Arsenal Players have to be judged on their current form and not how they have previously performed.
One thing I have noticed via the comments on this site and on social media is that no matter how an Arsenal player performs some people will never change their view of that player.
That is understandable, to a point.
On a personal level, I hope the club sells Mesut Ozil in the summer, however, I would not drop him now because of the way he played against Newcastle. If he underperforms against Everton then all bets are off but until such a time he has my support.
The same applies to Alexandre Lacazette, David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi.
Lacazette has been dreadful but he has now scored two games in a row, it is irrelevant how those goals came about, he scored, that is his job and therefore he has to be picked against Everton.
Luiz and Mustafi are not good defenders in my opinion and eventually will revert back to the standard they themselves have previously set in an Arsenal shirt but right now, they are arguably the best in form defenders in the Premier League. A very bold claim I admit but one I cannot argue with.
I do not go with the opinion that when everyone pulls on an Arsenal shirt they should be supported no matter what, if some players simply do not deserve to be in the team and have cost Arsenal dearly then they do not deserve support.
However, even if one wants a player out of the club, even if that said player has let the club down terribly in the past, even if that player is nothing but a liability, they still do deserve 100% unfettered support if they are in form.
Ozil, Lacazette, Mustafi and Luiz are in form right now and until that changes it is very wrong, in my opinion, to be attacking them or saying they should be dropped because of what happened before they were in form.
It shouldn’t just be Ozil but anyone who is regularly disappointing on a regular basis. Ozil lacca or whoever cant just throw the odd good game in, it has to be a regular basis because thats what affects performance of the team. Every player can play the odd bad game, thats ok, its the odd good game that is no good.
Agreed
OT
how is that not a red card for lo celso,that is mpre dangerpus than the aubas tackle which got him the red card
#varhasagendas
Exactly!! Red all day long for me!
Now admitted it should’ve been red…. jeez who is running var? Useless……
Disgraceful, amateurish, and unaccountable. “Human error” is laughable. Blind, biased, numerous adjectives to describe that VAR clown.
The ref should have checked himself during treatment of the player.
They should be held accountable like players and managers. Absolute joke right now with VAR; inconsistent but arguably biased. Auba suspended for less, pool get penalties while others get nothing.
Spot on, Durand 👍
The question is, how long is “current form” supposed to be? I am willing to change my views on a player, but that isn’t going to happen just because of one or two good performances. I need to see a consistent upturn in performances over medium/long period of time, as that is the criteria I use when judging a player or manager. The truth will always shine through over a longer period.
No better example than Ozil when it comes to fans flip-flopping, as Admin has just proved. He has one good performance in how long, at home against a team like Newcastle, and suddenly he’s a key player again and in form! Form is now only one game? He’s only had 2, maybe 3 solid performances all season, and how many in the last 3 years? He shouldn’t be anywhere near the bench, let alone starting!
We are also seeing it with Mustafi now. A slight upturn in performances some may say, although I don’t see it, and suddenly we’re questioning whether we should sell him anymore? Have people forgotten he’s never had a good season for us, and has recently made huge blunders in both games against Chelsea.
It’s not just fans that make this mistake though, clubs do it all the time when it comes to transfers. Look how often we see players signed off the back of just a handful of good performances at International tournaments, to only flop for their new club.
Personally I would go with the team that beat Newcastle. I feel one thing we have lacked is creativity in the middle of the park. Ceballos and ozil in the same team was awesome. I dont think willock has ozil’s quality yet so I would go with ozil in CAM
As for up front, if we are totally honest laccas goal against Newcastle was lucky that he deflected off his own foot. And any half decent striker could finish his goal against olympiakos. Keep nketia who I think played well against Newcastle. Let nketia have the same grace lacca had or even part. Give him 4 or 5 games starting in the premier and see what he comes up with.
I love lacca but for me I think he should be the player to be dropped and if we need funds in the summer he should be the player to be sold with auba coming across to be main striker and eddie playing back up. Let martineli and sake battle it out for LW and let pepe and nelson battle ot out for RW.
Lastley we need a creative CAM who can take ozil’s place. Even if he stays he is not getting any younger and I see willock as more of a box to box than a CAM like ramsey was.
Question, who is Liverpools creative midfielder?
The whole team are creative.
The question was, midfielder. Not smart alec answers. Lol
Oh Reggie, don’t be so sensitive, it was an honest answer, not a “smart Alec” response. Ok I’ll answer again, all their midfield players are creative. Is that ok for you?
No, its commonly accepted their midfield are just functional and doesn’t contain players who are known for creativity. Their creativity and goals come from the front three. And im not getting sensitive thats why i put Lol. Lol
Ok, lol
FIRMINO
the manager is doing a good and he should maintain that ..in my opinion he should go with the side that sank Newcastle United at the Emirates stadium,, if he must make a change then ceballos in for willock and a keen and measured swap for Gabriel/Lacazette with either starting 💪💪💪
until we change the midfield we will struggle to climb up towards top 6 … xhaka is the worst regular player in recent arsenal history and in combo with guendhouzi its championhip level at best… the difference between a mobile midfield that works hard and can pass a ball forward was on display with chelsea today … that is one reason why they are well above us without a better squad … if the spine of team is luiz xhaka ozil laca then i dont see progress happenning against everton unfortunately
Mehn!! Purchase a leap faith.
It’s obvious to both Human and Animal that our Midfield is wack But C’mon Mehn.
You’d still appreciate and feel relieved if we get all 3points thou! I know you would..
I agree with the sentiments expressed above that the team that started against Newcastle should run on against Everton, with 1 reservation: drop Lacazette, move Auba to CF and bring in Martinelli at LW.
It is not about the players he plays but formation & tac tic making same players look awful or great.
Willock is a B to B, but if you have 2 other midfields playing DM, then Ozil, Ceballos nor Willock can get the ball.
We played with one DM against newcastle but Ceballos was too defensive in first half, nearly costing a gal. When he played forward in second half, it was a different game; matter of balance even with right formation. For him to lean too much defending made 2 DM and no transition in first half.
I’m not reassured at all after last game, he went back to a very defensive midfield EL, nearly costing us that same old draw or lost…
He should bench Xhaka, he has an excuse to rest him after two games.
Leno
Bellerin Mustafi Luiz Kolas
Gendouzi
Niles Ozil
Pepe Laca Martineli
Niles in a B2B role. Saka can use rest, so does Auba really as Xhaka who all played back to back games.
Auba can come in for Laca at 70th, same Nelson for Niles, Saka for Ozil at 80th.
Once we play with one DM only, it gives a lot of options in middle.
Guendouzi? As defensive midfield? And you want transition, Mogunna? Which is going to come from where? And Laca instead of Auba? Disagree completely. And I also still have to figure out what tac tic is supppsed to be, unless you mean tactics.
ozil has had a poor season but nobody else on the squad to even challenge his position besides willock. Lacazette i still think needs to be benched. Too wasteful, and too off-form. I dont consider him scoring two goals suddenly on form. Being in form means you have been playing well for a good number of games , not just one week. I really dont know what these players will produce against Everton. It could easily be a stinker.
Play Lacazette behind Auba mad bench Ozil.
*and
But Martin you have been attacking Ozil even when he performs well on your articles here, am kinda unsure where u stand now
Absolutely I have because he has had maybe 3 good games in two years and in those games I say how well he has played. He was very good against Newcastle, I said so, if he is good today I will say so, if he is crap I will say so. I have been very consistent with that. I have never attacked him when he has played well and I defy anyone to find a single article after he played well where I attack him.