FWIW, Wenger was asked in the post-match TV interview about why he picked Ospina, and he specifically said "I see the players in training every day" and other words to that effect.
Arsenal 2016-17: Get Ready For A Xhak-attack
- Thread starter sachmoney
- Start date
In what parallel universe is Arsene Wenger one of the most lauded tacticians in the game? I mean, I agree with the general thrust of your post, but tactical nous is way, way down on the list of Wenger's admirable qualities, past and/or present.
I wouldn't go that far. But I'd love to hear his rationale for playing Ox game after game, when he offers so painfully little on the pitch.
I also think the idea of Wenger as one of the most lauded tacticians in the game is 10-15 years out of date.
Please forgive me. Not being a fan of your club, I'm poorly qualified to make the case for Wenger. Out of date information is a hazard.
That said, none of you corrected the much more egregious mistakes of that shitty, shitty post, leaving me to question just what the fuck is going on. And while you might have a specific question about the use of a specific player - that's a pretty far cry from the drivel posted earlier. I would think you - or another of the more rational posters in this thread - would have addressed that lunacy well before I got a chance to display my out-of-date knowledge.
FWIW, I'll guess he's trying to establish some value for "Ox" so that the disappointing guy can be sold in January. Getting him some run maybe makes him look good to some suitor, which increases the chances he can ship the guy out. I mean - you can completely bury players who don't perform, but then you have trouble selling them on. But if you play them in some early season matches, as part of the squad rotation, the chances of getting a decent return go up - no?
Choosing Ospina isn't that strange to me - it's a combination of Cech needing rest and Ospina needing some consideration. I'm hopeful he'll look better when Mustafi and Kos get on the same page.
Sticking with Coq and Ox as regulars is maddening, especially with guys like Xhaka and Elneny on the bench. These are depth players that you'd expect to see rotated in for midweek cup games and fixture congestion, not the Champions League opener. Maybe they're winning in training, but they've looked terrible in games, and the team improves on the pitch when they're subbed out. I don't think it's unreasonable to wonder why they keep getting run.
I'm off on a ramble now, but Wenger's success with Arsenal was largely built on his then-revolutionary training techniques (stop smoking! eat right!) and his use of statistical analysis to find diamond-in-the-rough type players or to convert them to other, more suitable positions. The rest of the top managers have since caught up with those changes and moved past them, and been able to adapt tactically and technically - which Wenger hasn't done. As has been said above, he was never a great tactician - it's that his other skills in getting the most out of players was far past his competition for at least a couple of years. The scouting network has been surpassed.
Seeing players like Ox, Walcott, Wilshere, Ramsey, etc. either constantly injured or falling well short of potential is frustrating. Seeing the same mistakes - mostly defensively - year in and out is difficult. Sticking with Arteta and Flamini well past their sell-by date was tough to swallow. I'll forgive Wenger for the likes of Marouane Chamakh, et al for the fact that he carried the club through building the Emirates while keeping it competitive.
I look at someone like SAF who constantly moved forward and changed his philosophy - in part due to the kick in the ass Wenger gave him! - and wish Wenger was as adaptable or forward-thinking (granted, SAF was also willing to spend far more).
I liken this Dolphins fans watching Don Shula or Redskins fans with Joe Gibbs toward the end. Tough to let go of the legend, but the game seemed to have passed them by.
There's also a wage structure issue at Arsenal where a lot of these players aren't sold because their wages are more than any potential buying clubs would be willing to match. It's why a lot of the players we'd usually see sold outright have gone out on loan (Campbell, Woj, I'd bet Wilshere would have been sold but for his pay).
Sticking with Coq and Ox as regulars is maddening, especially with guys like Xhaka and Elneny on the bench. These are depth players that you'd expect to see rotated in for midweek cup games and fixture congestion, not the Champions League opener. Maybe they're winning in training, but they've looked terrible in games, and the team improves on the pitch when they're subbed out. I don't think it's unreasonable to wonder why they keep getting run.
