Your Ideal First XI: Page 2 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

Your Ideal First XI

Kel Varnsen

Ramsdale
White-Saliba-Gabriel-Zinchenko
Ødegaard-Partey-Rice
Saka-Trossard-Martinelli

Gazza M

Kel Varnsen agreed.

peak jesus is better than trossard, but we haven't seen peak jesus for a while

partey-rice-ode is my midfield of choice until havertz does what trossard has done and brings something to the table consistently

lorddulaarsenal

———————-Ramsdale
———Timber——-Saliba——-Kiwior
—————Partey————Rice
—Saka——Odegaard—Trossard—Nelson
—————-———-Jesus

Asterix

Who the hell knows - which is great!

I'd try to sneak one or two extra players on the field and hope no one notices.

Phil

-----------------Ramsdale
------White-------Saliba-------Gabriel
-------Timber-Partey-Rice-Zinchenko------Tierney
-----------Odegaard--------Trossard
--Saka-----------------------------------Martinelli
--------------------------Jesus

That's more like it.

Big Willie

Phil -----------------Ramsdale
------White-------Saliba-------Gabriel
-------Timber-Partey-Rice-Zinchenko------Tierney
-----------Odegaard--------Trossard
--Saka-----------------------------------Martinelli
--------------------------Jesus

That's more like it.

If you can manage to get refs to allow us to smuggle in an extra 3 players then that would be awesome. That team would destroy any in the history of football.

invisibleman18

Just play the 11 plus 3 subs from the start!

Big Willie

invisibleman18 Just play the 11 plus 3 subs from the

And Saka still wouldn't get any rest.

Lukazan

Trossard should start and will I reckon. He's been consistently great since his first appearance for us.

So good (and kind of a strange feeling as an Arsenal fan tbh) to have so many options and ways we can setup the team now.

banduan

We need to compete in every cup too. These guys will get games. It's the Hale End kids who'll suffer a bit from this.

Clrnc

So this thread was created purely based on pre-season showing and after the transfer windows some players are not here anymore/injured (Timber) or added (Raya)

But last night XI is probably the first time Arteta could field his strongest XI on paper or what he wanted to do? The only contention now is Partey at 6 with Rice moving to 8? Otherwise the team picks itself.

Gazza M

Clrnc I'd want to at least pilot rice, partey, ode. but I do get the sense arteta doesn't view that as his first choice midfield, tactically speaking. reckon it would make us even tougher defensively, if nothing else

MistaT

I think White vs Tomiyasu is still up for debate.

Tomi has been great, but I'm not sure his recent showing have been noticeably better than Ben White at his best. White's partnership with Saka last year was fantastic and we're just now seeing if Tomi can replicate that.

MistaT

I'm also curious to see what would happen if Partey started and Rice played as an 8.

In my mind that's a better team because I think Partey's quality (and Rice's) surpass what we've seen from Havertz. The question then becomes how do we get a second attacker into the box which is what we've asked of Havertz. Arteta has recognized Jesus' weaknesses and that our solo strikers can't compete against 2 CBs.

I don't think Martinelli can fade in easily because we have no width/overlap from Zinchenko. That seems to suggest the 8 is being asked to do that, and that Arteta for the most part doesn't think Trossard can do that. I've been a backer of Trossard at 8, but I will qualify that by saying I think it only makes sense in certain games (where we dominate possession, face teams with static midfields, etc.).

Burnwinter

Thing about "ideal" XIs is they presuppose good form and few injuries. If this group of players can deliver goal output over the next month, great.

I'm glad we have Trossard to cover a lot of these positions.

We clearly need to sign competitors for Jesus and either Saka or Martinelli, and start to jettison injury prone and fringe players who aren't going to make it over the next few windows (Nketiah, Partey, Nelson among them).

Cautiously speaking, to me Rice, Ode, Martinelli and Saka are a lock in this XI.

Not asking much, but we'll look great when Havertz and Jesus are just squad depth, and we've got an electric winger on one side or the other.

Clrnc

Burnwinter Cautiously speaking, to me Rice, Ode, Martinelli and Saka are a lock in this XI.

Gabriel and Saliba also surely?

Burnwinter

Clrnc Yes, sorry—I'm only thinking about the front six.

To me, regardless of the specific personnel, defence is currently sorted. We have great players on the pitch and Timber coming back in. I guess there's a question about the necessity (or the side) for the "Zinchenko role", but we have tremendous options and quality in the back four compared to most clubs.

Of course naturally we're still scouting lots of centre backs. It makes sense in a way, as a sign of maturity (despite the angst) would be to be able to sell off players at their peak after giving them the opportunity to mentor their successors in a world class team.

banduan

At this juncture I feel Mikel wants Kai to be the midfield battering ram.

vs Top teams

Raya
White, Saliba, Big Gabi, Tomi
Partey, Ode, Rice
Saka, Gabi M
Gabi J

Vs Others

Raya
White, Saliba, Big Gabi, Zinny
Rice, Ode, Kai
Saka, Gabi M
Gabi J

lorddulaarsenal

For the near term

————-———-Raya
—————Saliba———-Gabriel
—Partey/JT———Rice———-Tomiyasu/JT
—————Odegaard—-ESR
Saka————-Havertz———-Jesus/GM

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