One thing cannot be in doubt, Arsenal are clicking into a rhythm under Emery. There’s a poor first half performance to wrestle with, some halftime tinkering before we ultimately triumph like might heroes. Five wins on the bounce reads impressive placed against the achievements of Wenger over the past two years, but I’m not sure I’m quite ready to pop the cork on the gluten-free chilled red I’ve been saving.
This week saw a different approach at the base of midfield, the manager opted for LT and Xhaka. It wasn’t quite the magical combination we’d hoped for, largely because the Swiss really isn’t cutting it. He consistently makes poor decisions that lead to heart in mouth moments. Sure, I can see that he offers a lot moving forward due to the sheer volume of passes he makes, but put in the cold light of day, his lack of pace, zero spacial awareness and his penchant for the absurd make him a walking mistake. The real concern with Xhaka outside those challenges, is against top quality competition, he’s going to get mauled. He can’t deal with pressure. He’s undoubtedly the most obvious weak spot in the Unai Emery Frankeneleven
Our back 4 continued to struggle, lucky for us, Everton barely grazed the skin with their toothless attack. They had great ease finding the gaps between our centre and fullbacks for a lot of the first half. Theo Walcott got in behind twice, Calvert-Lewin made a hash of a great chance and Richarlison caused problems. I hope that the issue is learning a new system. The hope post Wenger was that proper coaching could make more of the sum of the parts. There’s no unity quite yet. Hopefully Sokratis is only out for a week with that dead leg he picked up. Notable we didn’t play out of the back with quite the same intensity as we were a few weeks ago.
Going forward is also a bit of a mess. I’d say a lot of that can be attributed to the position mash-up that’s going on. That factored in with new ideas is offering us up a real blend meh. Mesut Ozil looks utterly miserable on the right, he looks like he’s handed in his notice. It’s clearly an ego bruising issue, because he’s not that bad for Germany. He’s our best player and he’s been relegated to a position he feels is below him. That means he doesn’t track, he drifts in and out of the game, but most importantly, he can’t affect the game in a way that makes up for his defficiencies. He just looks like bad fit.
Aaron Ramsey playing in that number 10 role is jokes o’clock, he doesn’t have the technical finesse to find the gaps like Mesut, and yes, I know he landed two assists. But be honest with yourself, his home should be at the base of midfield next to Torreira. He’s a high impact player, he makes amazing late runs, he can dribble, he can bring all sorts of value to the side. Just not as a #10. If we do need him to press from the front, then surely Mikhi would be a better option?
I’m not sure I could tell you what Emery did at halftime. Ozil moved into the middle, then he moved to the left, then Ramsey took up position on the right, then moved to the middle. It was totally baffling what was going on, but whatever the plan was, it worked and it had us playing a much more fluid brand of attacking football. Our first, of course came from Aaron Ramsey through the middle. He found Lacazette who opened up his body and curled the ball past Pickford high and right. It was a masterful goal. A real moment of quality. A top banter celebration as well.
Our second came when Ramsey mis-controlled an Ozil pass in the box, letting an offside Auba poach a simple finish to kill the game and Everton’s morale.
Three more points, so what could there possibly be to moan about?
Topline, I’m not going to bitch. Emery just racked up another win, we climbed to 6th, surged 2 points clear of United and kept our first clean sheet. He’s doing a good job delivering wins.
However, it’s telling when your player of the season is none other than Petr Cech. His shotstopping has been nothing short of excellent, he’s vocal on the pitch and his play with his feet is getting more confident (still a few ‘OH GOD’ moments, but none that have cost us).
It’s hard to describe what’s going wrong when it comes to style because it’s clear we have the talent. Emery wants the players to play to his tune. It looks like there’s a certain way he believes the ball should be moved forward and it’s a bit methodical, slow and predictable. Our transitions from midfield to attack are painful to watch at times, there’s nothing fluid about and because they’re so slow, it’s easy for the opposition to regather and snuff us out. Is that the system that’s slow, or the players are just not picking up plan quick enough?
