Mo Britain
Doom Monger
We play like a band of old-fashioned Cavaliers. When it works (less and less often) it is a joy to watch, when we are confronted with New Model Armies we crumble and disappear.
One of our biggest problems is that we play the ball back to the keeper way too much during a game and practically invite pressure.
Since we choke up during pressure, we make schoolboy mistakes at the back and that's how it ends in the net.
Why isn't Wenger shouting at these idiots to just play with more diagonals from the back or the middle now that we have a runner that could get to the end of them? Instead, we're aimlessly trying to build attacks that take forever to get in the box and even then, there's no one in there to profit from them.
I just don't understand how a man with over 20 years of coaching experience cannot see these blatant frailties in his team and does nothing about it.
I think the defenders don't trust the central midfielders when they're relatively close to opponents thinking they don't have the strength/skill to keep possession and prefer to just pass it back to the keeper.Our possession football is very odd because so many times we play it back to the GK who hoofs it up the field.
I think the defenders don't trust the central midfielders when they're relatively close to opponents thinking they don't have the strength/skill to keep possession and prefer to just pass it back to the keeper.
We have become incredibly vanilla going forward and lacking in attitude overall.
7 players "defending" against two City players and they still score. Why? Because this is not defending, this is ball watching. Breathtakingly stupid, almost lost for words how all 7 players can all be looking at the ball, shifting their momentum towards the ball but leave Silva free. No concept of danger at all, no defensive responsibility.
I few seconds before it's even worse. Just out of shot Sane played the pass to Aguero that literally went right past Mustafi, Ramsey, Bellerin and Xhaka. No one even in a position to cut it out. Wow.
As I said before, we are so passive defensively. Rather than ensure Sane doesn't make the pass, rather than ensure Silva doesn't get into a attack position to score, instead we wait/we allow these situations to develop before we try and deal with them.
Thank you kindly!I don't like many posts but this is it. bingo!!!
Our Central midfielders cannot hold the ball under pressure. What is it that made Vieira and Cazorla great (common trait). They did not lose the ball often when receiving the ball. Not only that but they were able to receive create space with the first touch and/or take out 2-3 players with a quick or deceptive pass. These two went about it on different ways but the quality and skill of retaining the ball or playing the ball under pressure was their common and most important trait. Not many people can do it, but those two had that and it helped us to transition quickly from defending or attacking or nullifying the press.
We cannot do this with only wilshere in the side because he's too one footeds and not strong enough. Xhaka had awareness and mostly mobility problems!!! Ugh the guy I'm sure will do well one day but he needs to freaking use his brain and relax. I think he improved though.
Thank you kindly!
Yes, Vieira was both strong and had excellent technique while Cazorla had a low center of gravity and outstanding skill.
Other than him, I know only two other players who could dribble in extremely tight spaces and those are Iniesta and Messi.
Always with the ball glued to their feet and you can rarely dispossess them without a foul.
Wilshere will get dominated by taller midfielders and Xhaka has neither speed, technique or enough intelligence to distribute the ball fast enough to not be put in a position of losing it.
We've been struggling in the central midfielder position ever since Cesc was sold and Arteta didn't do much in that position, but I don't really blame him.
The guy took a pay cut to come here and play in a position unknown to him while also losing a tooth throughout the years and generally trying his best in that role.
Wenger is responsible for not fixing this issue and trying to patch it with players that weren't right for that position.
Of course I'm going to blame the manager, because he's responsible for transfers and when you bring someone like Xhaka in that position, it's another downgrade from Santi, just like Arteta was after Cesc left.Well that didn't last long... How can you say that those players are so rare then go and blame the manager for not finding somebody in that position... Ugh
Of course I'm going to blame the manager, because he's responsible for transfers and when you bring someone like Xhaka in that position, it's another downgrade from Santi, just like Arteta was after Cesc left.
Cazorla, Iniesta and Messi are in a league of their own in the ball control department. That's what I meant and we have no one even remotely close to that type of skill in our current squad, so I don't know why you have a problem with what I said.
Well, it depends on the periods you're talking about. Cesc was a Vieira replacement and played a lot in that position. Then, Wenger moved him up the pitch in an attacking midfielder role.Arteta wasn't really Cesc's direct replacement; Ramsey was but Wenger sort of altered the system anyway as Aaron is more of a runner than playmaker. Same with Xhaka & Cazorla the former wasn't brought in to be the latters direct replacement as their both clearly slightly different players.
as this season is a write-off before March
we really should be using the rest of the league games to bed in a proper system/set up...so that all the players are 100% drilled in it before next season
pea
Özil-mhiki
wilshere-xhaka-ramsey
monreal-kos-mustafi-bellerin
is the best way to get our best players on the pitch
if we can train the three in midfield to do the job needed from them...maybe we'd stand a chance. They can fight it out to decide which one is getting replaced by the new signing in the summer- because we won't be replacing or even adding depth to the three in front what with lacca the backup.
We probably need 2 new CBs as well...Kos will die soon and mustafi hasn't done enough...those behind them two need getting rid of.....but that shouldn't change the system.