Premier League football was back with a vengeance last weekend and after Arsenal conceded three goals to Leicester, on its way to an exciting come-from-behind victory, there was the usual angst among casual fans as well as the professional pundits as to whether Wenger should focus on a more attacking or defensive set up to truly challenge for the title.
As any close follower of the club is aware the debate has been raging ad-infinitum, waxing and waning. It took a more recent grip between March and April this year when the club conceded three goals to West Brom, Liverpool and Crystal Palace in a spate of excruciating defeats. This preceded a switch to three at the back in mid April and a return to defensive solidity as the club won 8 successive PL games as well as victories vs huge opponents (Man City and Chelsea) in both the FA cup semi-final and final.
Wenger in pre-season pledged a continuation of the same formation for the 2017-18 campaign but in the Leicester game questions about the efficacy of three at the back refused to go away. Having fallen behind 2-3 Wenger decided around the 70 minute mark to ditch the starting formation, going 4-3-3, ridding the team of its only specialized central defender and focusing on a far more attacking group of players. Does this portend a return to a more conventional attacking formation?
Never one to shy away from controversy, our own @BlackburnGeorge threw his hat into the ring with a customary acerbic tweet:
https://twitter.com/Blackburngeorge/status/896376238964711425
George has a very good point and, as is his custom, he is not shy to assert it. Unlike the head-in-the-sand bleatings of most members of the pundit class (on both sides of the Atlantic), he recognizes that football administrators have gradually modified the rules of the game to give advantage to the attacking team.
The decline of the offside trap and more goal-scoring
Jonathan Wilson, one of the finest observers of the modern game, in 2010 concluded that modern changes to the offside rule:
“….has generated a climate in which some of the most beautiful football ever played has been produced.”
I will quote him extensively:
In 2005 that the most radical changes came, and the switch to a law that, 142 years after it was first formulated, at last seems to have got it right. First, it was clarified that a player is offside only if a part of his body with which he is legally able to play the ball is beyond the penultimate defender. That, realistically, is academic, for no linesman can make a snap judgment as to whether, say, it is upper arm or torso he can see protruding beyond the defender, but what the change did was to shift the benefit of any doubt yet further in favour of the forward.
More significant, though was the rewording of what it means to be interfering: “Interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a team-mate.” A later amendment clarified that: “A player in an offside position may be penalised before playing or touching the ball if, in the opinion of the referee, no other team-mate in an onside position has the opportunity to play the ball.
“If an opponent becomes involved in the play and if, in the opinion of the referee, there is potential for physical contact, the player in the offside position shall be penalised for interfering with an opponent.”
In Wilson’s opinion the law delegitimized the offside trap as evident by the data:
Opta stats show that in 1997-98 there were 7.8 offsides per game in the Premier League, after which there was a fairly steady decline to 6.3 in 2005-06. Since the new legislation came into force, there has been a further decline, to 4.8 so far this (2010-11) season.
Wilson notes that while the old offside rule was to prevent goalhanging and prevent the game becoming about endless hoofs into the danger area where a goalkeeper would battle with a handful of forwards who could legitimately stand straight in front of him, recent rule changes go further.
The modern law stops that, but brilliantly it does it without the side-effect of legitimising the offside trap. And that must, even at its most basic level, be a good thing. Surely nobody, not even George Graham, goes to a game thinking: “Hmm, I hope they play some good offsides today?” Making defenders defend, forcing them to mark or block or intercept or tackle, has to be a good thing.
It must be emphasized that since 2005 there have been several tweaks to the offside rule further liberating the forwards and making the offside trap even more difficult to implement.
Most recent was in 2016 as FIFA amended the law to clarify that an offside player who is not ‘actively involved in play’ is not committing an offence as long as he is not interfering with play. Again this was an attempt to encourage attacking football.
“Interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a team-mate,”
A player could still be offside though if the referee think he is interfering with an opponent, such as blocking a goalkeeper’s view, or has gained an advantage.
