We were poor in midfield again. We cannot find a two-person combo of all our available DM/CMs to work in a 4-2-3-1. Today Ramsey played as a roaming #10 in a "2-1" who dropped back on occasion. That worked better than with Oezil as the #10 but we were still far to easy to carve open. Guendouzi was poor and Xhaka is too slow to trot back after being involved in the attacking phase(s). Torreira was better than both of them, again, but Unai seems reluctant to start him just yet. I felt for Mustafi & Sokratis. We saw how, under Wenger, both FBs were allowed to stay up the pitch and/or both CMs were allowed to commit themselves forward at the same time. You can't get away with that in a 4-2-3-1, it leaves too many holes. You shouldn't do that in any system but at least with a "1-2" midfield, there is a DM to cover the central area and two pressing CMs to cover space vacated by FBs, if required. I think it is only a matter of time before the 4-2-3-1 is scrapped and the 4-3-3 implemented.
@SteveHyland
Torreira though isn't faster than Xhaka but slower. Sometimes I think that shorter players are consistently perceived to be faster than they actually are but I saw the actual data and those in the top 5 (Aubameyang, Iwobi, Welbeck, Sokratis, Bellerin) have height (187 to 179cm).
And Bolt is 1.95.
I haven't watched many games to understand what Xhaka's problem really is, if he is really as bad as they say.
@Kanenas- As for Bolt, he is a freak. Immense power exertion through his legs plus a long stride meaning he is able to finish the race in fewer steps than his shorter rivals. There will never be a better fit forvthe 100m unless they are a bigger freak, in the best possible sense. I am not a big athletics fan but, although his reaction speed is good, he has rarely been leading a race after 10 or 25m (from the ones I have watched) so there would be better pressers in the 100m. He should be a CB, absolutely nobody is counter attacking him. Lol
@Kanenas- Yes, Torreira is slower than Xhaka in raw speed over medium and long distances but Lucas has better acceleration so therefore 'quicker' over short distances. Combining this with his superb anticipation and football intelligence he, like Ramsey, make for far better pressers than Granit who has evidently slower processing speed as well as requiring longer to get up to full speed. Hopefully Emery can work his magic and turn him into a #6 who stays put while two hustlers can provide the press. It is no coincidence that Xhaka is at the heart of everything when we dominate but he isn't a #8 and cannot play in 2-1 imho.
Also, Lacazette was our best player. We were far more threatening in the 2nd half with him in the #9 and Aubameyang wide left, Aubameyang himself also played better in the second half though the stats would suggest the contrary. Iwobi tracked back well in the first half but offered little up front. He was good against Chelsea though and only had 45 mins, so I wont be too hard on him. Mkhitaryan was good positionally but his end product was poor and he lost the ball far too much in dangerous (attacking) areas. Clearly there are a number of players still finding their feet, I didn't and still don't expect this to be a quick fix, but there are some issues which should be ironed out before December and others which may take a couple of seasons.
Tho Arsenal should win, this game can be very tricky. Westham is not a great team but they can be very annoying. I donno what to say, i'll avoid this match.
@3dshanty7 Auba is probably the worst winger in the world since he can't win 1vs1 situations and is only fast without the ball. He lacks creativity and skills in dribbling to be a good winger ...
@neumi17- He wouldn't actually be playing as a winger though, more of a left sided forward. It's a means to an end to get him in the box relatively unmarked. I think even Emery has realised that Aubemayang is a better striker when starting wide and drifting in and Lacazette, as he proved today, is a far better #9 than Aubameyang. Unai has to make a decision to play both with Auba LW/LIF or to play Lacazette in the #9 and bench Pierre.
So a miraculous Arsenal turnaround predicted by afc fans - more like two bald men scrapping over a comb... 2-0 then Arsenal to return to their version of wtf...
