Arsenal in crisis

[Blitzballer]

at the tour de France earlier

 

[Cornish Piskie]

Get on your bike, Arsene..?

 

[Stevencc]

"No timeframe" on Cazorla's return from fresh injury amid reports he will not play for Arsenal again.*

Shame for Arsenal, excellent player and one who could offer something different from deep.

*I don't know why I wrote that in headline form.

 

[JimJams]

If Diaby could get new terms constantly throughout his career, I'm confident lil Santi can.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

Any idea what the deal is with Jack Wilshere for the coming season? Another loan next season (where would he go?), or to be given another look at Arsenal? If his hairline fracture heals on time (yeah I know) he should play some part in pre-season and be able to sort a season out for himself somewhere. Not suggestion we'd take him again, but he could do a job for someone if Arsenal don't want him.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

He should go abroad.

 

[Stevencc]

He strikes me as a Majorca, Benidorm or Tenerife type of person.

 

[Pagnell]

Arsenal will not sell forward Alexis Sanchez, 28, or midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 23, to a title rival, even though the pair are heading into the final year of their contracts.

Wouldn't they have to be title contenders for that to make sense?

 

[Benji]

Don't worry, it doesn't rule Liverpool out.

 

[Pagnell]

Didn't you know? We're going to win the fucking league.

 

[JimJams]

I'm sure that's copyrighted.

 

[SALTIRE]

Didn't you know? We're going to win the fucking league.

*if Keita and VVD sign.

 

[Pagnell]

*and we buy a decent keeper.

 

[SALTIRE]

*and we buy a decent keeper.

No need to. Money can be better spent elsewhere.

 

[Storzy]

Hello old friend.

 

[Benji]

Sell and release everyone. I think Neville was right when he said most of the players could only play for worse clubs than Arsenal. Welbeck should go to the Championship.

 

[JimJams]

Theres a reason Man Utd, in a transitional period, were happy to let him go.
Wenger is long past it.

 

[Storzy]

The most frustrating thing about Welbeck right now, is that there are better players on the bench!

Walcott and Giroud are better goal scorers, while Iwobi is more creative.

Yet we're stuck playing Welbz because he runs around a lot???

 

[Pagnell]

I remember laughing at Arsenal buying "Welbz". Its even more funny now.

 

[Stevencc]

I posted this in the match day thread but it's probably more appropriate in here.

 

[Storzy]

I doubt that is a life long Arsenal fan as he claim.

 

[Pagnell]

Carragher absolutely scathing, calling the Arsenal players cowards. Henry didn't seem too happy about that.

 

[Benji]

I believe it. I've been an Arsenal fan for 100 years, and now I've had enough and decided to support Seattle Sounders.

 

[Stevencc]

If not he's spent two years on a football forum pretending to be a lifelong Arsenal fan which would be a strange thing to do.

It's probably just an emotional over-reaction but it's still hilarious.

 

[SALTIRE]

Carragher absolutely scathing, calling the Arsenal players cowards. Henry didn't seem too happy about that.

Its harsh but its true.

 

[Storzy]

If not he's spent two years on a football forum pretending to be a lifelong Arsenal fan which would be a strange thing to do.

Peope pretend all sorts of shit online. That they're a lifelong super fan of a certain club, probably doesn't even scratch the surface.

 

[JimJams]

So does this end the 3 at the back experiment?
Really dont understand why hes persevering with it when he doesnt have the players fit to actually execute it.

 

[Storzy]

I don't think our problems were ever with the formation or 4 at the back. Defensively we are a mess with players constantly pushing too high up the pitch. Regardless of the formation.

Still with a better midfield, these problems wouldn't be quite so obivious.

Apparently Wenger wants Wilshere to go, which I would understand if it wasn't for fact that Xhaka has helped create nearly half the goals we've conceaded this season.

 

[JimJams]

Yeah but when you turn fullbacks into wingbacks they may not know how far forward they're meant to play. Equally putting a winger at wingback may mean you have a player unsure of his duties going back. Having Monreal at the back is also a recipe for disaster against anyone with an inkling of pace.
The lineup today consisted of 2 cb's and 2 fullbacks, one left one right. Yet the right back played left wingback and the rightback played centreback.
Why not play them in their respective positions in a back 4?
Surely then at least they are all well versed in their duties.

 

[Storzy]

Yeah but when you turn fullbacks into wingbacks they may not know how far forward they're meant to play. Equally putting a winger at wingback may mean you have a player unsure of his duties going back. Having Monreal at the back is also a recipe for disaster against anyone with an inkling of pace.
The lineup today consisted of 2 cb's and 2 fullbacks, one left one right. Yet the right back played left wingback and the rightback played centreback.
Why not play them in their respective positions in a back 4?
Surely then at least they are all well versed in their duties.

We did got to a back 4 and we were still shit. My comments above are true for a 4-3-3 formation as well.

The problems run much deeper than formations do. I've tried to come up with what my ideal starting line up today would be and whatever I choose, it still looks shit. That tells me how badly we fucked ourselves with a poor transfer window.

EDIT: Out of interest, what team would you have played today JimJams?