CB is our strongest area, I will say that. We could even let Saliba and Mavropanos go for free, imagine that. Our strikers are dogshite, there's no consistent goalscorer there. Balogun and Nketiah are not up to par yet, less said about Auba and Laca the better, and the rest are not strikers. There's a reason why we failed to win matches last year, and its not because we conceded goals, but rather we don't score. Even compare to other departments:
LB (lack a backup), RB (all rubbish), CM (our weakest area by far), lack an AM, flawed wingers. Only CB was survivable without any buys before this window. In fact almost everyone said as much when we were linked with Tapsoba at the start. Nobody believed it because we absolutely didn't need one. It was only after we splashed a record fee on White that people started to console themselves that oh we needed one, exactly the same mentality as when we didn't want Willian and Cedric but after we signed them tons of people started consoling themselves with nonsense. I am not saying White is a bad player, in fact I said in the Euros thread I believe he is the best English CB for a back 3. But when you need a striker, a CM, a AM, a RB more unless you have unlimited amount of funds you don't first succumb 50m to it. We are even trying to sign a rubbish backup goalie for 24m before a ST/RB, bowing to a relegated side demands.
When you talk about ill-suited to our football, no one, absolutely no one is more ill suited than Xhaka. Guy can't turn, can't one touch pass, can't work under pressure. I watched Monaco yesterday in the UCL, Tchouameni for example is someone you will build your team upon if you want to pass out from the back. You can have average ball players in defence, but as long as your midfield pivot is good you will always play out comfortably. If you have someone like Xhaka who under pressure passes back to GK and CB often, your build up is nonsense. And guess what, we didn't bother to upgrade on him and still gave him an extension and pay rise.
There's more than half the squad that's directly Arteta and Edu choices. The problem I have (not aimed at anyone) is the ridiculous amount of excuses made up for Arteta and not really Edu. Whenever we signed stupid players, its always mostly blamed on Edu even though its also painfully obvious Arteta wanted them. Whenever we have good signings, Arteta has foresight. Whenever our performance are terrible, and I mean absolutely terrible, obvious to everyone tactics is a big part, the players are shit and ill suited to how we play when there are tons of example of lesser clubs playing beautiful football with average to shite players. Our squad and manager is underperforming, not the other way round. It's 1.5 years of shite football and its getting worse, the excuses doesn't make sense anymore. A lot of players and tactics are his choices, and his training methods that are the problem.
