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General Reserves Talk

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MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
It could be argued that the depth at right back is probably the strongest out of all the positions at the academy. Norton Cuffy established himself in the u23s at 16 and I remember reading an interview with an academy player ( can't remember who) who said out of everyone, Oyegoke was the most likely to make it in the first team. I'm assuming the third man your talking about is Alebiosu but could easily be talking about Swanson and Osei Tutu as well if they hadn't suffered Injuries.
It's been that way for a while to be honest - RB is definitely a hugely strong position for us, so much so that the likes of Oyegoke is being shifted around to accommodate others.

The third man was Alebiosu, but I'm not as big on him as Bould seems to be. He gets a lot of minutes but ultimately I think his ceiling isn't quite as high as Norton-Cuffy or Oyegoke. Not to say he isn't a good talent though, very good athlete and recovery defender with a decent ability to attack space.

Swanson and Osei-Tutu are going to have very good careers IMO, and I could see Swanson moving back central at some point owing to his ability on the ball. Osei-Tutu very well could have gotten a chance here had things been different. He improved remarkably in a short space of time and has done better than I expected initially.

Think with some other positions there are strengths - CF and CM for me is very strong for us at the moment, while we have 2 extremely good wing talents in Taylor-Hart and Hutchinson but a bit light behind them. I really like Flores and Butler-Oyedeji but I think it will be tough for the latter player despite his considerably dribbling talent while the former looks extremely talented but one wonders if his size may count against him. We'll have to see. But Flores is definitely one to keep an eye on.

I'm a bit less optimistic about progression into the first team these days. We don't have a Wenger to encourage bringing them through anymore. Thankfully we have produced a few standouts to force there way into plans but some IMO have been neglected and not done as well as a result. And I think it's gonna be tougher under a manager like Arteta. While it's definitely not a bad thing, the bar has risen and despite the team being wildly inconsistent, the level you have to reach to force your way into first team plans is much higher - fair or otherwise. So I can see a lot of really talented players not making it here in the next 5 years.
 

A_G

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What if Football Manager was right all along?

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Football Manager

Copy & Paste Merchant
Alongside Cottrell and Cirjan in a 3
Smith, Cottrell and Cirjan might not be the best talent, but they are our most technical young players in the central midfield/attacking midfield position.
They may not end up as top quality players, but that’s fine.

What I have been sure for years is that, players who are not skillful/technical such as AMN/Willock/Nketiah are shxt players. And I’m proven right.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐

Never realised how good his ball striking is. Definitely his best attribute.
There is so much you can do with a player like Azeez. Has the physical capabilities and the technical quality to be as good as he wants to be. I think naturally he'll become a 6 when he's older but I still think we get the best out of him if we give him a little bit of freedom. Like, I could see him doing what Xhaka does now, although I think his defensive positioning would have to improve. Can win duels well though and intercepts pretty well.

And yeah, he hits the ball extremely well. Just arrows it but with the requisite finesse and manipulation needed. His shooting and passing are both great assets as a result because he gets such good weight on both.

I'm still curious to see what happens with Smith aswell. Think he'd be a smart player to have when fully developed but dunno what happens with him.
 

Afro Mugo

Active Member
Watching the u23s vs Derby and I'm certain these players are poorly coached. Half hearted pressing, poor positional play. Theres no reason why those players on the pitch should be outrun and outplayed by Burnley in that manner.
We won the game arguably undeservedly and I'll forever hate watching these games on other clubs platforms because the commentators are normally very biased I have to turn off the sound. I still think Bould is not getting the best out of those players . I watched freddie's u23s and he might have had better talents across the pitch, there was a clear style of play and players such as Willock made drastic improvement. Yesterday, players such as Balogun and Moller hardly touched the ball. KTH was often isolated the few times he got hold of the ball. The front 4 were poorly positioned and Azeez rarely had options ahead of him to pass to unlike when he plays with Cottrell and Cirjan. Having said that Azeez , though at fault for the second goal when he made a poor decision to dribble under pressure , had an impressive game. He's become more defensive aware as more than once he intercepted balls in the box; Akinola was also quite good playing as the box to box ahead of Azeez . His physicality enabled the team beat the press several times. Monlouis though didn't move to the attacking third understandably had a good game too . I was impressed with his passing in tight spaces under pressure. Lopez and Dinzeyi were disappointing especially the latter . At this point I'd rather a younger player plays as the CB.
 

Iceman10

Established Member
There is so much you can do with a player like Azeez. Has the physical capabilities and the technical quality to be as good as he wants to be. I think naturally he'll become a 6 when he's older but I still think we get the best out of him if we give him a little bit of freedom. Like, I could see him doing what Xhaka does now, although I think his defensive positioning would have to improve. Can win duels well though and intercepts pretty well.

And yeah, he hits the ball extremely well. Just arrows it but with the requisite finesse and manipulation needed. His shooting and passing are both great assets as a result because he gets such good weight on both.

I'm still curious to see what happens with Smith aswell. Think he'd be a smart player to have when fully developed but dunno what happens with him.
This sounds like a challenge for integration into our first team with a manager highly focused on positional discipline, which I agree with to an extent, and the PL. He will have to be considered an 8, carefully paired with a defensive minded CM. Swashbuckling is great, but it cannot be another Guendouzi, and I don’t think that’s how he will turn out anyway.
 

