• ! ! ! IMPORTANT MESSAGE ! ! !

    Discussions about police investigations

    In light of recent developments about a player from Premier League being arrested and until there is an official announcement, ALL users should refrain from discussing or speculating about situations around personal off-pitch matters related to any Arsenal player. This is to protect you and the forum.

    Users who disregard this reminder will be issued warnings and their posts will get deleted from public.

Squad Analysis 2021/22

drippin

Obsessed with "Mature Trusted Members"

Country: Finland
We are 0.9 years "ahead" of Southampton, who is 2nd. That's really quite a big difference.

What makes this hugely interesting to me, is that we will lose some players for free next season.

Those are likely Lacazette (30, current age), Kolasinac (28), Elneny (29), Chambers (26). Also Nketiah (22).

We will also likely sell Leno (29) at least. Hopefully Mari now too (28). Maybe even Xhaka (29).

What this makes me think, is that while age doesn't mean maturity or good performances, we still might need some older players to our team.

Not sure who or in what position though, or if it is really needed if the players are mature and experienced, while pretty young.
 

Barry

Definitely Not An Old Poster
We are 0.9 years "ahead" of Southampton, who is 2nd. That's really quite a big difference.

What makes this hugely interesting to me, is that we will lose some players for free next season.

Those are likely Lacazette (30, current age), Kolasinac (28), Elneny (29), Chambers (26). Also Nketiah (22).

We will also likely sell Leno (29) at least. Hopefully Mari now too (28). Maybe even Xhaka (29).

What this makes me think, is that while age doesn't mean maturity or good performances, we still might need some older players to our team.

Not sure who or in what position though, or if it is really needed if the players are mature and experienced, while pretty young.
Yeah, the young squad isn't anything to celebrate by itself - obviously the question is how good are they? That will ultimately determine how well we do as a team. It should mean that there is room for improvement from most of the players as they mature and gain experience.

It feels like we need some older heads in the team as well though it's hard to see when these will come from at the moment, as you said it's mostly our older players who are seem as surplus.
 

drippin

Obsessed with "Mature Trusted Members"

Country: Finland
Yeah, the young squad isn't anything to celebrate by itself - obviously the question is how good are they? That will ultimately determine how well we do as a team. It should mean that there is room for improvement from most of the players as they mature and gain experience.

It feels like we need some older heads in the team as well though it's hard to see when these will come from at the moment, as you said it's mostly our older players who are seem as surplus.
Yeah, we're gonna get rid of many players currently in the 28-30 age range.

Are we gonna start buying older players now just for the sake of it?

I would think not, maybe replace Leno with Johnstone or Pope who are similar age though.

One way we could buy older players, is to get UCL, and attract players like United did in Varane.

Otherwise it really doesn't seem too attractive to buy older players, just because they're old. But I guess we could focus on players like Partey, in their prime, 25-27 years old.

In any case, it looks like our squad will be even younger next season. It's exciting, but a bit risky.
 

Tomb Bombadil

Active Member
One way we could buy older players, is to get UCL, and attract players like United did in Varane.

Otherwise it really doesn't seem too attractive to buy older players, just because they're old. But I guess we could focus on players like Partey, in their prime, 25-27 years old.

In any case, it looks like our squad will be even younger next season. It's exciting, but a bit risky.
The thing is I wouldn't buy players in prime to put them in front of Saka, ESR etc. So the only two positions migth be the one next to Partey, but then I think we need to sell Xhaka first. And I guess a new striker. Or will Auba be good enough for another year and we hope Martinelli and Balogun are enough as backup.
 

drippin

Obsessed with "Mature Trusted Members"

Country: Finland
The thing is I wouldn't buy players in prime to put them in front of Saka, ESR etc. So the only two positions migth be the one next to Partey, but then I think we need to sell Xhaka first. And I guess a new striker. Or will Auba be good enough for another year and we hope Martinelli and Balogun are enough as backup.
Not ahead of our youngsters, but to compete and rotate with them. If we have enough money for it. This depends mostly on what happens with Pepe, who will have 2 years left next summer.

A club of Arsenal's size can't depend on Martinelli or Balogun youth players as 2nd strikers, no way. So either we extend Laca or buy a new one, and especially Balogun is loaned to show what he can do.
 

Barry

Definitely Not An Old Poster
This is obviously straying into dangerous hypothetical territory, but *if* - hypothetically speaking - if we finish say 5th this season with a squad an average of 2 years younger than our competitors... then you'd say that we are really well placed to push on from there next season with the experience gains and development of those players.

We need a blockbuster goal scorer and a midfielder better than Xhaka (ideally much better ala Rice/ Bissouma / Phillips). We also need goals from our attacking midfield / shadow striker as well.

