Warning signs were exploited, despite dramatic win. by Konstantin Mitov
Alright, label me negative all day long, but what I was crying out for all summer was brutally exposed by Leicester! We started the game with 2 left back and a young CB as our back 3 and you all saw how every counter Leicester made was a mini heart attack or a goal in our net.
We had the whole summer to prepare for this. And we didn’t. It’s one thing when you put Holding next to a WC winner and Koscielny and another when you put Nacho and Kolasinac as CB. More laughable is how our LB are both good in the WB position, but we put the Ox who struggles on the left there, when he is a best on the right.
I am sorry, when you play 3 players out of position you will struggle, especially in defense. Let’s stop living in Dreamland and be realistic for once. We’re not good enough at the back and we’re short of quality in midfield. We should get a new CB, because we still conceded 3 goals, and If this was Bayern, it’d have been another 5:1.
We were shocking at set pieces and defending crosses, but the way we gave away our second goal was comical. But the positive thing is up top we’re really dangerous, even without Alexis. Lacazette is a real striker of quality and Giroud is a super sub! I think we will score bags of goals but we’re unlikely to patch up the defence, because this is how Arsene rows! He always leaves a weak area so he can have excuses.
We really need someone like Van Dijk… Anyway, think of the atmosphere in the ground prior to Ramsey’s goal. “We’re Arsenal and we’re sh!t” was heard and I told you if Arsene doesn’t deliver, the banners will return. I was calling for the defense to be improved all summer. If I and other fans can spot the need of a new CB, how can a man paid 8.5 million pounds miss it?
I will not be optimistic until we start looking solid and we have all areas of the pitch covered with reliable players. We were lucky yesterday. Were going to Stoke and Liverpool away and on that performance, we’re asking for trouble. At least we bettered our start from last year, because we won, but what is important is to address the problems.
Because if we don’t, we’ll be punished and we won’t be able to escape errors every time. Please address the obvious issues so we don’t have to suffer another season like last one. This game summed our past 5 seasons – Good start, big dip, little comeback and a scrap fight for the points. The window is not yet shut so hopefully we will address it, but knowing Arsene… It’s been 13 years without a title. This should speak more than Wenger’s excuses.
If we don’t learn, we’ll be punished. Sooner or later….
Konstantin
Well wenger cant spot it even though you can is because he is being reasonable and you are just craving for new signings like a lil baby
lets look at our cbs:
Kos – World class – suspended
Mustafi – Very good/potentially world class – not fit
Mert – Very good and a leader – injured
Gabriel – Good but i dont like him that much, but better than Kos was at the beginning -injured
Holding – Good and very talented – played
Chambers – Good and talented – not fit at all
Monreal – Very good and solid (CB or LB) – played
Kolasinac – Very good/ good as CB – played
Bellerin – RB or RWB – played
Ox – RWB or LWB – played
Conclusion: Out of 11 players for 5 positions only 5 were physically ready and the only solid option was to play Holding Monreal and Kola and Bell as RWB and Ox as LWB or vice versa, or the other option would be to play a not so fit Mustafi but then we couldnt have given them a fight for it if had been necessary.. so i dont understand what wenger did wrong in the selection
and now if you say ‘he should just have bought a CB’ well what do you want to do with Kos Mus Mert and Gabbs when they come back? Neither Kos nor Mus would go to the bench and almost nobody has such quality and quantity for the CB’s it was just a bad period, they will all come back
Liverpool shipped 3 away to Watford and currently Chelsea 2 down to Burnley – whatever happens in those matches shows that defensively there are not that many great players around…. I think Tottenham much as I hate to say it had best defence last couple of years but Walker gone and Rose keen to leave
Absolutely zero point paying £50mn for a new centre back unless perhaps V V D – but then Chambers and Holding will have to go on loan until Kos retires and even then only one place available.. .I say give the kids a go.
Same with Nelson – lets create our own talent – we have enough other players bar a great CDM / Midfielder – young kids are fearless and dont have the same memories of failed campaigns
MAKE THAT CHELSKI 0-3 !!!
