Tracking winter window rumours/lies: Page 52 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

Tracking winter window rumours/lies

Volante

Hazard is better than Mata too for me. All three can play together, but I don't think Jose is too comfortable with that and ideally you'd want one player who can hold the width and run in behind.

kamikaze

playing oscar, mata and hazard is too many chefs in the kitchen and no customers. the fact that they have all three sort of reeks of fantasy football decisions from the owner, too.

QuincyAbeyie

I think Mata the last two seasons (before this one) was better than both Oscar and Hazard are now. So the question for me is if Mata still would have played at that level if he wasn't benched. Now he's a shadow of the player he used to be.

Volante

Mata was benched before the season started...

Irishgunner

Can Oscar play CM to a decent level? Or is he too weak defensively?

lorddulaarsenal

Lucas moura anyone?

Rex

Too pricey when we need a striker.

Macca

kamikaze wrote:
playing oscar, mata and hazard is too many chefs in the kitchen and no customers. the fact that they have all three sort of reeks of fantasy football decisions from the owner, too.

Yet we've been playing with Ozil, Wilshere and Cazorla. Not too dissimilar

Volante

Only because Walcott/Podolski were injured long term.

Volante

@lorddulaarsenal wrote:
Lucas moura anyone?

I like him a lot but he's had a nightmare second season at PSG.

Tactics

Volante wrote:
Only because Walcott/Podolski were injured long term.

We used to play Hleb, Cesc and Rosicky together.

Mata is mostly on the bench because he's very weak defensively. Mourinho is a very negative manager, he's too obsessed with the shape of the team without the ball.

Volante

Again, due to injuries. We started that season with van Persie behind Adebayor. After Eduardo had settled in and gotten grips with the league we again returned to two strikers in the two central attacking positions. Of course, he was injured soon after.

2008/2009 we played with van Persie behind Adebayor/Bendtner.

Tactics

Volante wrote:
Again, due to injuries. We started that season with van Persie behind Adebayor. After Eduardo had settled in and gotten grips with the league we again returned to two strikers in the two central attacking positions. Of course, he was injured soon after.

2008/2009 we played with van Persie behind Adebayor/Bendtner.

No, he played all 3 even with a fully fit squad. This was our line-up:

------Ade--RVP
Rosicky--Cesc--Flamini--Hleb

None of those players provided width, we had two very offensive full-backs who did that.

And also if he's concerned about Mata not providing width, why would he play De Bruijn on the wings?

Reading through various Mourinho interviews it's quite clear to me Mata is being benched due to his lack of defensive awareness:

“It’s part of a process with him, too. One option is to play with Ramires and Oscar on the wings, those two closing down each side, and Mata as a No 10 behind a striker. He can offer clever assists, clever passes, fantastic actions, because he has great talent. It’s another thing to adapt to the way we want to play"

“I want to build with Oscar as my No 10. I want the other two players, on the wings, to adapt to that reality and learn how to do things they were not ready to do before.”

Surely this can only mean one thing; carry out defensive duties which they weren't prepared to do before.

Volante

I don't think you can compare a 4411/442 with two strikers in the team to a 4231 with only one player who wants to run behind.

Volante

Hazard doesn't do much defensively either. I think this is just a case of Jose not rating Mata very highly.

Tactics

What's the difference?

And how would you explain his decision to bench Mata and play De Bruijn on the wings? does De Bruijn provide more width?

Tactics

Volante wrote:
Hazard doesn't do much defensively either. I think this is just a case of Jose not rating Mata very highly.

Hazard does far more off the ball than Mata

Defensively Oscar > Hazard > Mata

And he can clearly rates Mata ON the ball : "He can offer clever assists, clever passes, fantastic actions, because he has great talent"

Volante

Difference is having two forwards instead of one.

Why is De Bruyne even relevant? The guy has started a grand total of two matches in the Premier League and Champions League. Also, Juan Mata has played wide this season...

Volante

Tactics wrote:
And he can clearly rates Mata ON the ball : "He can offer clever assists, clever passes, fantastic actions, because he has great talent"

He's not going to call him shit is he? Jose could easily play Mata from the right and Schurrle from the left if he wants two playmakers and a runner. He doesn't because he doesn't rate Mata as highly as Oscar and Hazard.

Tactics

Volante wrote:
Difference is having two forwards instead of one.

Why is De Bruyne even relevant? The guy has started a grand total of two matches in the Premier League and Champions League. Also, Juan Mata has played wide this season...

But that doesn't still solve the 'lack of width' on the wings

De Bruijn is relevant, because he just like Mata, is an attacking midfielder who doesn't offer width or runs in behind. So to me it makes no sense to bench a superior player because he doesn't provide width and play an inferior player in his place who doesn't do it either. It doesn't make sense. Same applies to Willian.

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