Arsenal Banter Archive February 02 2018

02 Feb 2018 21:22:01
I watched Mkhitaryan at United, he doesn't defend.

"Ozil, when he wants to he can, but he doesn't really want to put it in defensively. They're going to leave huge spaces.

"The situation poses Wenger a problem he will have to try and resolve on the training pitch.

At least we signed a CDM to counter that risk

Is it possible we signed a CDM and still to be confirmed? I remember Denilson was a very late announcement.

02 Feb 2018 22:47:23
i think song until the end of the season and if he plays well he'll get a longer term deal. i suppose he es better than elnenny and xhaka.

03 Feb 2018 04:07:12
We have way too many players i the team that can't defend. We actually have no DM players and ask more creative players to plug the gap. Instead of bringing in Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan, we had kept Giroud and Walcott, whilst signing Nzonzi and Evans, we would arguably have been stronger.

03 Feb 2018 08:33:06
I think we can still take free agents?

03 Feb 2018 08:47:11
Hi Sanago, Song?
I watched 'The Debate' last night and Murphy was correctly scathing of Arsenal's defensive situation. Can Wenger not see that in the successful days, we once conceded just 19 league goals all season, while this season we have conceded the same as bottom club WBA. We deserately need a defensive coach to be brought in. Perhaps, if available, Adams and Keown would be ideal. In the next window we need to sign a pair of DM's and sell one or two of the attacking midfield players. I'm sure Xhaka would flourish elsewhere in a more advance role. The problem we have is that we have many l players who are all better suited to a creative midfield position: Ozil, Ramsey, Xhaka, Wilshere, Iwobi, etc. We need proper DM's and proper wide players.

02 Feb 2018 16:44:17
I would love Auba and Laca to play up top together, as a front pair.

Will it work?

02 Feb 2018 17:16:51
Why not?
We have nothing to lose.
If Liverpool and Chelsea averaged only 2pts a game between now and the end of the season we would need to take 34 pts from our last 13 games to make top 4, 11 wins 1 draw just 1 more defeat? Not going to happen.
We can try what we like in the league because we ain't going down and we ain't going to get a champions league place other than winning the europa league, we literally have nothing to lose in the league games now.

02 Feb 2018 17:57:29
Good point mate.

02 Feb 2018 18:02:53
I can't see Wenger playing 2 up front, he hasn't done so since the days of 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1.
Could Aubameyang simply replace Sanchez on the left, with Mkhitaryan on the right and Ozil in the middle?
My own opinion is that Lacazette will start up front tomorrow, with Aubameyang on the bench, With matches coming thick and fast up till the end of the season, I believe Wenger will rotate the pair, especially as they are both relatively new to the physical demands of PL football.

02 Feb 2018 18:22:54
Probably not tomorrow but at some point all four should be tried, ozil, myki, auba, laca, with welbeck included as well in the four somewhere. They are all mobile and can play various roles. I think it is inevitable we go 442 or 352 at some point, fitting all said players but maybe not at the start.

02 Feb 2018 18:27:28
That's the problem though Steve.
We have quality players upfront in Auba, Laca, Ozil and Mhiki. Play them together instead of all this rotate rubbish.

Did Wenger rotate Henry, Pires, Bergkamp and Ljungberg?
Nope, he played them together.

02 Feb 2018 18:31:04
Agree dags, i will be deeply disturbed if iwobi starts ahead of any of those. don't mind welbeck but not iwobi.

02 Feb 2018 18:43:42
Yes although your completely right and I agree with that RG I also think it very unlikely and also too much of a change to implement two new players and a new formation straight away. But in those days when we were 4-4-2 we were very good. Could that formation work in this day and age? Maybe with the right personnel.

02 Feb 2018 18:45:21
Agree with that Steve.

02 Feb 2018 14:45:31
It intrigues me that up until about 2007, Wenger played proper defenders and a pair of tall, strong, athletic DM's in a fluid 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 formation and won many trophies including league titles. Post 2007, he changed the formation and went for smaller CB's, except Mertesacker and dispensed with tall, athletic DM's and we have only won 3 FA Cups.
Wenger stated today that we are short of defenders, which comes as no surprise as we sold Gabriel and Ox (who played RWB) last summer and now we have released Debuchy. We kept the extremely ordinary Chambers, who was part of Middlesborough's team that was relegated and Mertesacker is retiring, whilst Holding needs games and a loan to Burnley would have been ideal as Dyche would have taught him how to defend.
We signed Mkhitaryan and gave Ozil a new deal. This means we have way too many first team players that can't tackle; Ozil, Iwobi, Mkhitaryan, Bellerin, etc. In the pre: 2007 Wenger teams, very few players couldn't tackle. I would have liked to have seen Nzonzi arrive and a tall, athletic CB.

02 Feb 2018 14:53:30
I forgot, we also sold another defender, Gibbs, last summer.

02 Feb 2018 16:48:49
I bet you would live the spurs defence R. G. Hugo boss, rose, alderwereld, vertonghen, Sanchez, trippier etc just shows how weak your squad compared to spurs.

02 Feb 2018 18:26:38
Raver i can't argue with that but its still funny how we gave your boys a lesson at the Emirates. Back at our second home they could do the same. I remember all the pundits picking 10 toot players and one arsenal, how 100% wrong thay were.

02 Feb 2018 18:33:58
As jimmy used to say, its a fanny old game.

02 Feb 2018 19:13:41
True Steve Derby games the form book goes out of the window, it will be very close next week with either side winning 2-1.

02 Feb 2018 09:41:59
right, I'm going to start it off, Everton fan here wondering what everyones score prediction is for the weekend? i'll kick us off with a 2-1 Everton win, Theo with the winner.

02 Feb 2018 10:49:27
Hi Johny I'm going for 27 all draw myself mate with our new all out attack based philosophy paying dividends while you lots taking diabolical libiberties with our non existent defence :-)
Failing that 3 1 to the Arsenal mate.

02 Feb 2018 10:58:02
Behave yourself Johny 😁

3-1 Arsenal.

02 Feb 2018 13:09:24
Theo is just bound to score isn't he.

02 Feb 2018 14:20:27
I think Rooney is the one we need to worry about most, he just loves scoring against us.

02 Feb 2018 17:59:14
dag your defence is a shambles mate and PEA may not play, i fancy our chances mate.

02 Feb 2018 18:36:46
Johny when was the last time you beat us, even with our bad defence. I think we have taken advantage of your defence most of all. I like everton but we seem to have your number.

02 Feb 2018 06:12:55
{Ed's Note - we have posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 2nd February 2018