The other glaring issue is putting square pegs in round holes. He’s playing a lot of our biggest names in positions that don’t suit them. Auba is not a winger. Ozil doesn’t want to be a right midfielder for us. Ramsey looks uncomfortable as a #10. Those are all superstar names. To make his system tick, I think he’s going to have to bench someone.
This is mostly not Emery’s fault. He inherited a Frankenstein monster of a squad. We’re getting away with it. It’ll either work until it’s massively exposed, or it’ll get better and this whole moan will look silly.
We’re in the substance phase of the project, I hope we start to see where the style part is heading soon.
Brentford next.
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Guns of Hackney
September 24, 2018 12:14:01
Anybody for a Sánchez / Ozil swap deal?
This works if Sánchez takes a pay cut. Jose gets his boy toy and we get our Sánchez back.
—
Sanchez good for a ‘pressing game..? 1
knows how to cross a ball, pick a targets, run 0ff p;ayers t’too–
Torreire-Guendouzi
Mhki ————————-Sanchez
Lacazette Aubameyang
lolleft flank cut useful re ol ‘overlapping fb’.. – lol …
UT Except that I am not simply “digging out” Emery, nor am I anything even approaching “Emery out”. You need to read more carefully. Below is what I just said to Hackney— “Emery is a good manager with an excellent CV. He may not have been on many of our lists here, but he would certainly have been on the list of any serious football executive looking for a good manager.” Questioning the quality of what we’ve seen thus far is not the same thing as trashing the new manager or giving up on the new manager. Not even close.… Read more »
Would definately give Holding a run of games..
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11667/11507095/alexis-sanchezs-manchester-united-form-is-a-concern-for-jose-mourinho
I’m sorry but why took the risk to bring back such a shit player ?? lol
Would definitely not give Holding a run of games.
Same as Chambers. Doesn’t have what it takes. Costa virtually destroyed him in that FAC final including scoring a goal, all of Chelsea’s chances came through him and Rob’s mistakes were throughout the whole game. Where did this opinion from that he has “bossed” Costa came from I have no idea.
“Bellerin had a good game yesterday”
Even if he still have this ridiculous fashion model haircut.
People realise the reason Sokratis went off injured yeah. He was very uncomfortable with a player running at him and went to ground and committed a foul and got a knock in the process. And this was in a deep position so it doesn’t matter with Sokratis whether he is deep or high he will struggle enough times with players with some pace directly running at him. So you may as well roll the dice with the high line because it makes no difference as far as Sokratis is concerned. Sokratis partnering Holding is not the best idea. We know… Read more »
The Guardian article in question wasn’t even particularly well written or insightful.
Yes the football is not where it should be but we are winning matches, A manager is winning matches with players he did not identify or purchase, players who clearly do not fit into his hardworking philosophy, i do not get the urge to criticize him at every turn
JK I know where that opinion came from. Cause Holding pushed Costa back. Lol. Top skills right there.
Bamford, Ok. let’s call a spade a spade ; Am I happy with the way we have started Emery’s tenure? – Not really Am I confused with the team selection? – Absolutely Does the playing style suit the playing staff? – Not imo Are we much better than the previous manager’s iteration – No imo However, Do I think Emery will do the necessary to bring about change? – Yes Will he need time? – Yes, atleast this season for player turnover and next season to see if it is working. Stan will need to support him in the transfer… Read more »
People realise the reason Sokratis went off injured yeah.
It surely was not for the reason you just mentioned that’s for sure. He went off because Mustafi made another Mustafi area and he had to dive in and cover or be bypassed. He is clearly the better defender if you are comparing him to Mustafi. John Terry was no sprinter
The guy who wrote that Guardian article hinted at a lack of Wenger aesthetics in the Arsenal play.
