Clrnc wrote:
Tactics wrote:
Erm Bayern, Madrid, Barca, Juve etc?
Even a side like Athletico Madird that is seen by many as highly defensive/disciplined mainly use ball players in midfield. Mario is the only true DM in their squad but he is always on the bench, they use Gabi (very similar to Arteta and they are both on the same level) and Tiago in the deeper CM positions.
I have seen Madrid play the best football since the galatico era with a midfield 4 comprising of 4 players who have all at one point in the last few years been seen or used as #10s (Isco-Kroos-Modric-Rosdriquez), they destroyed both Liverpool and Barca with that midfield. And since Modric's injury, they are using Isco (who is even more attacking than Cazorla for example) as one of the CMs alongside Kroos. This view that true DMs are a must is a myth IMO, a post Makelele myth.
Disagree with this. Anzac has covered the point very well, but I have to say Real Madrid is not the best example to use, with the front 3 they have it's pretty too unique for anyone to replicate. Liverpool was shit in that period and Barca was done by counter attacking, nothing significant to do with the midfield.
They used a front 2 of Benzema and Ronaldo, what is so unique about that front 2 apart from Ronaldo being a top quality footballer? We could easily field a front 2 that has more pace than those 2.
Barca were the inferior side I don't know how anyone can dispute this. That wasn't a smash and grab victory by Madrid, they played outstanding football, similar to their performance against Liverpool . Down play their Liverpool performance all you like but no matter how shite Liverpool are, not many teams can make them look like a Sunday league side at Anfield - ask the likes of Man United.
I think a lot of people are going to be very disapointed after we bring in a Schneiderlin, Khedira etc There is this strong belief among our fans that a DM would solve most of our problems, an opinion I strongly disagree with.
Arteta for example, though never world class, is better tactically than both schneiderlin and Khedira IMO but that hasn't stopped us looking a fucking mess defensively has it. Reason? Lack of organisation IMO. Over 90% of our defensive problems is down to lack of proper organisation IMO. And it's all down to one man; Arsene Wenger. It's not like he can't organise a team to play defensive football and try to nick a goal on the end, that is the easiest thing to do in football, even imbeciles like Phill Brown can do that, it is his obsession with attacking football that is the problem. We've seen him turn to ultra defensive style whenever the 4th place trophy is in danger and we've always got results playing that way (with the same group of players, so no pure DM). But as soon as he gets comfortable again (job not on the line), he tries to play a more attacking game again and that is when we always struggle. He just can't seem to find the balance between attacking football and defensive solidity.
For me we lack a good pressing strategy to play the dominant attacking football Wenger would like us to play. This is no longer 2008 when Barca were probably the only pressing team around, any attacking worth his salt these days has a good pressing strategy. People go on about Matic here, but put him in our team and with 2 full backs high up the pitch, 2 CMs bombing forward and when we lose the ball, you see 3 players trying to press whilst the others try to retreat (add in some not even bothering), he'll get caught in a fucking sea of space and there is no way he's going to cover all that on his own (Arteta undeservedly gets a lot of stick for not having the pace to cover all that space). I hear people say,'Ok so let's bring in a DM who is fast, can tackle well, can outmuscle players, is very strong positionally, is a very good passer of the ball etc', that player doesn't exist, that DM is a myth.
I would like us to replace Arteta because his legs are gone, but he's done a very good for us over the years IMO.There is no player out there that could have prevented the defensive mess we have witnessed with this side. Mostly down to clueless organisation IMO; too many players ahead of the ball, distance bteween the players far too big etc Be prepared to be dispointed because until this is corrected on the training pitch, no player can make a significant difference to our defensive game.