I'm off on a ramble now, but Wenger's success with Arsenal was largely built on his then-revolutionary training techniques (stop smoking! eat right!) and his use of statistical analysis to find diamond-in-the-rough type players or to convert them to other, more suitable positions. The rest of the top managers have since caught up with those changes and moved past them, and been able to adapt tactically and technically - which Wenger hasn't done. As has been said above, he was never a great tactician - it's that his other skills in getting the most out of players was far past his competition for at least a couple of years. The scouting network has been surpassed.
Seeing players like Ox, Walcott, Wilshere, Ramsey, etc. either constantly injured or falling well short of potential is frustrating. Seeing the same mistakes - mostly defensively - year in and out is difficult. Sticking with Arteta and Flamini well past their sell-by date was tough to swallow. I'll forgive Wenger for the likes of Marouane Chamakh, et al for the fact that he carried the club through building the Emirates while keeping it competitive.
I look at someone like SAF who constantly moved forward and changed his philosophy - in part due to the kick in the ass Wenger gave him! - and wish Wenger was as adaptable or forward-thinking (granted, SAF was also willing to spend far more).
I liken this Dolphins fans watching Don Shula or Redskins fans with Joe Gibbs toward the end. Tough to let go of the legend, but the game seemed to have passed them by.
There's also a wage structure issue at Arsenal where a lot of these players aren't sold because their wages are more than any potential buying clubs would be willing to match. It's why a lot of the players we'd usually see sold outright have gone out on loan (Campbell, Woj, I'd bet Wilshere would have been sold but for his pay).
I'm not really looking to police this thread. I agree that it wasn't a good post.
Regarding Ox, I don't think resale value has much to do with it. My suspicion is that Wenger just has so much invested in Ox from a personal standpoint - he likes him a lot, has spent years trying to develop him, and probably is prone to overemphasizing his good qualities (ideal physical traits) and deemphasizing his poor ones (terrible football IQ) in order to rationalize giving him chance after chance. He may also believe that the only chance Arsenal has of becoming a truly elite team is if everything clicks for players like Ox and Ramsey and they fulfill the potential he has seen in them. The problem is that these players are really dragging the team down when they play and both lack qualities - composure on the ball, tactical savvy, football IQ - that players tend to either possess or not by their age. They aren't prospects any more. They are at the age where they should be the finished article, in the case of Ramsey, or, in the case of Ox, at least shone more production. Ox is 23 and has never scored more than 2 league goals in a season. I can't think of a forward who had produced so little before his 23rd birthday and truly broke out afterward.
IMO, there is a good chance that we'll look back in 3-4 years and consider Wenger's decision to stubbornly give chances to Ox while selling Serge Gnabry - a player with twice the actual footballing talent - as a massive WTF.
Last edited:
Does Wenger love Ox's ability to run? Playing him in big away matches (Leicester and PSG) Wegner sees him wearing down teams then subbing him for a more talented offensive player to attack the wore down defense.
Not saying I agree with the strategy just looking at where Wenger is coming from with his decisions.
Not saying I agree with the strategy just looking at where Wenger is coming from with his decisions.
Oof, my bad for posting quickly and not writing well enough.
So, to clarify, as I fancy myself a thoughtful fan (though my original post didn't do much of anything to indicate that):
- I am dead certain that Wenger has reasons for his line-ups, hence my desire to hear them. Wenger is, I believe, a brilliant man. So I want to know why he's doing what he's doing, considering the off-season moves and personnel options. FYI I don't think he's a "moron". Poor writing on my part to even imply that.
- It's obvious that he sees stuff every day that we don't, hence I give total deference to that knowledge. Who has knocks, which players gave petulant responses to coaching, all those insights are influential I presume. Deference given to those.
Those things said, and again in the interest of clarity, I would like to know the following:
- why the continual use of Coquelin in a role he's not suited (or talented enough) for, playing forward and in a more creative role, when there's been evidence that this isn't a good fit for him?
- what is going on with Xhaka's integration with the club, and can we expect him to play a more integral role soon? Or is he injured (even mildly), and is that why he hasn't been given a more prominent role? Squad rotation conservatism doesn't really explain his limited time so far.
- Ditto, in the obverse, for Oxlade-Chamberlain. His "promise" seems universally acknowledged, but he isn't fulfilling it. (and it can't be that he's playing to boost value; he's being played because Wenger thinks he will excel, contribute)
- Based on the performances, why does Wenger think that Sanchez is better suited as a center forward than playing on the flank, and why does he think Sanchez is better suited to playing in the center than Giroud?