Tips for this weekend: Bayern win @1.25 / Lyon win @1.30 / Arsenal win @1.35 / Inter Milan win @1.50 / Nice win @1.90 / Juve win @1.38 / Atl.Madrid win @1.20.....Total odds @11.00.....start your bet guys, Good Luck
Going to break the myth of the slow Arsenal CB. The club conducted sprint tests, the full method available online, where a player is timed and his sprint % calculated (% of max speed/sprint ability). I believe this is a regular thing but I'm unaware of previous results. Only Lichtsteiner, Mustafi and Torreira maxed out, the lowest was Welbeck at 92%. When converted to 100%, the order of the results are thus: Aubameyang> Welbeck> Iwobi> Sokratis> Bellerin> Holding> Lacazette> Guendouzi> Oezil> Mustafi> Mkhitaryan> Monreal> Ramsey> Xhaka> Elneny> Lichtsteiner> Torreira. I'll give the converted figures on request, too long to list here- you know I like to keep it short ;-) . A caveat- there wasn't a ball involved, these are just pure sprints and getting to your max speed is in itself important but when a CB clocks a theoretical faster time than Bellerin @ 100% and the other two involved clock a faster time than a winger, it shows us pure speed isn't the issue....
….but anticipation is. We see with Mustafi in particular how, when he is playing well, his position is very good and he is able to get to the player quickly and either make a well-timed tackle or stand upright forcing them to pass square or backwards. When he isn't playing well, his judgement fails, he makes decisions late and ends up going into a full sprint finished with a reckless tackle which invariably results in a foul. It also counts for why Oezil is a terrible presser of the ball but Torreira & Ramsey are very good, Lucas maybe the best in the team. Certain amount of indolence regarding Mesut too, I'm sure. The results give credence to Emery's idea of playing a high line. All the pundits have said the Arsenal CBs are slow. Clearly not the case, unless Bellerin & Mkhitaryan are "slow". Wenger playing one with Mertesacker made no sense, though his long stride enabled him to cover short spaces swiftly at times, but any two of the three CBs in the squad are more than fast enough.
Arsenal will beat west ham like 4-5 zero. Btts ;no. Emery should stop playing ozil and xhaka. This two players contributed to arsenal failure last season. Playing ozil is like playing wit a man down
As a Spurs fan, it pains me a little, but they have made the right choice. Shambolic at timein their first 2 game defensively, but this, to me, has 4-1 written all over it.
It'll be interesting to see if Emery perseveres with a 4-2-3-1 formation and, if he does, whether he plays Ramsey as a #10 to emulate the role which Banega performed at Sevilla while Unai was head coach. I personally hope not and that, instead, we switch to a 4-3-3. Whichever formation we use, I'm not sure Oezil fits in. He cannot press from the front and he cannot drop back into the #8 role when the box-to-box player advances, so he also cannot play in a 4-3-3. He is solely a #10 who cannot press. Best in the world at it, but limited to that single position nevertheless. We have other issues in the outfield with so many players underperforming but the back 4 will remain the same as the one that faced Chelsea for the foreseeable, largely due to lack of viable alternatives. In midfield, we can choose one from Torreira/Xhaka as the #6 and two from Guendouzi/Ramsey/Torreira* as the #8s. Granit doesn't have the legs to play LCM so if he plays, it is as the #6.....
….. which I wouldn't mind as then we will get the benefit of his conducting while being able to place two hustlers around him. We are better defensively with Torreira instead of Xhaka but not as good offensively. Lucas is at his best as a #6, but has the raw skills to play as a #8. Either way, given he is by far the most adept defender of all our midfielders, he has to play. That leaves Ramsey or Guendouzi. Had Aaron signed a new contract by now, I would have no trouble saying he was a shoe-in, but being dropped for the Chelsea game and his natural successor Guendouzi being an ever-present makes me wonder whether Emery his hedging his bets and planning for life after Ramsey. I'd therefore go with Guendouzi/Xhaka/Torreira until that contract is signed- hopefully soon.