I don’t think we are too bothered about how pretty the team look on the ball at present.
The worries are still off the ball and are a hangover from Wenger so he is misjudged on mentioning Wenger aesthetics. This is not the main concern.
Receding
Sokratis was facing up one to one with Walcott and looked very uncomfortable went to ground and made an awkward foul on him.
What precipitated that play is neither here nor there.
What it did highlight is Sokratis’ weakness in facing players that get a run at him and this will continue more than enough times than we want to see as the season continues.
I appreciate he makes good plays due to his experience but at the same time not blind to see that he will also be a problem on more than enough occasions.
Ufraud
“Am I happy with the way we have started Emery’s tenure? – Not really
Am I confused with the team selection? – Absolutely
Does the playing style suit the playing staff? – Not imo
Are we much better than the previous manager’s iteration – No imo”
Pretty much what GOH and I said after the opening game and although he has improved certain aspects of the personnel and tactics the performances on the pitch have been pretty sterile.
It’s amazing to think that for the best part of three seasons, Alexis was an absolute superstar and on his way to becoming an Arsenal legend. His workrate (at least for the first two seasons) was remarkable and he gave us so many magical moments. It was in his last year with us that we started seeing the endless loss of possession, the outward frustration with his teammates and a negative change in his effort. I’d like to mostly remember those first two sensational seasons because he gave my family a lot of enjoyment and set a great example for… Read more »
What precipitated that play is neither here nor there. It does actually, he thought Mustafi had dealt with the danger only for him to loose the ball and have Walcott bearing down on him out of nowhere, he won’t be the last defender to decide to bring him down at that point, he simply took one for the team. I am not even a Sokratis fan but that is a weird thing to pick up and run with We need better defenders,,no one is even close to disputing that, and no we do not need Holding, but what you just… Read more »
Little p,
That may be the case, but as I surmise at the bottom, I am willing to give him time to stamp his brand on the team whereas you are consistently making thinly veiled criticisms against him. I am not.
As for GOH, he’s just light-hearted trolling.
Sorry, I am not seeing what some of you are seeing on the pitch regarding improvements. I am afraid the defence is just as bad as it was under Wenger. Bellerin and Monreal are allowed to go gung-ho. Ozil, Ramsey and Xhaka are piss poor as usual. These three players, including Aubemang, who cannot tackle, thus we are defending with seven players. Is Emery at fault for this? Absolutely. Like Wenger, he makes the decisions and sadly his decisions are puzzling, to say the least. I am not impressed with Emery at all. Wenger, for me, was poison in the… Read more »
Receding Sokratis could have dealt with a player directly running at him. He had enough time to size up the play. He failed to deal with it as he will fail to do in such occasions in the future enough times and as he failed more than enough times at Dortmund in his later time there. As said have appreciated some of his defensive play but one on ones with players running at him is a problem simple as that and you would know this if you saw him at Dortmund in his last year or two there. Do you… Read more »
“The argument that Emery is new and needs more time lacks relevance.”
Another genius contributor I see.
Goongoonergone
Emery hinted when he first arrived that attack matters more than defence.
He thinks he is taking over the Wenger mantle in this respect and it’s what the fans want to see.
He will soon realise when some teams take their chances when all too easily descending on the Arsenal goal that is is not necessarily want Arsenal fans want to see. More than enough want to see winning football and are sick of the past Wenger platitudes in this respect.
Ishola you may need to go and watch that play back to see the time u allude to him having is non existent. Mustafi lost the ball and Walcott was on Sokratis in a flash, he actually did really well to even get a foul in
Ufraud
I do understand that there are some on here who are allowed to criticise Emery and some who are not .
I come into the 2nd category .
You however, feel that your criticism of Emery’s tactics ,formation and personnel is not in fact criticism but in reality you are only saying what I have been saying.
Your Comment Here
I do understand that there are some on here who are allowed to criticise Emery and some who are not .
Wow – you really are an imbecile.
