This is why signing a bunch of top-class players won't be the solution, as we saw with City a couple of seasons ago. Players play well as a cohesive unit, and the best way to make this work is for the players to have a good understanding of players nearby them. In a 4-4-2 formation, they are usually in pairs. e.g. 2 CF's, 2, CM's, RB and RW, LB and LW, 2 CB's. In a 4-3-3, they work in 2's and 3's. e.g. 3 forwards, 3 midfielders, 2 CB's. These are the main "connections" in teams. outside of this, players nearby each other on the pitch need to also understand each other. 4-4-2: CF's with RW and LW, CM's with RW and LW, CB's with RB and LB. 4-3-3: forward's with AM's, DM's with CB's, CB's with RB and LB. If there are lots of strong connections with the team, they are more likely to play well more often and can improve their individual game as well. E.g. in our current team, Fabregas and Walcott play well together. We see this and Walcott usually only plays well when Cesc is playing, as he see's theo's runs and plays the ball to him at the right time and place. But when nasri played in the middle, he seemed to be very inconsistent, as less of his runs where picked up. Walcott is also good with v. Persie and Chamakh, who play shorter balls to him that cut between the CB's and full-backs, enabling him to break through the defence. Our 2 CB's last season, Djourou and Koscielny, also built a good connection as the season progressed. We just need to see if they can also work out a good connection when Vermaelen comes back this season. If we sign a "good" CB, they will probably have to spend the season creating "connections" with Vermaelen or whichever CB they play most often with. This will again make the media say that we didn't sign someone good enough, and cause the stupid fans amongst us to want Wenger out. If Nasri leaves, it is not too big a problem, as although his individual skill is undoubted, his teamplay is slightly lacking. He sees runs and creates some space for other players, but not as many as Fabregas. Also, as he plays more on the wing, it is easier to find a players who does not have to play the pass, rather be on the end of it. This can be worked on in training far more easily and it wouldn't become a problem. If Fabregas leaves, we will either have to bring someone in or play Ramsey there. I would prefer if Ramsey played there, while a not-quite top class palyer was brought in as competition to Ramsey, so he could learn about the other players during training and cup matches, without having to have lots of pressure on him immediately to "click" with teh rest of the squad. Then, as the season progresses, those two would be competing for the AM spot. You could see it this way, or if we went back to 4-4-2, we would have the same problem with strikers. Van Persie has never really played with the other strikers, and neither Chamakh or Bendtner are IMO good enough, so we will have to bring in a striker and wait for them to adjust. We saw this problem with Chelsea and Torres. They brought him in and gave him no time to adjust. I think he might have played in the first match he could. That is not how it should be. They need time to build a "connection" with their strike partner. Therefore, if we do need to bring players in, it should be as soon as possible, so that they can use as much of pre-season as possible to learn about the players around them and can be more effective at the start of the season. We saw this with Chamakh, who signed in May last year and was very good at the start of the season, as he had time to build "connections" with his fellow players. His problem was that he just wasn't good enough to be a top striker. So, signing a top CB will not be the answer, it will only cause more problems. I believe we should sign a younger CB who will not demand a first team spot (Phil Jones would have been good) and allow Vermaelen, Koscielny and Djourou to be the 3 main CB's. The signing would be the 4th CB and grow into the team, making more appearances towards the end of the season and next season. I would suggest Richard Stearman of Wolves, 6'3, strong, has some PL experience and is 22, so not completely inexperienced, but with lots of room for growth. The following assume Fabregas and Nasri leave. Then:, if we stay with 4-2-3-1, as I said we should sign someone as competition to Ramsey, who will learn our style and other players as the season progresses. They would ideally be slightly older, with PL experience as that would also aid Ramsey's growth. Some suggestions could be Yossi Benayoun (31 at Chelsea), Graham Dorrans (24 at West Brom), Steven Davis (26 at Rangers). If we do not buy someone, maybe Rosicky could be that player, but I believe that he is well past his best due to injury problems. Maybe Arshavin could also go back to a CAM. If we go to 4-4-2, as I said we need a striker. Many people have said Walcott could go up front and partner v. Persie, and I like this idea a lot. Also Gervinho can play as a striker, but again he would need time to adjust. If we were to sign a top class striker and just hope that they clicked over pre-season, I would say Benzema or Higuain (1 of them is surplus to requirements at Real), Falcao might be a bit pricy with Chelsea interested but would show our intent for next season, or we could stick with our current crop and hope that Bendtner lives up to his own ego... Congratulations if you read the whole thing, and let me know what you think about my ideas.
