Are Arsenal trying to emulate Chelsea’s title-winning formula?

Is this what Wenger is trying to do?

So there has been a lot of talk about the areas that Arsenal need strengthening. Ex players, pundits, and umpteen articles on here, point to a few particular areas that we need to strengthen, and most people agree …

In football sticker talk

Striker – Need
Midfield – Got
Wingers – Who have you got?
Full backs – Got
Centre backs – Half completed
Goal Keeper – Got

One of the main frustrations over the past few seasons has been when we have played round pegs in square holes. Yes, Aaron had a few great games on the wing, and playing on the wing did probably make Ozil a better Number 10 and (lol), playing Giroud as a striker has worked at times. But i think we need to focus on team balance and player responsibilities. Leicester are an anomaly, but if you look at Chelsea’s title winning team 2014/15 they followed a simple formulae (which to be honest, I see Mourinho rebuilding at Man United)

I think Wenger, in his own way, is basing his new team on that. I think the pundits, the fans, Mourinho’s ‘specialist in failure’ comment, are killing him, and in his own stubborn way he is TRYING to adapt. For all the talk about Xhaka being the new Viera or Toure, I see him rather as a Matic who can actually play football.

Chelsea front 6 2014/15:

Costa

Hazard Oscar Willian (Ramires)

Matic Fabregas (Mikel)

Which is effectively a slightly lob-sided 2-3-1, described as thus….

Goal Scorer

Magic Win, Run the game 10, Work hard wing

Enforcer who can play the ball, Magic Move starter

This type of team has a lot of balance. For bigger games (or to close out games) Jose did play Mikel or Ramires, and we do have those options. Actually, our current starting 11 in an non-injury zone isn’t a whole lot dissimilar.

To compare with what we have:

Giroud = Costa

Hazard = Sanchez. Oscar = Ozil .. Iwobi (Ramsey) = Willian (Ramires)

Xhaka = Matic Cazorla (Coq) = Fabregas (Mikel)

And then for all their faults we do have Jack, Elneny, Walcott, Welbeck eventually, and others add some serious depth.

Costa had a shocker for most of last year’s season but he was (although extremely hatable) very good for the 2 seasons before. Hazard also had a shocker but there’s no doubting he’s great. They were very lucky with Injuries in their title winning season but to compare:

Costa > Giroud
Hazard = Sanchez
Ozil > Oscar
Willian > Iwobi
Ramsey = Ramires
Xhaka > Matic
Cazorla = Fabregas ( My heart says Cazorla > Fabregas)
Coq > Mikel

If we could just upgrade Giroud and Iwobi (I love him but he isn’t ready YET), I think we would be in with a great shout of winning the Epl.

For value and availability (and because I don’t like the idea of buying EPL winning players) I would go for Chicharito and Mkhitaryan. Not because Chicharito > Costa in his prime but i think a combo of Giroud and Chicharito is the best we will get, and I don’t understand why he’s not on anyones transfer radar after a great season in Germany. Mahrez and Vardy would do a similar job.

PS in an ideal world I would get Ibra up top, because a) he’s hilarious and b) I think he would win us the league

Then obviously in defence we are solid, apart from Mert isn’t strong enough to start anymore – and Gabriel isn’t ready. There are a lot of great young CB’s about but I think we need a ready made article. My choices would be:

Varane (young but developed)
Benatia (Have a sneaking suspicion this is already wrapped up)
Ashley Williams (cheap easy option)

Over and out, and over to you!

G-unes

Tags Costa Matic Xhaka

11 Comments

  1. We need an upgrade on the manager too!

    See, anytime we speculate and dream about all these players/targets, deep down in my mind I ask myself;
    “Can Wenger win the
    league even with
    all these players”?
    I really dunno, because Wenger will not change his tactics,still favours some players, and many more that I don’t wanna say again….
    We need a transformed Wenger or an upgrade….

    1. We should sack Wenger and get LvG… and follow UTD into CL’less void?

      There are players in the team who wouldn’t be in the team if we didn’t spend a decade being a selling club, it takes more than a couple years to get rid of all that deadwood and it could take longer if the board decide they know who to sign better than Wenger, like how they bought Welbroke.