These are not game-specific questions from last night (though last night shined a light on them), they are general questions I would genuinely like to know more about, and for which I suspect our manager, if he were so inclined, could provide excellent and thoughtful answers.
Hope that clarifies things, and I'll be more self-critical in the future before posting.
Good post.
I think Wenger's greatest skills are in identifying cheap undervalued players and in getting his teams to play consistently hard for him. Both have been essential to his ability to make top 4 year after year, often while spending significantly less than other teams at the top on transfer fees and wages.
But in my view he is not a particularly good tactician, he has the stubborn attachment to a certain way of doing things typical of most older managers who have succeeded a lot in the past (a la Shula and Gibbs), he is far too conservative in the transfer market, and he plays favorites too much with his team selection. I actually think all of this could also be said about SAF near the end (09-13 basically), but he had much more talent on his teams, his club spent a lot more, and he was an even better man manager so many of his growing deficiencies were obscured.
Matches where we play against teams led by the younger, more tactically progressive managers really tend to show up our deficiencies. Think of all the matches played in the last few years against Pochettino at Soton and Spurs, Koeman at Soton, Klopp at Dortmund and Liverpool, Jardim at Monaco, and now Emery at PSG. We have had the more talented team more often than not in these matches but I can only think of maybe 1-2 in which we actually were clearly on top. We may still have gotten results at times (1-0 @ BvB, the "win" at Monaco, a last minute 1-0 win at the Emirates in Wenger's first game against Koeman's Soton, a "good point" yesterday at PSG). But overall we have been poor and the results on balance show it. Wenger hasn't beaten Pochettino in his last five matches, he hasn't beaten Koeman in his last three matches, etc.
Wenger moving on constitutes a big downside risk, especially in the current hypercompetitive atmosphere of the Premier League. Many possible successors would have much lower floors and be more likely to fall out of the top four. But I think a balanced assessment suggests that he is also a drag on the upside potential of the club. I would probably trade him for any of the younger managers mentioned above - Pochettino, Koeman, Klopp, Emery, even maybe Jardim.
Last edited:
One of the problems with Ox is that he doesn't really play like this. He is fast but he doesn't make that many runs behind the defense at all. When Walcott is not involved in our play, at least he is making threatening runs behind and giving the defense something to worry about. Ox has a midfielder's mentality in a winger's body, but without the tactical sense to actually be a useful midfielder. He always wants to drop back and get on the ball, he doesn't make good runs into space, and when he gets on the ball he doesn't have the polish to do anything truly threatening with it.
Honestly, I think Ox's potential once lay in the midfield as a CM where he could look to attack the defense and then give the ball off to someone who knows what to do with it.
But I think that time has passed him by. The guy has been at Arsenal since he was what, 16 or 17 years old? He hasn't improved one iota from when he was bought from Southampton. That should be very troubling for any Arsenal fan to realize.
Other than Hector Bellerin and Aaron Ramsey, the recent track record (basically the last decade?) from both the academy and simply guys bought very young (15-18 range) has been POOR.
But I think that time has passed him by. The guy has been at Arsenal since he was what, 16 or 17 years old? He hasn't improved one iota from when he was bought from Southampton. That should be very troubling for any Arsenal fan to realize.
Other than Hector Bellerin and Aaron Ramsey, the recent track record (basically the last decade?) from both the academy and simply guys bought very young (15-18 range) has been POOR.
Ramsey's trajectory has, since his 13-14 season, been flat or even somewhat downward - this as he enters his prime years. That's been troubling to me. While injuries and/or muddled role definition are certain factors in this, this still raises a question about Wenger's determination to place people in certain roles, regardless of history.
Ramsey suffers from Ozil's presence on that front, but he hasn't been able to productively adapt to the outside. Does Ramsey's future at Arsenal partially rest on Ozil's contract negotiations?
Eh. Ramsey's big problem is that he's just a shade below being true-top-club #10 quality (the attacking-mid Giroud), and Arsne signed Ozil for that job. He's really, really mis-cast in the B2B role, and while he's not optimal for RW there are plenty of moments where he's shown his natural class from that position. I don't think you'd be saying such things if he was getting most of his Arsenal run in Ozil's spot.