Is it any wonder that many ex-pros from the George Graham era, like Arsenal’s Lee Dixon, currently a pundit for NBC, cannot come to grips with modern day defending. The best he can do is grumble and snipe that “back in my day” we had “real leaders” who would “point and shout”. Most of all, the old crones cannot reconcile themselves to the fact that a modern team must emphasize attacking football and score goals rather than a conservative tactic of full backs who rarely break beyond the half-way line and a back four protected by two deep-lying central midfielders. Again George is spot on:
https://twitter.com/Blackburngeorge/status/896373795115716609
League Winners Are Scoring More Goals
The trend in the Premier League when comparing 1996-2006 to 2006-17 indicate that increasingly the winners have to score more goals season-to-season if they are to win the league.
| Premier League Winner – Mean Statistic | ||||
| 1996-2006 | 2006-2017 | Change | % Change | |
| GF | 77 | 84 | 7 | 9% |
| GA | 32 | 32 | 0 | 0% |
| GD | 45 | 52 | 7 | 16% |
| Premier League Winner – Median Statistic | ||||
| 1996-2006 | 2006-2017 | Change | % Change | |
| GF | 75 | 83 | 8 | 11% |
| GA | 34 | 32 | -2 | -6% |
| GD | 45 | 52 | 7 | 16% |
Both the mean and median statistic indicate that in the last 10 years or so, since the changes in the offside rule, winning PL teams are scoring 9-11 percent more goals compared to the first ten years when Wenger started managing. In contrast, there has been no increase in the Goals Against data from one era to the next. In fact on a media basis GA has declined by 6%, suggesting champion teams are better at defending despite the declining importance of the offside trap.
Compare the league winners with Arsenal over the same period:
| Arsenal – Mean Statistic | ||||
| 1996-2006 | 2006-2017 | Change | % Change | |
| GF | 72 | 70 | -2 | -3% |
| GA | 33 | 38 | 5 | 15% |
| GD | 38 | 33 | -5 | -13% |
| Arsenal – Median Statistic | ||||
| 1996-2006 | 2006-2017 | Change | % Change | |
| GF | 71 | 71 | 0 | 0% |
| GA | 35 | 37 | 2 | 6% |
| GD | 40 | 31 | -9 | -23% |
Unlike the top teams in the Premier League, in the 10 years since the big change in the offside rule, Arsenal’s goal-scoring has either remained stagnant or even declined slightly using the mean average. More concerning, Goals Against has increased between 6% and 15% depending on which metric is used. The end result is a sharp decline in Goal Difference from the past era to the present ranging from -13% (mean average) to -23% (median average).
The data is crystal clear. Arsenal has considerable ground to cover if it is to improve on its better resourced rivals such as Chelsea, Man City and Man United who, apart from Leicester in 15/16, have monopolized the league title since 2006.
Positively Arsenal 
Well observed once again, we’d all be millionaires the amount of times we’ve heard former pro’s talking about ‘In my day’ and ‘The Art of Defending’ being dead , the GG back four bla,bla simply fail to acknowledge the rules have changed.
‘The back pass’ rule change, got rid of a lot of players who managed to ‘Knick a living’ and sterilise games. The newer off-side rule did the same , I suspect that the combination of these two rules,would definately have robbed the GG back four of quite a bit of it’s effectiveness.
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Thank you Shotts.
I recently re-watched Fire in Babylon, the excellent documentary made by posh lads from west London who fell for West Indian cricket (and west London carnivals, unlike the local council…), and watching that, the stories of Kerry Packer* etc it seems fair to state that much of the progress in sport has been, well, progressive.
Of course countries owning football clubs for political reasons is not ideal in sport, I’ve seen Escape to Victory, we all know the kind of shenanigans that can go on. Fortunately we have The Arsenal: still a football club.
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< just kidding with the Escape to Victory reference. Kind of.
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Great stuff Shotta, but you credit me with more insight than I have. I just meant I don’t want to watch a team that’s set up to primarily defend.
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Brilliant again Shotts,
Not many of the pundits are mentioning fat micky quinn scoring three against gg’s famous back four in the 3-0 defeat aginst coventry on the opening day
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George Graham was a pragmatist – as is any successful manager. You play with the resources available to you at the time, and in the rules and regulations that apply.
The different resources available now mean that Tony Adams is likely to have been sent out on loan three or four times before he was ever anywhere near being an Arsenal starter, and probably been replaced by an international quality Dutch or German player when he had his “donkey” phase. Tony would currently be starting at Gillingham, if he was lucky. Dixon and Bould would never have been at Arsenal cos we would not nowadays have considered signing average defenders from a shite 2nd division club as Stoke were then. The fans would go mental if Arsene signed a couple of defenders from Brentford or Wolves ffs.
And the different rules ? Well you are not allowed to kick people now – too many cameras.
