All new UCL 24/25: Page 74 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

All new UCL 24/25

daredevil

My pessimism is rooted in the feeling that the necessary attacking reinforcements aren't coming. Despite the injuries, our attack looked tired and laboured this season and is in a desperate need for a new dimension. The Saka-Odegaard axis is running out of steam and needs an equally dangerous duo on the opposite side to ease the pressure and workload.

If we're going into next season with Martinelli, Trossard and Havertz as the other half, then our attacking struggles will continue and I can't see Saka and Odegaard pulling us to success. Our pursuit of a project striker with average numbers is highly disappointing especially as he looks like being once again our main attacking target.

We need to make a big creative and forward purchase to give the team the uplift it needs but we're going after Sesko again FFS. A player who is all potential right now. While in the wide positions we are linked with no one and appear to need to sell before we can buy. It's just not looking good brevs. January fucking broke me, lol.

flobaba

If we are arming up for the next campaign, the goal should be Zubi, Sesko and Gyokeres, Morgan Rogers or another midfield goal and assist threat, AND a quality left winger.

That’s ambition. That’s a statement of intent. That’s how you ensure you go into a season ready to fight till end of May, and not end of March/April.

RowJimmy

flobaba Let's hope we don't get both Sesko and Gyokeres rather than either of them and an LW threat.

SimplyThePest

lorddulaarsenal is this a gee up, Dules? How does one buy into this 'phase' stuff when no one (at least publicly) has any idea what each 'phase' is or constitutes?

MistaT

RowJimmy — in what world is a highly competitive individual, as damn near all top players are, going to come and compete against two other strikers (Havertz and Sesko/Gyokeres).

There’s no chance in hell of signing both.

flobaba

That would be my preference as well, if it has to be one or the other. However if we are going "Hulk Smash" like Arteta has signaled to the board, we would address ALL our issues with 5 key signings. And it still leaves room for incorporating our young players (Nwanners, Dowman)

JazzG

A Spanish manager who loves his forward players to do the defensive work....

Coombs

JazzG and yet, plays the most exciting attacking football in the game.

Meatwad

JazzG
and score 33 goals in 49 games. i'm sure kolo muani would have been a top defensive striker for PSG as well.

JazzG

Coombs That is what happens when you back these Spanish managers with near unlimited funds.

Big Willie

Coombs and yet, plays the most exciting attacking football in the game.

Exactly. Go back to that Guardiola Barca team. Their football was so boring to me, it's just that he had Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets and Messi who were in the end able to find that final ball.

Enrique came in and played a more direct style and attacked with much more pace and power. Even back then Enrique's football with Barca is more what I'd consider to be serious attacking football than Guardiola's despite both winning trebles with Barca.

Kind of similar to how Flick has changed Barca again from their possession based wear the opposition down style under the Xavi and made them so much more direct and as a result potent in attack with effectively the same team.

JazzG

Meatwad Of course, my point is some on here moan that our players have to defend too much and Enrique has just won the treble making the same demands of his players. Helps of course he has a much better front three compared to us.

QuincyAbeyie

JazzG is your opinion that PSG's frontline generally defends as much as ours based on stats, watching them or because of that Enrique quote and Dembele having a deeper role than usual in the final?

daredevil

QuincyAbeyie
There are no stats AFAIK which tracks how many defensive recoveries attackers make across Europe. What we do know is Arteta is not unique in asking his attackers to defend and the leading managers all share this requirement.

This is Enrique demanding that Mbappe supports the team across all defensive aspects.

This is Alonso setting the standard from Day 1.

JazzG

QuincyAbeyie Based on watching them. Seen them play 6/7 times now and impressed with how hard the midfield and front three work.

Enrique also worked hard to get Mbappe to press and work for the team, as you can see from this clip

awooga83

QuincyAbeyie yeah I thought the post was more in jest because they may well pull some defensive weight but they absolutely deliver with goals which is a big differentiator from any of our forwards. If anything it just reinforces that the goal scoring element is crucial otherwise the defensive mentality won't get you to big honours.

Big Willie

JazzG i know French and Spanish have some similarities but found it funny Enrique speaking in full Spanish and expecting Mbappe to understand whilst in France than trying to speak French instead.

JazzG

Big Willie Maybe he was helping Mbappe improve his Spanish before he left 😉 I'm sure Mbappe was probably learning Spanish a couple years before joining, speaks good English as well.

I had no idea what language they were speaking but an interesting point that he spoke to him in Spanish.

daredevil

awooga83

Why would it be in jest?

I think people are missing the point here. The defensive workrate is a prerequisite and a foundation upon which the attacking fluidity is built.

Did anyone see how hard Kvaratskhelia was working to run back and tackle at 4-0 up? How about when he was tackling Salah and Saka on the edge of his own box?

A reasonable critique is what our attackers do when they have the ball and not how hard they work defensively.

QuincyAbeyie

daredevil do you think the question of attackers working defensively is a binary one, or that there are degrees of how much defensive work can be required?

I think the latter. If you agree and is just being very firm on our exact balance being the ideal one, then fair enough. If you're open to the idea that this might not be the case, then I don't think anyone has missed the point.

awooga83

daredevil I meant in jest about using it as a means to say Arsenal are on the right track because it's not that they might not do defensive work but they do the critical aspect of being a forward by scoring a lot of goals not just hardworking defensive work because that isn't going to win you honours.

daredevil

QuincyAbeyie

Of course, there's degrees but there's no data to support our attackers do more recovery defending than other top teams, so the criticism is baseless.

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