I agree with this in part. I wouldn't say he is "really, really miscast" in the B2B role so much as not tactically mature enough (so far) for that position. At club level at least, he has never been good as a 10. He put in some truly awful performances in that role early in his career. His best football by far, which was basically the spring of the 12-13 season and the fall of the 13-14 season, was playing in the B2B role alongside Arteta as the holder. In theory, he has a lot of the qualities you'd like from a B2B player - decent enough technique, massive engine, the ability to make late runs into the box and provide a very troubling threat to a settled defense. But he he really needs to improve his decision making (ie, when to make those charges forward and when to retain his position and keep the shape, when to keep it simple in possession rather than try one of his stupid flicks) and he also needs to play alongside a DM who is both a holder, thereby covering for his forays upfield, and the passing fulcrum of the team in possession. Wenger potentially solved the second problem by buying Xhaka and I still think, for better or for worse, that his ideal plan is to see if a Ramsey-Xhaka CM partnership can work. But Ramsey himself will have to solve the first problem and I'm not sure he is really capable of doing it - he clearly loves the heroball aspect of being a goal scoring midfielder and I don't know whether he truly has it within him to play a more tactically astute and conservative game.
Really good discussion going on at the moment.
I think the Wenger/Gibbs and Wenger/Shula comparisons are spot on, and ought to help better explain to American non-Arsenal fans why it's perfectly reasonable for Arsenal fans to be frustrated with Wenger to the point of feeling a parting of the ways might be a risk worth taking. I wholeheartedly endorse Hube's first post on this page and MMS's response.
The fact that the above paragraph is almost certainly not true is another gripe many Arsenal fans have with Wenger - he says his transfer budget is limited, and yet he fails to sell on players not at the center of the squad who could be sold for reasonable prices. The mini-uptick in Walcott's form shouldn't disguise the fact that he absolutely should have been sold this past summer for a good price to increase the funds available for other players. The Ox and Ramsey are two other players who in the past year or two could have been sold for major money based on their promise for other teams and their incompatibility with Arsenal's style of play; yeah, it would have been sad to see them go and possibly, but by no means definitely, develop their potential with other clubs, but that's what ruthless managers do. Do you know how many players Arsene Wenger has voluntarily sold for eight figures (£) this decade? Two: Vermaelen to Barcelona in 2014 (£15m), and Song to Barcelona, 2012 (£15m). (He also sold Van Persie, Fabregas and Nasri for more money, but they were cornerstone players he badly wanted to keep.) For a club whose budget is apparently not unlimited, Wenger needs to be selling the right players at the right times as well as buying them.
I think the Wenger/Gibbs and Wenger/Shula comparisons are spot on, and ought to help better explain to American non-Arsenal fans why it's perfectly reasonable for Arsenal fans to be frustrated with Wenger to the point of feeling a parting of the ways might be a risk worth taking. I wholeheartedly endorse Hube's first post on this page and MMS's response.
I think Wenger mentioned it earlier in the transfer season, but the salaries guys make in the EPL is a lot higher than most other leagues. It's hard to sell these guys with those salaries in place. So you end up stuck with mid level players who are too expensive for teams outside the EPL to buy. Sure the biggest clubs could afford to pay them, but they're not interested in expensive mid level player either. I think that is why you see all these loans of players Arsenal would rather sell, and them eating some of the salary in the loans. This could be why they got comparatively little for Gnabry as well.
All true, but are you suggesting that no other mid-level English clubs would have gone in for Walcott, Ramsey or the Ox? Even now they might be sellable for decent fees, albeit a ways off their peak value. And other English clubs certainly are able to sell their players on occasion when required.
It's interesting that so many of Wenger's biggest sales have been to so few clubs - in particular, Wenger seems to have Barcelona (Vermaelen, Song, Fabregas, Hleb, Henry, Overmars, Petit) and Manchester City (Nasri, Adebayor, Toure, to a lesser extent Clichy) on speed dial. I'm not sure that means anything, and some of these were clearly unwilling sales, but it does make me at least pause to wonder if this reflects at all poorly on Wenger's reluctance or inability to drive as hard a bargain as a seller as he clearly tries to as a buyer.