Receding
You have already alluded to that the defence is not good enough personnel wise. That says enough.
We will have to disagree with regards the play. A quick physical defender matches up to Walcott and makes a better fist of the challenge. There was enough time to size it up.
I think you know the weakness of Sokratis so the debate is meaningless.
It is there for all to see.
You fail to answer whether a Holding-Sokratis partnership is a good idea.
For you little p…. and any other dimwits criticising Emery “Many Arsenal fans were relentlessly vocal in their calls for Arsene Wenger to leave the club last season, so has the change in manager made a difference so far? IT IS PERHAPS TOO EARLY TO JUDGE EMERY, but the statistics do indicate the Gunners have improved following Wenger’s departure. Arsenal are two points better off than this time last year and have earned five more points in the corresponding fixtures (Stoke have been replaced by Cardiff for comparison purposes). The Gunners lost at Newcastle and the Potters last season.” Courtesy… Read more »
Little p,
I have not criticised Emery.
Ufraud
You may dismiss GOH comments as “light hearted trolling” but his points were spot on after the man city game and obviously you must agree with them as you have echoed the same points …..it has just taken you a little longer to come to that conclusion .
We need to play both Lacazette and Aubameyang through the center, either in a 4-4-2 or a 3-5-2. I have no idea why Emery hasn’t seen this yet.Second thing is Ramsey needs to be played as a CM / #8, not as a CAM / #10. We don’t have enough CB’s to play 3-5-2 and we don’t have the players for a 4-4-2 either Bam. I know in your mind a midfield 4 of Torreira, Ramsey Xhaka and Mhiki would work but it really doesn’t. Also Ramsey can’t be trusted in CM. Much like in Charlie’s diamond formation Xhaka can’t… Read more »
You fail to answer whether a Holding-Sokratis partnership is a good idea.
Yes it might be a good idea before we can bring in someone else. Mustafi looks worse every time i see him play,he just does not have it in him to be a good defender. I am still amazed we spent 35m on him
UTarseSeptember 24, 2018 13:18:32
“Am I happy with the way we have started Emery’s tenure? – Not really
Am I confused with the team selection? – Absolutely
Does the playing style suit the playing staff? – Not imo
Are we much better than the previous manager’s iteration – No imo”
Looks like criticism to me.
Little p,
Your God left this team in a salvage write off state.
Little p,
Thankfully, I do not see things as they “look” to you.
UTarse wrote: ” “The argument that Emery is new and needs more time lacks relevance.” Another genius contributor I see. Instead of resorting to puerile sarcasm, read with some intelligence, man. Read the next sentence I wrote and you will see ‘relevance’ in its proper context: “The argument that Emery is new and needs more time lacks relevance. At least, by now, there should have been some shape and confidence in this defence but the same problems persist as they did under Wenger.” The problems persisting in defence is where I don’t accept that he needs more time for the… Read more »
It’s pretty clear that Emery is setting up the team to play a slow first half then raise the tempo in the second.
The advantages this approach provides are a fitter team coming out fast against a tired opponent in the second half and better overall player fitness for the season.
G o H
Mate, you are pretty much repeating what I said: no, Emery is not the best manager, nor the cheapest, nor the prettiest, simply the best one available.
And a vital part of his ‘availability’ (from the paymaster’s POV) was his willingness to take on the job without a massive transfer pot.
And should he, by some miracle, have a truly outstanding season, we can be sure that other more generous Clubs will be calling for him.
“Another genius contributor I see.”
“Wow – you really are an imbecile.”
Le Grove, Ze blog of lolZ.
From the Guardian article:
“Gone were the sharp one-twos that characterised Arsenal under Arsène Wenger.”
Good one, asshole. We haven’t seen ‘sharp one-twos’ under Wenger himself for 10 years. Hack piece.
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/arsene-wenger-arsenal-way-winning-trophies-petr-cech-unai-emery-premier-league-a8552346.html
Cazorla yesterday, Cech today.
