I think if you drop Xhaka the team builds itself more or less. -------------------------Auba - Laca----------------- ----------------------Ozil/Pepe/Wilock-------------------- Tierey --------Guen--------Torreira--------Bellerin -------------Holding-----Luis-----Chambers-------------- The 5th midfield player just changes based on the opposition, Wilock as more box to box, Ozil free, Pepe as ball carrier and striker on overload runs, who can move wide in either direction to attack CB from behind the full back. The whole point should be either creating safe cut backs onto potentially 3 box to box midfielders or safe backwards or sideways passing until a midfielder or Laca has time and space to turn with the ball. I dunno what to make of Saka yet, I don't think he is a striker but you could probably play it as a 3-4-3 if we are chasing a goal or if the game is open enough.
This is not a bad line-up, and I suspect that we may see something like this. I always am a little worried about formations that heavily rely on service and creation from wingbacks, but I know nothing of Tierney, and Bellerin is halfway competent at attacking, so we will see. Definitely, he could. Saka looks like he has goals in him, and he is not afraid to play. I don’t know what to make of that Spanish kid in the midfield - Cab-something. He seems to be a decent player, but I don’t see where he fits. It looks like you don’t either.
I don't have much issue with that thinking. Except perhaps the back 3. I'm a little nervous with BOTH Chambers & Luiz in there at once, since both of them have been prone to some pretty choice f-up's near our goal. OK, Chamber's big mistakes are mostly pre-Fulham so we don't have a lot of current data on him (although yesterday he had a few positional errors at FB). I guess I'm willing to take another chance on him at CB, but with his history, my gut says he's probably better as a DM. Then there's Luiz who we have much more recent data on, including some very choice goal-conceding f-up's. But many around here say he'd be great as the center of 3-man back line so I guess I'd be willing to give him that chance... But my gut says that Sokratis should be part of our first choice 3. He just seems like a more natural, reliable CB to me. Not that he's so great or fast either. And I don't know how well he'd work on the outside of a 3... do we have any history on him there? As weird as this sounds, Holding seems to be our #1 choice at CB. And if I was forced to pick a 3, I'd add Sokratis as #2. Then it's down to Luiz or Chambers as #3. And I guess I'd try Luiz (middle), mainly because of his mobility and creative/offensive skills. And praying that he's shown us the last of his big mistakes.
Interesting. We have different requirements for defenders I guess. p.s. One thing we might be able to agree on is his last name: it's Luiz not Luis
I really want to try ..........auba Saka..........Pepe .....ceb...guen .........luiz Tier..holding..sok..heccy .........Leno With luiz dropping between cbs on defence U can also sub him for ozil and ceb comes off for torreira if we need to have some creativity but also a presence in cm
I don't get you and Emery's hard-on for a "big, strong" destroyer DM. Just play Torreira instead of Luiz, he's very good at that role. And he's not good at whatever Emery's trying to make him do this year instead
It’s actually in possession that it makes sense for a deep distributor/‘dm’ to drop between the center halves. One of our big defensive issues is that there is no intentional structure when we are in a deep block, with Xhaka way too deep leaving too much space in front of the d.
Shout out to the Bakayo Saka, who I just learned made the most tackles of any Arsenal player last night. As a forward!
Torreira would be ideal there but this allows luiz to dictate and play longer passes and drop between the other cbs Torreira is not a great passer
Well he can stay between lines if required but an additional ceb would help with us pressing attackers and closing down shots outside the box
Yeah, I don't quite get this from you or Calvin, especially the latter as he's ridiculously hyperbolic about it. I'm not saying Clive is some sort of footy mensch, but, for instance, I find him regularly more insightful than Paul.
Calvin is over the top about Clive, and I think he does this more for attention than anything else. I'm not a fan of Clive because it sounds like he's speaking mostly in cliches. Haven't listened in a while though, so maybe I'm being unfair.
No doubt, he does trot out ye olde football bromides fairly often. But I still think he provides some decent insight as well. Just gotta separate the wheat from the chaff.
I finally found an average position map from Monday to show our MF's. Confirms how Torreira was played so high up: even with Saka and nearly as high as Pepe! Just not as central as I thought he was. Also shows Xhaka & Guendouzi with almost identical positioning, except Guen playing slightly deeper. Also not what I would've expected from watching.
Yes, and leading the attack at times! Once or twice he was in the CF channel receiving a cross from Auba. Hello?