While its true the PL salaries have ballooned outrageously in recent times, it is also true that Arsene overpaid many of these players he can't shift off now BEFORE they'd ever earned the pay bump.
Look what happened with Bacary Sagna. The guy was a loyal soldier for the club forever. An absolute rock at RB. They hemmed and hawed and didnt offer him fair wages TWO YEARS before his contract was to come due. In that same time they extended and gave raises to Walcott, Gibbs, Wilshere and Ramsey, none of whom had accomplished anything at Arsenal yet.
Look at BENDTNER. Arsene gave him a weekly wage FAR exceeding his talent level and failed for what... 3-4 years to shift him out?
Some of it is simply England pays more in wages but Arsene deserves a fair share of the blame too.
Arseblog posts interview exposition by Wenger on Xhaka sitting and the recurrence of the Coq/Cazorla pairing. It goes mostly to familiarity (at the moment), experience, and Xhaka getting used to the English game. Reasonable response, but the performances aren't really displaying the benefits of that familiarity -- rather they show (pretty glarinigly) the shortcomings of Coquelin.
The more suprising takeaway from the interview is that Wenger views Xhaka as a B2B midfielder, and not as a deeper playmaker. Has Xhaka been deployed as B2B midfielder in the past, to those who might know more or who saw him play in Germany? I understood him to be someone who came forward on occasion, but who was best at distributing from deep -- not as a B2B-type.
Is this another attempt to have player to play a role they aren't used to playing? Is Wenger looking for another Ramsey-type for redundancy in that role, considering that player's health record?
The more suprising takeaway from the interview is that Wenger views Xhaka as a B2B midfielder, and not as a deeper playmaker. Has Xhaka been deployed as B2B midfielder in the past, to those who might know more or who saw him play in Germany? I understood him to be someone who came forward on occasion, but who was best at distributing from deep -- not as a B2B-type.
Is this another attempt to have player to play a role they aren't used to playing? Is Wenger looking for another Ramsey-type for redundancy in that role, considering that player's health record?
I think Wenger just uses these terms a little differently than others. When he says that Xhaka is a box to box player, he is saying that he has the skill set and engine to contribute in different areas of the pitch. I don't think he is saying that Xhaka cannot be the deepest midfielder or is only a functional replacement for a player like Ramsey or Cazorla. He has already paired Xhaka with Cazorla once (when we played our best football of the season, at Watford) and I think he is very interested to pair him with Ramsey as well.
I believe Wenger saw the Southampton (a bogie team for us recently) and PSG (a huge European match away) games as particularly critical and tricky for us given how we started the season, saw that Cazorla was in great form, and decided to go with the Cazorla/Coq pairing because they had a ton of experience playing together and represented the safest possible selection.
Wenger has played Coquelin a lot so far but his past behavior still suggests that he doesn't really rate him.
I believe Wenger saw the Southampton (a bogie team for us recently) and PSG (a huge European match away) games as particularly critical and tricky for us given how we started the season, saw that Cazorla was in great form, and decided to go with the Cazorla/Coq pairing because they had a ton of experience playing together and represented the safest possible selection.
Wenger has played Coquelin a lot so far but his past behavior still suggests that he doesn't really rate him.
"Coquelin and Cazorla have worked well together. But [Xhaka] will play games. Every week he’s stronger and better, and he will have a huge impact as a player."
This line in particular leads me to think that Coquelin's time will dwindle. I very much hope we see Xhaka and Cazorla paired tomorrow.
This line in particular leads me to think that Coquelin's time will dwindle. I very much hope we see Xhaka and Cazorla paired tomorrow.
LOL so much for that, midre.
Coq starts, Xhaka doesnt.
Arsene is so past his sell by date its laughable.
Coq starts, Xhaka doesnt.
Arsene is so past his sell by date its laughable.
At this point, I'm convinced Wenger is doing it to spite Arsenal fans. Dafuq with Alexis as a striker again, did Giroud fuck his daughter?
Well, so much for my prognostication. I don't really get it. This isn't squad rotation, since rotation would involve, uh, actual rotation.
