WWJD?

Stanley Steamer

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While watching the first half of Arsenal-Man U today, I was quickly aware that a familiar script was being followed. The Gunners were playing at home, against a hated rival that they have struggled to beat, yet was weakened and ripe for the picking. They dominated the early proceedings, but couldn't put the ball in the net. Wilshere's miss was particularly glaring. It just seemed clear to me that things weren't going to end well. I went to watch my son's hockey game, and came back to find that, sure enough, they lost, and in miserable fashion to boot.
I don't mean to turn this into a thread about whether Wenger should be sacked, but I asked myself, what would Jose do, if he was in charge of Arsenal?
They have some well documented weaknesses in their squad, particularly in defense and CDM, but this is otherwise a talented team. Part of the question is tied into reinforcing the squad appropriately (while making references to little horses). Perhaps the more interesting question is what Jose would do this year with what they have. Would he set them up in a different shape? Who would he sit, and who would he favor?
And what methods would he employ to correct this team's fragile psyche?
This is obviously a loaded question, and may not be well received. But indulge me, if you will, Arsenal fans, and if you root for another team that needs help, WWJD for you?
 

Luis Taint

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He'd buy a center back and CDM, and not let Nacho Monreal on the field. I also suspect he'd tell Jack Wilshire to fuck off and put Ozil where he belongs. Lastly, he'd have made a run at Fabergas, and not try and be cute.
 

Billy R Ford

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Like Luis Taint said, he'd buy a defensive midfielder. In fact, Chelsea faced this same problem a year ago. Mourinho fixed it by buying Nemanja Matic.
 
Luis Taint said:
I also suspect he'd tell Jack Wilshire to fuck off and put Ozil where he belongs.
 
No doubt. Ozil flourished playing for Mourinho.
 

soxfan121

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Ignoring the transfer market - because that's the simplest fucking answer "he'd buy someone" - Jose would have set expectations in his first press conference. He'd have talked about how recent years had been unkind to the roster and that the talent on hand was good, with some talented players but flawed. Lineup-formation, he'd have installed Flamini as holding defensive mid and told him to never venture past the halfway line under penalty of death. He would have found the best academy defender and begun training that kid up to backstop Mertesacker & Koscielny. He have made Chambers his full time RB and given him the Ivanovic film library to study. He'd have bitched constantly about the situation at LB and grudingly used Monreal over Gibbs, but he'd hate them both for being shoddy defenders and only gone with Monreal because he's a touch better defensively. He'd use Ramsey and Ozil centrally, with Chamberlain and Sanchez wide and Giroud up front. He'd eventually decide he hates one of those guys for not playing enough defense and he'd have Clockwork Orange'd Wilshere with videos of Paul Scholes.
 
And then, when the results are about the same - because it's the talent, not the coach - he'd complain about the lack of investment and lower expectations instead of insisting he had enough and could challenge. That's really the only difference - Jose would lower expectations, play to the cranky, impatient Arsenal fan by feeding their assumptions about the talent level of the team. "Little horses" and all that. 
 
So...psychology? I mean, the roster is what it is. There's some world-class players but none in the defense and the midfielders don't seem to give a shit about helping. So that's the one thing I could definitely see being different between JM and AW - JM would be shitting on Ramsey and Wilshere for their disinterest in being complete players. And then he'd ship them out and replace them with mids who track back and give effort in their own half. 
 
Because the problem isn't coaching. It's the players.
 

coremiller

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Tactically, Jose would be much less reliant on the fullbacks for width. He would keep the fullbacks home more to support the centerbacks defensively. As a result, he would probably play Ox (or Walcott, if healthy) as a true right winger, not as a pacey attacking mid who drifts inside. He would generally play much deeper, and use Ozil to instigate pacey counters. And he would bench anyone who doesn't properly track back and keep the defensive shape, especially when ahead.
 

Stanley Steamer

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Yeah, I tend to agree that refusing to track back and play defensively would mean you're out of the team. It's interesting to see how Oscar and Hazard have adjusted their playing styles slightly in this regard.
I think your comments end up alluding to the psychology employed, SF, but I suspect with a bit of time, the results might improve. The players who refuse to buy in are left out, while those who do might help the team grind out results in games like yesterday's. Resetting fans' expectations is part of the process. I think most Gunner fans would be willing to sacrifice some eye-catching soccer for solidity and consistency right about now. And selling Monreal and Wilshere can happen after.