Squad Analysis 2017/18

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Rated our first team squad (1-10) where 5 means decent PL quality, 7 is very good PL quality, 9-10 is WC. Second number, if any, marks potential ability.

Keepers:
Czszesny 7/8
Cech 7
Ospina 7
Martinez 5/6

Defenders:
Koscielny 8
Bellerin 7/8
Monreal 7
Holding 6/8
Mustafi 6/7
Mertesacker 6
Gabriel 6
Debuchy 6
Gibbs 6
Chambers 5/7
Jenkinson 5

Midfielders:
Wilshere 7/8
Cazorla 7 (when fit, easily the best MF, reduced score for age and prone to injury)
Ramsey 7
Xhaka 6/8
Oxlade-Chamberlain 6/7
Elnenny 6/7
Coquelin 5
Reine-Adelaide 4/7


Forwards:
Sanchez 9
Özil 7
Giroud 7
Walcott 7
Welbeck 7
Lucas Perez 7
Iwobi 6/7
Campbell 6
Akpom 4/6
Sanogo 4/2

Going through that list it strikes me that while we have a strong squad with lots of depth we also have very few elite players. Team selection is always gonna be a headache since so many players are at a similar level. To improve and actually become a contender we really need to buy one or two marquee players that pick themselves while holding on to our current stars.

Players I don't mind seeing the back of (replaced by better players):
Gabriel, Debuchy, Monreal/Gibbs, Coquelin, Jeff, Ox, El-Nenny, Özil, Walcott, Iwobi, Cech, Mertesacker

Surplus:
Campbell, Akpom, Sanogo, Debuschy, Jenkinson

 

[Trilly]

Going into next season, I'd like for us to look something like this...

First Team​

Szczesny
Bellerin - Mustafi - Koscielny - ????
Wilshere - Xhaka- ????
Welbeck - Alexis - ????

Backups

Cech
Debuchy - Chambers - Holding - Gibbs
Elneny - AMN - Cazorla
Chambo - Giroud - Iwobi
​

???? are buys. These would be high-class players, financed by the sales of Ospina, Jenkinson, Monreal, Gabriel, Ramsey, Campbell, Sanogo, Akpom, Perez, and Özil. Why sell Özil? He's a great player, but I am personally pretty adamant we need a change of system, and he doesn't fit many systems outside our own. A little risky, but I think it's a chance worth taking if the three players we were to bring in are adequate replacements for his lost quality.

With the two teams listed above, Coquelin and Walcott are also options. Mavididi and Willock would get slow introductions into the first team, maybe Nwakali and Zelalem as well. The mass-clearout of this team is with possible youth promotion in mind.

I wouldn't actually mind Wenger staying if he were to pull such big changes...

We won't be signing anyone as good as Özil let alone Sanchez for a while. Best to stick to the WC assets that we have and try to extract more out of them.

 

[Trilly]

Özil 7
Giroud 7
Walcott 7
Welbeck 7
Lucas Perez 7

Quoted for nobody is safe.

 

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Quoted for nobody is safe.

Hehe yeah maybe I was a bit harsh there, he is a very strong 7, won't even argue with an 8.









And considering that Welbeck's been injured so much he might even improve considerably in the future

 

[YeahBee]

First teamers I would keep for next season

Schezney
Cech
cech is a solid backup that will keep Schez honest and learning tbh
i want to believe that Schez makes a comeback because his potential is still huge and he was good to occasional great for us.26 y old is still young for a goalkeeper)

Defenders
Bellerin
Kos
Mustafi
are all given starters
Holding/Chambers are good rotational players and prospects

With Monreal/Gibbs it is a toss up, they BOTH need replacing because we need an upgrade on LB pronto! I guess I would keep Monreal because he atleast has a semblance of ability to play central defender to. Ideally we get a proven LB and a 18/19 year old prospect, and perhaps a solid experienced backup, preferably left footed.

I don't see room for Mert and Gabriel tbh. and Debachy should be long gone, Jenks to but he can hang around for the memories if he is happy not getting playing time, otherwise an older proven backup might not be such a bad idea


Now onto midfield, dare I say it? we got too many? atleast agewise we are all mis-proportioned.