My guess on the squad choice today is that it has something to do with the fact that they have a match Tuesday, then a match against Chelsea, followed by the champions league game against Basel, each game within 4 days of one another. Wenger likely has squads picked out for the more important matches. Hull City at home is certainly a match you can put out the B team for.
Hull fans proved themselves to be among the dimmest group of people on planet earth in that half with their chants.
At least two golden opportunities by the wayside today (Ozil in tight, the weak penalty).
Coquelin, to my eyes (and besides one terrible giveaway) has been more than ok. This game really should be over by now. Wasteful.
Coquelin, to my eyes (and besides one terrible giveaway) has been more than ok. This game really should be over by now. Wasteful.
Arsenal has quietly put together a nice little streak of results. (Shhhhh...)
Something did occur to me earlier this evening in the context of Arsenal's League Cup lineups and the likelihood that a lot of our new boys would be getting a run out: Wenger seems to be one of the most cautious managers with regard to new players adapting to the speed of English football. We always hear him talking about how it takes players a certain number of months before they're fully up to speed, and it's largely for that reason that a player as good as Xhaka might spend a full 90 minutes on the pitch away to Nottingham Forest tonight. My question is this: is that a self-fulfilling prophecy? I don't often hear other managers talk like Wenger does on this subject, and it certainly seems like many non-British players adapt pretty quickly to life in the Premiership. So what do you think - is Wenger right to be so cautious? Has he always been overly protective? Or is this perhaps something that used to be more true than it is now?
Something did occur to me earlier this evening in the context of Arsenal's League Cup lineups and the likelihood that a lot of our new boys would be getting a run out: Wenger seems to be one of the most cautious managers with regard to new players adapting to the speed of English football. We always hear him talking about how it takes players a certain number of months before they're fully up to speed, and it's largely for that reason that a player as good as Xhaka might spend a full 90 minutes on the pitch away to Nottingham Forest tonight. My question is this: is that a self-fulfilling prophecy? I don't often hear other managers talk like Wenger does on this subject, and it certainly seems like many non-British players adapt pretty quickly to life in the Premiership. So what do you think - is Wenger right to be so cautious? Has he always been overly protective? Or is this perhaps something that used to be more true than it is now?
Has Xhaka looked anything but confident almost to the point of overconfidence since he's hit the field for Arsenal? I don't know about other players but xhaka for sure doesn't seem to need the kid gloves.
I do wonder.. How much faster is EPL versus Olympic or World Cup play? Other leagues?
If it's true to any extent I'd have to bet on it trending more true for smaller players or attackers who are used to operating in wider space. I don't really think it's particularly true - it may be a factor, but class rises.
It's only the League Cup against Forest but Perez looked like a boss today. Nice pass to Akpom to draw the penalty, converts the penalty, scores another goal virtually from nothing, then deftly puts Ox through for the fourth. I hope he is given every opportunity to displace Theo from the starting XI as he has much more in his locker, especially with the ball at his feet.
Conq and Walcott in, with Alexis alone up top, again today. This performance is unquestionably a referendum on this lineup as the first team.
Walcott is playing like he did against United last year. This game reminds me of the April match against Liverpool. So far so good.
Mea culpa, the conversion to center forward of Sanchez is working, and (until the injury) the Cazorla/Coquelin pairing looked very good. Walcott working hard on the wing is one of the biggest factors this season, it's really fun to watch him come back to play defense and make a difference all over the field. I hope it keeps up.
Xhaka stepped in well when Coquelin went down. Wonder what happens when Ramsey gets healthy, is he just a rotational player (I don't think Wenger sees him this way, at all)? Who does he spell in the middle and what will that do to the team, or does he just move outside? This is an intriguing pending event, Ramsey's return.
Xhaka stepped in well when Coquelin went down. Wonder what happens when Ramsey gets healthy, is he just a rotational player (I don't think Wenger sees him this way, at all)? Who does he spell in the middle and what will that do to the team, or does he just move outside? This is an intriguing pending event, Ramsey's return.
The 1st and 3rd goals were pretty much entirely down to shit defense and laziness by Chelsea.
