Charlie Nicholas' Arsenal XI for next season
www1.skysports.com/football/news/12090/940657...
www1.skysports.comPosted Aug 9, 2014, 8:03 PM UTC
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www1.skysports.comR.I.P Defence
25
Ah the old Walcott-Wilshere-Mertesacker combination on the right side. So top teams going in dry this year then, Charlie?
19
Theo really stepped up his defensive game last year when he played. Jack would obviously be taking on more defensive responsibility if he was playing along side Rambo. Wouldn't be so bad.
8
Jack would obviously be taking on more defensive responsibility
Jack would obviously be asked to take on more defensive responsibility if he was playing alongside Ramsey. Knowing him, it wouldn't happen, he'd still try to dribble forward when he had the chance. When he did stay back, he'd give away a lot of fouls, and get carded a lot as opponents saw him as the weak link and tried to blow past him to get at Mertesacker.
3
Pretty safe bet. We do have to wait and see if Sanchez can play up front. If he can, I'd say we throw in Chamberlain.
0†
Walcott and Santi on the wings, Alexis up top.
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-1
And a striker instead of Giroud
3
Stop trying to make the Jack-Rambo pivot happen.
Both are very mediocre at defending.
-2†
Since when is Ramsey mediocre at defending?
34
I half-agree. He is good at the all-action stuff like tackles and pressuring but he isn't especially positionally intelligent like Arteta, who does most of the 'invisible' defending so that Ramsey can hustle.
21
Jack would have to be the one that developed into the more positionally stable role. Ramsey is much more effective at spotting the deep run to find himself in a goal scoring position. That might change if we find ourself using more pace in the starting XI, though. Walcott and Ramsey didn't overlap in play much last year but when Walcott was in the side, Ramsey often swapped his forward runs for balls over the top. So, if we use someone like Sanchez upfront with the ox or theo on the side then the double pivot of Ramsey-Wilshere might be a bit more stable.
5
His engine and workrate covers his positioning. He likes to find himself up the field, but he tracks runners and knows how to get back into position. One or the other for most defensive players imo. Super super athletic.
1
His engine and workrate covers his positioning.
In his capacity as a box-to-box player, yes. But I don't think he'd be able to shine in the same situations as a DM, where charging around isn't sufficient and the player needs foresight in predicting opposition moves.
7
Ramsey is great at defending... for his role. As a box to box midfielder, he's great at fulfilling his defensive duties. That being said. When you throw both Wilshere and Ramsey into the centre midfield role, then, as a whole, their defending leaves much to be desired.
8
Can fully agree with that.
2
since his positioning wasn't great? for the millionth time, tackles/interceptions mean very little. if you're in the right defensive position, the opponents are going to avoid where you are and not give you opportunities to make tackles/interceptions.
Maldini said it as well. but i'm sure r/gunners knows better. they've played fifa since like..fifa 11.
1
Not great positioning + 5 tackles/game doesn't equal mediocre defending for me.
if you've played fifa since earlier than 11 you are obviously superior to me, so excuse my ignorance.
1
Ramsey's not, Wilshere is. Bar Arteta, Ramsey had the most tackles in our team(66) despite being out for 3 months and while he was not injured(December) had the most tackles in the league. Ramsey is a vastly underrated in defense.
7
Its not just tackles. Its interceptions in midfield, cutting out passing lanes, man marking, effective marking when out numbered. Those situations occur more often in a game than you'd ever have to make a tackle. Ramsey and Wilshere are nowhere near as good at that as Arteta is. That's why he still gets a start in the team, although with aging legs, it'll get harder and harder to perform those tasks well.
7
I did say bar arteta in my other response and I wasn't mentioning him in the 4-3-3 suggested. He isn't a DM but his defensive contribution as a box to box isn't 'mediocre'
2
ramsey is pretty good i think, but jack falls over if someone farts in his direction so i cant imagine him protecting the back four in the slightest
-4
This is the only way Wilshere will start regularly
Woj
Debuchy Mertesacker Koscielny Gibbs
Arteta
Ramsey Wilshere
Ozil Alexis Theo
-2†
Putting Ozil out on the right is quite possibly the worst tactical decision we could make.
29
He never said that this is what we should do, he simply said that would be the only hypothetical way that they could start together.
13
Wilshere replacing Arteta is a far, FAR more sound tactical lineup than taking our most influential creator and isolating him on the wing.
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Since when was Ozil poor on the wing? I'd rather have this than a midfield which would lose 6-0 in all the big games and play like we did vs Aston Villa at home, where Wilshere-Ramsey was used.
