we all know a successful season has 2 clearcut starters at the centre-back position. when everyone is 100% fit/healthy.. who are your 2 starters for the arsenal? its djourou/vermaelen for me. not that koscielny has been particularly poor since the beginning of the season, but djourou has elevated himself into an automatic starter for me. they also have so much potential, have they played together? i dont think so.
Djourou has been immense and a real plus since November. If he and Vermaelen can strike up a good understanding then we have the bones of a very strong first choice back four. The one concern I have with pairing those two is Vermaelens tendancy to wander out with his mark leaving big holes. It doesnt matter who is paired with him if this continues. Im happy with JD and Kos so its up to TV to win the spot.
pretty cool its up for debate huh? koscielny and djourou have been almost flawless... maybe that arsene wenger knows what he's doing? haha
Djourou/Vermaelen. Squillaci's not Arsenal quality and at his age he's not likely to get much better and Koscielny is too inconsistent. Djourou has been easily our best CB this season and Vermaelen, even though his runs out of defence leave us exposed at times, is a vast improvement on the other two.
in fairness, Kos does the exact same thing... Djourou just stays at home more, so it doesnt stand out... personally, I think Kos and Djourou will be the partnership of the future... im not 100% convinced by Vermaelen, and Kos is more of a natural defender than Vermaelen... I dont want to get ahead of myself (oh well, its the internet, lolz) but Djourou could become great
I agree on Kos coming out but I see him reading the play more. He tends to come out when a ball is played towards his marker and get a foot in and is actualy quite good at it. TV almost man marks the forward even when the ball isnt played to him, much easier to play around Verm in this instance.
Djourou/Vermaelen will be rock solid...IF they can be healthy. Achilles injuries are career changers though. I believe Wenger bought Koscielny to be a backup. He's not tall enough/strong enough/athletic enough to be first choice for us...and I don't think he ever will be. Coming from Ligue 2, to Ligue 1, to Arsenal, he's going to be okay with that. But I could see this guy sticking around for several years, rotating in, playing when one of Vermaelen and Djourou are injured...and that could be often. And he's french. Squillaci is probably the best fourth choice center back in the EPL. And again, at this stage in his career, I think he's happy with that. If we can upgrade cheaply, great. If not, no big deal. Longterm, I hope one of Bartley/Miguel evolves into a starter to partner the better of Vermaelen and Djourou. Not counting on it though. ___ Here's the wrench though...if Wenger brought in Mertesacker/Cahill, that would be a beast 4/5 man rotation. And this thread topic would be a lot more hotly debated.
definitely, I think Kos does read the game better than Vermaelen... I was trying to say that when I said he is a more natural defender and he is really a great tackler, that rep he has is very true... I still think we have the best center back options in the league, after City, even with Squillaci's dip in form
I would just like to point out to everyone that I had said djourou would be key this year and alot of people(yes including you prince) said he was injury prone and could only be considered as a .5 cd since he was injuried the season before. Told you so.
Koscielny is great with last ditch and sliding tackles. I'd like to see him on the field in some capacity. Plus, I bought his jersey.
It seems clear to me that he bought him to partner Vermaelen. And, at 6'2", he's the second tallest center half in the team. Speaking to the topic, I'd lean toward Djourou-Vermaelen, but I like that Koscielny could allow us to exploit Vermaelen's versatility (as a midfielder or left back).
Has anybody given any thought to Vermaelen playing as a defensive midfielder? I think he has all the tools (pace, tackling, passing range, confidence on the ball) to do it.
i always rated djourou, u could see his potential on arrival and his physical advantage, he's huge and quick with good tekkers if he stays fit he will be in our first team for years, unless someone pays over the odds.... him and vermaelen would be the best pairing, but kos has impressed me
I'd go with Djorou and TV5. Kos will play the "Ivanovic" role for the club. Fill in at CB or outside back as needed. He is quick and has legs. I think he will be a good substitute at the outside positions when we need help. Squillaci needs to go. e is Cygan's brother from another mother.
vermaelen has a better chance of playing outside than koscielny. wenger moved eastmond back into central mid because he doesn't feel that the kid has enough speed for fullback, i just don't see koscielny being any faster than him.
Assuming Vermaellen comes back at the same quality he was at before (and that's BIG if) then he'd be one of two. The other would be a fight between Koscielny & Djourou. And as shocking as it is to hear me say this, I think I might go w/ Djourou... he's been so consistent & correct of late. Then I might even be tempted to put Song ahead of Squillacci... that's how much I'm thinking of that frenchman these days. But when the hell will we ever see TV5 at full fitness & full quality... that's the $64K question.