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Alexandre Lacazette
A few weeks ago I called him an ‘Educated Gamble’ and each time I see him in an Arsenal shirt I grow enthused.
In the play for the corner that brought the winner, he controled the ball on the edge of the box, did a move which simultaniously sent Maguire back up to Hull and froze the 18 yard box.
I actually thought the Ref must have blown the whistle,as he dribbled through as the players just stood there like cones.
Extraordinary!
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Incisive article Shotta. Thanks.
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WWB that was an amazing display of skill and compusre. To create so much time and space for himself in a crowded area. Not forgetting Giroud recreating his cup final winning run to the left hand side byline (is this something new that we are seeing from the HFB? Or just with more frequency?)
Alongside AL’s calm and deadly positioning for the opener (great pass/cross from Elneny too) there was lots and lots of stuff on display to get us punters excited.
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Slightly ahead of my time but the nearly Invincibles who took the ’91 league title were known for playing some good stuff were they not?
1991 (before the PL!):
Pld GF GA Pts
1 Arsenal 38 74 18 83
2 Liverpool 38 77 40 76
3 C.Palace 38 50 41 69
4 Leeds 38 65 47 64
Not the highest scorers in the league, but still good in the GF column, ridiculously outstanding in the GA column.
For comparison tihe 2004 Invincibles:
1 Arsenal 38 73 26 90
2 Chelsea 38 67 30 79
3 Man United 38 64 35 75
4 Liverpool 38 55 37 60
And then GG looked to move on players like Davis, Rocastle, eventually Limpar, against the player’ wishes, etc. and ended up losing his job for what by today’s standards (Neymar Snr.!) were very petty bungs. So the flair that was there, disapperead which perhaps discoloured the memories of that earlier squad?
Did GG ever get the kind of stick for selling Andy Cole (one apperance in ’91) that AW has been given for X, Y or Z? No? How strange that the bold and gallant Wexiteers neglected to show the same courtesy to the cheese eating surrender monkey. We’re so lucky that we have the uber blaggers and self-declared experts out there standing up for the club that they are parasites upon, eh?
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along with the offside rule change the other big change that has affected defending is that the tackle from behind has been banned, we all remember Adams, Bould, Keown, go right through the back of the legs of an attacker, sometimes they even played the ball too. A type of tackle that would now see a straight red.
“he got the ball” is now the phrased most commonly used by pundits with little knowledge of the actual rules of the game now to excuse dirty, dangerous and foul play, what was it Alan Shearer said the other night – “high, late, dangerous, endangering an opponent, but I don’t want to see a red card for that”. Well what would we expect from a player who liked to stamp on opponents in his playing days, and then demand he get no ban or he would not play for England again.
Probably the best pundit – and by that I mean studio pundit who analysed the game, and not a co-commentator pundit who gibbers on with instant reaction and will stick with that view even when replays show him to be wrong. well anyway back to the best pundit – the one and only Johnny Giles, who worked for RTE, sadly now retired. One of his big gripes with modern defenders was that they had not adapted to the rule changes, and were still trying to play offside too often, when in most cases all they had to do was actually play the ball, as Giles would say “running out and sticking your hand up in the air” is the lazy option. Most of the time defenders leave the actual danger area, while in the prime position, where the are the favorite to actually win the ball. Giles often remarked that the problem with Arsenal’s defending is that the players just do not do what they are meant to do, such as block a runner, challenge for the high ball, be alert to danger. He would point out that we often see Arsenal fullback now wingbacks leave their defensive position expecting someone else to win the ball and then give it to them to get attacks going. As I do call it, “optimistic” defending, it will be alright, someone will get it and I will then be on the attack, kind of attitude.
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I posted this a couple of days ago but it fits right in here on this topic
“ten years ago that was not a sending off” — the fucking rules have changed you damn idiots, stop fucking suggesting that the Refs are wrong to send these dirty cunts off. Its ten, twenty, thirty or more years late coming to England, get the fuck over it and embrace it, and then maybe you will produce world class players, and not fucking thugs
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–
Children injured outsode of ‘boro’s ground?
Not cool.
–
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Eddie: Harry Kane scissored a fellow from Newcastle on Sunday it was a disgrace. Straight from the 70s-80s playbook in my time. My god. Needless to say the he pinned the lads standing leg as he was falling causing serious serious knee damage. Only a yellow. He is not that type of player apparently.