There’s definitely a case for the CBs bcoz we have a lot of them out but for the DM position it’s so obvious that xhaka needs protection bcoz he’s only good going forward and elneny was like a headless chicken yday he’s positioning was awful and that nack for filling in the gaps left by full backs or pinching the ball of the opposition cant be taught over night it’s a natural thing like nzonzi has that nature! If arsenal had one imposing player like that then the rest could concentrate on attacking with coquelin as back up then Ramsey is there for the box to box roll and all of a sudden we look more complete! Wenger has avoided that type of player since Gilberto n song but he can’t hide away from it no more if he wants to protect his leads going forward
Overrating Chambers and Holding, Mert? are you for real? Out of all the Defenders you listed, the most solid among them is Kos. The rest are average. VVD is an upgrade to almost all the defenders bar Kos and maybe Mustafi. Most of you are saying our three best defenders are gonna be back and we’re gonna be fine. But the reality is that we are not going to have them all through the season so what is the point here? Holding is a liability as seen in our game against Liverpool last season, Against Chelsea in CS and yesterday. We need VVD as soon as possible. And oh yeah, Europa league is just around the corner.
And mertesacker is the only central CB that has height aswell then u have to think about him retiring next year so getting VVD now would make sense going forward bcoz he will be ready to replace mertesacker next season if he joins now and the price of VVD will go up next year also! I don’t won’t koscielny or mustafi having to play in the middle of the back 3 I actually like mertesacker there but VVD is a massive huge upgrade on mertesacker then add nzonzi or someone like him and we have 2 tall imposing figures protecting our amazing attacking talent! 100mil would get us a CB n DM that’s good business and potentially the key to us winning a title
constantin, bla,bla,bla. as always
I agree with you because Los and Mustafi are very good at centre back.
thank god you aren’t in charge of personnel decisions…wait a minute, is that you Arsene?
With the inclusion of Mustafi and Boss within the coming weeks I think you’ll see the back line tighten up and Arsenal return to a more sound defensive game.
I would personally employ this lineup when Boss returns from suspension
Laca
Sanchez…Ozil
Saed…Xhaka..Ramsey…Ox
Nacho…Mustafi…Boss
Ospina
Bellerin quite frankly has been awful the last six months and Cech is growing a little longer in the tooth by the day.
I would LOVE to see VVD and Seri(Goretska) added before the end of the window but the likes of Chambers, Gabriel, Debuchy, Jenko, Gibbs and Perez would all have to find new homes to make room.
If only someway..
Laca
Sanchez…Ozil
Saed…Xhaka…Goretska…Ox
Boss…Mustafi…VVD
Ospina
VVD through the middle, his aerial ability should have him central. I’d put Koscielny to his left and let Mustafi and Holding fight it out for the other place. I’d like Holding for it though because that is more height added. Mustafi and Kos are very similar, Mustafi will eventually replace him, which isn’t too long
Why not have
Laca
Sanchez…Ozil
Saed…Xhaka…Goretska…Ox
Boss…Mustafi…Holding/Gabriel/Chambers
Ospina
Wenger won’t spend 70million on a centre back , personally I’d keep Bellerin on the bench until he improves or use him for the Capital One Cup and FA cup matches until he improves .
If Holding and Chambers are given enough game time to develop I believe that can be future England centre backs . If Arsenal destroys their confidence by letting them rot on the bench.
It would be ideal to let both Chambers and Holding develop – do you think the naysayers on here will understand that or let that happen? The first time either of them plays bad (like Holding yesterday) out come the same old people saying they are rubbish – at the same time moaning about high wages of people already at the club. Well unless you develop players then you will haev to buy big and pay high salaries… you cant have it both ways.
With Kos and Mustafi and Mert in the background I think for sure get Chambers and Holding playing together in the Europa League and League Cup – Mustafi and Kos should be nowwhere near those competitions as they should be kept for Premier League
I would go and buy us a new CB.
We play with CBs, Koscielny turns 32, Mert will retire. Holding and Mustafi are starters in my opinion. And I believe we can do better than Gabriel, I hate to see us playing Monreal and Kola in the center. And where is Chambers?
We should be in for a tall, commanding and physical player. Manolas from Roma should be available, maybe even foe the same kind of price as Rudiger (£30 millions).
But before that we really require a new CM. I don’t trust Elneny or Coq to shine there when we don’t even have any youngsters ready to step up.
If Sanchez stays then we should be alright for the attack. I hope we get that Sancho fella who looks like a real gem. He would be an upgradw on Walcott for sure.
Clear the deadwood!!
Of a truth, before the game yesterday, i felt we didnt need any CB, but now we certainly do, because if Kos is injured, we cant really trust the others against a big team and concerning Van Dijk, i prefer him because he wont need adapting, he will just slot right in our defence with ease…
However, someone has to make way first before we can add up. But overall, deep down, i always think most defenders will be exposed in Arsenal because we are so attack minded that we lack that defensive structure, i dont think Wenger prioritizes this aspect at all…
13 goals in the first two matches
I can’t remember a start to the season like that
Ding Dong – Arsenal still top as Watford score in the 4th minute of extra time to draw 3-3 at Home to Liverpool !