Coq, Ramsey, Wilshere, El Neny and Xhaka are all around 25 years old
that is 5 players vying for 2 spots, and yes competition is great and all but i is not well balanced
Ramsey and Wilshere gets games outside of CM to so I guess El Neny is the odd man out,
Some might say we need to make a decision on which one of Ramsey and Wilshere we get to keep and it breaks my heart because he is Arsenal born and bred but I value Ramseys heights more than Wilshires, if we sell one of them we can bring someone new in.
A playmaker type that perhaps can marshall for Özil to.
Cazorla out due to age/injury


Forwards
Özil
Sanchez
Iwobi
Ox
Welbeck
Perez

I can see a new signing, either a winger or striker that provides more goals, the sale of Walcott and Giroud should fund that

In short out
Ospina (not that he isn't good but...)
Martinez nothing to really judge it by but still 24 and under 10 games so he is no new Lehmann, leaves room for a new 17/18 year old or some oldtimer on a free transfer
Gibbs
Per
Debauchy
Gabriel
Jenks
El Neny
Walcott
Giroud
Sanogo (tbh didn't know he was still here)
Campbell out if we even have a contract on him then)
Asano we already got the shirt sales we wanted I assume.


By my count that makes 19 players in the senior team

Jeff
Ainsley
Bielek
Macey? at 2meters he can't be halfbad, enough as backup atleast.
makes 23
23
+ New LB and winger/striker makes 25, but they need to be damn near Özil/Sanchez level buys, or on the verge of fulfilling that potential

 

[Reyes no.11]

Formation: 4-2-3-1

GK: Cech, Ospina, Martinez
LB: *LB, Monreal
CB: Koscielny, Holding
CB: Gabriel, *CB
RB: Bellerin, *RB

DM: Xhaka, *DM
DM: *DM, Elneny

LM: Welbeck, *LM
AM: Sanchez, Iwobi, Cazorla
RM: Chamberlain, *RM

CF: *CF, Perez, *CF

In: LB, CB, RB, DM, DM, LM, RM, CF, CF

Out: Szczesny, Chambers, Mertesacker, Debuchy, Gibbs, Jenkinson, Coquelin, Ramsey, Wilshere, Özil, Walcott, Sanogo, Campbell, Giroud

 

[Kwaku]

The problem with the squad is that it is filled with too many players that are just too inconsistent and pretty much average. Look at the names that people are posting and just think to yourself, how many of these players do I truly believe in to win big games or seriously push for the Premier League?

Wenger should have been ruthless over the past few years and got rid of these players, but he has continuously stuck by them for some reason.

 

[Aevi]

 

[The_Playmaker]

The problem with the squad is that it is filled with too many players that are just too inconsistent and pretty much average. Look at the names that people are posting and just think to yourself, how many of these players do I truly believe in to win big games or seriously push for the Premier League?

Wenger should have been ruthless over the past few years and got rid of these players, but he has continuously stuck by them for some reason.

You say that, but a lot of the players that have flaws and are average under Wenger would flourish under a stricter more regimental manager with direct instructions.

I genuinely believe that we could sell Özil and Sanchez, bring back Wilshere, bring in a new manager and we would perform considerably better.

Wilshere is an asset if used correctly, Ox just needs direction, Ramsey needs specific instructions and strict management. El Neny needs to be used correctly and Coq is a squad player. That's without mentioning Cazorla and Xhaka. All of the above players used in the right manner in a diamond or a midfield 3 can dominate the midfield in any game. They just need to be coached and it wouldnt take much.

We need a new left back and a right back to compete with Bellerin. The centre half situation is fine.

I bet that someone like Allegri could come in and field a team, coach it and make it competitive without even buying an offensive player. Just simply by changing the system, Arsenal would be a different prospect.

 

[nick gould]

Going into next season, I'd like for us to look something like this...

First Team​

Szczesny
Bellerin - Mustafi - Koscielny - ????
Wilshere - Xhaka- ????
Welbeck - Alexis - ????

Backups

Cech
Debuchy - Chambers - Holding - Gibbs
Elneny - AMN - Cazorla
Chambo - Giroud - Iwobi
​

???? are buys. These would be high-class players, financed by the sales of Ospina, Jenkinson, Monreal, Gabriel, Ramsey, Campbell, Sanogo, Akpom, Perez, and Özil. Why sell Özil? He's a great player, but I am personally pretty adamant we need a change of system, and he doesn't fit many systems outside our own. A little risky, but I think it's a chance worth taking if the three players we were to bring in are adequate replacements for his lost quality.

With the two teams listed above, Coquelin and Walcott are also options. Mavididi and Willock would get slow introductions into the first team, maybe Nwakali and Zelalem as well. The mass-clearout of this team is with possible youth promotion in mind.

I wouldn't actually mind Wenger staying if he were to pull such big changes...

Problem is it's not easy to sell the average Arsenal players. Only small teams would want them but they can't afford to pay them the sort of wages that we are paying them. We have been too generous to our players for years now. Not ruthless enough. Old age does that to some people.