Arsenal first teamers from the past and present telling us what we already knew.
Arsene’s myopic stubbornness was holding us back.
Brentford in the league cup, Watford up next in the league.
I fancy matching up Sokratis with Deeny. He would teach him what “cojones” meant in Greek!
Yep total fucking nonsense the football Wenger was serving up for a number of years was more crab football than Wengaball. If that’s something that we’re going to throw up in Emery’s face then we need to try harder because it’s honestly pathetic
Goongoonergone, So let me get this straight, I am the one lacking intelligence yet you think after 6 games, this team should have shown improvements in defence with largely the same playing personnel AND trying to impose a new playing style which focuses on building from the back? It will take a lot more time and mistakes before this team can show a marked improvement. 6 games are far too small a sample to base your conclusion on. In the same way that pep was ridiculed for employing a similar style and not having the required personnel, he persisted and… Read more »
Careful with that link Leeds, Pierre, Vic (whose internet connection has probably failed him) and GOH will be at your head.
As I said right at the start. We are fluking points and getting the rub of the green and points are points. This IS good. However, the football at the moment is whack.
I think someone said yesterday that Arsenal will either win or lose heavily. No draws this season.
Without going into the maths and a hypothetical “will we win, lose or draw” these games…what do people think our points total will be?
Enough for our trophy or just short?
England is best
Good post. Can’t disagree with a single sentiment there.
But let’s see how he gets on. Wenger used to roll over the small teams too
More and more players coming out and saying things about Wenger’s reign that we already knew and at the same time giving an endorsement of Emery in the process
Leftside
Come on! Listen, current player sucks current managers ding a ling while slagging off ex manager expose.
If Arsenal can keep blundering their way to wins, I won’t complain too badly.
The fact is, with or without Emery, we need £300m + to sort out this mess.
“Much like in Charlie’s diamond formation Xhaka can’t be trusted at the base of the midfield.“ You’re way too rigid when you talk about formations. I even explained roles further so comments like that were mitigated….trust you. I didn’t put Xhaka at the base to be a defensive pillar, he’s there to play the ball. His weaknesses are offset with Torreira and Guendouzi as CM options either side of him. Xhaka would have license to push up, they would be tasked with covering gaps. You always find something to gripe about in any iteration, I wonder when the penny will… Read more »
Xhaka is getting starts because Emery is obsessed with the long diagonal and Xhaka can consistently do that better than anyone else. Unfortunately that is becoming predictable and can be easily picked off.
Emery is taking winning ugly to the next level is the next level is the next level.
Charlie I’m well aware that we are stuck with Xhaka in our midfield until at least January and possibly beyond I was just pointing out that Xhaka at the base which is where you put him is a problem even Xhaka at LCM or RCM is a problem because and this is very very important anywhere in midfield you put him much like Ramsey they’re going to have to put in a shift on the defensive side no matter what. We can’t have any passengers in midfield you understand that with regards to Ramsey but with Xhaka you make allowances… Read more »
Marko
Let’s be clear, I don’t make allowances for Xhaka being less of a tackler. His defensive input is overblown imo, he’s not physically capable of some things but he’s conscious of it and puts in the shift.
Ramsey isn’t and doesn’t, which is why I can’t stand the idea of him in there. Xhaka might be suspect at certain elements but he’s still combative, reasonably well aware, and a physical presence. If he polished some parts of his game he can be a very good player for us, that’s my pov.
Just watched the highlights from Fulham – Watford. Fuck my life. Chambers is absolutely atrocious. Thrice he made a foul of himself in 1 game. Guy has 0 future in Arsenal. Hopefully someone is stupid enough to pay 15-20m for him. He’s atrocious.
CC, it doesn’t matter how many great balls Xhaka can play into the final third, a stat that’s only just gained prominence.
He makes too many big mistakes to merit carrying.