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Not that Shearer bothered to look but Cahill did not look surprised or did he protest at his red card on Saturday. He was out of control. It was a raised foot, studs up, six inches off the ground and no where near the ball challenge. And bang in front of referee Pawson. Stupid, dangerous and fortunate that the Burnley player was just glanced by his boot otherwise he would have suffered a broken leg. Red card every time – move on – I know Cahill did fairly swiftly.
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Shotts
Re:creativity and CM
Even with Ozil not 100% and not at his majestic best (at least when finishing!) AFC created enough chances. A fit and excited Iwobi might have had a good game if he’d have got the nod.
Alot depends upon what happens in the remainder of the Window. But both ramsey and Wilshere can also play behind the CF in the three at the back formation. I’m optimistic.
We’ve been having discussions on the midfield here ahead of the Expert Blaggers for some time now, but perhaps even more important then CM (I had and have high hopes for Xhaka, Ramsey needs no praise from me etc.) is having someone to take on the organisational role from the back when both the BFG or LK are missing. Mustafi eventually i guess. He’s still young in comparison to the senior French and German CBs (the BFG was so senior he retired in style!) and will have to make the step up this season.
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I know its something PG has pointed out on twitter and I have had the discussion with a couple of fans from other clubs about it too, but this soundbite that Arsene Wenger copied Conte’s tactics of 3 at the back, well you can fuck right off with that, other than having 3 players in the backline, that is the only similarity. Chelsea play with 3 CB’s where 2 of them stay back all the time, David Luiz has some freedom to go into midfield, one of the two wingbacks is expected to stay back if the other moves into attack, and then they play with 2 DM’s, Cesc keeps getting dropped cos he wants to venture forward, it was Kante and Matic for the most part. Compare that to Arsenal’s use of 3 at the back, any of the 3 allowed, nay expected to carry the ball into midfield if the space is there, two wingbacks that are allowed attack at the same time, nay encouraged to attack at the same time, then in midfield, no DM at all most of the time(except when Coquelin included), we play with Xhaka as a play making CM, and Ramsey as a box to box midfielder, who is allowed spend lots of his time in attack, nay encouraged to spend lots of his time in attack. So pray tell me how other than on a TV team sheet is our formation or tactics the same as Chelsea’s
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France prodcue X number of players at the top level. Certainly a heck of lot more then Blighty. And we know the data that underlines the reasons why! Not a mystery.
AFC have France’s senior and best CB. Have a sip at that consideration, swirl it around the palette, and then let the full flavour sink in.
Yet apparently the Experts (did I write “w*ankers”?) are rolling out their tired old meme that the AFC can’t defend this season from the off. Either these experts know nuffink about the Football, or they just don’t like the Arsenal. We understand.
But what is the self-declared AFC blagging experts excuse for regurgutating this gibbeirsh? You know, the kind of experts who have completely exposed themselves with their consistent attacks on footballers like Chamberlain who played well (in several ok just two positions!) on Friday?
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anyone see the interview with Harry Redknapp on football focus on Saturday, he made an interesting point about signing players on loan from the big clubs, said that there are often many clauses, such as the player must play all the time regardless of form, must play certain position, and that not complying with the clauses often means that payment is double, and he said that often even the youth players coming are on £25K a week, which not only could make them top earner at the lower league club, but that often the penalty for not playing them is you must pay double for them, which in effect means £50K a week.
He also pointed out that when West Ham loaned Jermain Defoe to AFC Bournemouth all those years ago they paid AFCB to take him, so the lad could get experience, but that now nearly all loans see the lower league club pay a loan fee and the wages of the player and other expenses too.
He said the lower league fans need to understand that its not easy to loan in players anymore.
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Attack or Defence: I did not make any prescriptions in the blog as the results from my data analysis, frankly, surprised me. Although we are all aware of our financial inability to compete for talent over the past 12 years, I did not expect to see such a glaring disparity between Arsenal and the PL winners in both attack and defence. At this blog we have always been opposed to amateurs coming on this site and posing as some sort of expert when compared to the infinitely more knowledgeable and experienced Arsene Wenger. Thank heavens. (The pseudo experts on other blogs simply amaze me.)
