Maybe it’s time Arsene changed tactics and made our players take responsibility! by GunnerJack
I don’t usually criticise AW and I am a big fan. However when a system is used which repeatedly did not work throughout the whole of last season and has already failed in our first game this season then maybe a case can be made for Arsene to consider changing tack.
What I am referring to is the ‘Zonal Marking’ system we use because when using that system no one is really held accountable when things go against us. If we switched to ‘Man To Man’ marking then the responsibility/blame for an opposition player causing us problems or worse still, scoring, would be immediately obvious.
By the way I am talking about all our players here, attackers as well as defenders, and if one of our attackers had been given the specific task of marking Hangeland whenever and wherever he was when we lost the ball yesterday, then that player would know exactly what was expected of him and could concentrate on that job alone. After all if we don’t have the ball what better job could our players do? As an example of our attackers being given specific instructions on who to man-mark then in yesterday’s case the job of man-marking Hangeland might have fallen to Yaya Sanogo, though I am definitely not having a go at him.
Perhaps Arsene does not want to burden our players with such a responsibility as the blame for an opposition counter attack, corner or goal would be immediately obvious. Then again, maybe our players should stand up and be counted!
The 6-0, 5-1, 6-3 and even 3-0 scorelines against us by our worst enemies last season made me sick to my stomach and I definitely do not want to see any more like that . . . unless we’re dishing them out of course!
So, should ‘Man To Man’ marking be given a try at the risk of upsetting the sometimes fragile egos of some footballers or is AW correct to stick to the zonal system and so absolve everyone of direct blame when the opposition stuffs us? Over to you . . .
GunnerJack