Summer 2015 Special: How do we Improve Arsenal?

Giroud needs to be our "Dzeko" if we want to win this league. We really cannot continue to rely on him like we have

Don't think signing Milner would have any bearing on Welbz's future. Signing Milner would probably have more to do with the vacancies we could have in midfield if Flamini, Diaby, Arteta and Rosicky leave. He could also help on the flanks if Walcott goes but it wouldn't be a direct replacement as a winger, if that's what you're getting at.

And I'm not sure what you mean by Dzeko. As in, he should be second choice to a far better striker like Aguero? Sure, if you can find one without bankrupting us, bring him in. Or in terms of Dzeko's quality? Because Giroud is the player Dzeko should be right now.

Basically but I wouldn't even take it that far. Dzeko played a massive role in City's league titles. But he didn't necessarily need to play in order for the team to play well. He could start, come off the bench, change the teams shape and style of play, etc. would always provide a real boost but didn't necessarily "need" to play. Right now I feel like Giroud needs to play or we don't look like scoring ever.

Anyways since its may I might as well fantasize

Reus--------Gotze------Sanchez

------Ozil----------Ramsey------

----------Kondogbia-------------

Gibbs---Mert----Kos----Bellerin

--------------Cech---------------

Bench: Giroud, Cazorla, Gabriel, Welbeck, Coq, Debuchy, Ospina

Pls Wenger

El Gunner wrote:Lol Higuain isn't much of an improvement on Giroud.

Maybe not much, but he surely is one step above Giroud...

Can't see how people want to keep Wellbeck, dude cost you 20+ milion and he is rubbish. If you buy a striker you'll have Giroud+striker + sanchez who can play there. Why would you need him?

Goals haven't been a problem this year, though.

We've played 52 games this season so far, and have only failed to score in six of them. Altogether, we've scored 100 goals, so we nearly average two goals per game. That we also have the biggest spread of goalscorers out of anybody suggests that, in most circumstances, we do find a way of scoring.

Arsenal do play better with Giroud, but that's because Giroud makes other players look better and has become the focal point of the attack. We struggled without him, but that may be because Alexis, at the time, was the only goalscorer in the team; Ramsey and Walcott were missing at that time, too, don't forget.

So I don't see replacing Giroud as something we need to do. If there's an issue scoring at times, I find that it's mostly down to a lack of tempo and intensity to our approach play, and that starts right from the back with slow passes out of defence, and the two midfielders in the pivot not taking enough responsibility in getting on the ball and dictating games. Mertesacker and Cazorla were certainly culpable of that in the recent game against Swansea.

Maybe we should sign Hummels and Verratti.

I really hate Marallas, he destroyed Ryo's career.

*bleep* POS hope someone breaks his leg.

As if Ryo had an career to begin with lol.

Dunno how you guys are planning on getting Kondogbia when he's already planned to stay with Niang as flat-mate

GoonerJay29 wrote:Goals haven't been a problem this year, though.

We've played 52 games this season so far, and have only failed to score in six of them. Altogether, we've scored 100 goals, so we nearly average two goals per game. That we also have the biggest spread of goalscorers out of anybody suggests that, in most circumstances, we do find a way of scoring.

Arsenal do play better with Giroud, but that's because Giroud makes other players look better and has become the focal point of the attack. We struggled without him, but that may be because Alexis, at the time, was the only goalscorer in the team; Ramsey and Walcott were missing at that time, too, don't forget.

So I don't see replacing Giroud as something we need to do. If there's an issue scoring at times, I find that it's mostly down to a lack of tempo and intensity to our approach play, and that starts right from the back with slow passes out of defence, and the two midfielders in the pivot not taking enough responsibility in getting on the ball and dictating games. Mertesacker and Cazorla were certainly culpable of that in the recent game against Swansea.

Maybe we should sign Hummels and Verratti.

I think goals are absolutely a problem. Despite the numbers of goals we scored, watching the games even against lowly opposition we struggle to score and convert chances. We can dominate a team, outplay them the entire game and have a significant majority on possession and only win 1-0. Yeah that happens to a lot of teams but happens way too much with us. This shows especially when we play stronger opposition, where we don't significantly out possess a team, and can't afford to be wasteful, we generally lose those games.

We just cannot win the champions league as currently constructed. Not even close tbh. We've had our share of bad first legs, but so have other teams like bayern or barca or madrid or other teams that have won the CL recently, they've come back and ripped teams open and advanced. We can't do that, one bad result and it's over because we can't score enough to come back, we just aren't that dynamic.