@SteveHyland ramsey was not dropped against chelsea becos of contract saga but i think Emery brought in a formation to if ozil can do well yet again he failed. Emery played guendouzi and xhaka in front of our last four and behind ozil just to allow Ozil concentrate in attack but yet again . Ozil is too weak for emery kind of a player. Watched emery team in sevila and PSG, is there any weak player like ozil? The two weak players in the team r xhaka n ozil. When the team is struggling u see them roaming. I hate seeing ozil n xhaka. I pray Emery will take dis bold decision n drop them. I see us winning west ham 4-0
@Ubongabasi82- Compare Emery's treatment of Ramsey to his comments when he first arrived at the club. He was going to build the team around "Aubameyang and Ramsy". The only difference since then is the contract situation. There is no reason to not play Ramsey if he is fit, which he is, because he is precisely the midfielder Emery looks for as a #8.
@SteveHyland Özil would be only sensibly reason to continue with 4-2-3-1 (closer to 4-4-1-1) as he requires a free role without too much defensive duties. Playing wide role of 4-3-3 would also be option for him as he could still find space from channels, although he wouldn't be unable to press or track back any better in that role. That's costly against sides like of City and Chelsea but not as serious against smaller teams so I'd still see Özil important against teams who sit deep. But against West Ham I'd take three man midfield of Guendouzi, Torreira and Ramsey, with Miki and Auba out wide as you suggested.
Finally, the front three. I have said before the offensive benefits you get from playing Aubameyang LW so Lacazette can play in the #9 far outweigh the defensive negatives. Mkhitaryan was very good against Chelsea after the first half an hour. All of the players are learning a different way of playing so I expect there to be problems early on especially with offensive players who are now being asked to defend considerably more than they were under Wenger. Mkhi is the best, maybe only, option we have on the right. It goes without saying that Leno should be in goal if we're to continue playing out from the back and I don't see what Cech gives us that Leno doesn't. We shall see what Emery goes with but I'll be surprised if Leno, Torreira and Lacazette aren't regulars come the end of September whether in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3.
@SteveHyland Not an Arsenal fan. But......
Anyone not loyal to Arsenal, I would sell. Whether Ozil fits that branch, I am unsure, but if he does, then I would sell.
Arsenal really need to do a rebuilding phase. And part of that means selling everyone not loyal (which they have done with Sanchez, Oxlade-Chamberlain). New manager, this is the perfect time to do a massive rebuilding.
Ramsay also is Arsenal's best midfielder.
@Borat1 Despite saying that, one can argue Ramsey isn't loyal either. But then that's arguably due to the dilemma of paying Ozil 350k a week. Once you pay one club member a massive salary, others start demanding it. Is Ozil even worth that much, I would argue not.
@Borat1- Nice to meet you. I agree, giving Oezil a whopping contract was opening a can of worms. Ramsey has been offered £155k/week (up from £100k) which would make him the 5th highest paid AFC player behind Oezil (£350k), Aubameyang/Lacazette (£200k) and Mkhitaryan (£180k) despite being named the fans' 2017/18 Player of the Season. Whether Oezil is worth 3350k at his best in his favoured position is debateable, but he certainly isn't worth Aubameyang + Ramsey. I assumed Mesut was done as an Arsenal player once Emery was announced as new head coach. Mesut is the typical 'star' who Unai simply does not get on with, irrespective of whether he will fit into the new system. Many a bust-up with primadonna Neymar at PSG. I would not be surprised to see Oezil sold in the summer, Aaron be offered £200k/week and that salary being cemented as the top for any new signing/contract.
@Overmars- No I didn't know that, the last figure I heard was £200k. Aaron isn't worth £310k so if that figure is not just an attempt by his agent to get Arsenal to increase the offer then there is no way he will be at the club after the winter transfer window closes.
Mkhitaryan made two key deliveries that are not reflected in the data
We were poor in midfield again. We cannot find a two-person combo of all our available DM/CMs to work in a 4-2-3-1. Today Ramsey played as a roaming #10 in a "2-1" who dropped back on occasion. That worked better than with Oezil as the #10 but we were still far to easy to carve open. Guendouzi was poor and Xhaka is too slow to trot back after being involved in the attacking phase(s). Torreira was better than both of them, again, but Unai seems reluctant to start him just yet. I felt for Mustafi & Sokratis. We saw how, under Wenger, both FBs were allowed to stay up the pitch and/or both CMs were allowed to commit themselves forward at the same time. You can't get away with that in a 4-2-3-1, it leaves too many holes. You shouldn't do that in any system but at least with a "1-2" midfield, there is a DM to cover the central area and two pressing CMs to cover space vacated by FBs, if required. I think it is only a matter of time before the 4-2-3-1 is scrapped and the 4-3-3 implemented.
