21 Jan 2019 14:41:10
Not sure if already covered but i thought our formation really worked well at the weekend. Not always a big fan of the 4-4-2 "diamond" formation but i thought it best matched the players we have. It allows us to play 3 in central midfield with Torreira and Guendouzi adding the energy, and which i thought really helped protect the back 4, and helped snuff out Chelsea's midfield. Ramsey worked well in the hole, adding more energy and some defensive cover when required, but ultimately in the team to support the front 2. Also, going forward, you could easily see Ozil or Miti playing in that position instead of Ramsey, as having the extra protection of 3 midfielders may help Ozil, allowing him to concentrate more on supporting our attack, without the pressure to fully engage in our defense. Finally, this formation allows us to play both Lacca and Aubey, with both being able to play more central, where they do the most damage (oh and it also prevents us having to play Iwobi, who was again extremely poor when he came on) . A few issues with the formation, we were still very narrow, especially in defense, and teams with wingers will cause problems, but overall, i thought it was a case of a manager playing a style that suited the resources at hand, rather than trying to "shoe-horn" a favoured system onto players that don't fit. Finally, was really pleased with the great "home" reception for Giroud, (and he responded very well to the applause at the end of the game, doing a full lap of the ground! ) .

1.) 21 Jan 2019
21 Jan 2019 15:08:09
I think, Dick changes team and formation to suit. I only think he will use three or four at back when he thinks it suits, or he thinks the players he has available suits. I thought we played far too narrow at the back but on saturday against a team with no focal point up front it worked a treat. The only scary thing for me on saturday was allowing their tricky players into the box before trying to tackle when a tackle outside the box was on, especially by the unfortunate Bellerin but again it may have been a tactic.

2.) 21 Jan 2019
21 Jan 2019 18:23:13
Dick does seem more flexible and open to taking into consideration who we are playing before deciding his own plan of action, which I welcome.
I've always believed If your a dominant team like Barcelona and The invincibles were or City and Liverpool now then you should stick to what your brilliant at and let your opponents worry about tactics but if your playing a team at your own. level or higher then good tactics or best of all tactics that catch your opponents out can and do make all the difference to your chances of success.
It's no good us going to City in a couple of weeks time and playing the same way we line up with Cardiff at home a few days earlier.

3.) 21 Jan 2019
21 Jan 2019 18:35:29
Never been a massive fan of the 3 at the back, which in my book means your playing 5 defenders, not something i want to pay and watch! I would like to see the stats on goals conceded with 3 CB's versus the flat back 4. I remember when Wenger first switched to 3 it worked well, but i would wager its made no real difference since. Therefore give me a choice between adding say Mustafi and having to remove either Guendouzi or Ramsey to compensate, or sticking to a back 4, I would take the later all day long. However, i do understand that we will change our tactics depending on the opponents, and i probably wouldn't expect us to play that way against say, Palace, as you would get exposed down the flanks. However, for me, you have to always play your strongest team with your best players in their preferred position. If that means playing 2 up front, with both playing central, and no-one having to play as a Left Forward instead to enable us to play the "correct" 3-4-3 formation, then so be it.

4.) 21 Jan 2019
21 Jan 2019 20:37:38
The thing with all formations, they have their strengths and weaknesses, being able to change and adapt is massive. Dick is a coach who likes to study and coach, i think he is adaptable to different situations and expects his team to be as well. Some of our players look upto it, some don't and that's where we will see the changes in the coming windows.