Defense is better but now the offense sucks - 2021 Jan Transfer Thread

Saw an article talking about using Joel Lopez - an 18 yo academy kid that started at Barca - to play some LB in the final Europa League matches. No idea how good he is, but would be great to find another Bellerin.

 

Speaking of kids, this kid Yunus Musah played pretty well for USMNT over interlull, including as a left AM in a really cathartic 6-2 trouncing of Panama on Monday.

He's almost 18 and currently at Valencia but came through the Arsenal youth system for 7 years. Can't say I was much aware of that, but did/do any of you guys follow him? Were we right to cast him off??

 

I watched that game and was aware of him but hadn't seen him 'in person' yet. He was clearly one of the most talented dudes on the pitch. A really good prospect. Didn't even realize he was an Arsenal academy youth until you just mentioned it.

 

so apparently david luiz bitchslapped ceballos as the practice on friday ended. nice, nice.

that's now the second person who's gotten irritated with ceballos in practice/training for being a douche nozzle.

 

He’s supposed to be a Cnut

 

apparently, his teammates agree! :-D

 

Szoboszlai continues to be rumored for a January move. There have also been links with Sheffield United's Sander Berge, a tall Norwegian they bought last January. Seems like it might a move if the Blades go down, maybe as a Xhaka replacement.

 

Well we have to get someone cause we have an Ozil-sized hole that Willian doesn't seem to fill.

 

i'm going to sound like @thebigman here but i would be intrigued to see an attempt at 4-4-2 diamond with saka at the top of the diamond and aubameyang and pepe as the 2 forwards. :-D

 

it would make sense. it's hard to see pepe as a fit in a system. it's not that he's a bad player or lacking talent but his style of play is . . . different. one of the podcasts suggest that he may benefit more from being in a counter-attacking setup.

i guess it's the same "wish" i had when sanchez was here and wishing that he was more someone who runs into space instead of being so focused on ball-to-feet so he can try to run with it because his composure and finishing seems like it could do.

 

A flat 442 works wel with saka and Willian/amn as the wide players

partey also works with ceb or xhaka

then Laca is a deeper forward who can link auba

it’s a formation that works when you’ve been shot for a while and can’t play expansive football

 

my thoughts were:

holding/david luiz/chambers as the right-footed partner for gabriel with tierney/bellerin outside. i think tierney and bellerin could provide enough width. maitland-niles could from the right but, while he defends well, not as much attacking teeth from the left.

xhaka at the base of the midfield diamond with the intent to drop into a back-3 to the left of gabriel against counters.

willock/ceballos/elneny to partner partey in the middle, depending on need/want. against a team sitting on us, willock's running/late arrival in the box could open things up. where, against a team we want more defense/pressing, an elneny would be the better choice.

saka at the top of the diamond with pepe up top to partner aubameyang because aubameyang tends to float left before attacking the middle and pepe has similar tendency from the right where saka appears to be comfortable where ever. OR, alternatively, willian at the top with lacazette/nketiah to partner aubameyang because willian will naturally float right while lacazette/nketiah will be the middle workhorse attacking the middle.

 

I do think this would be an interesting approach, but what benefit do you see to Xhaka dropping into the back three against counters? He can’t keep up. His utility there is as a deep lying playmaker when Arsenal have the ball, not as a defender against counter attacks.

 

to be fair, xhaka is not just slow, he is also not particularly great defensively. so there is that. :-D

but my thought was not so much that he would be an actual defender there as much as a simple deterrent and a body while giving gabriel time and space to figure it out. with the fullbacks providing width, they will inevitably be caught out up in the pitch at some point and the extra body there could help.

also, definitely agree that his primary value is as the distributor when we have the ball. but we will lose the ball at some point and i would rather have him be already deep and trying to get there.

 

A flat 442 works best imo u till we solve creative issues and it is balanced with our personal

expansive football vs decent sides is not possible unless they suddenly remember how to play

 

sigh. apparently, his release clause is 22M GBP and it expires soon. so we gonna dick around so we can pay more later?

 

I wouldn't think that option would be available if there is competition to sign him, but maybe Arsenal have put themselves in the driver's seat with the player and his agent.

Aouar was dropped from their match this weekend for missing training. Wonder if he starts agitating for a move and moves at a lower fee than rumored last summer.

 

so, uh, when we're in shitshow mode, does anybody else ever just listen to weird old arsenal music like these just to feel better? no? yeah, me neither.

https://www.discogs.com/Various-We-Love-You-Arsenal-The-Official-Album/release/10389992