Our Rivals Squad next year - Arsenal

Great to see Sanogo get amongst it.

And it's great to hear Campbell is not up for sale or loan, though I wonder if this means no other forward will be brought in.
 
Grinner said:
That would be a mistake. What if Giroud gets injured?
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I agree, though I think Sanchez will play games up front for us.

To be honest I'd love Campbell to get a decent chance this season, I'm really looking forward to seeing him play.
 
ShadesOfTomato said:
Think the dispute should be over whether Sanchez will do a Suarez/Aguero, or have the impact of a good but not world class footballer. Either way, he's a quality player.
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I think he'll be around Aguero's level of impact (Basically fantastic but not Ronaldo or Henry. #3 guy in the front 6 of a title-winning team) but end up playing wider.
 
This is oversimplifying it, but basically when Ramsey is healthy, I think they'll put up the amount of points you need to finish in 2nd place (2.2 points per game, roughly 84 points over 38), and when he's hurt, more like 4th or 5th place form (1.9 points a game, so 72 points).

I think they're a great bet for 2nd or 3rd place this year. Something like this:

1) Chelsea

2) Citeh
3) Arsenal

4) United
5) Liverpool

6) Everton/Spurs
 
Yep, that's the way I see it. I do think they can sustain a title challenge towards the end, but a lot will hinge on Ramsey's fitness, as well as Wenger's tactical nous in the big games.
 
Ramsey looked rather impressive in the Emirates Cup and he probably is Arsenal's best player currently. Is it just me or does it look like he has gotten pacier?
 
Looking forward to seeing Campbell, Gnabry and Bellerin get some gametime this season. Though I suspect Gnabry will go out on loan once he is fit again.
 
Joga Bonito said:
Ramsey looked rather impressive in the Emirates Cup and he probably is Arsenal's best player currently. Is it just me or does it look like he has gotten pacier?
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He was certainly a lot quicker last year than I ever remember him being. Stamina is incredible too so he was really everywhere until he got injured.

I just hope and pray that both he and Bale stay fit for the entire season because Wales would actually have a chance to qualify for Euro 2016 if they both play every match.
 
cesc's_mullet said:
Looking forward to seeing Campbell, Gnabry and Bellerin get some gametime this season. Though I suspect Gnabry will go out on loan once he is fit again.
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I hope he gets game time at a good side, maybe in the Bundesliga. He's an exciting young player and I hope he can stay fit and stake a claim for a first team place with us.
 
What front 6 do people think Wenger will settle on? Or does he platoon all year? He's always seemed more of a pro-active than re-active type, but that might be a mistake this year.

For me, there's Sanchez, Ozil and Ramsey who all have to start when healthy. The gap between those 3 and Arsenal's 4th best front 6 player is fairly massive. It should break down like this, barring any other signings:

Attacker #1
Sanchez-----Ozil-------Attacker #2
---------------Ramsey---------------
--------------DM----------------------

The 2 attackers come from Podolski/Cazorla/OxladeChamberlain/Walcott/Giroud/Sanogo/Wilshere
and the DM comes from Flamini/Arteta/Wilshere/Chambers/Diaby

Seems like the logical move might be to make a firm decision positionally on Wilshere and buy either a DM or an attacker based on where Wenger sees him long-term.

I'm a believer in big, physical strikers peaking fairly late, so I'd probably say Giroud and one of Oxlade-Chamberlain or Cazorla, as they are better overall players than Podolski or Walcott, who can always be brought one later in games, and then they buy a DM.
 
matherto said:
He was certainly a lot quicker last year than I ever remember him being. Stamina is incredible too so he was really everywhere until he got injured.

I just hope and pray that both he and Bale stay fit for the entire season because Wales would actually have a chance to qualify for Euro 2016 if they both play every match.
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Bale and Ramsey... :drool:
 
Wenger said himself he wants to utilise Sanchez as a striker.
Sure, he will be played on the wings as well at times, but definitely as a CF too.

