The Wish List

[Armor for Sleep]

You're right, Buffon is getting a bit old isn't he? :wink:

 

[bingobob]

Aye, but, he is an experienced goalkeeper and like wine goalkeepers get better with age. I really think this wishlish is reasonable and achievable bar Goetze as you have explained. Suppose we could stick with Santi or maybe go for Vidal because the team is quiet offensive and he would bring a bit more balance. Decisions decisions.

 

[Vela]

I really don't understand why so many people want Gonalons? He seems average to me. Most clubs in France have a defensive midfielder who we get linked with and they wouldn't improve us, e.g. M'Vila, Capoue etc. Matuidi would be a great signing but he's not going to leave PSG.

 

[ArsenesNO1Fan]

I really don't understand why so many people want Gonalons? He seems average to me. Most clubs in France have a defensive midfielder who we get linked with and they wouldn't improve us, e.g. M'Vila, Capoue etc. Matuidi would be a great signing but he's not going to leave PSG.

Because he'd be our best ball winning midfielder and protect our defense better? His passing looks better than M'Vila and Capoue

 

[Vela]

Arteta is a better player than Gonalons. If we signed Gonalons he wouldn't start ahead of Arteta and Ramsey/Wilshere in the deeper midfield roles.
Arteta and Ramsey have been crucial to the good run Arsenal have been on. There midfield partnership reminds me of Bayern's midfield of Schweinsteiger and Martinez. With Arteta playing the same role Schweinsteiger does as the deepest midfield. And Ramsey playing the role Martinez does, as the box-to-box middfielder a bit further forward to press the opposition.

With Diaby out injured and it looks like Coquelin will leave in the summer. We should try and bring in a box-to-box midfielder IMO.

 

[ArsenesNO1Fan]

Arteta is a better player than Gonalons. If we signed Gonalons he wouldn't start ahead of Arteta and Ramsey/Wilshere in the deeper midfield roles.
Arteta and Ramsey have been crucial to the good run Arsenal have been on. There midfield partnership reminds me of Bayern's midfield of Schweinsteiger and Martinez. With Arteta playing the same role Schweinsteiger does as the deepest midfield. And Ramsey playing the role Martinez does, as the box-to-box middfielder a bit further forward to press the opposition.

With Diaby out injured and it looks like Coquelin will leave in the summer. We should try and bring in a box-to-box midfielder IMO.

Well he's better defensively than Arteta and with Arteta getting on we need someone to cover and be an understudy at the very least.

The thought of Ramsey/Wilshere together in the deeper MF roles fills me with dread. Ramsey has been doing a decent defensive job, I've been impressed. Wilshere is defensively naive and just doesn't win the ball nearly enough.

So yes we need an aggressive ball winner, I'd go for a DM over a B2B given Wilshere/Ramsey are B2Bs but as long as it's someone good.

Who would you want that we could actually realistically get? I like the look of Lars Bender, not sure we could get him.

 

[Vela]

But if you don't want Wilshere to play in one of the deeper midfield roles then where is he going to play for us next season? He can't play the number ten role because he isn't ready to play there IMO and needs to improve his final ball. He's capable of playing in the deeper midfield roles like he did for us in the 2010/11 season and his midfield partner then was Alex Song. Which he showed that season he is good enough defensively to play there.

I don't see how signing Gonalons would improve us. He just seems the typical average French defensive midfielder we get linked with every single week.

How many teams actually play with a defensive midfielder know a days? I can't see AW signing one this summer I think it will be a box-to-box midfielder. Who was the last defensive midfielder AW signed, Gilberto? Not counting Lass Diarra.

 

[Buhry]

^^
Wilshere in form and fit should play where Ramsey is currently playing imo at least long term.

As for a midfield wishlist signing I'd like us to sign Lars Bender. Young quality German international midfielder.

 

[Vela]

Our main problem in midfield is not having a box to box player who will win possession high up the pitch. AW won't change the current midfield roles for the two deeper midfield players. A DLP and box-to-box midfielder. If people think we need to buy a midfielder just because Arteta is getting older, then why not buy a DLP type midfielder?

 

[Anzac]

IMO A DLP does not balance with a B2B, more so when the DLP is primarily a creative player who relies upon positioning to defend rather than having any physical presence or ability to win the ball. IMO ALL of our CLP & B2B options are light weight attacking/creative players and NONE offer genuine defence, physical presence or ball winning ability.
Hence why we again compromised our attack in order to place another body in midfield for the run home in the 451,
yet in doing so our attack options are not suited to playing the revised roles as WF or CF in the 451.

I find it staggering that we are looking for solutions to maintain a system and roles that are fundamentally the result of compromises for RVP as lone ST and Fabregas as AMC - neither of whom are still at the club.

For mind our best shape & system post 2007-08 was the hybrid 4213 - a playmaker playing out of midfield in support of 3 genuine forwards, and 2 physical holding CMs to anchor the midfield and cover the flanks.

