Reiss Nelson: Time to Shine?

[Batman]

We talk a lot about what we're missing today that we had when we had a decade ago and certainly physical defenders, competent midfielders and tactical discipline are all extremely important. One aspect we don't really talk about that certainly helps a team immensely in breaking down an opponent is a great dribbler who can get defenders on the back foot and create space for others to operate. You watch highlights of Pires and he absolutely terrorized defenders with his dribbling. Since Pires the only truly capable dribblers who could be trusted to finish a run with any sort of positive result are Hleb(who was allergic to shooting but could pick a pass) and Arshavin for the first year he was here. Alexis is the best dribbler we've got right now and he's all right leg and thus quite predictable. Theres nobody here to really break down a defense in that manner. Oxlade could take people on but it usually ended in an awful shot, awful cross or some other c*ck up. We need a dribbler with end product.

Nelson looks like he could be that guy. I hope Wenger doesn't try to coach his impulse to take people on out of him. I also think it's part of what drew him to Lemar. If by some miracle the lad does end up signing for us we could finally have 2 players who are legitimately able to get a defense on the back foot for the first time since we had Bobby and Thierry together. Of course the other areas will need to be sorted out as well but I could see Lemar and Nelson operating behind Lacazette to great effect.

 

[Batman]

Troopz is absolute cringeworthy. The more AFTV uses him, the more there views would go down.

He's not going to stop now. The internet absolutely loves the ridiculous at every level whether it be Lavar Ball or the orange mess in the White House. Troopz is in character now. He went from whatever mundane thing he was doing to being in FIFA ffs. All on the back of being an idiot for the camera. He's going to milk this for all it's worth.

 

[Wrighty4eva]

Kid did his ting today, nothing spectacular, kept it simple, guy has an uncanny ability to find a pass in tight spaces, he's growing in every opportunity he gets, he will get his chance further forward soon enough...

 

[HollandGooner]

I would like to see him getting some minutes under his belt as RW.

 

[Big Poppa]

We talk a lot about what we're missing today that we had when we had a decade ago and certainly physical defenders, competent midfielders and tactical discipline are all extremely important. One aspect we don't really talk about that certainly helps a team immensely in breaking down an opponent is a great dribbler who can get defenders on the back foot and create space for others to operate. You watch highlights of Pires and he absolutely terrorized defenders with his dribbling. Since Pires the only truly capable dribblers who could be trusted to finish a run with any sort of positive result are Hleb(who was allergic to shooting but could pick a pass) and Arshavin for the first year he was here. Alexis is the best dribbler we've got right now and he's all right leg and thus quite predictable. Theres nobody here to really break down a defense in that manner. Oxlade could take people on but it usually ended in an awful shot, awful cross or some other c*ck up. We need a dribbler with end product.

Nelson looks like he could be that guy. I hope Wenger doesn't try to coach his impulse to take people on out of him. I also think it's part of what drew him to Lemar. If by some miracle the lad does end up signing for us we could finally have 2 players who are legitimately able to get a defense on the back foot for the first time since we had Bobby and Thierry together. Of course the other areas will need to be sorted out as well but I could see Lemar and Nelson operating behind Lacazette to great effect.

Interesting. I often remember Pires as more of a schemer than a dribbler. When I think of dribblers I think Mahrez, Ribbery, Robben, Giggs etc. Pires for me was more like Rui Costa. His average position was like a number 10, with Cole overlapping and sometimes Henry drifting wide to create space for his runs.

All that to one side though (I'm not discrediting your view its just interesting to read a different perspective), Pires was able to do his thing because he had the stability of Vieira and Gilberto or Edu in the middle. We had coaches on the pitch in defence and midfield. Pires in this current team would be exposed like Özil at transitions. We rarely got counter attacked with the frequency we do now because we didn't play with as many bodies high up the pitch in possession. If Wenger was to sacrifice one or two of his attack minded midfielders for that, we'd see far better results from our wingers and forwards.

Lemar is another playmaker. He likes to get on the ball and drift inside. Despite probably being an inferior all round footballer I feel the player that would really give us that missing dimension is someone like Leroy Sane. He attacks spaces, retains width and knows how to finish. Sead is doing that for us right now as an proxy winger/wing back but he is not a natural dribbler. That directness, which I think is what you're alluding to, is something we have lacked too often since the invincibles. They attacked like the red arrows.

Back to Reiss though. I still think it's incredibly early to expect anything but he's definitely ready to be an impact substitute in the PL. I hate it when we are losing or drawing and Wenger just throws on more centre forwards, leaving us with nobody to get them the ball. It really is wingers who unlock tired defences and I hope Nelson's potential to do that is realized.

 

[Batman]

Interesting. I often remember Pires as more of a schemer than a dribbler. When I think of dribblers I think Mahrez, Ribbery, Robben, Giggs etc. Pires for me was more like Rui Costa. His average position was like a number 10, with Cole overlapping and sometimes Henry drifting wide to create space for his runs.

All that to one side though (I'm not discrediting your view its just interesting to read a different perspective), Pires was able to do his thing because he had the stability of Vieira and Gilberto or Edu in the middle. We had coaches on the pitch in defence and midfield. Pires in this current team would be exposed like Özil at transitions. We rarely got counter attacked with the frequency we do now because we didn't play with as many bodies high up the pitch in possession. If Wenger was to sacrifice one or two of his attack minded midfielders for that, we'd see far better results from our wingers and forwards.

