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Arsenal Tactics Talk

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.
 

Camus

Active Member
Trusted ⭐
jQuzzTw.png
jQuzzTw.png


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.
 

arsmile

Established Member
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.
 

Brown Gooner

DoN'T ceNsOR maH FreE SpEecH
I’ve come to the conclusion that we users on this website can analyse the squad as much as we like and come up with all the tactics that we would want to see, but until our current management changes nothing is gonna happen.

Discussing tactics and squad has become redundant now. Until Wenger leaves, we ain’t gonna see a change on the playing field.

It will be the same old. No clue what formation we’re playing, no idea about who’s playing what position, players not knowing their role in the team and mind boggling substitutions.
 

Camus

Active Member
Trusted ⭐

Look at our "defensive midfielder" Xhaka running around like a headless chicken. Passed to death by City as he aimlessly presses so high up the pitch. I suppose you can applaud the willingness, but pressing with zero discipline is suicidal. Playing right into City's hands, wearing you out whilst also pulling you out of position to create space for them. How can a top level player (and team) be this naive. Slightly amateurish to watch.

When you factor in Ramsey making the same mistake it's easy to see why are midfield is nonexistent defensively.
 

KrissKringle

Reinventing VAR 😡
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.
 

Country: Iceland
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.

Yeah I have noticed it too this season and maybe even last season. Our possession football is very odd because so many times we play it back to the GK who hoofs it up the field.
 

KrissKringle

Reinventing VAR 😡
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.
 

FreakySami

Well-Known Member
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.

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.
 

FreakySami

Well-Known Member
jQuzzTw.png
jQuzzTw.png


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.

Be precise and explain how we should deal with them because your explanation of I can call it that was very superficial
 

KrissKringle

Reinventing VAR 😡
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! :D
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.
 

FreakySami

Well-Known Member
Thank you kindly! :D
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.

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 :(

The problem with wilshere is he doesn't use his body to protect the ball as well as Santi. And he relies to much on his left foot.
 

KrissKringle

Reinventing VAR 😡
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.
 

Gooner n Proud

a.k.a. nasri_8 and Voice of Flamini
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.

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.
 

KrissKringle

Reinventing VAR 😡
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.
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 was never going to pass the ball over the defense or split it with through balls like Cesc, so he was very limited in that attacking aspect of his play. He ended up having a high passing rate because he was always doing it sideways, just like Elneny is doing it now.
Xhaka is a mystery of a signing, because he neither provides cover for the defense and also doesn't dictate the play. He's just...there.
 

YeahBee

Terrible hot takes
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.

WHy have two 50m strikers if we are not gonna play them?

Mkith needs to be on the bench to cover for Jack/Ramsey who are both prone to missing games

Özil behind two strikers is the key

4-3-1-2 IMO, I have been screaming about it the whole season

Easier to give youngsters games to with three in midfield (like you already had)

but easier to give games and have them be productive if there are two strikers upfront to

Iwobi covers strikers/Özil
 

Hope

Less
Why do we always cut back the ball? Just ****ing why? And its Every freaking time. So easy to defend. Predictable.

****ing cross,make runs. Everything is so static.

Cant believe its a Wenger team.
 

mavelous

Tinfoil hat aficionado
Being the great advocate of positive play, wants his centerbacks to be comfortable on the ball, so that we can build our attacks from the back. he has sacrificed everything else from his CBs - no athleticism, no height. At least knew his handicap and he had impeccable positioning and anticipation, yet this current lot don't know how to make up for their glaring deficiencies, and their supposed single trait - their ball-playing ability, is rendered absolutely useless.

Which brings me to my next point. You might well have Paolo Maldini and Franz Beckenbauer as your CBs, but if your cms can't receive the ball under pressure, it counts for feck all. hell, they are so bad that they don't even show for the ball, and it only takes one of Özil or mikki to drop from final third to near our 18yard line to relieve some pressure.

Ok, you see and assess your options - your CB's are so slow, positionally suspect and your CMs are so poor on the ball. it's a glaring recipe for a disaster, a calamity - there's a 50/50 chance that we'll lose the ball during any attempt to build from the back. Well, in that case you might think that our CMs, given their lack of technique, might at least be good enough defensively, be athletic. you know, have recovery speed.

Surprise, they're not. there's almost nothing that our CM's are good at, except for getting injured.
 
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