Squad Analysis 2013/14: Page 50 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

Squad Analysis 2013/14

Tactics

Volante wrote:
Tactics wrote:
Ramsey will improve his positioning, just like Flamini did. He can also match Flamini's engine, is taller, faster and the better footballer. Their partnership could be at least as solid as Cesc-Flamini.

We don't want Ramsey in a Flamini type role though, it's a criminal waste of his abilities IMO.

Flamini played box to box in 2007/2008 contrary to popular opinion. He was never a holding midfielder.

kamikaze

Klaus wrote:
I don't think we need taller players either. Just better ones. Giroud got beaten by someone who's two inches smaller yesterday.

true enough, but lets not pretend it doesn't matter, either. all else being equal, taller is better, stronger is better, faster is better, quicker is better, more technical is better, more aware is better, more stamina is better and more character is better. wenger ignores any of these at his peril.

Klaus

All else is very rarely equal though. Some attributes simply come at the expense of others. There have only been one Sol Campbell and one Patrick Vieira for as long as I've watched Premier League.

To put it in the context of this discussion: I'd rather take the 40 goals Suarez will be involved in going forward - even if it ultimately means that a four inches taller Giroud won't be there to save us from conceding three or four additional corners across a season. I'd prefer a short midfielder like Wilshere too over a less talented player who's slightly taller and bigger every time. You can get height to defend set pieces from other positions. You put the most talented guys out there and then you start to exclude the ones who are least talented from that bunch if you need to mix it up.

Claudius

Klaus, I think Kami meant all else being equal. Taller is indeed better.

Burnwinter

Suarez is obviously a better player than Giroud, and if we had Suarez he'd get selected, quite probably at Giroud's expense.

I'm not sure where this idea is heading though, as we tried and failed to sign Suarez in summer. Better players are better, I think we can all agree on that!

Klaus wrote:
I don't think Özil was an alternative to Suarez either. Gut feeling says that we still would have signed him if we had managed to land Higuain, for instance.

I doubt that we would have myself.

Despite Giroud's limitations I'm at least glad that he's working hard and contributing something in the absence of any other recognised strikers.

We're looking at comfortably the worst available Arsenal strike force in memory. Even when Walcott and Podolski return we'll be fielding lukewarm strikers with a decent wealth of talent behind them.

Claudius

Burnsy, the fact that we are still looking for a striker suggests that was our priority over the summer.

Perhaps, if we had nailed a striker first, we would have ignored Ozil, but we were still chasing around for a striker in the final hours of the window, so an Ozil-striker-Flamini haul was on the cards.

Tactics

We saw how Bayern mudered Barca in the air at the Allianz Arena last season, I don't think the importance of attributes like height, power, pace etc can be underestimated at the highest level. That game should be an eye opener.

The best Barca team for me was the one that had Henry in the front 3, Abidal at LB, and the likes of Toure, Keita, Busquets as options at CM - all 6ft+ players. That team had the right combination of height, pace, technique, skill etc Would this current Bayern team murder that team in the air? No way!

Tactics

Claudius wrote:
Burnsy, the fact that we are still looking for a striker suggests that was our priority over the summer.

Perhaps, if we had nailed a striker first, we would have ignored Ozil, but we were still chasing around for a striker in the final hours of the window, so an Ozil-striker-Flamini haul was on the cards.

But is Wenger looking to sign an upgrade on Giroud?

Or is he looking for a sub who is better than Bendtner?

Claudius

Tactics, either is fine for me right now. We need a striker with slightly different qualities to Giroud - one who can get onto throughballs, run at defenders and take more shots with his feet. For Xmas, I am not holding out for a Benzema/Suarez level signing like others here. Just bring in a very good guy who is about as good as Giroud.

Tactics

Claudius wrote:
Tactics, either is fine for me right now. We need a striker with slightly different qualities to Giroud - one who can get onto throughballs, run at defenders and take more shots with his feet. For Xmas, I am not holding out for a Benzema/Suarez level signing like others here. Just bring in a very good guy who is about as good as Giroud.

Yeah agree with this too. Ozil would love to play with such a striker.

Burnwinter

I think it's fair to say that arguing the merits of Barcelona teams from different seasons with supporting quotes from Alex Ferguson is well off topic for an Arsenal squad analysis thread.

Take it to the La Liga thread if you want to.

Biggus

@lorddulaarsenal wrote:
The "pivote" is such an important position in the team. Far more crucial than the "goalie", the "forwade" or the "fullbacke"

Hmmm I see what your saying Dules, so you believe that the "pivote" has replaced the traditional "passeur" which is now a redundant position because of the deployment of a false number 14.

Burnwinter

Except in those cases where an advanced peripatetic pivote is deployed alongside a gegenpressing sweeper or a recessed flaneurist trequartista, making for a flattened Christmas tree.

Biggus

[img]http://ed_wp-content_v2.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/1.jpg[/img]

Rex

Burnwinter wrote:
Except in those cases where an advanced peripatetic pivote is deployed alongside a gegenpressing sweeper or a recessed flaneurist trequartista, making for a flattened Christmas tree.

You really need an excellent lateral for that to work. I am somewhat disappointed in you, Burnsy! This is well known.

banduan

y va marquer wrote:

hmm. That angle makes the goal look so much better.

Previously I thought they'd backed off when they thought he'd been fouled, but actually two defenders were already running to the ball before a bit of footwork caught them flat.

y va marquer

Great goal made super by the fact it was scored against Chelsea.
Hopefully it won't take too many games for Theo to hit form once he returns.
At times he's a little iffy when he comes back after an injury lay-off.

Rex

I'd say that is the norm for him; he takes 3 or 4 games to get into some kind of form. Unfortunately for Walcott, when he is poor - he is REALLY poor.

Rex

Fuck Spain btw. They are dragging Santi and Nacho to Equatorial Guinea and South Africa. Their federation has to be the greediest one in all of world football. No jetlag at least!

redwhiteAustrian

Rex wrote:
Fuck Spain btw. They are dragging Santi and Nacho to Equatorial Guinea and South Africa. Their federation has to be the greediest one in all of world football. No jetlag at least!

Internationals really are a pain in the arse. No wonder there're so many "injuries" before those fixtures.

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