He’s vulnerable to being pressed.
He’s next to useless defensively.
We already have passengers in the team like Ozil who offer more to the team.
Ramsey could sit in the base of midfield like he did when he played next to Arteta.
More likely, I think the future of our midfield will be LT and Guendouzi. Far more mobile and steady.
“The fact is, with or without Emery, we need £300m + to sort out this mess”
At last… some wise words from GoH lol
For me Emery is getting it wrong with Ozil and Xhaka. Both of those should be on the bench and fighting to get a place in the starting 11, not just getting in the team automatically, based on a couple of hipster stats.
Xhaka might be suspect at certain elements but he’s still combative, reasonably well aware, and a physical presence … not really no. I do sometimes wonder if we’ve been watching the same player over the last two plus seasons. He’s not really combative more occasionally dirty you saying reasonably well aware is about as close to you saying he’s not aware and as far as physical presence is concerned I will admit that he’s tall. Also his defensive input isn’t overblown in the slightest because some of his actions actually lead to goals his lack of awareness his positioning they… Read more »
Xhaka got lucky the other day when he played that hospital pass back to the defence something he tends to do on the regs.
“Ramsey could sit in the base of midfield like he did when he played next to Arteta.“ What? He could only do this if he was tactically competent, technically gifted, and a terrific passer of the ball. He’s 0/3 as far as that goes so just how could he? You’re overblowing the Xhaka mistakes as per, he made 3 errors leading to goals in his debut season, then 2 the opening game of the following season and non for the remainder. Is it 1 this season? It’s like no other players we have are culpable of these same things, it’s… Read more »
The ones criticizing Emery were that same ones calling pep , ‘fraudiola’ on here.
To expect massive changes with the team he was left behind especially in the mental state wenger has left them with no winning mentality and no tactical instruction whatsoever is ridiculous.
We’ve won 5 in a row. He’s making changes slowly. Probably analyzing each player
He wasn’t left with a lot of options.
Two more transfer windows and we will see more of the team Emery wants.
Who scouted Leno / Lich/and the industrial lump Socrates.?
Oh let’s not forget the posters that said “klopp the flop”
You can probably guess who these posters are
CC,
Xhaka has 5 errors leading to goal in 76 games.
Take Ramsey for example. Almost 4 times more games than Xhaka – 240 games, 1 error leading to goal.
Wilshere – 170 games, 1 error leading to goal.
Fucking Mustafi has 59 games, 2 errors.
Koscielny – 238 games, 3 errors.
Yesterday the Swiss got lucky again with another gigantic lapse.
Not sure how you can make a case that he doesn’t make costly mistakes. Guy is a walking error.
You’re overblowing the Xhaka mistakes as per, he made 3 errors leading to goals in his debut season, then 2 the opening game of the following season and non for the remainder. Is it 1 this season? It’s like no other players we have are culpable of these same things, it’s only a category Xhaka is named in oddly. This isn’t true Mustafi and Bellerin get slaughtered for similar things but the thing with Xhaka is that he does it on the fairly regular. They might not all lead to goals but some of his general play leads to the… Read more »
Licht and Sokratis were obviously stop gap signings and they can be bigged up anyway in which people choose but they are i essence stop gaps. Someone mentioned Deeney on here. I would hope that Sokratis can keep him quiet enough and not have real problems with him because Deeney lacks real natural pace. He has strength but not natural pace and Sokratis can be ok against strength it’s pace that he can look suspect against. I wasn’t convinced by the Leno signing from the get go. Spills enough and was not in the best of recent form when Arsenal… Read more »
Sit Ramsey for who?
Mkhit? Not like we tore up the league when he played for us last season. Actually we went the whole 2018 without a win until the last away match.
Emery needs time to clean out the wenger dries or to try to change the mentality.