@SteveHyland Torreira though isn't faster than Xhaka but slower. Sometimes I think that shorter players are consistently perceived to be faster than they actually are but I saw the actual data and those in the top 5 (Aubameyang, Iwobi, Welbeck, Sokratis, Bellerin) have height (187 to 179cm). And Bolt is 1.95. I haven't watched many games to understand what Xhaka's problem really is, if he is really as bad as they say.
@Kanenas- As for Bolt, he is a freak. Immense power exertion through his legs plus a long stride meaning he is able to finish the race in fewer steps than his shorter rivals. There will never be a better fit forvthe 100m unless they are a bigger freak, in the best possible sense. I am not a big athletics fan but, although his reaction speed is good, he has rarely been leading a race after 10 or 25m (from the ones I have watched) so there would be better pressers in the 100m. He should be a CB, absolutely nobody is counter attacking him. Lol
@Kanenas- Yes, Torreira is slower than Xhaka in raw speed over medium and long distances but Lucas has better acceleration so therefore 'quicker' over short distances. Combining this with his superb anticipation and football intelligence he, like Ramsey, make for far better pressers than Granit who has evidently slower processing speed as well as requiring longer to get up to full speed. Hopefully Emery can work his magic and turn him into a #6 who stays put while two hustlers can provide the press. It is no coincidence that Xhaka is at the heart of everything when we dominate but he isn't a #8 and cannot play in 2-1 imho.
Also, Lacazette was our best player. We were far more threatening in the 2nd half with him in the #9 and Aubameyang wide left, Aubameyang himself also played better in the second half though the stats would suggest the contrary. Iwobi tracked back well in the first half but offered little up front. He was good against Chelsea though and only had 45 mins, so I wont be too hard on him. Mkhitaryan was good positionally but his end product was poor and he lost the ball far too much in dangerous (attacking) areas. Clearly there are a number of players still finding their feet, I didn't and still don't expect this to be a quick fix, but there are some issues which should be ironed out before December and others which may take a couple of seasons.
@SteveHyland pathetic club = farcenal
Unfair result. Diop really screwed up the game for West Ham.
@MrNemobody wasn't his fault, not sure how anyone could blame him
maybe Arsenal should try 4-3-3 with Lacazette, Aubameyang and Iwobi up front
wow Arsenal are bad
Özil is not playing so I go with a small win for Arsenal. The only game Germany won at the WC was when Özil was benched ...
Draw 1-1/2-2
Tho Arsenal should win, this game can be very tricky. Westham is not a great team but they can be very annoying. I donno what to say, i'll avoid this match.
1-1
4-3-3 is better for Arsenal. Auba as Left Winger and Lacazette on the Centre Forward
@3dshanty7 Auba is probably the worst winger in the world since he can't win 1vs1 situations and is only fast without the ball. He lacks creativity and skills in dribbling to be a good winger ...
@neumi17- He wouldn't actually be playing as a winger though, more of a left sided forward. It's a means to an end to get him in the box relatively unmarked. I think even Emery has realised that Aubemayang is a better striker when starting wide and drifting in and Lacazette, as he proved today, is a far better #9 than Aubameyang. Unai has to make a decision to play both with Auba LW/LIF or to play Lacazette in the #9 and bench Pierre.
So a miraculous Arsenal turnaround predicted by afc fans - more like two bald men scrapping over a comb... 2-0 then Arsenal to return to their version of wtf...
