Alright, I only have the option of listening to all the games on internet radio, which I do. However, I've only been following the club seriously for one year, and was wondering if anyone could draw out the typical lineup. I don't mean who's who, but say everyone's healthy, does Cole play left or right defense? thanks
Cole's always on the left side. If everyone's healthy, my best guess is: Seaman Lauren - Keown - Campbell - Cole Ljungberg - Vieira - Gilberto - Pires Bergkamp - Henry
I'd say the preferred lineup is: Seaman Lauren, Keown, Campbell, Cole Ljungberg, Gilberto, Vieira, Pires Bergkamp, Henry Subs: Wiltord, Edu, Luzhny, Cygan, Kanu (with Stuart Taylor and Kolo Toure also in the mix when the lineup expands for European play. In reserve: Ray Parlour, Matthew Upson, Jermaine Pennant, Rami Shabaan, Igor Stepanovs and Francis Jeffers
With Wiltord's current form, it's going to be awfully hard to unseat him, I would think. The depth when everyone is healthy is absolutely stunning. Van Bronckhorst will be lucky to get a Worthington Cup game at this rate. Also, given Cygan's form over the last 3 matches, he, too, will not go quietly into that good night. His "no-nonsense" style is really starting to grow on me.
My views on Wiltord are well known, but I have to agree that Cygan has shown he is up to the job over the last three games. A mean streak the same as Keown, but infinitely better on the ball and left-footed to give the defence a slightly better balance too. I'd have him ahead of Keown.
He had a good start to the season granted, but he hasn't scored in the last four and in truth, hasn't even looked likely to. I have watched every game live this season either on TV or in person and his first touch is still rubbish, his passing is still woeful and he still scuffs shots into the net. Don't get me wrong, I'll take them whatever way they go in, but he just looks so out of place with all the great players around him. I can't fault him for effort, but when Pires and Ljungberg are fully fit, he should sit on the bench.
I'm not going to change your mind about Wiltord, and I'm not even sure how/if he fits in to the starting XI when Pires returns. But I'm also not going to sit around and let your inaccuracies pass for fact, so let me point out a few things: -His passing is still woeful? Hmmm, he looked pretty accurate when he set up Gilberto for the game-winner at Auxerre. And when he chipped a beauty to Toure for the header at Leeds. And that's just in the last two games. He also provided the primary assist to Henry for the 4th goal at PSV. He also provided the secondary assist on Henry's first goal against Leeds, and he did the same for both goals against Dortmund. -Yes, he hasn't scored in awhile. But hasn't looked likely to? This is from the uefa.com match report: Another one, from PSV: -"He still scuffs shots into the net." I can't do anything but laugh at this comment. I must have missed the rule change - do pretty goals count more than ugly ones?
If you're going to quote, quote all of it. The next sentence says: This kind of disingenious argument is just annoying. I have my opinions and I post them here to be agreed with or shot down as others see fit. Quoting half the argument doesn't do you any favours. The save that the Auxerre keeper made was no more than routine. Uefa.com were definitely talking this one up. And he never looked likely yesterday against a Sunderland side that were the poorest side I've seen at Highbury in a long time. What the hell is a secondary assist? If someone scores in the last minute, does the player who kicked off the match get an assist 2000 times removed? Good run and cross, fair enough. Look again at it and you'll see Gilberto really stretching for it and just about managing to beat the keeper. Personally I thought the keeper could have stopped it, but his momentum across the goal just took him slightly past it. An accurate pass would have meant a side-foot tap in for Gilberto as no-one was marking him. We can do this back and forth all day. When I say his touch and passing are woeful, I mean in his all round play. If you name the worst player that has played in an Arsenal shirt, I'm sure that there a few moments where he played good passes or scored a good goal. These are professional footballers after all. My point is that he is not good enough to be in the Arsenal first team when they are all fit.
my lineup if everyone is healthy except the starting 11 If the starting 11 are Seaman Lauren, Keown, Campbell, Cole Ljungberg, Gilberto, Vieira, Pires Bergkamp, Henry Second team would be Taylor Luzhny, Cygan, Upson, Van Bronckhorst Pennant, Parlour, Edu, Toure Wiltord, Kanu Subs Jeffers, Shaaban, Stepanovs, Tavlaridis, Aliadiere Not bad for a second team, i think they can beat the first team if they tried really hard.
Did I miss something? Or has Van Bronckhorst been moved to defender while on rehab? And as far as Cygan, he may be hard to remove from the first XI. "Composed" is the one word I keep coming back to when describing his play. "Mean Streak" would be a second term.
Coach, GVB plays LB sometimes for Holland. He's left footed, too. I think he got moved there because of the sheer talent in the midfield. Remember last year when Cole, GVB, and Upson were all out? Luzhny had to play LB and actually did a decent job there. I wonder if Oleg's still Ashley's main sub right now?