Although I have been banging the drum for another deep-lying Central Midfielder I am not certain it is a panacea. But I will say after Friday I am not convinced that the two CMs we had on show plus Ramsey are technically secure enough to sustain pressure from the bigger better equipped clubs who will press us in midfield and beyond. I see them coughing up the ball under pressure as happened twice for Leicester goals. Another reason why I favor strengthening central midfield is the evidence from the biggest teams in Europe such as Madrid, Barca and Bayern. They generally play 3 in the middle and 4 at the back and are able to manage and control games against everybody else. We are nowhere near that level and need to upgrade and get the balance right.
But I am no Arsene Wenger. Talk is cheap. It is harder and harder to get the right talent when you are competing with oil rich nations and oligarchs who have no problem spending 200 million on one player.
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110 players at BPL clubs in final year of their contract
10 at afc but per is retiring and we hold a one year extension clause on santi, and we get all the headlines,
while man utd have 8 in their final year, Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Marouane Fellaini, Andreas Pereira, Michael Carrick, Ashley Young, Daley Blind, Luke Shaw (club holds option for one extra year on Blind, Shaw and Young).
http://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/sanchez-ozil-mata-barkley-can-110-players-contract-2018/
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well shotta we know we are restricted compared to the oil clubs etc, but we are a massive club, something like £200M in the bank, finally have top level sponsorship deals, that are getting bigger all the time, TV money has gone through the roof, and this summer our transfer outlay is at under £40M, we surely can afford to bring in more players.
We are looking to sell four or five and loan some of the less experienced player out too. the fact is if we do get the sort of fees being reportedly asked for our unwanted players we would be in transfer profit for the summer, and see our wage bill slashed. We keep getting told by Gazidis that all money made is for putting back into the making the team stronger, so we should be expecting a couple of big signings in the next two weeks or so.
by the way, Wenger has talked about statdna the analysis company AFC owns, and how it is identifying players before they are well known, and how it had flagged up Kante, and Marhez among others before LCFC got them. We also brought in the LCFC stats guy Wigglesworth, to work on finding more of these hidden gems. So far we have not bought any. will be interesting to see if we do and who it will be. No doubt some “unknown” league un nobody as the ASB call them.
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General rule for me is that few teams punch above their weight, in a game but especially over a season, using an attacking approach.
Leicester’s was done using exactly the formula you suggest won’t cut it- ‘conservative tactic of full backs who rarely break beyond the half-way line and a back four protected by two deep-lying central midfielders’.
Apparently their full back backs were given simple to follow instructions about never crossing the half way line in certain situations (score dependant)
It’s not as easy as you might think determining exactly what is meant by attacking or defensive teams, given teams do change their approach depending on the match situation or the strength of their opponents…
Swansea’s rise and first years of prem success, punching well above their weight, was definitely not built on defensive football, but I don’t think it was particularly attacking either. They were all about possession, which made their success extremely unusual for a relatively modest team.
Best I can do is that a defensive coach/team will start the day concentrating primarily on defence unless they believe they are considerably stronger than their opponents and so should play more offensively, pushing the play, committing numbers, opening up an increased possibility of being countered themselves.
One game, but I believe that’s what we saw from the off with Utd yesterday. They judged, correctly, West Ham were there for the taking and went for them from the off. Little doubt we’ll see much more of that this year but should mourinho feel he’s up against anything like an equal or better offensively the defensiveness will be dialled up. Or if the fuck can get within sight of the prize.
‘conceded three goals to West Brom, Liverpool and Crystal Palace in a spate of excruciating defeats.’
Well put. One of that three is definitely a defensive team (W Brom, Pulis), the other mostly (Palace, Allardyce), the third I don’t know how to categorise (Pool, Klopp)- counter-pressing high and swarming at speed into the box is, I suppose, an attacking strategy, but it’s a reactive one, and it relies on the other side being attacking in outlook (playing from back, not having most of the team back and set in defence)
Finally to us, are we a truly attacking side? Surely the answer is yes. We want to play from the back, commit numbers to attacks, take the game to the opposition and, crucially, we almost never set up with an extremely defensive gameplan, and when we do it doesn’t look like we have trained it exhaustively.
The final and perhaps most important question is what is our weight.the last decade or so of argument and criticism largely stems from this. With many being unable to grasp or admit that you can be both a very big and wealthy club and considerably outgunned financially by a small group of rivals.
Our position is that we would be doing nothing unusual with our commitment to attack, if City, Utd and Chelsea did not exist in their current form in our league. (The champions league would be a different story- and note how none of the surprise winners- Porto, Inter Milan, chelsea have played attacking football).
