Xhaka and ?

[carlito'sway]

I thought the midfield looked pretty fluid today with Ram-Gran there . Just a question of drilling defensive positioning into them imo .

Nah.... watching the game again....The fluidity was not there. We won despite the CM not because of it.
One number is interesting and significant. Xhaka had twice as many passes as Ramsey. Not balanced.

 

[Fallout]

^ honestly thought we looked so good in possession because ramsey barely touched the ball haha. that being said, when he got it, he kept it simple and i think we all benefited from that

 

[celestis]

@carlito'sway @Fallout I actuallly agree with both of you . I think Wenger has decided one person can't replicate what Santi does . Notice Iwobi like Ox before him is going through the middle . Think midfield duties going forward are being shared .

 

[krackpot]

ramsey was good yesterday, but the pair is still not working cohesively. it was immediately evident that el-nenny provides more balance because of his movement and passing.

We have a great passing backbone. Just need to add more passers in the team.

Özil
|
Xhaka - Santi
|
Holding

 

[Garrincha]

Xhaka & Coq paired up well today.

Hope its the partnership we see now over Christmas then throw Santi & Jack in the mix down the line.

 

[say yes]

Changed my vote to Elneny.

I'm a big fan of what Coquelin brings to the team but he's simply too crap on the ball to work in a midfield two. Was utterly outclassed yesterday.

Xhaka is (dissapointingly) not good enough technically to carry him in that regard.

 

[samshere]

We should change the title to "? and ?"

 

[krengon]

Yeah I've changed my mind.. Not a fan of the Xhaka-Coq pairing, not sure who I'd play, but I hope Wenger can find the right pair quickly.. I'd probably go for Elneny-Ramsey or Xhaka-Ramsey.

 

[Sir Bump]

We looked totally different when elneny came on.
He keeps the ball moving quick, always does, he keeps us ticking.
I dont think he'll give a lot in attack, but at least he works to our strength which is ball movement.

Coquelin is a great destroyer but is quite limited with the ball.
Xhaka looks like a great dlp, can get the ball forward quickly, his mobility makes me nervous though ATM. I think it'll get better as he adjusts to the pace of this league.

I still think JW is the man to play cm, he has passing range, can defend, can beat a player. They'll just need time to work each other out.
Something they'll never get.

 

[4R5Emaniac]

Elneny.

 

[Aevi]

We should change the title to "? and ?"

https://arsenal-mania.com/forum/threads/the-midfield-enigma.28864/

 

[Tir Na Nog]

” Xhaka/Ramsey pivot have played 312 minutes together we’ve scored 13 (one every 24 min.) 2 against.”

I think we may be very close to getting the definitive answer.

 

[Optimistic]

” Xhaka/Ramsey pivot have played 312 minutes together we’ve scored 13 (one every 24 min.) 2 against.”

I think we may be very close to getting the definitive answer.

I personally hope Xhaka/Ramsey is the solution to our midfield conundrum, but I'm nervous about how we will hold up defensively against stronger opposition. I doubt Wenger will stick with these two against Chelsea, when Coq will be available.

 

[CurryFlavoured]

” Xhaka/Ramsey pivot have played 312 minutes together we’ve scored 13 (one every 24 min.) 2 against.”

I think we may be very close to getting the definitive answer.

Did that source have info on what games they've played together?

Didn't think they looked great v Preston or 1st half v Swansea.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Did that source have info on what games they've played together?

Didn't think they looked great v Preston or 1st half v Swansea.

Top of my head they played together second half vs Sp**s, the Basel game where we won 4-1, most of the Bournemouth game, all of Preston and all of Swansea.

I agree that they didn't look convincing vs Preston from 30th minute onward at Swansea they seemed to work better, they both had defined roles after both trying to share 1st phase responsibility for the first 30 minutes. After that, Ramsey pushed on more, tried to press a bit more and made himself available when Xhaka had the ball from a higher position that just sitting right beside him. It was important in terms of us really getting a grip of the game and subsequently dominating Swansea. So for me although there have been some worries especially against Bournemouth and Preston there was more than enough promising signs for 60 minutes vs Swansea to suggest that they are starting to get used to playing together.

 

[Jury]

Xhaka was quite dominant. 111 passes of which 93% found a teammate.

Elneny came in and took it to a different level. 30 passes in 22 minutes with 100 % pass accuracy.

Just add the numbers up and voila! If only it was that simple.

That partnership is gash imo. Laboured, uncreative with plenty of holes and no goals... As someone once said, St Etienne would be proud of it.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Just add the numbers up and voila! If only it was that simple.

That partnership is gash imo. Laboured, uncreative with plenty of holes and no goals... As someone once said, St Etienne would be proud of it.

Was that not Elneny-Coquelin?

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Elneny-Coquelin?

 

[Hunta]

Wilshere and Coquelin should be our future, youth cup winning, Arsenal supporting, angry bastard partnership we've needed for years.

 

[MutableEarth]

Was that not Elneny-Coquelin?

Yeah, and it was @fabo who said that