International football thread - WC Qualifiers + Friendlies: Page 21 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

International football thread - WC Qualifiers + Friendlies

lorddulaarsenal

What’s the dealio with Mudryk? Surely he has to come good?

Mind you, he doesn’t have such an athletic edge playing in England

Claudius

Mudryk just needs time. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t
This is why I felt we need to have a point where stop on the bidding, because you can only invest so much in potential. Each year the player is not performing at his potential is another year your money could’ve gone into winning now. Particularly important for us when we were top of the league but still had gaps in the squad.

MistaT

Claudius — how would you envision Bellingham playing in the Arsenal team? As an 8?

Seems he’s at his best when he starts deep and can build/drive play through midfield. Not sure that role or necessity exists with our team.

Claudius

MistaT he would kill as our left 8. Xhaka is an incredibly hard worker. We need someone who can replace his workrate, which Bellingham would. And then Bellers would give us more of that multi-faceted threat going towards goal. He can carry at speed, pass, and shoot.

Coombs

MistaT Seems he’s at his best when he starts deep and can build/drive play through midfield.

That's exactly Xhaka's role.

Claudius

I wonder what would have happened to Mustafi if Arteta had gotten his hands on him earlier.

Clrnc

Claudius nothing will happen. Otherwise he wouldn't need to buy so many players and build a new team

Claudius

I have just been looking at Ozil highlights. I followed Ozil throughout his Real Madrid career. He was incredibly productive and typically operated a very high level. He benefited from being surrounded by the best players in the world, but he produced and was basically the world’s most prolific creative next to CR7 etc. And then he spent a few years in Wenger’s London resort and completely lost his edge. I know that Mourinho had to constantly push him at Real, but the boy delivered. At Arsenal, I don’t think he had the environment needed to succeed.
I look at Xhaka now. I hated Xhaka until about 18 months ago when I realised that Arteta and he were connecting and creating something special. And he was one of our very best players in the autumn this year.

So Why do I think Mustafi might have been okay? He was a phenomenal passer and excellent with the ball at his feet. His biggest issue was getting caught on defense, typically because we conceded so many open play chances where teams just ran at us. David Luiz ended up getting caught up in the same situations. We aren’t the team anymore. We dominate the ball, and defend from the front. Our defenders are rarely left all alone. This facet of his game would be less exposed. I’m sure if you took defenders from City like Stones and put them in those Wenger teams, people would say they were terrible too.

Burnwinter

Claudius At Arsenal, I don’t think he had the environment needed to succeed

I think we all thought Wenger had lost the plot in terms of preparation and motivation by the time Özil was in our squad (and if you didn't …). However, there were a lot of players who made exceptional contributions at Arsenal but were dire after getting transferred, so the "good before, bad after" argument goes both ways.

Özil was a lazy, petulant bugger at Arsenal and he has to wear it. And he also played here under Emery and Arteta and underperformed. His sarcastic posts on social media about not getting picked were pathetic as well. A very unprofessional character.

Pepe LeFrits

Just saw Saka's goal. Absolute peach. Superb assist for the first too

Claudius

Pepe LeFrits he would’ve really cooked if smarter players were on the field. England lacked sharpness on counters

Burnwinter

Saka's the best English player but they still have to say "he’s progressing brilliantly" instead of just anointing him a star …

QuincyAbeyie

I mean, he does literally have star in his nickname. 😆

Burnwinter

QuincyAbeyie Okay, fair …

Claudius

Burnwinter
I agree about his character flaws. I just don’t think the environment helped.

Look at how Xhaka has gone from being a big annoying lug to a consistent contributor and leader on the field. Structure asks supporting fast matters.

Asterix

Went to the Socceroos friendly against Ecuador recently. Caicedo played in a more advanced role for Ecuador, and Estupinan in an attacking wing back role, or even higher quite often. Caicedo looks very tidy.

The Aussies have some really talented players coming through. Alex Robertson is highly regarded at Man City and looks very comfortable on the ball in tight spaces, which has been rare for Aussies. Garang Kuol scored (he was probably offside but shhh) and Nestory Irankunda didn't even get on - he could be a great player with the right career choices and a bit of luck.

Meatwad

Asterix

that Nestory Irankunda fella sure knows how to strike a ball.

Daz

Asterix Sounds like it was a good game and an encouraging performance Asterix. You planning to go to any of the Women's World Cup games mate?

Burnwinter

Under the same new broom that swept Xhaka to his renaissance, Özil's been supportively structured into a non Arsenal rubbish bin environment, which is good by me.

Özil has been a brilliant footballer, and on many days even an amazing player for us, but the big contract of 17–18 was a £50m write off. We would've been much better off just letting him go on a free that summer.

That was a terrible period for the club: re-signing this sclerotic wispy frog-man on massive wages, Wenger needing to be chivvied out the door like a demented uncle who won't stop pissing his own pants at Christmas, the entrée of bunga-bunga expert Raul Sanllehi, Emery hired in order to immediately fall out with Özil, Eggman Gazidis slinking off to Milan.

Thank God those days are behind us, but I only have capacity to forgive half the people involved, and for me Özil isn't one of them.

Asterix

Daz hey Daz - sure am. Sadly I couldn't get tickets to the opening Matildas game (took 54 minutes to get out of the FIFA Waiting Room site), but I snapped up the Homebush stadium pass which gets me two tickets to each of the Ro16, QF, SF and Final! Cost about $750 total for two tix which is great, considering you'd be hard pushed to get one ticket to the men's final for that price, and I get 4 games.

Qwiss

Why the hell did Lloris have to retire? No way he'd have made the saves Maignan did.

QuincyAbeyie

Qwiss I think Maignan would've been in goal in the WC as well tbf, but he was injured.

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