Ramsey back to superhero mode: Page 22 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

Ramsey back to superhero mode

MistaT

Thought his overall game was better too as he sat deeper. Was alongside Flamini for a lot of the game, and while it may have invited their pressure (instead of pressuring high) at least he was in the thick of it. To Klaus' point from last page - I find myself thinking he had a good game whenever he plays deeper, and shit games when he's too far forward. That would suggest I have preconceptions about the position and what he should be doing instead of just judging his game on how he played that day (regardless of where he plays).

Not sure who is at fault for not tracking Bojan between him/Cazorla/Flamini. That was terrible though!

lorddulaarsenal

Better today definitely.

Clrnc

He was one of our best players actually alongside Santi and Ox once we were on top and chasing the game. At that point his supporting runs were so crucial and what a brilliant take from that corner.

Rex

Was Mertesacker and no one else who should have picked up Bojan. The basic idea with zonal play is that you actually mark the guy who is in your zone. On that play Mertesacker was not only not in his zone, but he was in a completely useless area. On top of that, Flamini clearly pointed out to him where Bojan was.

dreamlord

Mertesacker's been playing like he doesn't give a fuck. Hate his attitude on pitch.

Rex

I don't see this about 'attitude' at all myself. The whole team has suffered from losing Sagna, Debuchy, Koscielny and Arteta, but I think Mertesacker is probably the one who individually has suffered the most.

Firstly, Chambers is NOT a good RB defensively. He is too often positionally wrong, he is at best mediocre 1v1 against pacy opponents, and he hardly ever stops a cross from coming in. IMO Mertesacker has because of this already been dragged wide right more times this season than was the case for all of last season. This is all playing to Mertesacker's weaknesses the way I see it. Say what you will about Jenkinson, but he rarely left Mertesacker exposed like that.

Secondly, having Monreal instead of Koscielny next to him on the other side has also been a massive negative for Mertesacker. To start off with, Monreal had to learn the job on the job, so to speak. I think Monreal has gradually improved in that CB spot, but he certainly doesn't help Mertesacker the way Koscielny does. On the surface, I can understand Wenger's thinking behind putting Monreal at CB; he has decent pace for a CB, he reads the game well, and is quite proactive in his play. These are the same qualities that Koscielny has in abundance. Problem here is that Monreal is nowhere near as good at it as Koscielny. His aerial ability is mediocre. He is nowhere near as fast as Koscielny, so he can't cover behind Mertesacker as well as Koscielny when needed. He is not as physically strong as Koscielny, so he loses out in physical duels more than Koscielny does. He is also not as good as Koscielny at getting in front of the attacker to steal the ball away. In short, this means that Mertesacker ends up in a whole bunch more defensive situations than when he plays with Koscielny.

FWIW, I don't quite buy into this argument I have seen pop up here that Koscielny has papered over Mertesacker's weaknesses. IMO they really COMPLIMENT each other. I think Koscielny benefits a whole lot from having Mertesacker next to him. Koscielny is obviously the better player; that is obvious. Koscielny's playing style is quite adventurous though, and Mertesacker has been behind him to mop up on countless occasions. Mertesacker does that due to his excellent reading of the game. Of course, Koscielny does the same for Mertesacker.

Rex

Having said all that - I still think Mertesacker has been worse than I think he should have been this season.

dreamlord

He's literally ambling at times while opposition players are running at/beyond him. He's also second best to most headers nowadays. I don't know, this isn't a knee jerk comment, I'm sure I mentioned this at the beginning of the season.

Biggus

Gazza M

i had a feeling that sweet hit against stoke would give him a boost. i think his steep drop of goal-scoring form impacted his general confidence levels. these goals should revitalise him somewhat

Daz

That goal is simply ridiculous. The control on that shot to combine power, curve and accuracy is insane. Just look at the lack of follow through ffs.

Bold Tone

I wish he and Cazorla would stop following instructions and hit more of these lumpurd type of shots.
If a few of them started flying in, defenders would be forced to close them down and thereby open up spaces for our strikers.

Daz

You're suggesting we mix up our play a bit Tone? How many games have you managed?

dreamlord

That goal deserves some Arabic commentary.

Biggus

Daz wrote:
That goal is simply ridiculous. The control on that shot to combine power, curve and accuracy is insane. Just look at the lack of follow through ffs.

Yeah it actually twitched.
It was such an anti-Wenger goal.

lorddulaarsenal

It was a wenger out goal! That's where the venom came from

yuv

dreamlord wrote:
That goal deserves some Arabic commentary.

😆 I know a few words in Arabic, but I wish I could understand more than "supersonic" and "golasso" ...

Rohit

He looks sharp again. The wonder strike aside his first goal was really good too, making room for himself with a good touch and passing it into the far corner. Even two weeks back he was struggling with his touch and not showing the needed composure.

IBL

3 great goals in two games, two absolute crackers, about time he found his scoring boots from last season....I knew he still had it in him.

Bold Tone

yuv wrote:
dreamlord wrote:
That goal deserves some Arabic commentary.

😆 I know a few words in Arabic, but I wish I could understand more than "supersonic" and "golasso" ...

You don't know "God is Great"?
You need to watch the news more.

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