      Wengers tactic is to get the players intelligent enough that they can adapt to any situation in the moment and deal with things by teaching them to be better footballers and not just drill a set role into them. Part of the reason TH14 was as good as he was is due to the freedom he used to get, TH14 would have said the extra freedom was only there so he could do more for the team while Giroud gives the aura of delusion when given the same freedom. Don’t forget though that Giroud was bought before RvP left and was going to be nothing more than cover and Wenger has wanted a CF ever since… Well 12 months after losing RvP we bid for Suarez, 12 months after that we had Welbroke bought for us and Arsenal spent more than it ever had in a transfer window period, maybe the club told him he hasn’t got anything to spend? Wenger spoke to Xhaka and Xhaka is the one who told people that Wenger spoke to him 12 months ago… when Wenger said we didn’t need an outfield player he was trying to get an outfield player. Sounds like Wenger wanted a outfield player but couldn’t get one and Wenger doesn’t criticize his boss, look through his history.

      I wont argue and say that Wenger is perfect but there is more at fault than Wenger, us fans should be able to research the basics of the club we support and if fans did that then they would question the board and leadership of Arsenal… From the VERY TOP down.

      Why does the board say top 4 is the min they expect to the point that even the players know this… rather than saying 1 place higher than last season being the min they expect?

      It is easy to blame the manager when it is the players at fault, Jose lost his job and you can’t say his tactics was at fault when it was the players who just didn’t perform for him.

  2. Wenger would never emulate anyone s title winning formula.
    Chelsea won with physicality workrate and stamina.
    They had unity in both ends of the pitch everyone had the ability to score and defend.
    And above all was leadership.
    From defence to midfield to attack.

    Im not sure what wenger is trying to do.
    You rarely see the size of giroud acting as the lone striker.
    You rarely see players with the physicality of cazorla being put in cm.
    Or ramsey beibg on the wings.

    We would have a better chance of winning if our starting xi plays 90%of the games

    1. Exactly bro!

      Sturborness/arrogance that we will always play/win with our style…

      Last season Lei started with attacking football,but they always concede first, sometimes they had to come from 2goals down to draw like 5/6 games in a row…
      But later,they saw the weakness and played on the counter…

      If you look at our forwards bar Giroud,we can adopt that style in some games if not every game,but No..we are too rigid to change that, unless the players decide to..(Man.city game and ManU game in mind)…

      Buy all the players you want,if the team is not compact,strong,ruthless and clinical, forget the big trophies!

  3. Cazorla is an Arsenal player but definitely not better than Fabregas who is one of Arsenal’s successful graduates and3 has been performing being at the top level for decade now. Fabregas stated at Arsenal more than Cazorla will ever.

    1. I honestly dunno who is better BUT cazorla makes my team ahead of Cesc anytime!

      And it is not because he left or bcos he went to chelsea, I just love Cazorla’s all round games more….

  4. I think jack will have a good season where Aw won’t over play him but he will be first choice. He can hold up play then counter with pin point passing. Think the plan is for him to release the ball quicker not hold on to it a draw players on to him. Tben other games like Stoke AW won’t play him he will change it around big time. We need a winger well we have that in Walcott but he needs telling that’s his position now but he can still turn in with pace. We need a striker not vardy a younger player and a CB john stones would fit the bill nicely but will AW pay that much? He paid 18mill for chambers and look at him. We do need some squad players just to do a job and there are plenty out there with experience

  5. @GoonerBoy, I think we were the best team among the TOP 5 considering the result:

    V Leichester (WW)
    V Spuds. (DD)
    V City. (WD)
    V Man U (WL)

    I think there was a shift in playing style in some games, we actually lose the league in some few blunders (games) which we could have won easily with a bit more effort,

    Liverpool 3-3 should have 3-2 after leading until 88 minutes. (-2points)
    Vs a really poor and out of form swansea team we can easily take whole 3points but got carried away (-3points)
    Vs West brom one man cost us the whole 3points from a winning position and he was our captain (-3points).
    Against disastrous chelsea team we at least get a draw (-1point) and finally
    We have no reason to lose against school kids of man U, for me it was the game we lost the league 3points gifted away. (-3points).
    That’s 12 extra points which will take us to the summit with 2 clear points.
    So my verdict here is that we must make it tight to stand a chance for the title next season and that’s exactly what the article is suggesting.

  6. If Xhaka is going to be playing in the holding role for us then he will not be the new Vieira or Yaya Toure, I would put money on him being the new Gilberto Silva.

    That guy wasn’t shy of putting in a tackle.
    He got forward often enough to score some goals for us, in 170 games he scored 17.
    Can pick out a pass to start the attack.
    Tall
    Strong

    I can say all that about Xhaka as well, well apart from playing 170 games 😛

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