I know. I’m happy with the result
Also Mane and Salah are on my Fantasy team. They scored 🙂
So is Lacazette, Kolsanic and Holding
Holding wasn’t great last night though
Nice one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And watch no one will say anything about Liverpools defence even tho they let in 3 also..
Its just us who get noticed.
You are right. Liverpool played a Watford team which comprises much of relatively unknown players yet Watford were ahead twice in first half. We Arsenal fan need to start creating positive atmosphere around our team. The moaning and hating is just too much. Even when neutrals realized that we were really shot in defense due to injuries, suspension and fitness, some gunners didn’t notice them. So bad
The support was very good yesterday. When things were at their worst they really tried pushing the team on. If people are partly blaming fans for last season, they should all tweet and comment a congratulations for last nights efforts.
Burnley are 1 up.
2 up ..woohoo.
3 up ..hehehe!
Let’s focus on ourselves, we don’t need to compare to pool to show we are relevant.
Wait a minute, do we support Arsenal or Liverpool. So what you want us to say is, okay, Liverpool let in 3 goals against Watford so there’s no problem with our defense right? Do we want to finish where liverpool will finish?
First and foremost, F U Mitov! Sick and tired of your negativity. We won the game, enjoy it. Secondly, why would we need another CB when we have Koscielny, Mustafi, Mertesacker, Holding, Monreal, Gabriel, and Chambers who can all play there. We were just a bit unlucky that all them were either injured, suspended, or short on fitness. When all are back, we won’t have a spot for another CB. So shut it. If we need another player, it’s someone who can do what Santi Cazorla did for us. That, and perhaps another quality winger because Iwobi and Walcott don’t cut it sometimes, and Sanchez might still leave.
Oh, and give Arsene some credit for once. His substitutions and change of formation won us the game.
What I meant by “all CB’s been out”, of course it’s in regards to our regular ones, Kosc, Mustafi, and Mertesacker.
And we are going to be unlucky not just once but in some cases as we were yesterday. Have you also forgotten that we shipped in more goals last season with the same set of defenders you just mentioned? Mert is retiring, kos is aging, and VVD is better than most the defenders we have.
What a true supporter you are! Swearing at other Arsenal supporters for pointing out blatant truth. We finished with a back 4 of Bellerin, Holding, Monreal and the Ox. This is a joke you clearly can’t get, because you are deluded and happy with 5th, because with defending like that, that’s where we will finish. Supporters like you are the reason Arsene is still here and we’ve not won a title in 13 years.
First of all, I don’t know what Mitov is, but Arsenal fan he is NOT. Secondly, it’s easy to see that more people agree with me than with you. Arsene deserves some criticism, but he also deserves credit when it’s due. Yesterday was the case of a latter. He did the best he could with what he had. No Alexis, no Kosc, no Mustafi, no Mert. Injuries, suspensions, fitness all played a role. He picked the best starting XI, and made even better substitutions later in the game. One game into the season, and people like yourself are already up in arms. Give the manager, and most importantly the club/players a chance.
It’s hard not to call you negative. When we lose we tend to get more articles from you. When there is something to moan about we get more articles from you. When winning or things are looking brighter you’re a lot more quiet.
Kos suspended, carrying a knock supposedly too.
Mustafi still regaining fitness and sharpness.
Gab injured.
Chambers most likely on the way out. We can’t give him the game time he needs and I think he wants to find them elsewhere.
If only we had bought VVD that game wouldn’t have been so hard? Simplistic thinking….
Our game is based around controlling the midfield and we were shocking in that respect. When we don’t control the midfield we are like headless chickens.
But looking at our defence we don’t have the problems that Chelsea, united and liverpool have. They have thin and weak cover. They would love to have the depth we have.
With kos mustafi and holding that’s a good back three. Gab and merts that’s very suitable cover.
If we wanted to get VVD his price will be astronomical due heavily in part to the fact that we have competition from our rivals who are absolutely desperate to fill that spot. Spending 60-70 mil on a CB? I would much rather that were put elsewhere.
Play next game with
Kolasinac (LWB)—-Monreal—-Mertesacker—Mustafi—-Ox (RWB)
We would be physically better. I’ve noticed yesterday OX was more dsicipline than Bellerin. Bellerin is bombing forward every time but Ox dd it when he needed to. When he was tired mid game he stayed back, then late in the game he came forward again after resting for a bit.
The one thing Arsenal are missing is a TRUE DMF. Even Coquelin isn’t a true DMF although he was at the start, recently he too is moving forward, too much too often.