----------Wojciech---------
Debuchy--Mert-Kos--Gibbs
-----------Flamini-----------
----Wilshere---Ramsey----
------------Ozil-------------
Walcott------------Cazorla
-----------Alexis------------
 
Essaux said:
Wenger said himself he wants to utilise Sanchez as a striker.
Sure, he will be played on the wings as well at times, but definitely as a CF too.

----------Wojciech---------
Debuchy--Mert-Kos--Gibbs
-----------Flamini-----------
----Wilshere---Ramsey----
------------Ozil-------------
Walcott------------Cazorla
-----------Alexis------------
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That line-up is unfair :(
 
Essaux said:
I never claimed anywhere that he isn't better on the flank than centrally.
But, some claim outright that he would fail miserably as a CF and I don't see any factual evidence to claim such a thing.
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Sanchez is a very inconsistent finisher. He misses quite a lot of simple chances, that was the main problem Barcelona fans had with him. He's a bit wasteful.

Top, top player and that's why he still scores a very decent amount of goals but I wouldn't exactly call him always reliable in front of goal and would say he'd be better in a wide position. He wouldn't be a failure as a CF though, just frustrating at times.
 
Eriksen said:
Sanchez is a very inconsistent finisher. He misses quite a lot of simple chances, that was the main problem Barcelona fans had with him. He's a bit wasteful.

Top, top player and that's why he still scores a very decent amount of goals but I wouldn't exactly call him always reliable in front of goal and would say he'd be better in a wide position. He wouldn't be a failure as a CF though, just frustrating at times.
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Well, considering you guys had to put up with Soldado firing blanks all season and a guy like Chadli, I suppose you know a lot about frustration caused by forwards. ;)

Let's wait and see what happens re: Sanchez.
 
Essaux said:
Well, considering you guys had to put up with Soldado firing blanks all season and a guy like Chadli, I suppose you know a lot about frustration caused by forwards. ;)

Let's wait and see what happens re: Sanchez.
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We do indeed, although Sanchez is a far better player than those two so he won't be anywhere near as bad.

I can't see Sanchez being anything but a success at Arsenal, he fits the PL perfectly and will be a main man. It was a bargain really.
 
Giroud might not be the deadliest striker around but having him in the team will bring out more from other players in the team and also give the team an additional dimension whilst providing more balance. He can be underrated at times here.

Sanchez should just be played on the left where he can utilize his dribbling, creativity and pace better while cutting in. Who better to hold the ball than Giroud with players like Sanchez/Walcott/Ramsey providing the runs behind the defense. With Giroud you get a player who is physical and can also provide an option for crosses with his aerial ability while also having the ability to hold up play when needed.

Having Sanchez play as a striker would mean more mobility and better utilizing of Ozil's defense-splitting balls, but when faced against a good defense with resolute centre backs, Sanchez would be better utilized on the flanks where his pace and trickery will shine while leaving Giroud to grind it out with the centre backs. Perhaps Sanchez should be used as a striker when playing against defenses with a high line.
 
^ Couldn't disagree more there, Giroud's numbers and performances in the big games have been beyond appalling.

I think we'll be significantly better, more fluid and less predictable if Sanchez or Theo lead the line. Giroud's top level is too infrequent and dependent on the rest of the team playing well. The main problem is the lack of height in the rest of the team if he's not there to defend set pieces.
 
ThierryHenry said:
^ Couldn't disagree more there, Giroud's numbers and performances in the big games have been beyond appalling.

I think we'll be significantly better, more fluid and less predictable if Sanchez or Theo lead the line. Giroud's top level is too infrequent and dependent on the rest of the team playing well. The main problem is the lack of height in the rest of the team if he's not there to defend set pieces.
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Two goals in 21 matches against the top 7, one of those goals being against Spurs.

A striker's main job is to score goals but yet when everyone talks about Giroud's good qualities its never about his goal scoring ability but all about his link up play and bringing others into the game, which isn't all that good to begin with. So many moves break down at his feet because of his poor touch and average ball control.

The best strikers can do all that Giroud is "supposed" to be good at and score goals as well. Why should we sacrifice one for the other when the other is the most important aspect of being a striker?