I'm all for improving the defense but I fail to see any defender on the planet that we can sign that will solidify this teams defense enough so that our offense will be enough to carry us to win the premier league, champions league, etc

I'm going to bore you with more numbers here, since they don't really lie in this situation.

There has only been six games that we didn't score in: both leagues games against Chelsea, the recent home game against Swansea, Southampton away, Borussia Dortmund away and Besiktas away. And out of those six, only the Swansea game was lost because of wasteful finishing.

Then when you look at the games we lost but still scored in, only the Man United defeat was one where our finishing was wasteful. In the other defeats against Stoke, Swansea (away) and Spurs, it was our defence that let us down. We conceded seven goals in those three games.

So I just don't see how goalscoring is an issue here. We don't blitz teams 4-0 or 5-0 very often, but then, not many teams in Europe do. We've scored two or more goals 35 times this season, out of 53 games. That includes games against City and Liverpool.

We just cannot win the champions league as currently constructed. Not even close tbh. We've had our share of bad first legs, but so have other teams like bayern or barca or madrid or other teams that have won the CL recently, they've come back and ripped teams open and advanced. We can't do that, one bad result and it's over because we can't score enough to come back, we just aren't that dynamic.

IIRC, no team in history has overturned a 2-0 deficit in a Champions knockout game. The fact that we couldn't go to Monaco and score three, or go to Munich and score three, seems to be less to do with how dynamic we were attack and more to do with leaving ourselves too much to do.

I'm not sure how far we are from competing in the Champions League, but surely a good place to start would be to stop conceding so many goals in the first legs of games so that we can go into the second leg in a stronger position.

And even as I type this, Madrid have just failed to score more than one goal and overturn a bad result from a first leg.

tbh I look at Barcelona last two seasons ( not current one) and saw their massive struggle also against PTB team even with Messi in the team. Most of the teams would find it hard to break down the bus, it's not an easy task. And by break down the bus, I mean winning against them, not just scoring 1 goal against them since we have a habit to leak goals out of frustration.

See some similarity, slow ass passing from the back to the midfield to forwards and by the time the ball got there, the plane already landed. Also like us while controlling major possession, they had 2 or 3 real chances per game at most, wouldn't you say that's useless possession ?

What they doing differently now and what we should do imo

- More vertical play, a lots more, quick ones at that, take some risks with long balls, quick touches. Sure we have 5 CM in the middle but they're all good passers and should be able to do it.

- Have that explosive players which could either hug the wings or ready to take on & punish players ( cough cough 40M +1). We have one in Sanchez but I want one more to balance him out on other side. So many times this season, Ramsey got in good position in opponents final third on the wing, and couldn't do much other than passing back to Bellerin or all the way back to Coq or Santi. Not a dig at Ramsey but if i'm a defender, I would feel a lots more assured against Ramsey instead of Sanchez or Suarez. How do find that player? I have no idea, I haven't played PES, Fifa in 10 years

I agree with GoonerJay. Even if you consider that we do have a scoring problem, Giroud himself is not the problem. The problem is we are too slow moving the ball in defense and midfield and always allow the opposition to reset their defense. We need to be a bit more direct at times, take risks and get people into the box.

I also agree that we should be playing someone with more pace on RW. Ox is that ideal player as he has the pace but also the workrate to track back and defend.

El Gunner wrote:Lol Higuain isn't much of an improvement on Giroud.

I don't understand this argument, he didn't say Higuain was better or anything... even if he is or isn't it's irrelevant. Giroud alone is not good enough to win us the league. If we sell Walcott I don't understand why we SHOULDN'T sign him. No better striker of that profile is and hasn't been available in recent times.

Would love to see Higuain join and FWIW I think we could win the league with Giroud and additions elsewhere (DM, GK)

but a striker of Higuain's caliber surely shouldn't be playing in the Europa League for 2 seasons straight, should get picked up by a CL club.

BUT, I wouldn't think it would bode well for Welbeck. And before anyone says his position is out on the wings, imagine the vagi when he left United for more chances up front and then we perma-shunt him out wide lol.

still thankful Flo upped the price and we pulled out of the deal tbh

Sina wrote:still thankful Flo upped the price and we pulled out of the deal tbh

You thankful we signed Yaya Sanogo instead

If we had Higuain instead of tired Giroud in the 2nd half of last season, we might have won the league.

MJ wrote:Would love to see Higuain join and FWIW I think we could win the league with Giroud and additions elsewhere (DM, GK)

but a striker of Higuain's caliber surely shouldn't be playing in the Europa League for 2 seasons straight, should get picked up by a CL club.

