Pressing is not the only way to defend. The defense this season has been an aberration, but that's because this team can't defend in transition (and this is unusual - Arsenal are typically pretty good at defending the counter). Arsenal's defensive issues (this season aside) over the past few years have arisen when: the team has given the ball away cheaply high up the pitch and/or we've had players hurt. Arsenal have defended very well as a unit when defending deep. There's been a drop off this season, so I wonder if some of that was down to how good Mertesacker was at organizing a defense. Brother bear, I respect your opinions regarding Wenger, if not the words you choose to use. But is it so hard to actually look at the team's defensive record and what flaws and strengths the team has? Otherwise, it's just hyperbole.
When u watch the games u can see how we dint prrssure teams into mistakes as often as we should. There are gaps in out lines frequently and it seems some players press and ithers dont I honestly feel that there is no real consequence for players behaving in a certain way from what i have seen and i have no idea what our ideology is Some games we play with a high tempo and demolish teams, other times we are slow and predictable. Especially when the pressure is on to maintain a win streak fir example, to challenge Defensively over the years we have been poor on set pieces and on the counter because too many players over commit, then we do some stupid shit in the edge of the area for 5 mins, someone tries a ludicrous pass and the opposition wins the balk and counters I just find it all a bit amateur for a supossed all time great manager
The problem is that we fail at the margins, as vague as that sounds think of it this way. Each of us that post here frequently can name the games the past season(s) where the "title was lost" so when that happens its easy to call for a massive overhaul while the reality is that it needs some tweaks. The problem is that the tweaks needed either require a tactical re-think, or a player upgrade neither of which seems to be coming.
Or not having everything be on Wenger's plate. I think the problems at Arsenal stem from Wenger being responsible for EVERYTHING. There aren't enough hours in the day for that. I think it's interesting that Arsenal play better in the first halves of seasons where there isn't an international tournament the preceding summer than in other seasons, and that Arsenal tend to play better with a lighter fixture list. Suggests that the issue isn't so much that Wenger is bad tactically, it's that Wenger needs time to work with the team to actually fix any tactical flaws (especially notable this year because neither Liverpool nor Chelsea are playing in Europe). These are the issues at the margins: there's simply too much on Wenger's plate to address the marginal issues. I don't think a tactical rethink is necessary: while I think pressing is a useful strategy, one that Arsenal employ well situationally (this is the biggest advantage of Alexis at striker, IMO), I don't think that it's the be all and end all of tactics. Teams have to be able to play well in a variety of ways, in possession, defending deep, counterattacking, and on set pieces. Issues are subtle changes in positioning that need to be addressed: players need to be a couple of yards wider or narrower, etc.
Mebe, So we agree When I say tactical rethink i don't mean a complete overhaul, just a "lets go over this stuff and drill it and see what we can add/subtract to make things better more efficient etc." IMHO a one man big boss can't handle that stuff and the day to day stuff. It's like how a College Football/Basketball coach is largely a CEO position requiring a highly qualified and at times autonomous staff to do the day to day stuff that gets in the way of what the coach/manager is actually there for. Make sense?
or, y'know, don't blindly play your best XI 90 minutes game in and game out and actually rotate in a decent player in various games.