BLAME DEFENSIVE LAPSES IN THE LEFT BACK ON TEAM SHAPE AND INJURIES By I
I have read fans reactions about how Zinchenko is a defensive worry at the left back position. I have also read some articles in support of that.
I want to make an opinion on why the way the team plays seemed to expose the left back position.
Arteta sets his team in a way where possession is kept from his opponents thereby limiting their attacking chances. The assistance of one of the fullbacks in the midfield helps in achieving his goal.
Last season, the players were set up on the pitch in a way where they interchange position in certain areas of the field. Saka played with Odegard and White to great effect. Gabriel Jesus played with Martinelli and sometimes interchanges on the right side to great effect. Xhaka played on the left-hand side behind the striker and the left wing while equally helping the left full back and the defensive midfield areas as the game demands.
Zinchenko was meant to help in possession because of his passing abilities. In possession, the team was playing with three defenders at the back. Though Xhaka’s game reading ability helped the team to great effects, his lack of pace limited his attacking contributions (even though he scored great goals).
This season, while the combinations among Odegard, Saka and White are there, the recruitment of Rice, Havertz and injuries to Partey, Timber and Tomiyasu has affected the way the team is set up to play on the left side.
From the first EPL game against Forest, Timber was deployed on the left for his pace, defensive and passing abilities while Partey was played on the right to do what Zinchenko did last season on the left.
Tomiyasu wasn’t combining well in the midfield last season. That could be one of the reasons he wasn’t starting regularly. His best achievement was his man marking of Salah at the Emirates. This season, he seemed to have adapted his game better in combining with the midfielders and helping in attack. This is why he was involved in the combinations that led to the goal against City. Unfortunately, he got injured when he was in form.
At the moment, due to injuries, we have only Zinchenko as the player who can play the possession football from one of full backs. I don’t think Kiwior can play such a role. The best Kiwior could offer on the left is to run up and down the channel which is not how Arteta wants to play (remember Tierney). What the team lacks on occasions is proper cover from either centre back, midfield or left wing against dangerous wingers. The instruction to our left winger (Martinelli or Trossard) to remain on the left wing most times doesn’t cover the fullback from that position.
In the game against Liverpool, Arnold was helping his team to create chances from deep. Konate was helping him against Martinelli to a great effect. Saka had two or three defenders to contend with. Whereas, for Arsenal, Salah was given freedom to face Zinchenko alone severally. Salah’s goal was more of a combination of quality pass from Arnold which beat our team shape and Salah’s finishing quality.
This team will get better when the injured players return.
by I
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I agree that our performance might improve once Timber, Tomiyasu and Partey return, but we might also be able to solve the problem by recruiting someone like Vlahovic
I hope we can try Sesko
I agree with you. But even when fit we are most likely going to lose Pathey and Tomiyasu to African cup of nations and Asian cup. I also if we have a clinical finisher we are most likely going to be at the top of the table. Arsenal has one of the highest chances created in Epl with less goal ratio. We need a good CF who can score as well as do holdup.
Which CF do you think would be available for loan
Victor Boneyface-Leverkusen (Nigerian Striker)
Here’s an idea. Let defenders defend and midfielders play as midfielders.
Spot on. Keeping things simple and effective is often the best strategy. Complicating football by playing a CM as LB so he can alternate between CM when in possession and LB when without is an invitation to pile on the criticism when things go tits up
I guess you guys haven’t heard of Man City, who recently completed club football.
Too funny, thanks.
