31/10/2012 near enough at full strength. Your strongest 11?

[outlaw_member]

We must find a way to get the best out of Podolski and Giroud. Even if that means reverting to a 4-4-2.

 

[Anzac]

---------------Szczesney

Sagna---Mertesacker----Vermaelen---Gibbs

-------Diaby----Arteta---Wilshere

Walcott---------Cazorla----------Podolski

Curious - Cazorla as a 'false 9' in a Messi role = Barca Lite?

Yeah, I think that would allow us to start both Walcott and Podolski and keep them higher up the pitch(4-3-1-2 you could say). I like Giroud but our style of play is more or less the opposite of that of Montpellier so I don't get why he was bought as a starter.

I'd even be tempted to start Chamakh upfront if Cazorla is going to drop into the midfield trio. Torres isn't scoring that many at Chelsea but he's a good foil for the players around him and Chamakh is similar to him

Yeah I've thought that we could have used AA in the same manner in the past but for our patterns & roles.

End of the day I want the roles to change - the forward line to attack, the midfield to create & support, and the defence to defend.
Get back to the basics & rebuild from there.
IMO AW's patterns are all about numbers in attack & defensive cover,
without actually having any defined 'ownership' of either aspect.
Everyone attacks & everyone defends - jacks of all trades & masters of SFA.

 

[bingobob]

Szczesny

Sagna Mertesacker Koscielny Gibbs

Gervinho Wilshere Diaby Cazorla

Walcott/Podolski Giroud

Harsh on Arteta but I think Diaby in the middle gives us power and the ability to carry the ball.

 

[mavelous]

I'm not going to say I've been calling for Podolski AM and Cazorla LW for a long time.





But I've been calling for Podolski AM and Cazorla LW for a long time.

exactly, it doesn't matter where Cazorla likes or thinks his best position, we need to consider what's best for AFC. i think him playing outwide is the perfect half-winger that wenger has been missing ever since Pires. Nasri was good for a while, did have his qualities, but didn't have the consistent goal and creative threat.

On the other hand, Podolski is so good that I'm thinking he may just be the person to use as the 2nd striker. his all round game has taken me, and many others, by a surprise. obviously him as a SS won't be a long-term solution but right now he's being wasted quite a bit, maybe time for Verms to shift to LB and use santos as an LW, cazorla on the right, giroud and poldi up top.

 

[23AndreyArshavin]

Szczesny
Sagna Mertesacker Koscielny Gibbs
Arteta Diaby
Wilshere
Walcott Podolski Cazorla

 

[outlaw_member]

4-4-2


-------------------------Szczesny-Fabianski
Sagna/Jenkinson--Mertesacker/Djourou--Vermaelen/Koscielny--Gibbs/Santos
---------------------Arteta/Coquelin--Diaby/Frimpong
Wilshere/Oxlade-----------------------------------------Cazorla/Rosicky
---------Podolski/Arshavin/Chamakh--Walcott/Giroud/Gervinho

 

[Mr Wolf]

As the 4-2-3-1 has become quite predictable, I'd try witout wingers, with a diamond formation with Walcott and Podolski forwards and Cazorla in the hole.


-------------------------Szcezsny
--Sagna----------Kos(Mertesacker)-----Vermaelen-----Gibbs
---------------------Diaby (Ramsey)----Arteta----Wilshere
---------------------------Cazorla (Arshavin)
--------------------Walcott--------Podolski (Giroud)

 

[DiamondGooner]

We've all listed some pretty good formations and I'm sure a couple of them here would work in fact three of them, the 4-4-1-1 the 4-4-2 and the diamond version.

All I want now is for Wenger to at least show that he's recognised the problem and is at least trying to use other approaches.

Doing naff all is not really an option.

 

[pikey2000]

I'd give this a try.

For reason's others have mentioned such as lack of real wingers and crap full backs.

Gives balance at the back of height and pace.

Midfield packed with technique.

Front line with pace and power, adaptable to the opponent.

 

[dysphoria]

I'd give this a try.

For reason's others have mentioned such as lack of real wingers and crap full backs.

Gives balance at the back of height and pace.

Midfield packed with technique.

Front line with pace and power, adaptable to the opponent.

i love this idea, it makes more sense then to stick with a traditional back four, gives us plenty of defensive strength, width down the flanks with the wing backs and it'll also probably allow arteta to venture forwards abit more as the wingbacks will help out more defensively. However, the only draw back is that for this to work effectively, you'll need very durable and skilled wingbacks, sagna is fine(maybe his direct attacking play isn't the best but with his overlapping runs, he will stretch defences and offer width), not too sure about gibbs when it comes to his long term durability. You play santos there and he'll probably cut inside more often then he should and that balance will be lost.

Also, if you play theo upfront with podolski or giroud, it'll mean that gervinho could essentially be walcott's backup, would give wenger his license to experiment as he loves to do but still offer us viable choices. Not too sure where the ox would fit in that formation, wenger has said he sees him as a central player but at this moment, i'm not too sure.

