Arsenal Banter Archive August 02 2018

02 Aug 2018 20:06:20
Arsenal paid out £19.3m in wages to players who were injured last season. Second highest in the league after Man U.

Make of it what you will but I'm glad Cazorla, Wilshere, Walcott, Diaby, Rosicky and all the other leaches picking up wages without playing are gone. Can add Mertesacker to that list too, Mr I can't handle the pressure and I don't want to play football.

02 Aug 2018 20:46:18
I’m also glad mate! But calling injured players leaches! I wonder how that would sit in other industry’s when people get injured at work. Not for me but each to their own mate.

02 Aug 2018 21:01:35
Agreed - it’s a job and they are under contrac. At the end of contract their career could be over very young. They are still Gooners and human beings.

02 Aug 2018 21:54:58
Those players could argue if it had not been for Arsenals training methods they would have never been injured as much and had more successful careers.

03 Aug 2018 01:08:59
Jave to argue with g62 mate, every player is very likely to get injured. Naymar was injured for about half of last year and still got his wages. They might be crocked and a little old but they had contracts with arsenal.
Although maybe we waited a little too long for players such diaby and Wilshere.

03 Aug 2018 07:45:17
Fair comment Moe mate but our training methods certainly seemed to encourage more injury problems than other clubs got, the non tackling policy did a lot more harm than good in my opinion.

02 Aug 2018 09:36:22
What do fellow Gooners consider to be our strongest starting eleven?

02 Aug 2018 09:47:19
My 11:
Cech
Bellerin Mustafi Sokratis Monreal
Torreira Xhaka
Mkhitaryan Ozil Aubameyang
Lacazette

Good that we appear to have good back up options:
Leno
Lichtsteiner Holding Mavropanos Kolasinac
Guendouzi Elneny
Ramsey Maitland-Niles Iwobi
Welbeck.

02 Aug 2018 10:09:42
Are you going for the luring city into a false sense of security option by playing Mustafi and Xhaka :-)
Then after 3 seconds make a double substitution and hope neither has done to much damage in those 3 seconds :-)

02 Aug 2018 11:15:28
Well for me Kos I think would come in when fit alongside Sokratis and for me Lichtsteiner would also come in for Bellerin to make us more solid at the back fro our best back 4. Not seen enough yet to make a judgement of weather Leno shuould be number 1. Other than that yeah front line is right. Some would argue that Xhaka should be dropped for Eleney or even Guendouzi now.

02 Aug 2018 11:28:38
I love kos! But for me with his age and this latest injury I think the kos of old is finished.

02 Aug 2018 11:39:20
I like 4-3-3. Think it matches our players better.
Cech
Bellerin Mustafi Sokratis Monreal
Ramsey Torreira Xhaka
Özil Aubameyang Miki

With great subs
Licht Holding Chambers Kol
Guendouzi Elneny Maitland Niles Smith Rowe
Lacazette welbeck Iwobi Nelson

Player by player I would say we have a team equally good as Liverpool (at least the team they had last year)

02 Aug 2018 12:36:18
4-3-3 for as well but their best starting 11 has both Aubameyang and Lacazette I don’t care if PEA is less effective if he’s not the centre forward the club is better when both of them are on the pitch. For now I’d say:

Cech
Bellerin Sokratis Mustafi Kolasinac
Torreira Xhaka Ramsey
Ozil Lacazette Aubameyang

But could easily see Chambers and Guendouzi playing themselves into the starting eleven.

02 Aug 2018 14:16:04
Id go for Bellerin over Licht to show Bellerin we still have faith, (and I think it was the lack of cover for him that was the cause of lots of his problems last season) but not be scared to pick Lichtensteiner when we need more defensive quality.

Sokratis and Mustafi to start, saying that Kos is not going to be risked initially. Then drop whomever doesn't perform for Kos.

I'd like kolasinac at RB as he also gives us a physical presence, but if Monreal stays he has to be involved too so finding a way to rotate him in at RB or cb somehow.

I'd start el neny as it would send a message to the team that workrate, discipline and desire are important. After a while find a reason to give xhaka a start then his position to lose. Hopefully torreira on the right alongside El neny will give more protection to Bellerin to go forward.

As he's injured and not signed a new contract, I'd leave Ramsey on the bench and play him in ozils role in cup games and as a sub.

Then auba left, mikhi right and Lacs up top.

02 Aug 2018 14:26:42
Cech to start, as he's had to play without a disciplined team and could still be excellent, plus he's a leader in kos' absence and has respect from the team.

I go for Bellerin over Licht to show Bellerin we still have faith, (and I think it was the lack of cover for him that was the cause of lots of his problems last season) but not be scared to pick Lichtensteiner when we need more defensive quality.

Sokratis and Mustafi to start, saying that Kos is not going to be risked initially. Then drop whomever doesn't perform for Kos. If Kos' injury is bad, then I'd do the same but bring in the new CB for cup games until settled.