If not then even diamond 4 in midfield will be good enough at this time with 4-3-1-2, the three being Xhaka, Elneny and Ramsey = more assurity in midfield. Then you have Ozil behind Sanchez and Lacazette.
So if Arsenal want to sign someone it should be a true DMF and then maybe GK (unlikely)
I still can’t get over Lacazette’s 2min goal. I actually expected him not to score because it’s his first match but oh boy nice header
So happy we got Lacazette and £52 million was reasonable price considering the sums paid for Lukaku, Morata, Neymar etc.
All we wanted was an excellent finisher, natural goalscorer and somebody capable of 25 pl goals per season. We got him.
I honestly don’t think we need an other CD. I was surprised that Chambers didn’t even make the bench despite us being lite on CDers. This makes me believe his Arsenal days are over. Pity because I liked the guy and not unlike Campbell I never really understood what he did wrong and we bought him for big money (at the time). He also didn’t do too bad in pre-season.
I think depending on if any CD steps up this season, next season we might need a new CDer. Kos is becoming more and more injury prone, take him out of the equation and we are light on quality central defenders but it is too early to write Kos of IMO and I think Gabriel does better in a 3 at the back on the right than in a 4 at the back so let’s see how this season pans out.
Gary Cahill just got a straight red against Burnley, hmmm.
Plus even with the numbers of injured players we have, Chelsea’s bench is laughable. Hey Conte, come and take some fringe players from us.
And Chelsea is one goal down at home.
It’s unbelivable how a noob arm chair manager like me can see that you have to put a defender on the line when defending corners but coaches and managers of years experience decide against it. It cost Arsenal one goal yesterday.
The biggest example of where not having a line cost a team big time is Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid UCL final, 4 seasons ago. Atletico Madrid were 2 minutes away from winning in 90 minutes, when they had to defend a corner. Well Sergio Ramos popped up to head in the far corner where there was no man on the line to take it to extra time. That how costly it can be.
An Arsenal is were weapons & artilaries are kept, it is heavily guarded by a solid defence system so our Arsenal FC needs to be feared at the back just as much as our attack is looking quite deadly with the prospects of Alexis Lacazetter Ozil up front ???.
We have Mustafi, Kos, Holding, Gab.
Per imo needs to be replaced with a world class CB (knowing wenger, that will not happen this season at least.). Replace per with Manolas, Koulibaly or Van Dijk.
What happens when on or more of our quality CB’s get injured or suspended?
Its fine if keep Chambers. If not, sell chambers & Gab to sign Any one of the CB’s i named above. I’ll prefer Van Dijk.
Burnley are 3 up against Cheski!!!!!! I’m loving it!! hahhahahah
If OG is in the game he is guarding the near post. Their 3rd goal never happens. It’s funny I see so many leave him out of the starting team. Why? 4 headers were scored out of 7 yesterday. When we have corners or cross the ball in we should have him in the lineup.
It was make shift defence and defence need lot of understanding so you can let this one go as clearly understanding lacked between our defence.chelsea 3-0 down with cahil red carded and this shows why regular defender is important.
We don’t need a centre back I’m even a big fan of wenger but some arsenal fans think this is fifa and want wenger to just spend needlessly when we have a good set of centre backs
Kos
Mert
Gab
Holding
Chambers
That is 5 players that wenger has to give playing time to and that’s already going to be hard if needed we should go for a centre back in January or if we sell one of our top ones what we need is a holding midfield n’zonzi would be so perfect he is the missing piece that we’ve been looking for to me he would bring so much more to the team than anybody we have been linked with this window we have one defensive mid in the coq that is worrying
Elneny is a squad player arsene could put him anywhere and he would still do a job but just a job don’t cut it at times and xhaka is a hard man and very physical but not a defensive midfielder n’zonzi has that viera stature to him and is prem proven and we won’t need to brake the bank to buy him if that’s not right now wengers street I don’t know what is
Omg I forgot mustafi thats 6 lol
Omg I forgot mustafi thats 6 lol
Just have to read 1 or 2 lines to identify a Konstantin article. Negativity is mind boggling.
Some positives :
1. Lacazette is settling in quickly and has found his scoring boots thus far
2. We won despite CBs and Sanchez not available
3. Looks like Xhaka will be really good CM this season when regular CBs are available
4. When you play to Giroud’s strength, he is really really good. And once again his goal was the difference between 3 points and 1 point
5. Laca and Giroud together seem to be very difficult to defend against.
6. Wenger’s substitutions made the impact that we were looking for. Note : am no AKB
Hi Classy, thank you for your comments. They are so correct, and so needed to provide a balanced, nuanced assessment of the game.
Up the Gunners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers Mate !!!