincibles through their unbeaten Premiership season and, as with Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to allow Ruud van Nistelrooy to leave for Spain last summer, there have been rumblings about Henry's dominant ego not always being the best example for the younger players.

Henry said yesterday that Barcelona were one of 'only two teams in the world who play football the way I like it', along with Arsenal. The clubs had, apparently, been talking for months - discussions that circumvented Henry's agent, Jerome Anderson. This explains why Anderson rubbished early reports and threatened to sue France Football magazine after Barcelona leaked news of the impending transfer. Anderson has not followed up his threat and will be dismayed that his close association with Henry, which began when the striker signed for Arsenal in 1999, may be nearing an end."

"'Money is tight at the club at the moment and this is the main reason why Henry was sold,' says a source at the Emirates. 'The club has to service £250million of debt from the stadium build, and any budget Arsène has for new players covers their wages as well as fees. With Henry leaving he will have the £16million fee and will save about £5million a year on wages.' An indication of Arsenal's planning ahead came when they refused to sell striker Nicklas Bendtner to Birmingham, where he played last season on loan, said the source. 'We knew Henry would be leaving and Bendtner is a cheap replacement.'"

From today's Observer.

if this is true, then selling is all that much more important. Gallas, Rosicky, Ljungberg and Adebayor could finance better players. Maybe more suited players is the word i'm looking for. Rosicky we only get for half a season anyway, Gallas is just a mercenary and Adebayor isn't the best in the world. We could bring in a 19yo and 23yo for each of those, that's sell 4, buy 8 and still have the same outlay in wages. It's definitely worth considering.

 

[Captain]

It's not true, so don't worry about it.

 

[clockwork orange]

@qs
thanks for your elaboration, now I understand what you mean, i.e. 4-3-3 with players, playing wide.

as a Dutchie I'm a great 4-3-3 fan, but I don't think we should play like that. 4-3-3 is a very ambitious system and hard to play. I'm affraid if we try it will be either turn out as 4-5-1 (which shouldn't be our system of choice in most matches, since we need to win) or if it's a true 4-3-3 we'll get ripped to pieces. Let's wait until a few players have matured a litlle before going for 4-3-3.