Armando Izzo

[hydrofluoric acid]

Is Raul signing this player so he can make some money by betting?

 

[Highgate]

Not impressed at all by this fellah

 

[Vinci]

Another midget, don't want.

 

[Slartibartfast]

If one of them starts anywhere near the wing then we need to fold as a football club.

Don't shoe horn in players for the sake of it.

Aubameyang and Lacazette both began their careers as wingers before being converted to center forwards. The idea that they aren't capable of playing there at a high level is nonsense. Aubameyang has played almost 100 games on the wing. Where do you think he played when Lewandowski was with him? He played there a lot at Saint-Etienne as well. Center forward may be the best position for each, but they aren't inflexible.

Also, Emery likes to play with inverted wingers who drift in and switch even with the center forward. He doesn't play with traditional, old-fashioned wingers who stay outside to provide width. Offensively, his 4-3-3 at PSG would often become sort of a 4-1-2-2-1 with the wingers drifting inside and the fullbacks providing width. Maybe with Aubameyang there could be elements of a 4-1-2-1-2.

The other thing to keep in mind is that rotation is good. Players should have a good deal of rest. So Aubameyang and Lacazette don't have to play every game together. But when they do (which will be often), they can manage it perfectly well in Emery's 4-2-3-1/4-3-3.

Why? We played with a back 4 successfully for nearly half the season with those two either in the side or rotated. It’s clear that’s Emery’s preferred setup. Signing a proper left back is also an indication of wanting to play with 4 at the back. We won’t be playing 3-4-3 again unless forced into it like last season.

I think it was all down to our fullbacks. Once Bellerin was injured we had no full backs who could play in a back 4. AMN is a winger/central midfielder, Kolasinac can't defend, Lich was terrible and Monreal isn't physically up to it any more. There were plenty of ways we could fit Laca and Auba together with 4 at the back, 4-4-2, 4-3-1-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 but absolutely no way we could play 4 at the back with the full backs we had available.

I concur. Emery had never in his life played a 3-man back. He's been strictly a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 guy. He wasn't going to scrap his entire system just to shoehorn two center forwards into the lineup. It's crazy to think so. He could simply have used a 4-3-1-2. It became a necessity because he didn't have proper fullbacks.

 

[NieThePiet]

Signed a new contract until 2024.
Probably he was never a target and other club were just used for a better wage.

So, mods can close this.