Arsenal must win this match
Tips for this weekend: Bayern win @1.25 / Lyon win @1.30 / Arsenal win @1.35 / Inter Milan win @1.50 / Nice win @1.90 / Juve win @1.38 / Atl.Madrid win @1.20.....Total odds @11.00.....start your bet guys, Good Luck
Going to break the myth of the slow Arsenal CB. The club conducted sprint tests, the full method available online, where a player is timed and his sprint % calculated (% of max speed/sprint ability). I believe this is a regular thing but I'm unaware of previous results. Only Lichtsteiner, Mustafi and Torreira maxed out, the lowest was Welbeck at 92%. When converted to 100%, the order of the results are thus: Aubameyang> Welbeck> Iwobi> Sokratis> Bellerin> Holding> Lacazette> Guendouzi> Oezil> Mustafi> Mkhitaryan> Monreal> Ramsey> Xhaka> Elneny> Lichtsteiner> Torreira. I'll give the converted figures on request, too long to list here- you know I like to keep it short ;-) . A caveat- there wasn't a ball involved, these are just pure sprints and getting to your max speed is in itself important but when a CB clocks a theoretical faster time than Bellerin @ 100% and the other two involved clock a faster time than a winger, it shows us pure speed isn't the issue....
….but anticipation is. We see with Mustafi in particular how, when he is playing well, his position is very good and he is able to get to the player quickly and either make a well-timed tackle or stand upright forcing them to pass square or backwards. When he isn't playing well, his judgement fails, he makes decisions late and ends up going into a full sprint finished with a reckless tackle which invariably results in a foul. It also counts for why Oezil is a terrible presser of the ball but Torreira & Ramsey are very good, Lucas maybe the best in the team. Certain amount of indolence regarding Mesut too, I'm sure. The results give credence to Emery's idea of playing a high line. All the pundits have said the Arsenal CBs are slow. Clearly not the case, unless Bellerin & Mkhitaryan are "slow". Wenger playing one with Mertesacker made no sense, though his long stride enabled him to cover short spaces swiftly at times, but any two of the three CBs in the squad are more than fast enough.
Arsenal will beat west ham like 4-5 zero. Btts ;no. Emery should stop playing ozil and xhaka. This two players contributed to arsenal failure last season. Playing ozil is like playing wit a man down
@Ubongabasi82 considering how much they pay ozil, i don't think the accountants wud be happy with that.
Arsenal 3 - 1 West Ham Some jittery moments but 2nd half goals should win the game for Arsenal.
@Overmars- Exactly how it happened.
@Overmars spot on
As a Spurs fan, it pains me a little, but they have made the right choice. Shambolic at timein their first 2 game defensively, but this, to me, has 4-1 written all over it.
2-0 arsenal
It'll be interesting to see if Emery perseveres with a 4-2-3-1 formation and, if he does, whether he plays Ramsey as a #10 to emulate the role which Banega performed at Sevilla while Unai was head coach. I personally hope not and that, instead, we switch to a 4-3-3. Whichever formation we use, I'm not sure Oezil fits in. He cannot press from the front and he cannot drop back into the #8 role when the box-to-box player advances, so he also cannot play in a 4-3-3. He is solely a #10 who cannot press. Best in the world at it, but limited to that single position nevertheless. We have other issues in the outfield with so many players underperforming but the back 4 will remain the same as the one that faced Chelsea for the foreseeable, largely due to lack of viable alternatives. In midfield, we can choose one from Torreira/Xhaka as the #6 and two from Guendouzi/Ramsey/Torreira* as the #8s. Granit doesn't have the legs to play LCM so if he plays, it is as the #6.....
….. which I wouldn't mind as then we will get the benefit of his conducting while being able to place two hustlers around him. We are better defensively with Torreira instead of Xhaka but not as good offensively. Lucas is at his best as a #6, but has the raw skills to play as a #8. Either way, given he is by far the most adept defender of all our midfielders, he has to play. That leaves Ramsey or Guendouzi. Had Aaron signed a new contract by now, I would have no trouble saying he was a shoe-in, but being dropped for the Chelsea game and his natural successor Guendouzi being an ever-present makes me wonder whether Emery his hedging his bets and planning for life after Ramsey. I'd therefore go with Guendouzi/Xhaka/Torreira until that contract is signed- hopefully soon.
