The pressure on Saka/Martinelli/ESR to get goals now is huge. I can't see how three young guys will be able to handle that burden, but I really hope I'm wrong. I reckon 12 teams in the PL have better CFs than us.
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Squad Analysis 2021/22
- Thread starter BigPoppaPump
- Start date
- Replies 157
- Views 12,717
Maybe
You're wrong, no?
It's more like the club needs them to score rather than them feeling the pressure to do so. They are kids and they care about their careers at this stage.
hellas_johnny
Member
bemuses me why we have Wilshere training and even going with us to dubai if he isnt getting offered a contract. also dont understand why we would let go both of chambers and mari. you should always have a squad of 8 defenders, 2 rb 4cb 2lb.
drippin
Obsessed with "Mature Trusted Members"
Country: Finland
Lacazette gets injured, and we pray one of Nketiah/Martinelli/Pepe can perform well as a striker.
Partey/Xhaka gets injured/banned, and we pray Sambi can perform well as a midfielder. We all know Elneny starting is not nearly enough to get top 6.
Tomiyasu injured, and White will cover, and Holding starts. Same if Gabriel or White gets injured. This is not as big issue as the situations above.
It's still blatantly obvious, especially after Xhaka has taken two stupid reds this season, that our midfield lacks too much depth. Sambi is a rotational player this season, he is not experienced at top level, his performances will fluctuate.
We would have needed a Xhaka-level or more, midfielder to be sure of enough quality depth. If we use Ødegaard as midfielder, then we lack depth in attack. And he hasn't been very good there anyway and neither has ESR as AMF.
benjamin86
Established Member
Hopefully, some of the academy players can make the step up if needed? Rekik (CB), Biereth(CF), Patino(MF), Flores(MF) and Azeez(MF) are probably the closest.
Country: Wales
Step up to going for a Champions League place when most of them have never made a top flight appearance?
For me the club clearly realised they needed reinforcements which is why they were scrambling for Vlahovic and RDT.
I’m happy they didnt waste money on a mediocre replacement but we could’ve tried to swing a loan deal and let Palace buy Nketiah or even say paying Brereton Diaz’ release clause.
Eddie’s now going to have a key role in getting us top 4. Laca’s average minutes per match the last three years has been 60.
Football Head
Lord Conspiracy
Country: Ireland
It's not totally a squad issue, but a management one. Apart from Xhaka and a centre forward our starting 11 should be easily competing for top 4, but that will never happen even if we spunk £150m on those two positions (Xhaka and CF) with Arteta in charge.
teamsoutheast
Well-Known Member
Country: USA
Player:Ødegaard
Loan deal for who exactly???? There was no striker of any decent quality which was available in January bar Vlahovic. Vlahovic has been a long term target so the club weren't exactly scrambling. Who would you have taken on lon this Janaury then?
Country: Wales
Was Raul de Tomas a long term target?
teamsoutheast
Well-Known Member
Country: USA
Player:Ødegaard
I don't believe so, He may have been just a fall back option and if he was available we may have done something but he wasn't and we choise to move on.
avenellroad
John Radford’s son
Would really like to see Biereth given a chance. He has the makings of a quality striker.
Player:Saliba
Properly weird to have gone from having about 7 CBs to now only having 3. Wonder if this is with a view to reintegrating Saliba?
I mean depth wise it’s not ideal but we only have 17 games left. My biggest worry is up front. If we can keep Xhaka and Partey fit we’ll be okay in midfield but up top I worry about Laca and Nketiah.
Laca although a decent player doesn’t score enough goals. Nketiah is terrible- his all round game is championship level at best and for someone who dines out on scoring goals he hasn’t scored nearly enough for us.
We need big final stretches from Gabi and Saka. Ødegaard can provide the ammunition. Saka can score goals and tbf has been, Gabi for me can score week in week out if he applies himself which we will.
The exciting thing for me is a genuine world star out of Saka and/or Gabi will be born during this final lap. Of course, we also have ESR who’s discovered his goalscoring touch. He can have a massive say too.
BobP
Memri Fan
Lots of work to be done in the summer by the looks of things.
Need a new strike force and have to bolster the AM strata behind the striker. Also need a new midfielder and a backup RB.
Need a new strike force and have to bolster the AM strata behind the striker. Also need a new midfielder and a backup RB.
MartiSaka
Join my "Occupy A-M" movement here 🗳
V
From arteta's perspective it's probably a culture thing or something;
MartiSaka
Join my "Occupy A-M" movement here 🗳
V
Im pretty confident some will be getting minutes; probably starting somewhere along the line but definitely off the bench.
Mentioned it in the Arteta thread but really think we will see all of Martinelli, Saka, Ødegaard, ESR playing with Xhaka and Partey behind them. Not sure of who plays where or the formation, but my hunch is thay ESR will be false 9 type. City do something similar, albeit it with a more offensive player (usually Gundogan) in the pivot than what we'd potentially do.
On one hand it gets our 4 best attacking players in the same team, and do think they have the potential to play some really dynamic stuff. On the other hand ESR at F9 in the past (granted only 1 game) was a disaster. We've also never really seen much fluidity in the attacking players under Arteta, and that front 4 would require a lot of combinations (would probs work under Wenger) given there is no traditional 9.
I think Arteta's willingness go let Auba go and not replace him may hint at this as well.
On one hand it gets our 4 best attacking players in the same team, and do think they have the potential to play some really dynamic stuff. On the other hand ESR at F9 in the past (granted only 1 game) was a disaster. We've also never really seen much fluidity in the attacking players under Arteta, and that front 4 would require a lot of combinations (would probs work under Wenger) given there is no traditional 9.
I think Arteta's willingness go let Auba go and not replace him may hint at this as well.
I thought Wenger left us short when cash was short, but this is at the edge of bare bones. I'm looking forward to seeing Pepe at CF and that's about it.