Some arsenal fans have been over-hyping Zinchencko, who’s highly overrated and is a defensive liability (pure calamity). I stand by my call to drop and sell Zinchencko in the January transfer window. Arsenal must give Lino Sousa some game time at left back, until Zinchencko is replaced permanently by Goncalo Inacio/ Jorrel Hato in January. Sousa is taller, stronger and faster. He’s defensively better and very skilful offensively. Zinchencko is too weak defensively and goes asleep much like Mustafi with an error. He gives away possession too frequently and easily with his miss passes even when he’s not under pressure. Zinchencko just cannot defend and that’s the weakness of the team. His defensive incompetence kills the team and it’s a burden for the other players, who always have to cover for his mistakes. Arsenal must strengthen the team in January and some players must be sold like Cedric, Zinchencko, Elneny, Jorginho, Tavares,Lokonga and Tierney to raise funds to help purchase players like Zubimendi /Amadou Onana/ Khepheren Thuram (dm), Goncalo Inacio/ Jorrel Hato (LB/cb)and Sesko(st) Arsenal needs at least three quality players added to the squad depth. Arteta must trust players like Nelson, Sousa, ESR and Walters more as he’s done with Havertz and Zinchencko.
I think you’re criticisms of zinchenko are fair, but a bit overblown – however, I too would really like to see souza given a chance. There’s no guarantees a player can seamlessly move from reserves to first team football, so I wouldn’t consider selling zinchenko just yet (I’d also like to see him played in midfield at least a couple of times), but i completely agree souza should get a chance to prove he can make the first team. I’m really surprised he hasn’t even made his debut yet.
Give Lino Sousa some game time? As the MAKBs put it, MA knows the youth players more than any of us. If he thinks Lino Sousa is not even ready for substitute appearance in an inconsequential game against PSV, we can forget about playing him. Let MA go buy a new LB he wants. Only then will he be committed to tweak the team and play the new LB constantly to show us he made a good buy
Playing Zinchenko as an inverted LB may well assist in winning us the “possession” game which our Manager seems to consider to be vital to our future success.However, possession on its own does not win games as West Ham ,Newcastle and Villa have proved against us this season.The system we use is now known to all our opponents who plan accordingly and target the gaps which invariably arise down our left defence.Compare our set up with that of Man City who use Akke or Gvardiol at LB despite both being centre backs by trade.Kwior I am sure could do a similar job for us as he is an intelligent footballer who is a first choice for his Country at international level.Injuries to Partey, Timber and Tomi have been a real blow but we have to cope with what we have available at this time and compete as best we can.One thing I can say for sure, if we continue to use a skilful ballplayer like Zinchenko in defence we will continue to ship soft goals and put paid to our prospects of winning the League this season.
Good points. At a minimum a club must be able to use their players in the ways which have made the players so successful in football and that they are most familiar with. Then, the play and their roles can be adjusted but only when needed for the particular match or part thereof.
Zinchenko is not a left back and will never be. Arteta is only copying pep’s style and method without knowing that pep always have a plan to back up his strategy. We need a cf of Watkins mould or else we forget about titles again this season
There is no excuse, Zinchenko is only useful when we are winning by a two-goal margin.
He cannot offer help in Big Call games where the opponents are smarter and more physical.
So if those players mentioned above are not fit, the coaching team can not adjust and find ways to win matches. This is exactly what some of us are saying. Arteta is bereft of tactical nuances to manage such a big team with high expectations. This also explains why the team is so predictable. In those days and I think some coaches still drop players whose performances were below average. But in arsenal, the more you cost a team precious points, the more matches you play in compensation. That’s why players like White, Zinchenko and ofcourse, Jesus are playing with liberty every week as nothing was at stake and costing some matches.
If the coach had dropped them until they improves then, others would sit up.
Surely you have to admit to there being a bit of a problem when the manager looks to replace the left-back for the big away days and he takes him off when the score margin is narrow. Yes, Zinny was instrumental during last season’s rise to the top and with our possession stats but before the end of that season other teams started to suss us out a bit and it continued into this season. One of their tactics was to directly target our left wing. If we had full use of our squad depth Zinny would likely play less football, so the manager is completely aware of the situation. Another thing to consider is Zinny’s injury record, we might well reach a point where we have no option but to replace him for a spell
Personally, our wing play is less effective and often predictable because Saka and Martinelli have no support in the form of overlapping runs, which is what we got from Tierney. The team will play how Arteta wants and ultimately he will be judged on that. It’s the lack of a Plan B that worries me. Plan B for Arteta seems to just be Plan A but with different players or the same players but in different positions.