30 Apr 2018 10:56:34
I want to see Konstantinos Mavropanos play against Athletico. Exuberance of youth, strong and actually understands the basics of defending! Albeit from one game but the best defensive performance I have seen all season. I hope in the short time he's been at the club he won't be forgotten under a new manager due to falling in to the Arsenal defending habits! Stick to your guns kid, your time to lead the line may be closer under a new boss.
30 Apr 2018 11:57:04
I think it's important not to get to carried away by the lads performance yesterday as this time last season people were saying how brilliant Rob Holding was and how fantastic his future was going to be.
I would certainly play him Thursday in place of Mustafi but I'd also play Chambers with Kos in a back 3.
The lad looks good but yesterday was almost like a friendly match so he will have a tougher audition v Burnley and Huddersfield than he had at United yesterday in my opinion.
30 Apr 2018 12:45:56
I agree about not getting carried away but that's what i mean about falling in to the Arsenal habits. Rob Holding tried too hard to impress and lost the composure and edge to his game that he had when he was signed! He rapidly feel in to the lackluster, sideways passing, boring defender that we seem to keep producing time and time again. Kostas made Sanchez look rubbish and gave Lukaku a struggle so i think he's ready. A new manager could work wonders with him.
30 Apr 2018 13:05:33
Agree a new manager could possibly do well with him Chambers and Holding, personally I love the defensive side of the game as much as the attacking side. Bobby Moore Des Walker Ashley Cole Claude Makelele were all every bit as talented as any attacking players were, to be able to read the game like a book at the back or as a DM and time again tackle to perfection for me as impressive as beating 4 or 5 players and scoring from 30 yards out into the top corner.
30 Apr 2018 13:38:22
Exactly, and who doesn't want to see their side excel with their defensive players also? Arsenal need to continue being great to watch going forward but not at the same time, be great to watch when the pressures on us! Some grit and determination to win the ball and i think our younger defenders are the ones to do that. New faces 100% but maybe only 1 to play with Kostas, Holding and Chambers, and even Mustafi. Risky still but a quality manager could make that work! Some strengthening in front of that as well.
30 Apr 2018 13:55:26
Barcelona going forward Athletico at the back :-) some combination that.
Puts me in mind of the Arsene/ George blend.
Mustafi reminds me of Mertesacker quite a bit in the way he isn't keen on putting in a lot of running, always looking for a team mate or official to save him the effort.
Like Mertesacker also he can be excellent in a tackle but his marking is non existent much of the time.
30 Apr 2018 14:14:22
I find Mustafi hard to read. he's another that started brilliantly and a poor run of form ruined him! And all the talk about him wanting to leave back in the summer, does he even want to be at the club? Who knows. I'm a fan of Simeone and his defensive work is just what Arsenal need but he would kill our attacking game and we don't want to be like boring Manchester United do we! haha.
30 Apr 2018 15:29:37
No mate i don't want to go back to the George days completely either, like the idew of going a whole season and conceeding on 13 goals was it? Brilliant but I do want more than one shot per game and at least some midfield players who are as capable of a defence splitting pass as they are of wrestling an opponent to the floor pinning him for a count of 3 before giving him a discreet karate chop across the bridge of his nose while a team mate distracts the refs attention :-) pretty physical stuff that especially for a preseason friendly:-)
30 Apr 2018 16:06:20
Too right! We have lost all our physicality and we need a big strong player at the back (which we may have found) and one in the middle! The new manager will be dependent on how the last few games play out. If we actually win the Europa League then its appealing. Qualifying for Europa league isn't great but will do. Not getting anything would be an utter disaster and then we will struggle for a world class manager altogether imo. That along with signings will be a dismal. Fingers crossed.
30 Apr 2018 21:51:43
I heard Alan Shearer says about how signing big players without champions league would be near impossible but I think he's wrong about that, obviously already having champions league football to offer is an advantage but it's where your going as a club that players buy into not where you've been.
30 Apr 2018 23:14:38
Very funny 62.
30 Apr 2018 22:54:52
Return to the days when Wenger played 4 4 2 when every player was tall and athletic - I imagine we beat teams in the tunnel. Vieira, Pires, Henry, Keown, DB10, Freddie, seaman / Lehman etc You knew you would be kicked, stretched, out run and out skilled. then we went 3 up Front and all under 5ft!
01 May 2018 08:02:34
Why thank you Nes, very nice of you to say so.
01 May 2018 09:36:22
Absolutely SY4 - I fail to understand why Wenger changed from the enormously successful tactics and type of player in the first half oh his reign, to a system and type of player that failed miserably in the second half of his time at the club.
Mavropanos and Holding have bags of potential, whilst we are busy trying to sign a Greek CB from Dortmund and Ruggani from Juventus. It's time to move Koscielny and Mustafi on.