 

[arsmile]

I've had a really careful thought about our squad looking down the squad numbers and for each I've decided what we should do in terms of Keep/Sell.

What we should do with our squad


1- Sczezney- fags, lols, and ineptitude. VERDICT: sell

2- Debuchy- has no role in the first team and not been a great pro- VERDICT: sell

3- Gibbs- if you haven’t broken through by 27…you’re not going to. VERDICT: sell

4- Per- the highest paid 6th choice CB in the world- nothing to offer. VERDICT: sell

5- Gabriel- has learned 2 words of English since he arrived- makes mistakes and cries- our defence just looks panicky when he’s near it VERDICT: sell

6- Kos- probably our most consistent performer- aging- is not capable of doing all the defending on his own- last chance to sell him to fund his replacement. VERDICT: sell

7- Alexis- our best player- when things go wrong he blames other people and causes ****- selfish and arrogant- we could make a decent amount back on him VERDICT: sell

8- Ramsey- still dining off of a 5 month purple patch 4 years ago- incapable of playing in a CM role, or an AM role, or a wide role- so really versatile. VERDICT: sell

9- Lucas- wenger hates him and will never use him. VERDICT: sell

10- Wilshere- couldn’t own a place in this squad with the dross that is here and went for an easy life on the coast instead. When he’s here…he’s injured. VERDICT: sell

11- Özil- our second best player. When times get tough he pretends to be ill. Wants to be the most highly paid player but only if he doesn’t have to do anything to earn it. VERDICT: sell

12- Giroud- he’s our only real striker so we play him and he just donkey’s around the place. VERDICT: sell

13- Ospina- once patted a ball over the line from a corner. VERDICT: sell

14- Theo Walcott- he’s Theo Walcott. VERDICT: sell

15- Ox- had more opportunities than anyone else and cant consistently perform- makes stupid mistakes like a schoolboy STILL and is ineffective in the only wide position he can get game time in. VERDICT: sell

16- Holding- Guardiola will pay 40 odd million for him. VERDICT: sell

17- Iwobi- he had some promise but is ill disciplined on the pitch and we’ve nearly ground him down into a shell-arsenal player…not yet though. For his own good he can be saved. VERDICT: sell

18- Monreal- is starting to play like an old man. VERDICT: sell

19- Cazorla- apparently has a wound on his foot that has been open for 6 months. He’s shot. VERDICT: sell

20- Mustafi- looked good at the start but is weak and rash without Kos. We haven’t ruined his reputation completely yet so if we want to get any of the ridiculously over the top amount we paid for him back we need to cash in. VERDICT: sell

21- Chambers- we said he wasn’t good enough so we loaned him out to battle relegation. VERDICT: sell.

22- Yaya sanogo- VERDICT: KEEP

23- Danny Welbeck- can’t stay fit- when he is fit he can’t shift giroud out of the team. VERDICT: sell

24- Bellerin- he’s probably at his maximum cash value now- we could get loads from barca if we sell him BEFORE we ruin him. VERDICT: sell

25- Jenkinson- some builder bloke in his mid twenties who isn’t confident enough to get in a match day squad. VERDICT: sell

26- Martinez: because we need a 25 year old third choice carling cup keeper. VERDICT: sell

27- (number retired in memory of eboue)

28- Joel Campbell- we’ve actually not already sold him! VERDICT: sell

29- Xhaka- we paid a buzzilion pounds for him and he’s picked up more red cards than successful tackles/passes combined. For someone who cant run or tackle…he’s…still mediocre. VERDICT: sell

31- Jeff- looked good as long as it is not in a proper football match. VERDICT: sell

32- Akpom- could be the next afobe. VERDICT: sell

33- Cech- he’s been calm and reassuring but cant save anything along the ground- isn’t far in frcont of ospina- getting worse drastically- VERDICT: sell

34- Coq- in the worst form of his life- including when it was so bad we loaned him to a german farm team (which he couldn’t get into) he’s like flamini without the pointing. VERDICT:sell

35- Elneny- to be fair his hair is better than denilson’s ever was- but that’s probably not enough to justify giving him 4 years in the first team before letting him fade away into the obscurity of struggling to even find a pro club to take you in the world. VERDICT: sell.

 

[4R5Emaniac]

GKs- Cech, Ospina, Martinez and Szczesny. I'm content with Cech and Ospina. Cech's performances have taken a dip and he is aging while Ospina remains 2nd choice. I would get in a highly rated young GK with world class potential- Alban Lafont- and sell on Szczesny and Martinez. But if Szczesny has matured and improved his distribution maybe keeping him wouldn't be a bad call either.