We could play attacking football and succeed, and not break that rule of overachieving teams being primarily defensive or defend-and-counter in approach.
So, as if we din’t know it, our manager is unusual, we are a rarity. I support it and in my opinion the game overall desperately needs us and has only retained its great popularity because there are a few mega clubs in each league who are so big it makes sense and is pragmatic for them to be attacking outfits. City are ours, Chelsea and Utd could be too if they had the balls and the soul for it.
But winning big our way will be hard. We already have punched above our weight, with attacking football, to keep CL going every year when our finances were tight. To do it again, with better finances, for bigger prizes, but while still far from equal to the big money three is arguably harder again.
To the beautiful fight ahead.
I only think we can win it if we can develop a mode which allows us to tighten up much better at certain moments- e.g. like when we took a second minute lead the other day- let’s hope we can.
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ps anyone struggling with this talk of Ox being keen on moving to Chelsea. I have badly misread his character if so. My impression was of him having genuine love for the club, and if he wants to go there now that is clearly not the case.
If ,as reported, it’s about position, and he thinks that he has a significantly better chance of playing centre midfield there, boy he is kidding himself. You’d have to be a very attacking coach to play Ox centrally, with lots of patience and both a willingness to give him time to develop in the role and to play the right people around him.
In other words you have to ignore the entire history of Chelsea in the Abramovich era and, of course, everything about Wenger,too. Wing back all the way there.
Hard to believe he is daft enough for that, so presumably it’s really all about the money if he wants that move
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I would say on the over the top analysis of our defending on Friday night, is that the stats don’t back up the views of us being awful at corners and set plays, but its the long held perception that causes the uproar. And that the reason for the perception is that despite overall good stats or at least not nearly as bad a stats as many make out, our problem is that when our defense does buckle it really buckles, or maybe wobble would be the correct word for it. They can go on long runs of being solid, deal with corners and freekicks and long throws very well indeed. But the problem seems to be, and its not only on deadball goals we let in, but that when we do let in a goal, we wobble, and wobble and wobble some more, of course we don’t always let in another goal as we wobble, but the stats do back up the view that once we let in one, we more often than not let in a second, even a third, a fourth sometimes and even known to let in a fifth or sixth.
And one thing to consider is that just as often the goals we score are similar in nature, the goals we let in are often similar in nature, its only to be expected, if a team scores doing certain things against you, they are likely to try the same tactic again, so when we let in a goal from a deadball, it encourages the opposing team to try the same trick again. Its no different than when your right winger has the left back on the rocks, you keep giving him the ball as he has best chance of making something happen.
So to sum up, it my view that not only do we concede goals in batches if you like, but that we concede goals from set plays in batches too. For example overall as Wenger said our goals against from set plays last season was good, so the perception comes cos we let in 3 in one game v WBA, and we also let in set plays goals v Crystal Palace and Liverpool during that 3 games conceding 3 goals in each of them. So not only 3 defeats, but a large batch of set play goals let in. It feeds the perception, the soundbite.
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Rich,
Chambo has the same agent as Stering. After that big payday he was always going to try and engineer another move for the Ox. No alarms and no surprises here.
Question is: why have some uber blaggers been acting as PR consultants for this player’s agent, for over a year now. It’s not a good look…
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< given that the Ox is the better footballer, of course he was going to try it. The only people who seem to be avoiding this consideration are the uber blaggers who keep saying the plalyer "doesn't have a position" (what!?) or is generally poor (eh?):
Why would they ignore that obvious and blatant consideration? Something I've been asking for over twelve months now!
Hmmmm….*scratches the hair on my chinny chin chin*
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Shotts there’s an interesting footy thread there, one we’ve had here but which i haven’t seen elsewhere:
Germany won the WC with Ozil in the front three and with three CMs behind.
AFC have been playing Ozil with two CMs.
The switch to 343 is a tweak that allows the two CMs to play ahead of a sweeping CB? Something like that?
And going forwards perhaps it’s just a case of Xhaka adapting to different partners in CM?
One of the most fluid displays in midfield came in a cup game against lower league oppostion with a midfield of The Jeff, Maitland-Niles and Chamberlain I think.
There may be a hope/pan for one of those to be a CM alongside JW and SC this season. I guess this is all speculation until the end of the month/window.