Arsenal played extremely well overall and could've should've had a few more goals but yeah
Half of that last clause is only true because Walcott actually played well enough, with the ball at his feet no less, to be in position for a couple of those could've should'ves. He didn't finish, sure, but we ARE seeing improvement in form.
As far as the referendum goes, to be totally cynical it may have worked out best for both the manager and the fans. Walcott, Iwobi, and Alexis all made arguments for their selection and placement, even Conq continued to look OK in the face of an unimpressive Kante/Cesc tandem through the middle, but the latter's injury will force Wenger to see how Xhaka looks with the full first team in extended minutes.
That was one of the most enjoyable Arsenal matches of recent years. Three thoughts:
You can't say enough about Alex Iwobi. From what I can gather, nobody within the organization really rated him that highly as a youth player. He didn't have standout technique, or size, or pace and he never produced a lot of goals or assists. He got a courtesy look in a couple England youth teams, as do a lot of players at top clubs, but didn't really impress as an international either. But he kept progressing through the ranks and it turns out that his best attributes - football intelligence, speed of thought, movement without the ball - were ones that really only would come out fully when given the opportunity to play with other players on that wavelength. Its hard to believe he is only 20-years-old as he looks perfectly comfortable intuitively combining with class players like Ozil, Cazorla, and Sanchez. He is basically everything Oxlade-Chamberlain is not.
This current formation is also getting the best out of Walcott. I think the bottom line with Theo is that he is a highly limited player with a couple really great attributes. He is still fast as hell. He is fantastic at making runs behind the defense. And over the course of his career he has been pretty good (last year notwithstanding) at finishing with his right foot and crossing from the right when put through and looking to pick a pass. What he can't do: Dribble past a man in tight spaces, face the defense and create, cross or shoot with his left foot. Last year he was asked to play like Alexis - on the left, taking a more focal role int he offense - after Alexis got hurt and it was a disaster. With the current setup, he is just asked to do what he does well.
Finally, Mustafi and Koscielny may become our best CB pairing in a very long while. I think that pairing also opens up some more tactical possibilities for Wenger. To play the kind of high pressing game we did against Chelsea, you need CBs who are pretty fast and comfortable playing a somewhat helter skelter game where they'll have to really aggressively track opposing forwards coming back to the ball and where they'll be isolated in space quite a bit and need to hold up. Mertasacker would have been a complete disaster in that kind of match. But Koscielny and Mustafi looked comfortable in that setting and bossed Costa all match. Koscielny in particular was superb.
You can't say enough about Alex Iwobi. From what I can gather, nobody within the organization really rated him that highly as a youth player. He didn't have standout technique, or size, or pace and he never produced a lot of goals or assists. He got a courtesy look in a couple England youth teams, as do a lot of players at top clubs, but didn't really impress as an international either. But he kept progressing through the ranks and it turns out that his best attributes - football intelligence, speed of thought, movement without the ball - were ones that really only would come out fully when given the opportunity to play with other players on that wavelength. Its hard to believe he is only 20-years-old as he looks perfectly comfortable intuitively combining with class players like Ozil, Cazorla, and Sanchez. He is basically everything Oxlade-Chamberlain is not.
This current formation is also getting the best out of Walcott. I think the bottom line with Theo is that he is a highly limited player with a couple really great attributes. He is still fast as hell. He is fantastic at making runs behind the defense. And over the course of his career he has been pretty good (last year notwithstanding) at finishing with his right foot and crossing from the right when put through and looking to pick a pass. What he can't do: Dribble past a man in tight spaces, face the defense and create, cross or shoot with his left foot. Last year he was asked to play like Alexis - on the left, taking a more focal role int he offense - after Alexis got hurt and it was a disaster. With the current setup, he is just asked to do what he does well.
Finally, Mustafi and Koscielny may become our best CB pairing in a very long while. I think that pairing also opens up some more tactical possibilities for Wenger. To play the kind of high pressing game we did against Chelsea, you need CBs who are pretty fast and comfortable playing a somewhat helter skelter game where they'll have to really aggressively track opposing forwards coming back to the ball and where they'll be isolated in space quite a bit and need to hold up. Mertasacker would have been a complete disaster in that kind of match. But Koscielny and Mustafi looked comfortable in that setting and bossed Costa all match. Koscielny in particular was superb.