He’s done well winning 5 in a row because you know we would have lost or drawn 3 of them with le fraud in charge or arteta
The times that Xhaka’s mistakes have went unpunished is beyond anything normal. He can’t turn around if a player is on his back without losing the ball. Torreira showed how to turn multiple times yesterday.
Raptora I didn’t dismiss his errors, I stated he’s the only one ever talked about from that POV. When was his last error? Pretty sure he made 2 against leicester opening game of last season and hasn’t made any since by that metric you’re quoting. More interestingly, how many errors have directly lead to loss of points? Because if you’re going to use a stick to beat him with it would help to know it fully. Pedro can dismiss Xhaka’s passing with nonchalant bias as he just has (referencing a stat that’s just “gained prominence”) but Emery puts Xhaka in… Read more »
Ishola 70
Why buy stop gap players of that age and ability
when there are younger players who might progress
available.
The scouting system leaves a lot to be desired and always has.
I didn’t dismiss his errors, I stated he’s the only one ever talked about from that POV. When was his last error?
He made an error that nearly cost us a goal yesterday. In fact I’d probably say that he’s someone who has at least one error in him every game sometimes it leads to nothing sometimes it leads to the opposition eventually scoring and one in a while it’ll directly lead to a goal. Again I can only assume that we’re watching two completely different players
Didn’t he pass a free kick directly to the op?
Since Xhaka has signed and he’s been a main player in our team we’ve finished 5th and then 6th.
We did better with denilson in our team
Marko It’s an error when it’s an error, these “nearly” errors are just fuel for your pathetic bias. How many points has Xhaka’s actual errors cost us? Who wants to put that up so there’s some tangible take on what he’s actually cost the team? Because aside from that it’s subjective he said vs she said (marko being the she in this case). If the opinion is so valid it should be dead simple to offer it up empirically to support. Same with this concept of Ramsey being a fit for CM, what undeniable qualities does he bring to the… Read more »
35m for a players who has contributed to making us considerably worse.
He has not shown any value for the amount paid for him.
Even denilson scored a wonder goal and had a better celebration
Xhaka is a better fit (when Torreira is playing) than Ramsay. We all know what Xhaka can’t do but he is a good passer between the lines and it is clear where he should play. I would prefer two Torreiras but we only have one!
Ramsay on the other hand is the proverbial ‘square-peg in a round hole’, pretty much wherever he is picked. I would use him as an impact sub in the last 20 mins of games when his forward running would be useful in the extra space.
Bob
Hopefully ransey is sold in Jan.
Xhaka made about six errors in six or seven games at the start of last season that led to goals.
Liverpool away was one which he literally passed to them and they scored straight after. It happens when they read his regulation pass to the full back.
Someone mentioned Deeney on here. I would hope that Sokratis can keep him quiet enough and not have real problems with him because Deeney lacks real natural pace. He has strength but not natural pace and Sokratis can be ok against strength it’s pace that he can look suspect against.
Gray is the one with the pace….
It’s an error when it’s an error, these “nearly” errors are just fuel for your pathetic bias. First off no an error is an error whether the opposition takes advantage of it or not the error still happened and secondly pathetic bias? Really? There’s you and a handful of Xhaka fanboys (all that’s left) that still go to bat for him remarkable really considering how poor he’s been for over two seasons now and considering how remarkably wrong people like you continue to be on the player. That’s pathetic. But enjoy it while you can this will likely be his… Read more »
Xjaka is a better bet than Ramsey in central midfield. Ramsey would be a headless chicken in the centre and doesn’t have great vision for that area. But of course the options overall are not good enough for central midfield. Club are still waiting for a central midfielder that can pull the strings in the centre and can get around the pitch and track opponents off the ball. No surprise Spurs have finished higher than Arsenal last few seasons. Look no further than their midfield. Dembele for Xjaka and a Dembele – Torreira partnership and Arsenal improve overnight throughout the… Read more »
Joe, ‘we did better with Denilson in our team’.