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spot on rich about ox and cfc, if he is to go there, it aint about playing CM, as he has even less of a chance of playing CM for them. Moses and Willian would be his rivals for a starting spot, moses at wing back and willian if cfc wanted to play him in a more advanced role.
some say that all this ox talk is his agent trying to get a pay day, and not ox himself. Time will tell. I am probably in the minority, but so far, for me, ox has not passed the potential stage, he flatters to deceive more often than not, has all the power, pace, skill that anyone could want, but he, has so far not learned to put it all together.
I can not decide which type of player ox is,
is he the type who before he gets the ball has already decided what he is going to try, be in pass, dribble, shoot, etc and regardless of the unfolding move, he does the action he had already decided upon, and this is why we often see him shoot when others in better positions, and see him pass when a shot is on
or if he is the type of player who hasn’t a clue what he going to do and just makes it up as he goes along, and he just does what he thinks is on at that split second.
either way, there is not yet the coolness or awareness that is required to bring him to the next level and really see him reach the very top of the game.
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< fluid dispalys last season
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must add on ox, that Wenger recently suggested that Ox is finally realizing in his head, what kind of player he can be, and how good he can become, in other words its finally starting to click with him.
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Eds
He’s still played better football in his career to date then: Sterling, Alli etc.
Not to say they are poor, but it’s not a debate. Because he’s a better footballer. And he’s English.
Therefore AFC don’t want to sell.
His agent, as observed through his PR ‘consultants’ has been prepping the player for a move for some time now. His appetite was whetted after the what he snagged for the lesser Sterling.
Yes. it’s always about the money. Just ask the blaggers/frustrated football agents out there…
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fins
Yeah, I sure did groan when I found out his agent.
I try never to believe media talk but it’s harder when there’s the fact (or almost) of an unsigned contract with a year left on deal.
What can it mean other than waiting for bigger money from club, looking for move, or waiting to see how year pans out?
Obviously the club is in a real bind in that situation.
If it’s all agent orchestrated, that doesn’t bring much comfort as it means Ox is a grown man who can be led from what he wants/is best by some slimy grasping git.
It’s horrible timing given last year was his most consistent yet and he seems poised to build further on that, perhaps spectacularly. One more year and we’d likely know whether to break the bank and give him a huge raise.
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Fingers crossed Eds but chances are he’s going to follow in the footsteps of Adebayor, Nasri, Wrigh-Phillips, Ashley Cole etc and tak the petrogarch’s wonga and semi-retire after his move….ok, Cole played a little at times but not the same effort as when at AFC, the others all retired from top flight competitive after their moves though that never stopped Tottenham signing Adebayor lol!
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< Fingers crossed Eds & Rich…
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Fins at 1:42pm
Me, George, Eddie, MeanLean, AorB and others had this long discussion last week on twitter about the ideal setup with and without Sanchez. AorB has argued here and there that we would be better balanced with a left footed wide forward but the biggest problem is fitting Ozil in the setup. So I find your points interesting. I think Ozil needs to have the CMs behind him so he can do his damage further upfield behind the forwards whoever they are.
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fins ox may have played better football, but both alli and sterling have so far produced more end product, goals and assist, both are also younger than ox, and played less games but outstrip ox in goals and assists, as I have said till ox learns to put it all together he will remain potential
I tweeted this earlier on PG’s timeline about ox and to an extent theo
“it is just that, impression, ox always looks in the thick of it, he almost scored, almost assisted, cross almost found its target, almost ox”
“ox if you like is the opposite to theo where you think theo has done little yet he has scored or assisted, but you feel he did not do enough”
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Ed, feel similar about Ox.
Has been capable of the amazing right from the off but, yeah, what you said. Most alarming thing for me was that he seemed to take mistakes to heart in a way that was very detrimental to his game.
I found it weird that perhaps his four greatest goals for us, wonderful, different goals each of them, came in pre-season- the incredible chip against Lens, the one where he cut back on his left and arrowed it in on American tour, the Alberto Carlos 70 style goal against Lyon, and that absolute pearler in comm shield vs Chelsea.
But there were real signs last year of him putting it all together and kicking on massively. Already again this year I’ve seen more signs of it. One for me is his willingness to use his left foot for crosses from wide left.
That’s a player who knows that long-term it will be a huge asset even if short term, in the moment, percentages might slightly favour using your stronger more trusted foot. You can only get there by doing it in real matches.