I'd like kolasinac at RB as he also gives us a physical presence, but if Monreal stays he has to be involved too so finding a way to rotate him in at RB or cb somehow.

I'd start el neny as it would send a message to the team that workrate, discipline and desire are important. After a while find a reason to give xhaka a start then his position to lose. Hopefully torreira on the right alongside El neny will give more protection to Bellerin to go forward.

As he's injured and not signed a new contract, I'd leave Ramsey on the bench and play him in ozils role in cup games and as a sub.

Then auba left, mikhi right and Lacs up top.

02 Aug 2018 16:40:40
Bellerin, mustaffi and xhaka in the same team, defensively is scary, in the extreme. The sooner they are replaced, the sooner this team will move on.

02 Aug 2018 17:22:14
Read on the rumours page Mustafi could be off to Turkey which would open up the door for Chambers to really stake a claim between Aug to Jan by which time he may have won a few over.
Xhaka I guess we will have to wait amd hope he comes good.
Belerin will come very good in my opinion.

02 Aug 2018 17:36:06
Wouldn’t mind seeing Mustafi out the door and letting one of the three young centre halves battle it out to start alongside Sokratis.

02 Aug 2018 17:46:53
The problem with mustaffi and socrattis at center back together is lack of real pace. I think they could get undone by pace, they are both strong but not particularly the most mobile.

02 Aug 2018 18:46:24
Surely the answer to that is Sokratis in the middle of Chambers and the young Greek CB in 3 at the back in 3 4 3 formation which also eases the problem of not having 3 top cmf players.
Torreira and one other with 2 full backs providing the width leaving the front 3 to do their thing.
Possibly Mesut in the hole behind Lacasette and Pea.

02 Aug 2018 19:00:29
Gunner, i personally think the players we have, would actually fit better into a 343 or 352 formation. It would answer a lot of the problems of "fitting" players in.

02 Aug 2018 19:40:13
Need pace, shape and play people in their best position. Auba is a goal threat - he needs to be in front of goal

Cech
Bellerin, Sokratis, Chambers, Kolasinac
Torreira
New winger, Guendouzi, Ozil, Mkhitaryan
Aubameyang

Bench will be strong with Lacca, Mustafi, Holding, Granite, Nacho, Iwobi, a few youngsters and Rambo.

02 Aug 2018 19:50:06
We have no and are unlikely to get a new winger mate so we need to think in reality terms rather than ideal terms.

02 Aug 2018 20:25:17
SY4 Against weaker opposition where heave the majority of the ball you could play that, but I think when you come against the better sides that can counter attack better you need 2 defensive type midfielders to shield that back 4.

I think for now Cech gets the nod initially over Leno and I guess Mustafi and Sokratis have to start with their experience even though I worry a bit with their lack of real pace, that is why I would personally go with 3 at the back with the more pacy Chambers until Kos is fit alongside them both.

So I go against the better teams were will be under to cosh a lot more like Man city were we need to play more direct counter attack

Cech

Chambers Mustafi Sokratis

Torreira Eleneny

Ramsey Ozil and Miki

Auba


This lacks natural width but I think gives a much more solid spine and given that Bellerin and Monreal can’t cross for Toffee anyway we are not losing that much. Against teams when we dominate possession you do need that width more to move the opposition about more to give Ozil in particular more space, so drop one DM for a extra forward and drop Ramsey for Xakha as he is a bit better on the ball:-


Cech

Bellerin Chambers Sokratis Kolasanic

Torreia

Xhaka Ozil Miki

Auba and Lacazette.

02 Aug 2018 22:58:00
It's your top team for me Ryan.

02 Aug 2018 23:34:44
Against the stronger teams especially away - agreed.

Cech
Bellerin, Sokratis, Chambers, Kolasinac
Torreira. Elneny
New winger, , Ozil, Mkhitaryan
Aubameyang

Rambo / Iwobi / Danny could be the “new winger” if no one signed but fingers crossed

Mustafi and Sokratis would worry me due to pace ( both ) , epl experience ( Sok ) and running circle ( both ) plus intelligence ( Mustafi ) as well as Mustafi being average. Kos there all day long if ever fit.

03 Aug 2018 09:18:01
Leno sokratis the other Greek guy kolasinac litchstiner
Torreira guendouzi ozil
Lacazette auba myka.

02 Aug 2018 05:33:41
Pleased that we avidoded defeat last night and apparently we had a decent 2nd half.
We played without; Lichtsteiner, Monreal, Ramsey, Torreira, Xhaka and Welbeck, so there is more to come.
With a week to go before the window closes we need to sort out the situation regarding Ramsey and Welbeck, as well as moving out the likes of Ospina, Perez, Jenkinson, Campbell and Akpom. Ideally I would like to see us sign Nzonzi and Vazquez, but doubt any more signings will be made, unless Ramsey departs.