Thing is, even the striker / midfielder names that we are linked with are under 25 - which I am very cool with, but we are going to have far and away the youngest squad for a couple of years while the core gains experience (as @drippin said). When you consider that article is about the squad age, and most of our older players are on the fringes it means the first team situation is even more weighted towards youth.

It's a ballsy call - the right call I think for a club that's rebuilding - but we're going to need some experience in that mix at some point as well surely.
 

Taneruit

Established Member

Country: Switzerland

Player:Zinchenko
So, yeah. Since Southhampton we've been playing/transitioning to a 4-3-3. If that's not a confirmation, I don't know what is.


Arsenal-Pass-Network-Norwich-vs-Arsenal.png
 

Yousif Arsenal

On Vinai's payroll & misses 4th place trophy 🏆
Trusted ⭐
Our team spine and back line the most important 2 things to build good team is already there. What our team lack currently is players make difference in moments you need them or in big games like Salah for liverpool or Kane when he was good for Sp**s. We entering very good period in this club finally thanks to the smart transfers this summer and our academy whoever the manager will be in future will have the tools to do whatever he want
 

akhil

Well-Known Member
It's weird, the senior most players in the squad are the ones holding this team back. The CMs and central striker are bang average for most games this season. The younger players are the ones carrying us so far.
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
Yeah, CMs have been too up and down.

Partey is a very good player, but doesn't try as hard as he should...think he thought we were further along as a team when he joined us, from a very good Atletico team...so sometimes, he is just going through the motions.

Xhaka isn't good enough for were we want to be, but he does give his all for Arsenal...issue is sometimes that manifests into a classic brainfart moment, when he is trying to do too much.

They do both do quite well together, but you can never really trust them... worrying, considering midfield is the most important part of a team.

To be honest, it's a Europa League level squad and manager right now...but due to having only three real quality teams this season, we are in with a great chance of getting Champions League...hope we can take it.
 

DanDare

Emoji Merchant and Believer-In-Chief
Trusted ⭐

Player:Saliba
Looking forward the squad has some obvious holes. Lots to do in the summer.

Two most important are a senior, starting CM and CF.

We'll need to replace Pepe who will surely leave and add a back up RB, CB and CM.
 

akhil

Well-Known Member
Pepe's on the highest wages come July. The wage bill has been trimmed massively now if the on loan senior players are actually sold in the summer.

Hope Eddie and Laca can actually do the business till May now.
 

SA Gunner

Hates Tierney And Wants Him Sold Immediately
Moderator

Country: South Africa

Player:Nketiah
Departures (loan*) : Aubameyang, Chambers, Balogun*, Mari*, Maitland-Niles*, Nelson*

Risk players (one down = trouble): Xhaka, Partey, Saka, Martinelli, Lacazette, Smith Rowe, Tomiyasu

I’ll discipline: Xhaka, Partey, Gabriel.

Constant threat: Covid

Squad estimate (24) And I’m being generous to include Patino and Azeez.

Ramsdale, Leno
Tomiyasu, Cedric
White, Tomiyasu
Gabriel, Holding
Tierney, Tavares
Xhaka, Lokonga, Patino
Partey, Elneny, Azeez
Ødegaard, Smith Rowe
Saka, Pepe
Lacazette, Nketiah
Martinelli,Smith Rowe

4231

Lacazette
Martinelli Ødegaard Saka
Xhaka Partey
Tierney Gabriel White Tomiyasu
Ramsdale

Subs: Nketiah, Smith Rowe, Pepe, Elneny, Tavares, Holding, Ramsdale

Alternate/Backup 4231

Nketiah
Martinelli Smith Rowe Pepe
Lokonga Elneny
Tavares Holding Tomiyasu Cedric
Leno

Matches left

Wolves a
Brentford h
Leicester h
Villa a
Palace a
Brighton h
Southampton a
United h
West Ham a
Leeds h
Newcastle a
Everton h

TBC

Sp**s a
Chelsea a
Wolves h
Liverpool h
 
Last edited:

GoonerBoy19

Well-Known Member
I'd be playing Pepe at CF before I played Nketiah there.

lol pretty sure after Auba, Pepe will be next to be kicked out of the club. Expecting a loan during the summer window to any random club. Pepe will mostly rot on the bench where as Nketiah will get some useful minutes.
 

samshere

Why so serieuse?
Squad is good enough for the top four, especially playing one game a day. But I don't trust Arteta to get us over the line.
 

Penn_

Established Member
Trusted ⭐
If Martinelli and Saka pick up injuries or covid at the same time our front three becomes ESR - Laca - Nketiah.
 

Latest posts+

Top Bottom