Iceman10

Established Member
This sounds like a challenge for integration into our first team with a manager highly focused on positional discipline, which I agree with to an extent, and the PL. He will have to be considered an 8, carefully paired with a defensive minded CM. Swashbuckling is great, but it cannot be another Guendouzi, and I don’t think that’s how he will turn out anyway.

Think I should add to this for clarity. In general what I’m getting at is it could still be a couple of seasons away from the player being a regular in the Arsenal first team. Next season could be frustrating for fans and even the player based on how some are building him up, but I think the key will be patience and level-headedness all around (unlike Guendouzi getting carried away with himself). CM is just tough in the top half of the PL for players under 22. It could be that during these next couple of seasons we might bring back one of AMN/Willock and send Azeez out. Building overall ability and confidence instead of being restricted positionally and tactically at a young age might still require one or two loan spells, esp, second halves of the next 1-2 seasons.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
We won the game arguably undeservedly and I'll forever hate watching these games on other clubs platforms because the commentators are normally very biased I have to turn off the sound. I still think Bould is not getting the best out of those players . I watched freddie's u23s and he might have had better talents across the pitch, there was a clear style of play and players such as Willock made drastic improvement. Yesterday, players such as Balogun and Moller hardly touched the ball. KTH was often isolated the few times he got hold of the ball. The front 4 were poorly positioned and Azeez rarely had options ahead of him to pass to unlike when he plays with Cottrell and Cirjan. Having said that Azeez , though at fault for the second goal when he made a poor decision to dribble under pressure , had an impressive game. He's become more defensive aware as more than once he intercepted balls in the box; Akinola was also quite good playing as the box to box ahead of Azeez . His physicality enabled the team beat the press several times. Monlouis though didn't move to the attacking third understandably had a good game too . I was impressed with his passing in tight spaces under pressure. Lopez and Dinzeyi were disappointing especially the latter . At this point I'd rather a younger player plays as the CB.
Yeah, Bould isn't getting the best out of these guys and I have question marks about Gillard aswell - not doing as well as Ampadu was doing despite his victory with the 01 boys. Some of the selections aren't great either - Dinzeyi is not very impressive, neither is Lopez. I have reservations about Kirk aswell, seems jittery, although I like his work on the ball. Monlouis is clearly the best defender out of that bunch and probably should be next to Kirk. Wonder how long it will be till Awe gets in there aswell. Not sure where Oyegoke is but he should be the RB aswell ahead of Alebiosu.

With the forwards, there are clear gaps inbetween then most of the time, not much connection - which is weird because a player like Moller is really useful for this kind of play. Think the lack of a pure #10 is an issue, the team clearly misses Cottrell to be fair. Cirjan not being called up is also eye-opening. Not to take away from Taylor-Hart, I thought he did a decent job but he's much better closer to the final 3rd or outwide.

Akinola always has good hustle but he's got clear limitations IMO. The hope is that Patino returns and partners Azeez - maybe less pure defensive quality between the two but much better possession.
 

TromsoGooner

Obsessed With Looking for Eric
There is so much you can do with a player like Azeez. Has the physical capabilities and the technical quality to be as good as he wants to be. I think naturally he'll become a 6 when he's older but I still think we get the best out of him if we give him a little bit of freedom. Like, I could see him doing what Xhaka does now, although I think his defensive positioning would have to improve. Can win duels well though and intercepts pretty well.

And yeah, he hits the ball extremely well. Just arrows it but with the requisite finesse and manipulation needed. His shooting and passing are both great assets as a result because he gets such good weight on both.

I'm still curious to see what happens with Smith aswell. Think he'd be a smart player to have when fully developed but dunno what happens with him.
Smith started very brightly at Swindon, played every game and was MOM several times. Lost form and his place in the team, and then went on loan to Charlton where he seems to have been pretty average.
 

oh to be a goon

Active Member

What a quality finish this is from Taylor-Hart.


What's the latest on Taylor-Hart's contract? Apparently there are positive rumour's, but I haven't seen them.

He seems to be the next version of Saka, where there are other players in his age group who were hyped/watched closely from a young age, but he just moves through the higher age groups seamlessly.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
Smith started very brightly at Swindon, played every game and was MOM several times. Lost form and his place in the team, and then went on loan to Charlton where he seems to have been pretty average.
Played for their U23s today. Such a sad end to his season IMO. Was doing so well. Hopefully he can rebuild for next season.

What's the latest on Taylor-Hart's contract? Apparently there are positive rumour's, but I haven't seen them.

He seems to be the next version of Saka, where there are other players in his age group who were hyped/watched closely from a young age, but he just moves through the higher age groups seamlessly.
He would have moved up earlier if not for a huge injury that kept him out for 4-5 months. He's definitely not as hyped as other players, but that's mainly because he was part of last years intake that was all about Azeez and Cirjan. Oyegoke and Ogungbo also made a name for themselves. Taylor-Hart was a bit of an afterthought, especially once he was injured. He always had the ability and made his U18s debut as a schoolboy (scoring too).

The contract is on the table for him, he just needs to sign it. There's been absolutely no noise, despite the rumours. We'll have to wait and see.
 

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