I read it all, but then I forgot what the first bit was about But Walcott at CF playing off RVP is a great option. Last season we we're great at creating chances up to the 18yd line, for it to fall apart. These two would offer a very direct forward pairing.
If we play Arshavin as an attacking midfielder, who will play on the left wing? Maybe Myaichi, if Wenger deems him EPL ready, or Francois Coquelin (he's been played on the wing and center midfield eventhough he's a right back but I doubt he'll be good enough next season.) I also think that if we play a 4-4-2, Bendtner or Chamakh will be good enough to play along side van Persie. They just need a run of games to hit goal scoring form. Other than that, I completely agree with everything else you said. It would be a dream come true if Wenger made all of these changes.
If we sign a "good" CB, they will probably have to spend the season creating "connections" with Vermaelen or whichever CB they play most often with. This will again make the media say that we didn't sign someone good enough, and cause the stupid fans amongst us to want Wenger out. ================================================================================================== Utter codswallop. How many times last season did we concede for want of a big CB. Too numerous to mention. We need a dominant tall CB who is comfortable heading the ball away or challenging attackers and having a blocking prescence. Koscielny Squillaci and Djourou have all been tried and found wanting in some way or other, our defence has been a shambles for at last 4 seasons now and Wenger has not sorted it. If Wenger was at any other top club he would have been sacked by now, he is tactically hopeless and on borrowed time unless he wakes up to his shortcomings.
All very well having good connections with players around you, but surely a defining quality of a star player is his ability to adapt to his surroundings? I agree with the OP about trying to get people in quicker so they can have a bedding in period Our defence remains our biggest hurdle im afraid , if we could just get the hang of defending set pieces,im sure we will do much much better next season. On a random note interesting you mentioned Steven Davies at Rangers, im up in Scotland and whilst im a bit of an aberdeen enthusiast and by definition have a deep distrust of any of the ugly sisters and their players i must admit when that boy has a good game he bosses everything
I don't actually think this is true. If we sign a "big, dominant" CB to be a first team player, what happens if they don't learn to play with any of our other CB's. They would be a waste of money.
If we sign a "good" CB, they will probably have to spend the season creating "connections" with Vermaelen or whichever CB they play most often with. This will again make the media say that we didn't sign someone good enough, and cause the stupid fans amongst us to want Wenger out. ================================================== ================================================ Utter codswallop. The teeny, tiny, tiny, tiny amount of respect i had for you evaporated at this point right here. Clearly you just don't understand. I could go into the details of how defenders work, needing to know who will go and who will cover in what situations, but I feel it would be a pointless waste of time. You just seem...clueless
atually, i'm beginning to think that you have no clue... maybe its from living in liverpool. whats the point in having 2 CB's that play on their own, with one of them shouting at the other all the time. they need to understand each others play so that they KNOW who will go and who will cover. thats why koscielny and djourou worked so well against barca. because they understood each other. thats also the reason a great partnership like vidic and ferdinand work, because they know what each other will do, not because one of them is shouting at the other.
um...Drude...well this is kinda embarrassing. that post was targetted at Tuffnell, I agreed with you entirely. Hence why I left the "utter codswallop" part in.
Well you highlighted his post and then said how it was completely stupid so what were you trying to show?
oh, sorry bonstar. since u highlighted my post and then there was the line to tuffnell's post, but there was no line after that to your post, so i assumed u had written the utter codswollop. sorry for the misunderstanding... well, at least we can agree now that tuffnell is an idiot...
i just don't know :'( i missed a line out between the first coupla words of tuffnell's and my reply. can't we all just agree Drude is right? please? sorry folks!!