He is so painfully average and downright horrible in the big games it hurts. After the 2012-13 season I felt that if we are to win anything then we would have to upgrade the following players, not because they're poor players but if we can improve them then the players we bring in will be of the highest quality and we would then finally have decent bench options:

Scszezny
Arteta
Cazorla
Giroud

We've upgraded Cazorla with Ozil, Ospina has to prove himself good enough to become our number 1 and hopefully we buy a striker or Sanchez really is our number 1 striker.

Last part of the job is upgrading Arteta. I'd also buy a 1st choice defender to replace Mertesacker if possible as we compromise too much of our game to compensate for Per's weaknesses, dropping deep to cover his lack of pace. Mertesacker is good but if we want to be one of the best in the world, we need better, same with the Ozil buy, Cazorla is a good player but Ozil is that much better.
 
@Archie Leach

Neither can Giroud. I liked how we played when Theo led the line against Spurs last season, or even when Gervinho got a run up front.

You're probably right, I'm just fed up of watching him play.
 
ThierryHenry said:
^ Couldn't disagree more there, Giroud's numbers and performances in the big games have been beyond appalling.

I think we'll be significantly better, more fluid and less predictable if Sanchez or Theo lead the line. Giroud's top level is too infrequent and dependent on the rest of the team playing well. The main problem is the lack of height in the rest of the team if he's not there to defend set pieces.
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Like I've stated, Giroud is not the most deadliest/prolific striker around but in a good system he can be a good player. There was a reason why Giroud didn't play extremely well last season. I already made a post on that earlier.

Joga Bonito said:
The addition of Sanchez makes them more direct and pacy while solving a major problem they had last season. They genuinely lacked penetration and directness at times. With Walcott, Ramsey and Chamberlain facing the sidelines for a significant part of last season, they lacked players who could run in behind the defense and provide some much needed penetration and dynamism. The likes of Ozil, Wilshere, Rosicky, Cazorla and Arteta preferred to sit back and dictate from the deep. The lack of runners coupled with Giroud's immobility only compounded this problem. With Sanchez and Walcott on the wings, Ozil and Giroud are going to be utilized way better. Giroud can hold up play and bring in players more effectively only if players are willing to make the runs behind the defense. Ozil will naturally have more space and more options on the ball with Sanchez and Walcott stretching defenses. If they get a holding midfielder of genuine quality(not Khedira) as an upgrade over Flamini, they will possess an excellent team.

Saying all that, I am still not too convinced overly convinced by Arsenal as a team. They still seem to have this mental block and they lack the steel and grit(no Wilshere does not count;)) necessary for a title-winning team. Their team is brimming with technical players brimming with flair, but they lack real leaders on the pitch. When the going gets tough, they capitulate under pressure. Looking at that squad, I fail to recognise any players who can truly step up their game and take the game by the scruff of the neck when the going gets tough. By that I dont necessarily mean, a hard man but more determined and iron-willed players. Their capitulations last season were truly indicative of this. Against the lower teams, their quality shone but against the top teams their weak mentality was exposed. I still remember watching Wenger's 1000th game last season and all the hype precluding it. Mourinho came out before the game and said Wenger's has had his fair share of bad games and failed to even pay a compliment to him. Ex-players were all gushing in their praises for Arsene etc. I was truly expecting a competitive game and was actually rooting for Arsene given the respect I had for him. Arsene could finally beat Mourinho for once... What happened in the game was shambolic to say the least... Never had I felt such sympathy for an opposing manager given the special occasion that it was supposed to be...

Their injury record and Wenger's lack of tactical flexibility leaves a lot to be desired. I genuinely expect them to compete with Liverpool for the 4th spot. Maybe its time for Arsene to realise that its time and he should move on. I might be wrong and Arsenal could win the league but its highly unlikely.
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Giroud isn't crap he just doesn't have enough in the locker to lead the line at the highest level. He's a Dzeko level of player and will excel when he's not the entire focus of the team. 16 goals proves he can put them in.
 
I am happy to have Giroud and Sanogo in our squad. They're both different players and Sánchez is a completely different player too. We've essentially ensured that we have a plan A (Sánchez), B (Giroud chest pass and aerial route) and C ("Chaos theory" Sanogo).
 
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