We have 3 goalkeepers, for goalkeepers it depends, you can have 2, or 3. (Shezza, Fabi, Vivi) We have 2 left backs (Gibbs, Monreal) We have 2 rights backs (Sagna, Jenky) We have 3 centre backs, supposed to have 4, so we're 1 short there. (Mert, Kos, TV) We have 2 main right wingers with Gnarby coming up. (Walcott, OXO, +Gnarby) We have 2 left wingers (Podolski, Cazorla) We have 2 defensive midfielders (Flamini, Arteta) We have 2 box to box midfielders (Ramsey-Wilshere) We have 2 creative maestro midfielders (Rosicky-Ozil) We have 3 strikers and are 1 short there (Giroud, Bendy, Sanogo) So I'd like to know where this guy thinks we have too many players for 1 position...Yes we have a lot of quality centre midfielders, but most of them are different type players with different type tasks, Ozil is not Ramsey, Ramsey is not Flamini, and Flamini is not Rosicky.
I still think Carzorlas best position is in the middle but yeah he will mainly play on the wing this Season. Neither of our left wingers are actually 'Wingers' so its a funny squad. I would argue Walcott is the only real WF we have ( - but he thinks he's a Centreforward) The big issue for me is Bendtner/Sanogo are not of the required quality. Backup to RVP United have ..Rooney, Wellback Backup to Aguero City have Negredo, Jovetic and Dzeko we need at least 1 more Quality CF and a CB
Cazorla is a bit of both, he's more of a natural winger than Podolski, these days it's actually hard to find a natural winger, as Wenger said, everyone wants to play in the middle, not out on the wing, so most wingers these days are going to be middle men turned into wingers. If we get a quality CF and CB, then for the first time, we can say Arsenal is complete, though I am greedy, would prefer 2 CF's, one top quality, and one back up, as you said, look at other clubs, they have 3-4 top quality strikers, I'd like that too.
Ashley Williams would be a good 4th choice CB. We could go for Suarez again in January and see what happens.
Not trying to pick a fight here, but what evidence are you basing your remark re. Sanogo on - is there a link to some footage of him, because I, for one, have never seen him in action enough to make a judgement on him.
I would say that Ive seen enough of Sanogo to know he's not yet Top class. Before we bought him I was fairly optimistic but what I've seen in Pre-Season and so far this term is a guy who looks off the pace. He's athletic and energetic but technically he has ALOT of improving to do. Perhaps Wenger can improve him enough but I'm willing to bet Sanogo does'nt make it at Arsenal. I dont think he will ever be our first choice centreforward. I think at best he'll be another Demba Ba or Adebayor. A Thierry Henry he most certainly is'nt.
The only thing I would say you have ignored is the fact that some players play more than one position. Podolski is probably our second choice CF after Giroud (when fit) as well as being (arguably) our 2nd choice LW after Cazorla. Flamini is a decent RB, Sagna is clearly seen as our 4th choice CB. This is important because it is better to have these utility players playing more often (even at a different position) than sitting on the bench doing nothing just in case someone gets injured. You can keep a few players playing in cup games and through rotation, but keeping a full 2nd XI match fit is really tough. We want to be trying to keep a "Core Group" of about 18 players playing regularly even if they have to play out of position, rather than bring in a "Cold" player off the bench, particularly if the injury is only for one or two games.
I would hope that he has been bought with the long term in mind and any deficiencies are ironed out - I still think it's too early to judge.
A bold prediction, but you hedged a bit when you mentioned Adebayor; he was our first choice centre-forward for a fair while you know.
Sanago is the next Diaby, Sanogo already had injury problems before coming, and Wenger called it a risk, and barely into his Arsenal career he gets injured and is already out for a month with no return date. Diaby 2.0
Went on the Guardian's sports page today and nearly had a heart attack. Their headline was that GIBson was out injured for nine months, but for a moment, I read it as Gibbs. Phew.