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I didn't say we should do it, I meant that it is the best possible team that incorporates Wilshere and Ramsey. I don't think Ozil on the right would be that bad since he often drifts there during matches and most of the match he can just come inside a la Cazorla.
5
I'd have to disagree mostly because one of his strengths is being in the middle and then drifting out. It either forces space in the middle as a center middie drifts out to mark him or gives him a 2v1 with our wingers. It's one of his signature traits that doesn't work as well when he starts out wide because he has a man marker.
3
I didn't say we should do it, I meant that it is the best possible team that incorporates Wilshere and Ramsey.
As I said in reply to another commenter: replacing Arteta with Wilshere is far more tactically sound than taking our most influential creator and isolating him out on the wing.
-1
I like this one more than the OP, especially if we bring in a DM to replace Arteta, but switch where Özil and Theo are.
Actually, I was thinking the other day that, with Wenger's penchant for forgoing a traditional winger on one side, it wouldn't be surprising if one of the wingers dropped to midfield and we played similarly to how Wenger's early teams played with a 4-2-3-1/4-4-2 that transtioned to a 4-3-3 as Parlour dropped into midfield and Overmars pushed on from the opposite side.
Something like this:
Woj
Debuchy Per Kosc Gibbs
Carvalho
Wilshere Ramsey
|
Theo Özil |
V
Alexis
This is similar to how Wenger's first Arsenal team 18 years ago played. Ramsey could more than cover that flank as well as play his normal role, as a more technical version or Ray Parlour say.
6
You could be onto something here. Was a bit sceptical on first inspection of the line-up but you make some great points. Sounds pretty Arsene, tbh
2
I think it would take a 4-4-2 Diamond rather than a 4-3-3 to incorporate Wilshere and not lose Ozil at the center.
Szczesny
Debuchy Mertesacker Koscielny Gibbs
Arteta
Ramsey Wilshere
Ozil
Walcott/Alexis Giroud
Just some notes:
Ramsey and Wilshere. In this case, both Ramsey and Wilshere play similar box-to-box roles of charging forward when the opportunity rises. Both have to play further apart to provide the formation some width, Arteta covers the hole between them defensively.
Ozil & his "horizontal drifting." One of Ozil's greatest strengths is his tendency to drift from the center to either flank, pulling away the defenders away from the center. This is allows either Ramsey or Wilshere to bomb forward into the space Ozil creates. As to who charges forward from deep depends on which flank Ozil's drifted to. If Ozil goes to the left, Wilshere charges forward. If Ozil goes to the right, Ramsey charges forward.
The fullbacks. Honestly, this area is the largest vulnerability in this formation as both Debuchy and Gibbs bear massive offensive and defensive responsibilities. Depending on which flank, Wilshere or Ramsey will have to provide the first layer of defensive cover for Gibbs and Debuchy, as not to overload them flanks.
Theo/Alexis/Giroud. Alexis might be the answer to Giroud's prayers. We saw towards the end of last season that Giroud's performance improved when partnered with someone up top. Depending on the opponent, we can be very flexible in terms of our attacking options. If playing a possession based playing style, we can have Giroud pair with either Alexis or Walcott. When playing more direct and counter-attack, a pacey partnership of Theo & Alexis will tear through high defensive lines.
4
No width at all and fast countering 4-3-3s would run through us. 4-4-2 diamond isn't happening.
1
Agreed. Don't think we can play Wilshere and Rambo with Giroud up front. Giroud does fuck all defending. Need Sanchez to run back and break up plays.
3
Giroud does fuck all defending because he's one against several. As soon as we lose the ball we tend to have our flanks drop back, which we did relatively well last year, when certain players are in. Wilshere and Ramsey could work eventually, because they're both smart enough to figure it out, but it will take time. I think its something we'll find out through our (hopefully no longer) inevitable injury crisis.
2
I would much rather have Sanogo instead of Giroud ..
-17
So the striker that is yet to score in 14 competitive appearances over the one who grabbed 22 goals and 12 assists and is the outlet/creator for much of our play in the box.
12
No, but you see, Sanogo scored four OK goals in the Emirates Cup.
9
8 premier legue assists constitutes 'main creator in the box' to you? Jesus.
1
Maybe he thinks Sanogo looks like the better player?
1
This is so fucking stupid.
7
both can only score tap ins and Sanogo is younger. Why not?
-1
Good but if we really want to win we have to use this lineup..