Top players, unless obscenely talented with one foot, are wise to try this out judicously when the moment allows. Ramsey noticeably did, and i remember at least two great crosses with left for goals, plus the craziness of that left foot hit in Galatasaray.
To reiterate at least once too often : this year, injury permitting, seems the one we find out exactly how good Ox can be and whether he can knit those amazing moments together and be a consistent top top player
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shotta when you say ozil needs the cm’s behind him do you mean we should have 2 cm sit back and not have a box to box player like ramsey. if so I really can’t agree, as ozil so often and so well links up with ramsey.
talking about linking up and alexis in the same sentence, makes me wonder why he is the one player we have who has not formed a link with Giroud, neither setting him up nor being set up by him. Ozil and Ramsey have great understanding with Giroud, (as has Wilshere when in there) and on Friday we seen Giroud link up well with Lacazette. But Alexis and Giroud are still like strangers.
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Jack Wilshere expected to play for our U23’s v Derby this evening, kick off at 7, links to a live stream below
Derby CountyVerified account @dcfcofficial 3h3 hours ago
Replying to @dcfcofficial @PLYouth @Arsenal
WATCH: RamsTV will be streaming tonight’s @PLYouth match against @Arsenal LIVE and for FREE!
Full details here: http://ow.ly/xlOB30enYCQ
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Quote of the day: ” Arsenal should keep the OX- as he is a fan-favourite”. Forget about skill and intelligence! Which fans? Have they all been interviewed, every single one? No-one asked me! Did they asked you? Who speaketh for al fans?
Breaking news: AW to buy the fans choice of player from now on, otherwise the “fans” will get upset and rant on YT! Oh sorry, they already are.
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it seems on the derby county link you have to register as a member to login to it. Might be some other streams out there.
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Eds
Only in the PL where the Mike Riley handicap skewers their stats as it did for John Terry etc (in the second half of Terry’s career after one to many cortisone injections left him immobile)
Against Ghent and Iceland we saw their true quality.
They haven’t done it when compared to the Ox at the top level. That is not an opinion!
In fact we state with assurance that Chamberlain has shown when on the same pitch that he is a far better CM then Paulinho who has just been signed by Barcelona. Yep the same CM who played in that famous WC SF against Ozil and Germany.
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Eds @ 2:02 pm – I meant 2 CMs in a dynamic sense, not that dire defensive set up that Conte and Mourinho in particular like to play with.
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Alli has had six (?) games to register a goal or assist in international tournament football.
Zero end product.
For comparison Walcott had one sub appearance at a Euro’s (I think) and scored quite a tidy goal, as he does.
Chamberlain at the confed cup (I think) in Brazil not only exposed Paulinho for a plodding donkey but he also scored quite a sweet goal.
Seriously: Alli has been worse then poor in international football. He’s been shite! No need to delve any deeper into the stinking pile that were his performances in the CL last season, not when you can laugh at his efforts against Ghent.
Mike Riley’s rent boys aren’t all that.
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sorry fins but it is exactly that, an opinion, ox has no more lit up the CL or international stage than either of them, and as the BPL is the bread and butter league of his career, the fact that both alli and sterling have out statted him suggests our ox has still it all to prove.
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I can be generous: I’ll be surprised if Kane never scores in tournament football, though to be fair he’s had his chances, and perhaps others deserve the chance going forwards.
his record is therefore not flattering. When compared to, say, Giroud! It is a fair and reasonable comparison to make.
My suspicion was that he wasn’t fully fit in the last tourney.
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Scoring goals, making assists, winning motm awards
Eds these are not opinions they are, for the umpteenth time, the record!
Most assuredly: not an opinion.
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< Only one tournament for Alli Kane, at nine and ten respectively. Both "forwards" failing against top teams like Iceland.
The comparison of the data for Mike Riley's rent boys with footballers like Giroud (or Chamberlain) outside of the PL is telling.
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ox is older than both, over a year older than sterling, and almost 3 years older than alli,
both alli and sterling have more BPL goals, and more BPL assists, in less games, in alli’s case half as many, sterling has more CL goals in far less games,
ox has scored 4 competitive international goals, – 2x san marino, scotland and lithuania, (his goal v Brazil was in a Friendly)
on all 3 players we are not talking world beaters on the international stage, and all 3 have everything to prove at that level
fins alli and sterling both leave ox in the dust when it comes to goals, assists and motm awards, so of course you saying ox has proven to be the better player based on goals, assists and man of the match awards is an opinion, not a fact
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