CBs- Koscielny, Mustafi, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Chambers, Holding and Bielik. We're good with Kos and Mustafi as first choices at the moment but maybe we should bring in another direct competitor. Gabriel while a good player is not that guy and we should sell him. Chambers should get a shot at competing for a starting position as CB and RB after his loan while its Holding's turn to go on loan. Bielik's situation isn't clear and maybe he could take up Holding's place. Per staying on for another season is not the end of the world but I'd prefer if we bring in another player instead who isn't as slow. Aymeric Laporte or Jonathan Tah would be my first choice,

FBs- Bellerin, Monreal, Debuchy, Gibbs and Jenkinson. Its time to upgrade on Nacho with a younger and better player since his declining while Gibbs is not that guy. Debuchy and Jenkinson should be moving this summer so we may need to spend on two fullbacks. Two since Bellerin could do with some cover and competition. My targets would Stephan Lichtsteiner and Jose Gaya.

CM/AMs- Cazorla, Xhaka, Özil, Wilshere, Ramsey, Elneny and Coquelin. This is the most important area that needs major surgery. Time to say goodbye to Ramsey and Coquelin and add two or three new midfield players. We need a well rounded playmaker and a box to box player of serious quality who could go straight to the first team- Jorge Koke and Naby Keita- along with an attacking midfielder that fits in advance midfield or wide- Isco or Bernardo Silva. Promote Jeff and AMN to the first team. Sell Özil if we have to finance this.

WF/STs- Alexis, Giroud, Lucas, Walcott, Iwobi, Welbeck and Ox.
This is the 2nd most important area that needs an overhaul. Alexis is 95% certain to leave unless something major happens. Giroud recently signed a contract but it would be good if we could move him to China for crazy money. Ox could leave the club, Theo is Theo and Lucas could leave if he is struggling to fit in along with not given chances. We need at least three players coming in. Lacazette, Fekir and Insigne.

EDIT- And Sanogo! Sell him to China for 50m!

 

[Aevi]

At this point the question for me is more about who I'm even bothered about staying at the club. I'd say it's the following, bolded.

Szczesny (1)
Cech (33)
Ospina (13)
Martinez (26)

Koscielny (6)
Mustafi (20)
Mertesacker (4)
Gabriel (5)
Holding (16)
Monreal (18)
Chambers (21)
Bellerin (24)
Debuchy (2)
Gibbs (3)
Jenkinson (25)

Özil (11)
Xhaka (29)
Ramsey (8)
Wilshere (10)
Cazorla (19)
Coquelin (34)
Elneny (35)
Reine-Adelaide (31)

Alexis (7)
Perez (9)
Giroud (12)
Walcott (14)
Oxlade-Chamberlain (15)
Welbeck (23)
Campbell (28)
Iwobi (17)
Sanogo (22)
Akpom (32)
​

Only 12 players, that's kind of sad. I wouldn't be bothered if the rest were replaced, in fact I'd like them to be. Not all of them at once of course, but in theory as individuals.

 

[yybecause]

Cant believe how low some are on Iwobi, amazing.

 

[mm76]

Sanogo 4/2

 

[mm76]

a lot of the players that have flaws and are average under Wenger would flourish under a stricter more regimental manager with direct instructions.

That can't be repeated often enough, and people being hard on some players, especially recent signings, need to always remember this

 

[Hunta]

It's impossible to predict what positions we'll even look to strengthen due to the uncertainty surrounding the club. There's like 10 players who should be shifted on and 10 players who could be shifted on due to their contact situation.

Roughly, I think we need a new GK, we definitely need a better LB and Bellerin needs proper competition at RB (if he's still here!) We're stacked with CBs yet we look weak there.

In midfield we're a complete mess, getting somebody who can tackle and pass would be a good place to start, bring Jack back as a better option than what we currently have as well.

Up top we need a game changer out wide to either compliment or replace Alexis, and we need another forward so we don't have to play Walcott/Ox/Iwobi every week.

 

[mm76]

22- Yaya sanogo- VERDICT: KEEP

Sorry, but saying this, and suggesting we sell
Kos, just proves you're talking tosh - Sanogo's the worst player our books, and i mean that

 

[arsmile]

Sorry, but saying this, and suggesting we sell
Kos, just proves you're talking tosh - Sanogo's the worst player our books, and i mean that

i feel lost in the meta but i assume you know i'm joking and i know youre joking and we're all just doing fine

 

[mm76]

i feel lost in the meta but i assume you know i'm joking and i know youre joking and we're all just doing fine

Well I admit I skipped through it a bit, so didn't realise you were selling everyone, but seriously some on here seem capable of actually thinking those things