Ben Arfa creates things, simple as

We look a more solid unit without Ben Arfa, but being solid isn't all that matters, it's winning games. If Cabaye was still here and Debuchy and Remy were fit, then I would say Ben Arfa shouldn't be playing, but they're not here. We don't know when Remy is coming back, and Cabaye is gone for good.

How is Sissoko better as a wide player than Ben Arfa? He's quite clearly more suited to a CM/CDM role, and all he does better is aid the fullbacks in defending. His crossing isn't as good, he's not very good at cutting in, and his more dangerous play comes from making runs down the middle.

Ben Arfa's goals and many of his assists have come from cutting in from the right onto his left foot. Unfortunately our team is not set up to cater to Ben Arfa. He's a lot better in an attacking side (4-3-3) when he's given freedom, which is proven by the fact that whenever we've played that formation he's been far more effective. We played it for a stretch of games in our good season, and he was awesome. We played it against Norwich with him and Sammy on the wing, and he was man of the match and we looked excellent, but we just couldn't finish off our chances.

Without a central playermaker I believe we should try and play 4-3-3.

Gouff----Cisse/Remy---Ben Arfa

----Sissoko--Tiote--Anita-----

Dummett---Colo--Willo---Mbiwa

------------Krul--------------------

This would put Sissoko and Ben Arfa in their better positions, and allow us to us our players in the right way.

Ben Arfa is a good player if played in the right set up, the same as Sissoko is a lot better in the right formation as well. Sissoko should be played down the middle, and all of his goals and best play comes from the middle.

It's a lot like the situation with Wayne Routledge. He was very uninspiring in our 4-4-2 system while he was here in the premier league, but was that because he was a poor player? No. He went to Swansea and he blossomed and became far more of an effective player, why? Because the system suited him better.

It's all quite simple but unfortunately Pardew is ******ed. We're much better in a 4-3-3, we have the pace to play such a formation, and we are able to play our players in their best positions, but we don't play it.

We'd rather pussy out and set ourselves not to concede and/or hoof balls.

I really don't know where you're coming from about the amount of shots because Sissoko is one of the few players that waste plenty of chances which **** finishing and long distance shooting.

And Sissoko doesn't create MOST of our chances, he's created the most chances out of anyone else, and a large part of the reason is because he's played significantly more minutes than any one else in the side apart from Krul, Debuchy and Williamson.

You can argue all you want and say "it's not Sissoko's fault that more of them haven't been taken", but Ben Arfa has more assists in less than half the time and I have seen many of the chances Ben Arfa has created wasted as well.

Sissoko is a worthy asset to the team, but he's not more suited to the wing than Ben Arfa, and He's not a great technical player either..

 

And with that, I am bored with this discussion. I will let you have the final word.

 

We haven't played hoofball all season. We try to keep possession. Look at yesterday, we something like 70%. Its the one thing we have sorted out. It has been easier to do without HBA because we don't surrender the ball so frequently. Sissoko may have been better suited to CM in France but all of his best performances in the PL have come wide right.

I don't think we play a system to suit HBA. Even when we did he was not regularly effective. Maybe he does need a fresh start but I doubt very much he'll ever be anything special. He's had numerous managers, plenty clubs, and they've all come to the same conclusion. At some point you have to question why. Its no coincidence a really top end club has never took a chance. The top managers clearly feel it is not possible to change him.

The old blame Pardew routine is tiresome. He is not a managerial great by any stretch. However Benni's problems are due to him, not anyone else. I've never known a player have so many excuses made for him. He's 26-27, it just doesn't wash anymore.

 

The End.

 

Indeed the number of times we've had this discussion about him tells you the inconsistency you get from him.

 

Ben Arfa strikes me as someone who starts well, and if he gets a goal early on he can go on and have a really good game. But if he doesn't he gets frustrated and fades out of the game. Against Chelsea away he got the better of his man a couple of times early on but didn't score and faded. Against Cardiff in the cup he looked our best attacking hope then went missing 2nd half (admittedly he didn't see a lot of the ball). Because of that I lean towards him being an impact sub, because he's more effective early on, and against tiring legs and minds later in a game he probably would get more joy.