@SteveHyland ramsey was not dropped against chelsea becos of contract saga but i think Emery brought in a formation to if ozil can do well yet again he failed. Emery played guendouzi and xhaka in front of our last four and behind ozil just to allow Ozil concentrate in attack but yet again . Ozil is too weak for emery kind of a player. Watched emery team in sevila and PSG, is there any weak player like ozil? The two weak players in the team r xhaka n ozil. When the team is struggling u see them roaming. I hate seeing ozil n xhaka. I pray Emery will take dis bold decision n drop them. I see us winning west ham 4-0
@Ubongabasi82- Compare Emery's treatment of Ramsey to his comments when he first arrived at the club. He was going to build the team around "Aubameyang and Ramsy". The only difference since then is the contract situation. There is no reason to not play Ramsey if he is fit, which he is, because he is precisely the midfielder Emery looks for as a #8.
@SteveHyland Özil would be only sensibly reason to continue with 4-2-3-1 (closer to 4-4-1-1) as he requires a free role without too much defensive duties. Playing wide role of 4-3-3 would also be option for him as he could still find space from channels, although he wouldn't be unable to press or track back any better in that role. That's costly against sides like of City and Chelsea but not as serious against smaller teams so I'd still see Özil important against teams who sit deep. But against West Ham I'd take three man midfield of Guendouzi, Torreira and Ramsey, with Miki and Auba out wide as you suggested.
Finally, the front three. I have said before the offensive benefits you get from playing Aubameyang LW so Lacazette can play in the #9 far outweigh the defensive negatives. Mkhitaryan was very good against Chelsea after the first half an hour. All of the players are learning a different way of playing so I expect there to be problems early on especially with offensive players who are now being asked to defend considerably more than they were under Wenger. Mkhi is the best, maybe only, option we have on the right. It goes without saying that Leno should be in goal if we're to continue playing out from the back and I don't see what Cech gives us that Leno doesn't. We shall see what Emery goes with but I'll be surprised if Leno, Torreira and Lacazette aren't regulars come the end of September whether in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3.
@SteveHyland Not an Arsenal fan. But...... Anyone not loyal to Arsenal, I would sell. Whether Ozil fits that branch, I am unsure, but if he does, then I would sell. Arsenal really need to do a rebuilding phase. And part of that means selling everyone not loyal (which they have done with Sanchez, Oxlade-Chamberlain). New manager, this is the perfect time to do a massive rebuilding. Ramsay also is Arsenal's best midfielder.
@Borat1 Despite saying that, one can argue Ramsey isn't loyal either. But then that's arguably due to the dilemma of paying Ozil 350k a week. Once you pay one club member a massive salary, others start demanding it. Is Ozil even worth that much, I would argue not.
@Borat1- Nice to meet you. I agree, giving Oezil a whopping contract was opening a can of worms. Ramsey has been offered £155k/week (up from £100k) which would make him the 5th highest paid AFC player behind Oezil (£350k), Aubameyang/Lacazette (£200k) and Mkhitaryan (£180k) despite being named the fans' 2017/18 Player of the Season. Whether Oezil is worth 3350k at his best in his favoured position is debateable, but he certainly isn't worth Aubameyang + Ramsey. I assumed Mesut was done as an Arsenal player once Emery was announced as new head coach. Mesut is the typical 'star' who Unai simply does not get on with, irrespective of whether he will fit into the new system. Many a bust-up with primadonna Neymar at PSG. I would not be surprised to see Oezil sold in the summer, Aaron be offered £200k/week and that salary being cemented as the top for any new signing/contract.
@SteveHyland Steve, you know that Ramsey has asked for 310 gbp per week right? He's gone in my opinion and its been obvious for a while.
@Overmars- No I didn't know that, the last figure I heard was £200k. Aaron isn't worth £310k so if that figure is not just an attempt by his agent to get Arsenal to increase the offer then there is no way he will be at the club after the winter transfer window closes.
Goal margin of 3.