We have VERY direct forward options available for the 3,
and in both Cazorla & Arteta we have players more than capable of the playmaker role from midfield.
What we lack are the CMs to anchor the midfield and cover the flanks.
As such this is the weakest midfield in AW's tenure.

 

[ArsenesNO1Fan]

But if you don't want Wilshere to play in one of the deeper midfield roles then where is he going to play for us next season? He can't play the number ten role because he isn't ready to play there IMO and needs to improve his final ball. He's capable of playing in the deeper midfield roles like he did for us in the 2010/11 season and his midfield partner then was Alex Song. Which he showed that season he is good enough defensively to play there.

I don't see how signing Gonalons would improve us. He just seems the typical average French defensive midfielder we get linked with every single week.

How many teams actually play with a defensive midfielder know a days? I can't see AW signing one this summer I think it will be a box-to-box midfielder. Who was the last defensive midfielder AW signed, Gilberto? Not counting Lass Diarra.

If you want Wilshere to be the B2B you need to partner him with a pure DM because he isn't defensive responsible enough, he won't do what Ramsey has been doing for us. If we partner Arteta/Wilshere or Ramsey/Wilshere in the deeper roles our midfield will get strolled through, our CBs will be exposed and we'll be shipping 3 goals a game.

Wilshere should be a squad player, rotating in at B2B and at CAM. He isn't ready to excel in either position and his best game this year was as a CAM.

So the only way you could start Wilshere deep is pair him with a Gonalons or maybe a Schneiderlin

 

[Giroud]

I don't think Wilshere ever was or ever will be cut out to play as a B2B midfielder. No matter how good the DM, he will continually get exposed playing alongside Wilshere and an AM.

To complete our midfield we need someone like Gonalons to provide back up for Arteta and a ball winner with technical quality like Luiz Gustavo to play alongside one of them. Ramsey's done well and will be a good option to have but I have my doubts our current midfield would be able to hold up defensively against the best sides on a continual basis despite Arteta's brilliant work.

 

[Sydney Gooner]

IMO A DLP does not balance with a B2B, more so when the DLP is primarily a creative player who relies upon positioning to defend rather than having any physical presence or ability to win the ball. IMO ALL of our CLP & B2B options are light weight attacking/creative players and NONE offer genuine defence, physical presence or ball winning ability.
Hence why we again compromised our attack in order to place another body in midfield for the run home in the 451,
yet in doing so our attack options are not suited to playing the revised roles as WF or CF in the 451.

I find it staggering that we are looking for solutions to maintain a system and roles that are fundamentally the result of compromises for RVP as lone ST and Fabregas as AMC - neither of whom are still at the club.

For mind our best shape & system post 2007-08 was the hybrid 4213 - a playmaker playing out of midfield in support of 3 genuine forwards, and 2 physical holding CMs to anchor the midfield and cover the flanks.

We have VERY direct forward options available for the 3,
and in both Cazorla & Arteta we have players more than capable of the playmaker role from midfield.
What we lack are the CMs to anchor the midfield and cover the flanks.
As such this is the weakest midfield in AW's tenure.

That's not an opinion mate that is fact. Just as everything else you said is.

 

[Vela]

Wilshere played in the deeper midfield roles in the 10/11 season with Song who isn't a pure defensive midfielder. Arteta and Ramsey have been playing in the deeper midfield roles for the last 10/11 games and we haven't been shipping in 3 goals a game.

Why do you want average players like Gonalons who won't improve us? Schneiderlin isn't top four quality IMO he just recently signed a new deal for Saints and they don't need to sell. Which would mean we would have to overpay for him. AW knows French players very well if the likes of Schneiderlin and Gonalons were good enough wouldn't he have signed one of them by now?

 

[outlaw_member]

I really don't understand why so many people want Gonalons? He seems average to me. Most clubs in France have a defensive midfielder who we get linked with and they wouldn't improve us, e.g. M'Vila, Capoue etc. Matuidi would be a great signing but he's not going to leave PSG.

I agree. If we're going to opt for another deep lying defensive 'playmaker', then his passing range needs to be greater than simple short passes.

 

[fabo]

I don't see the need for a deep-lying mid. Keep Arteta where he is and upgrade Ramsey.

 

[Vela]

I still want a box-to-box midfielder who can rotate with Ramsey in midfield. But what happens if Arteta get's injured next season? Does Ramsey play the Arteta role?

 

[eye4goal]

Yeah Gonalons isn't needed anymore. He is a good player and made sense when we were trying to play Wilshere and Cazorla ahead of Arteta. That experiment has failed though and we need players for the current formation. Strootman would be ideal as he can play both Ramsey and Arteta roles

 

[Pea-Tear-Griffin]

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Thiago to Arsenal, hopefully.

 

[Penn_]

Lars bender.