How do you solve a problem like Ben Arfa?

If you want to get the best out of this lad, and his best is absolutely sensational, then he needs to be fed the ball, to feet, facing forward, moving at speed,in the final third, towards a defence being pulled around by clever off the ball runs.

When this happens he causes total chaos in the penalty area.

[video=youtube;WpuFePHvLUM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpuFePHvLUM[/video]
[video=youtube;SUV-YZ43Ql4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUV-YZ43Ql4[/video]

How do we make that happen?

 

I'm french and if you want the best of ben arfa Right winger 433 and not long ball
[video=youtube;4iXigKaL93k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iXigKaL93k[/video]

 

That's easy.

You start him for a start.

You play him in his correct position.

You play him in a formation he is used to and proved to excel in, one that offers support and options which has more than 2 attacking players in it.

The easiest way to achieve these 3 seemingly simple things is to sack that thick fat **** currently masquerading as our manager.

 

You don't play him with 5/6 defensive players sitting behind him and no one to link up with. Get Sagbo back (until jelavic is fit) for a physical presence up top and then some combination of Ben Arfa, Ramirez, Elmo, Brady, Aluko or whoever else attacking from midfield/the wings with a back four.

352 works for occasional games where you want to keep it tight, play two strikers (Jelavic and Hernandez) and throw crosses in to them (and Diame after he makes runs) all day from the wing backs. It doesn't work with Hernandez on his own.

4231, 442, 4411, whatever you want to call things doesn't matter so much. What matters is that Ben Arfa needs other attacking players around him to link up with. If we're going to just play 352 every week, even when key players are injured, and see our weaker squad players thrown in when arguably our best talent remains benched then why did we sign attacking midfielders in the first place? We could've just signed 3 extra centre backs. I can understand it a bit when Dawson is fit, but we could've attacked Burnley yesterday and put them on the back foot. Instead we went ultra defensive, played absolute rubbish and lost 1-0; par for the course with 352.

 

McGregor
Elmo Chester Dawson Robertson
Diame Huddlestone
Ben Arfa Ramirez Brady
Hernandez

Unless jelly is back, in which case just drop Ramirez and play 4-4-2.