 

[pikey2000]

I'd give this a try.

For reason's others have mentioned such as lack of real wingers and crap full backs.

Gives balance at the back of height and pace.

Midfield packed with technique.

Front line with pace and power, adaptable to the opponent.

i love this idea, it makes more sense then to stick with a traditional back four, gives us plenty of defensive strength, width down the flanks with the wing backs and it'll also probably allow arteta to venture forwards abit more as the wingbacks will help out more defensively. However, the only draw back is that for this to work effectively, you'll need very durable and skilled wingbacks, sagna is fine(maybe his direct attacking play isn't the best but with his overlapping runs, he will stretch defences and offer width), not too sure about gibbs when it comes to his long term durability. You play santos there and he'll probably cut inside more often then he should and that balance will be lost.

Also, if you play theo upfront with podolski or giroud, it'll mean that gervinho could essentially be walcott's backup, would give wenger his license to experiment as he loves to do but still offer us viable choices. Not too sure where the ox would fit in that formation, wenger has said he sees him as a central player but at this moment, i'm not too sure.

Yeh, I didn't really like the look of Gibbs at full back as his end product sucks at present, but he is our best option at present. A Baines in the position with his delivery would be wonderful!

 

[Tourbillion]

I love that idea too.

Sagna would work despite him not being able to beat a man. He passes crisply and can cross quite well. He'd have plenty of support to his left anyway so he can just give it to one of the creative boys. He and Gibbs also have very good stamina and would handle their duties no problem.

We'd be strong centrally in midfield and defence, and we'd have a strike PARTNERSHIP at last.

 

[jones]

We can't play 3-5-2 without real wing backs or full backs who have the skillset needed for the position. Gibbs crossing is atrocious, and Sagna lacks the last bit of pace. Also, and more importantly, a 3-5-2 works only if you have a centre half between two CBs, for example De Rossi dropping very deep to orchestrate play from his own box for Italy, or Busquets in Barca's 3-4-3 last season. This lineup has just removed an attacking midfielder/winger for a defender, how anybody thinks that this might help us when we already struggle to create chances eludes me.

 

[leo_ense]

We can change formations to force the issue but at the end of the day the movement and tactics have got to improve. Based on what I've seen I am not going to fault Giroud for this as his movement has been very good despite the obvious lack of service. I'm looking at the people occupying the wide positions (Podolski and Ramsey the main culprits at the moment) to make smarter moves up front. Its just too static from our wide players and it isn't good enough. Teams have also caught on to our early form tactics by completely marking Arteta and Cazorla out of the game, and for reasons like this we need sharp interchanging of positions and to drift into space. Its getting way too congested by playing both Podolski and a midfielder like Ramsey out wide and we need to be stretching opponents. It worked so well with Gibbs up and down the flank but Santos just doesn't have the engine for it so we need to work the tactics to make sure we aren't just passing it sideways with no penetration for 90 minutes.

 

[DiamondGooner]

@leo_ense

About a month ago this was my very argument when looking at Giroud, all strikers previous at AFC that have made it can fend for themselves and don't need constant service to be successful but others ignored this and now here we are.

Now Gerv is injured and this is what we have to work with (a complete change of tactics .... that were working) in fact it's not all we have to work with but in Wenger's peanut sized mind it is so were stuck with it.

It's not like we don't have Podolski or Walcott too try out, Cest la vie.

 

[dreamLord]

The Arteta Wilshere Cazorla combo is ****. And we can't factor Diaby into our plans because whether through his fault or just bad luck, he is Diaby.

Cazorla has been pretty poor as an AM too, for whatever reasons. We need a more attacking player in his position, not someone who keeps dropping deep to play tiki taka with his spanish buddy.

 

[truth_hurts]

As much as I love Cazorla I agree he drops deep far too often. don't mind though provided we play 3 forwards upfront like we did tonight.

 

[DiamondGooner]

The Arteta Wilshere Cazorla combo is ****. And we can't factor Diaby into our plans because whether through his fault or just bad luck, he is Diaby.

Cazorla has been pretty poor as an AM too, for whatever reasons. We need a more attacking player in his position, not someone who keeps dropping deep to play tiki taka with his spanish buddy.

I'd suggest that reason is because where he used to have a pacey forward like Gervinho who would come deep play with midfield then could be released onto a nice chip or through ball he now just has a lump sitting in the box wanting balls played over the top while he's surrounded by defenders, intelligent players like Cazorla see those balls as risky and unrewarding save for the odd chance .... he'd be right.

So yes he may as well go out wide as we need good crossers of the ball if this is how Wenger wants to play.

 

[arsmile]

i said in the match thread...i cant come up with 11 players i dotn want to drop at the moment.

 

[Tourbillion]

Play 5-4-1, with the 4 midfielders all defensively-positioned. Punt the ball to Walcott up front and let him chase. That's the only way I can see us do anything at the moment.