You've completely missed the fact that some players can cover more than one position such as Sagna at CB; Flamini and Ramsey can play at full back; Ozil, Cazorla, Rosicky, Wilshere, Ramsey, Ox, etc can play in the centre or as wide players. I could carry on but you get the point, but it means that we have at least 3 or 4 players who can play in each position and when we are weak in one area due to injuries we should have players who can move to that role to provide cover. There is some truth that we will have to sell players, not necessarily through choice but because if we buy other players for a particular role the players dropping down the pecking order will probably want to leave, like TV has hinted at recently. You cant expect many world class players to be happy hanging around as a squad player.
Just because Sagna can play at CB, doesn't mean we have to play him there, the only reason plays there for us is when we have a CB out injured, so Sagna is thrown in as a last resort, and taken out of position to cover in. What happens if Jenkinson is injured, and Sagna has to fill in for CB, who fills in for RB? Ramsey and Flamini? Just because they can maybe play there, doesn't mean you have to resort to such extremes, instead do the simple thing, and buy an actual CB or a new full back and move Sagna to the CB position full time. Flamini plays best in the middle, so does Ramsey, so play the players where they best play, simple as that, their best position is not as full backs, and that'd be an extreme make over because of a lack of cover. As for players who can play in the middle or wide, yes they can, but in this case they're going to be prioritised unless injuries hit us, so for the time being the ones that will take the lead in the centre will be Ozil, Rosicky, Ramsey, while the others, OXO, Cazorla, will be shifted out wide, heck OXO has been a wing man for us ever since he joined with what, 2 appearances from the middle? Seriously, what the **** is this? For the first time we're looking to have a complete squad, and you guys are already wanting to create a negative and start going on about needing to sell players, then when we do sell players, you guys will be back complaining about squad depth. Many other elite teams have stacked depths in their team, and they ****ing deal with it, so if they can, then we can too, end of story. Oh and btw, our recent injury crisis should've been a good educational lesson for people like you think our squad is too full, the fact we have a big squad has proved very handy during this injury crisis which has seen up to 7 first team players out, if we had it your way, we'd have no bloody cover left, as you'd have probably sold 3 players, the same 3 players that have been filling in for the injured ones! In a season where you play 50+ games, and if you want to be competitive on all levels, then you need a big squad, simple as that, everybody will eventually get their opportunities sometime in the season, they just have to be patient.
We're only in the middle of October, the season's barely begun! And it's around this time, and especially after the next international break ends, that you enter the 'meat' of the season where we will be playing every single week without interruption, and not to mention the fact we will be playing 2 games a week, and come December, will be playing 4-6 games in the space of 2 weeks! So cool your horses about squad depth and players not getting enough time, the season's barely even got off the ****ing ground, **** me, have we all suddenly turned into Liverpool and Spurs fans?
I'm with Arsenal87 on this one. There's no way we should be selling players because we're oversubscribed in any areas. Yes some players can play in different positions but that is to cover in emergencies when the natural replacement is also injured. Sagna can play CB, but that's only because Vermaelen has been out injured and we've been light at the back, but the knock on effect from that is that Jenkinson is then the only natural RB we have left. I think we need another CB and a CF, but we certainly don't want to be selling players as we'd soon end up with massive gaps in the squad.
He was our first choice and he scored 30 goals one Season but I think it's fair to say Adebayor was never TOP CLASS. Big, athletic and technically decent but its also fair to say alot of strikers would have scored 30+ goals playing in front of that midfield. He's never really replicated that form since either.
I think he was top class for a while, just think he lost the hunger, the desire, the commitment, call it what you will, to keep himself at the top. 30 goals in a season has to be considered top class, but he just didn't maintain that level for some reason.
6 of those goals, came in 2 hatricks against Derby, who were one of the worst teams to have ever graced the EPL.
On the injury front, Sagna is also almost ready again, with Walcott back in 2 weeks according to Wenger. But Podolski, OXO, Sanogo are still out for a while longer....Sanogo, the new Diaby.
I dont believe you can be 'top class for a while'. You either are or you are not. Adebayor has always been critised for lacking efficiency. The guy misses ALOT of chances. (which is also the main issue with Giroud)