BUT, I wouldn't think it would bode well for Welbeck. And before anyone says his position is out on the wings, imagine the vagi when he left United for more chances up front and then we perma-shunt him out wide lol.

Meh I don't care about his feelings, same with Walcott. Welbeck is great as a winger and should embrace his versatility, that said he's a good option as a CF aswell and has proved so in the last two years so I'm glad to have him.

Imagine having Higuain/Giroud/Welbeck to select up front, that's the kind of depth we have everywhere but GK/CF and DM.

3 players we need to complete our squad Cech, Schneiderlin and Higuain. Then it depends on Wenger on how he utilises his team, he would have the options to play any kind of formation, have injuries and still a strong and in the case of everything going well a world class team.

We can still buy Higuain now if we want. But doubt it.

I don't think Wenger sees the need to a new striker. The only strikers he will go all out will be Benzema, Suarez, Aguero and Reus.

3 are unattainable, 4th a dream.

Giroud is good enough to take us to 2nd. But I do think we have to rely on teh likes of Sanchez, Ozil n Ramsey to win us the league.

As far as Welbeck's concerned, I think he was more bothered about playing in defensive roles than anything. At least with us, he's playing there as an alternative attacking option that Wenger wants in the side to compliment his other attacking players. And it's a role he does well, for both club and country.

Whenever Wenger talks about signing a striker nowadays, he always mentions wanting someone that can play across the frontline so he has the option of playing that striker with Giroud without having to drop that third midfielder. Alexis and Welbeck are ideal for this, since all three can play at once. Higuain, though, can only play through the middle, so it'd be either him or Giroud in the side. A couple of years ago, the choice would have unquestionably been Higuain, but Giroud has improved so much that the choice isn't so easy anymore.

As far as I see it, if Giroud is the number one for the position we need a striker capable of getting goals coming off the bench - we basically need our own Kevin Gameiro. I've a feeling Wenger wants Walcott to be that guy, but his future is in doubt, and beyond him the likes of Welbeck and Sanogo aren't prolific enough; you just can't see them scoring 10-15 goals in a season. I don't think we'd need to spend the sort of money it'd take to land Higuain to get that sort of player. We should be looking to spend the big money on a keeper and midfielder.

But if a striker of that ability did arrive, I'd welcome it

dont Like his style of play+Ozil wouldnt have happened then

Re Welbeck would still like to see how he improves next season after having full pre season here but still prob wont get enough chances in #9 role

Sina wrote:dont Like his style of play+Ozil wouldnt have happened then

Re Welbeck would still like to see how he improves next season after having full pre season here but still prob wont get enough chances in #9 role

Not a chance of him being the striker, not good enough at the position. Also he has awful finishing.

silver wrote:

I also agree that we should be playing someone with more pace on RW. Ox is that ideal player as he has the pace but also the workrate to track back and defend.

What good does it do to have so much pace on the wings when they always end up waiting for Giroud to get down the pitch? On both sides now with whomever we have out there they run past the initial defense on the wings, just not far enough to cut into the center then end up passing back and waiting for help in the center to get down the pitch. Unfortunately it seems as though every defender in the league is faster then Giroud so the help ends up being defensive help.

Have to say, the last two games have me re-considering my stance on our central midfield.

Coquelin's limitations are well known. Defensively he's excellent, but he doesn't offer enough on the ball, so in games where we're struggling to play out the back or are dominant he becomes a bit of a passenger.

Cazorla has all the ability to play in CM but in the last two games he's shirked the responsibility as the side's playmaker. Didn't seem to want to get involved against Swansea or United. It makes me wonder if he truly has the stomach to play that role in the bigger games, because he's struggled to replicate that performance against City.

Against the weaker sides it works because they're afforded more room in midfield, but against the better sides where the spine of the team really needs to perform, they've been found a bit wanting.

Maybe now Ramsey should move back into CM, and we need a holding midfielder who's comfortable on the ball and doesn't become a passenger when he has less defensive work to do.

We need someone like De Rossi. Hard to find players like him.

But agreed on that CM thing.

Maybe we can try and deploy Ramsey-Wilshere in the last 2 games. Won't give us many answers since Sunderland and WBA won't pose much threat. But something to consider.

Kondogbia/Witsel might have to become priorities though

RealGunner wrote:We need someone like De Rossi. Hard to find players like him.

But agreed on that CM thing.

Maybe we can try and deploy Ramsey-Wilshere in the last 2 games. Won't give us many answers since Sunderland and WBA won't pose much threat. But something to consider.

Kondogbia/Witsel might have to become priorities though

what???? we tried it already for a sustained period of time and it didnt work, come on rg you must remember...