By that argument you’re saying he was the difference between where we finished in the league with him, compared to Xhaka’s Arsenal in the last two seasons.
Were the two squads in Denilson’s time and now, identical in ability but for the two midfielders you’re comparing? Otherwise your statement is a little daft!
Xhaka is going to be one of those players who just hangs around the club for years without the club being able to get rid of him.
Stoke away woeful pass to Ozil. Around four then in first four games.
Watch it CC
your very close to a #Xhakagate 🙂
At this stage Charlie on Xhaka is worst than Bamford on Neymar/Kane/quite a bit of things.
Ishola, agree totally. Am still hoping AMN might work well with Torreira but that is probably wishful!
Marko, keep your hair on, you’re turning it into a ‘fan boy’ thing with Xhaka. Those who accept he has a purpose in our team don’t necessarily think he’s the best thing since sliced bread, just that you can argue he’s doing a job for us.
Ok so Raptora posts numbers stating Xhaka has made 5 errors in 76 matches, didn’t cite where but whatever at least they were numbers and considered a group of players. Now Paulinho states Xhaka has made 6-7 errors in as many games beginning of last season. Then there’s Marko who desperately wants to control what is considered an error and what isn’t. Even going so far as to coin “nearly an error”, but refutes bias. Who in their right mind is going to take that sort of commentary seriously… Meanwhile I’ve stated what I rate about Xhaka from day one,… Read more »
Goonah
Yea, except I’m not. I’ve stated that Xhaka is our best Cm passer of the ball and that’s why he gets in the side for me. A POV supported by recent data on the very subject.
Nothing else, haven’t ignored or glossed over any deficiencies in his game. Done the opposite in fact and reasoned why I’d include other players to mitigate his flaws.
Trouble is you have a few hell bent on taking dead aim at him, and I’ll happily hold my ground in the pov I’ve taken. So again, not even close.
Except that I was absolutely correct about Neymar.
And that’s why we should have signed nzonzi ….he and Torriera would have made a perfect partnership and we wouldn’t be talking about playing Ramsey in centre midfield….
CC,
It was Xhaka’s error which led to Cardiff’s equaliser on stroke of half time….
CC,
It was Xhaka’s error which led to Cardiff’s equaliser on stroke of half time….
UTarse Pre assist mate lol
According to Premier league website
Pete check in 2017/18 season made 6 errors leading to goals and Xhaka 3
Xhaka is not even on this years list Yet
Marko
You say that we don’t have the CMs to play a midfield diamond four, that Torreira, Xhaka, Ramsey and Mkhitaryan do not work for this shape.
This seems to imply that you think we are better off in the current two-CM or three-CM set-up (depending on how you define the CAM role).
Can you please explain why three of these midfielders in a triangle makes for a better central midfield than four of them in a diamond? Can you explain why the former works (given the players we have) but the latter wouldn’t?
I am genuinely curious.
https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/players/error_lead_to_goal
We should propose a special gift package in january.
For Ramsey + Xhaka bought, Ozil is for free.
Samesong
I know, I tentatively stated as much, but Raptora cited 5 errors in his career to date and it’s a figure I’ve seen since last season.
I said 3 his debut season, 2 the following and 1 this season?
Bellerin has lost a yard of pace, of that there is no doubt.
Either that, or players are getting faster in the EPL.
His positional play, defensively, is also questionable.
I would like to see Lichtsteiner given a run in the team, as I feel his experience and presence would aid the entire defensive unit.
Has anyone noticed recently how much Kante is getting forward. That West ham game he was doing a ‘Ramsey’.
Post
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal-sweat-on-sokratis-papastathopoulos-recovery-after-knee-injury-in-everton-win-a3943621.html
Oh no! Arsenal injury hoodoo strikes again!
Is it too much to ask one of youth players to step up? Perhaps Julio Pleguezuelo if he’s not injured? Or Ballard? Anyone of our U23s good and brave enough to make a name for themselves?!?