Lemar is another playmaker. He likes to get on the ball and drift inside. Despite probably being an inferior all round footballer I feel the player that would really give us that missing dimension is someone like Leroy Sane. He attacks spaces, retains width and knows how to finish. Sead is doing that for us right now as an proxy winger/wing back but he is not a natural dribbler. That directness, which I think is what you're alluding to, is something we have lacked too often since the invincibles. They attacked like the red arrows.

Back to Reiss though. I still think it's incredibly early to expect anything but he's definitely ready to be an impact substitute in the PL. I hate it when we are losing or drawing and Wenger just throws on more centre forwards, leaving us with nobody to get them the ball. It really is wingers who unlock tired defences and I hope Nelson's potential to do that is realized.

You're not wrong. I just chose to narrow in on something he did well that wasn't necessarily the first thing you'd remember about him. He wasn't a guy who was looking to take people on every time down the pitch but he was an exceptional dribbler and he used that ability to great effect. I think Lemar can do the same. I don't expect him to take people on every time he receives the ball but even as a playmaker he has the added danger of being a very capable dribbler which is a way of moving the defense around that we don't often employ anymore.

I am definitely in favor of a more truly direct approach not necessarily with out and out wingers but with guys like Pires and Lemar who in my opinion combine the comfortable passing and ability to finish with industry and willingness to put a defense on the back foot with their dribbling. Completely agree with you on Sane, I absolutely love him. He's the guy I would have wanted us to pry from City(other than KDB) if a swap for Alexis was on the cards. That sort of player that puts everything together has been missing here for some time. I think Nelson has a chance to do that but it is definitely early days. I just look at all of the tools he's got and think that maybe this is a guy who can bring back some of what we've lacked for years.

 

[cloista]

I'd actually like to see Nelson playing more as a forward, he's got a similar skillset to a young Henry, and it's clear he's got a very high ceiling. I'd get him watching videos of Henry on a loop.

 

[Jury]

Wenger's hiding him like a man who's punching above his weight with a women, and never takes her out in public. Probably tells him he's not all that.

 

[Mrs Bergkamp]

I'd like to see him get minutes as a sub as a RWF. He can carry the ball forward if only to the corner to kill time and has showed diligence in his defensive work. Can't be worse than Theo for 20 minutes imo.

 

[Jury]

It's getting a bit silly. Unleash him ffs. He plays like an old head so it's not like he can be a liability through inexperience. He threw Cesc in there when we were x10 the squad we are now. Makes no sense.

 

[say yes]

It's getting a bit silly. Unleash him ffs. He plays like an old head so it's not like he can be a liability through inexperience. He threw Cesc in there when we were x10 the squad we are now. Makes no sense.

Nelson is not getting any serious minutes while Walcott is still here: Wenger is oddly loyal to the seniority of his players.

Nelson's development on ice until we sell Walcott. Similar to how we had to sell Ox in order to get Kolasinac on the pitch/Bellerin away from RW.

 

[{reed}]

There's nothing to hide, to guy hasn't showed anything of note in the EL.
You don't get minutes in the PL because you beat kids playing pub football.

 

[Jury]

There's nothing to hide, to guy hasn't showed anything of note in the EL.

To the untrained eye.

 

[{reed}]

To the untrained eye.

His time will come, let's not be in a hurry. I've seen enough overhyped flops from our academy like Zelalem, Crowley, Akpom, etc (although he looks better than any of them).

 

[Jury]

His time will come, let's not be in a hurry. I've seen enough overhyped flops from our academy like Zelalem, Crowley, Akpom, etc (although he looks better than any of them).

Was only pulling your plonker As you say, he's better than any of them. I'm not afraid to go overboard tbh. I don't think it's overboard anyway. At this stage, he can only be as good as he is, which is exceptionally good. It's the maturity and swagger that sets him apart tbh. His touches and finishing are easy to see, but the X factor is also there imo. I always feel more confident about saying whether a precocious forward will make it at the highest level, than any other position.

 

[Bergkamp a Dutch Master]

he has to learn not to get robbed or make a ****e failed pass letting a dangerous situation arise. Otherwise a rather good prospect.

 

[Mrs Bergkamp]

Nelson is not getting any serious minutes while Walcott is still here: Wenger is oddly loyal to the seniority of his players.

Nelson's development on ice until we sell Walcott. Similar to how we had to sell Ox in order to get Kolasinac on the pitch/Bellerin away from RW.

Agree with you that Walcott is a hindrance but Debuchy was binned for expecting to bench Bellerin on his return from injury. Vieira was sold partly because of his faith in Cesc. Gibbs lost out to Nacho and Vermaelen couldn't get on as a sub towards the end of his time. Most famously is the Jens/Almunia stand off. There are other examples. Nelson showed glimpses of erratic youth along with immense talent. I expect him to break through when Walcott breaks down-assuming Welbeck doesn't return in beast mode.

 

[gooner36]

He is a refreshing new type of prospect for both Arsenal and England. His quick feet, pace and dribbling skills are for me the best things he offers in terms of attacking and utilized correctly he can become a real star

 

[A_G]

It's getting a bit silly. Unleash him ffs. He plays like an old head so it's not like he can be a liability through inexperience. He threw Cesc in there when we were x10 the squad we are now. Makes no sense.

https://www.arsenal.com/news/nelson-i-might-go-mma-after-football

he's pandering to you ffs

 

[Jury]

https://www.arsenal.com/news/nelson-i-might-go-mma-after-football

he's pandering to you ffs

He's got even more than it takes then. Likes the mindless violence as well. Just play him at No.9 for the rest of the season ffs.