After scoring the only goal of the game to give Arsenal a much needed win away to West Brom in the Premier League, Danny Welbeck was asked about whether he would be happy playing on the left side of a front three, as he used to do for his former club Manchester United.
And although he didn’t say he would not be happy there, he stated once more that he sees himself as a centre forward and through the middle is where he wants to play. But with Olivier Giroud back from his tibia injury, that gives Arsene Wenger a problem, so how does the boss keep both his central strikers happy and do the best thing for the team?
Well for one thing, it does give Wenger the option to rest one of the other from time to time, which is very handy with all the games we play in a season. But the game on Saturday also showed that Welbeck would not be restricted to the left if Giroud plays through the middle.
It was a very flexible front three, with Alexis and Welbeck swapping sides regularly as well as coming into the middle and linking up with the big Frenchman. That was clearly the case as Welbeck got his goal from six yards out when Cazorla broke down the left to cross.
So it is not as if Welbeck was constrained and after all, a striker thrives on goals, as he told Arsenal Player, and if he keeps scoring, I don’t think he will care too much where he starts on the pitch. At the minute, it is more important for him to start, because that was the problem at United. Maybe if Welbeck keeps bagging goals and gaining confidence, he may start to push more for that central role.
He said, “I’ve had a couple blocked off the line [in recent games] and it just wasn’t going my way, but I’ve got the goal and I’m just looking forward to scoring more and helping the team to win games.
“It gives the manager a good headache and he’s got a lot of options going forward. Going into the games, everybody’s going to be giving 100 per cent.
“Once they get their opportunity they’re going to do the best they can. There’s players who were on the bench or weren’t even in the squad who can do a very good job for Arsenal.”
Another way of keeping him happy is for him to get good service and for Arsenal to keep getting good results. So the fact that he is working well with his attacking team mates, as Santi Cazorla declared in an Arsenal.com report, is all good news and bodes well for the future.
Welbeck + Giroud + Sanchez + Walcott + OX = Selection Headache + Goals 😉
@Twig.
Let us face it: At the moment, Sanchez looks like the only world-class 30 goals/season striker in that line up. But that doesn’t matter. Why? Because there are atleast 3 other guys of decent quality! That makes it 2 (Welbz/Giroud) to fight for 1 position, and 4 (Welbz, Sanchez, Ox and Walcott) to fight for 2 positions. And I am not even counting Podolski and Campbell. Of all seasons, how did we choose to miss this last season? Why did we not strengthen our defensive department in similar fashion this season? Why have we been always short in one position or the other every other season?
We should have spent more money on defensive department. But to be fair, CB are so much premium nowadays. Watching Mangala getting his 2nd red card, hardly 40M well spent, and 50M for a defender (Luiz) who leak 7 goals in a game.
The only player we really really missed is Xabi Alonso, should have been good for us for about 2 season – buy us enough time to look for our new Vieira.
Only that he is injury prone and susceptible to howlers once in a while. Look what he did in the man city game. He single handedly gifted 3 points to city. Defebsive players in teams like madrid, barca, and bayern rely heavily on offensive players performance in the othe otger half that tgey are left with virtualky nothing to do.
The momebt they get exposed to offensive play by opposition they fet found out. Real Madrid had to thank the posts four or so time in the quarter finals against BVB while bayern completely crumbled against real madrid counter attacking play. A season before barca looked like a fifth division team against bayern. If you want a defensive player who will do well in the epl where almost every team is a big threat you must seek to buy from lower placed teams that are always at the mercy of the attacking fire power of rmadrid, barca, and bayern. Or better still buy from the the epl if the price is right.
Very informative! I feel like us Arsenal supporters know most about the DM role more than others. I think Arteta and Xabi Alonso are deep lying playmakers, like how Pirlo and Gerrard tend to play for their clubs. Put them in weaker teams and they would really get exposed.
I believe you can have DM with really good defensive and playing making qualities.
If Song had better discipline on defensive duties and better work rate then I think he would be up their with the best. Lahm really impresses me when playing that role and so does Morgan Schneiderlin.
I watched Southampton play really well on first half against City and MS really bossed the DM role while Wanyama played more like box to box. MS went out minutes later on 2.half and City got a goal like 5 minutes after that, and they went on winning 3-0. My point is that DM is really important in this level, specially in Arsenal since we like sending players to attack. MS would be perfect for us since he is also from a lower placed team and is constantly getting that threat playing against other teams and must often really on his defensive qualties.
Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gELm5Gb3ACU
See tackle on welbeck.3:43
and maybe against us https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6duJrzSqSxM.
His interceptions, clean tackles, calmness on the ball, short and long passes and speed says his must have player for top 5-6 teams in English PL, and with his young age and that he is the captain for his team is also a plus. He is better that Matic! I have not seen his weakness yet. Maybe lack of experience on top level? Did not mean to exaggerate…
Now this is the area of the team that brings a smile to my face. And I can’t help but feel angry that Wenger to have purposefully (egotistically?) allowed that department to suffer and eventually cost us the EPL title last season.
But the past is the past. I am satisfied with the present. There surely is room for more.
*that Wenger purposefully*
One world class player per season. With 4 more world class players, we should be able to win the premier league in 2018. COYG!
@Twig.
Hehehe. Sanchez and Ozil are going to wait around to win the league title in 2018, eh? Ok.
Slow progress, but progress nonetheless.
Please give joel campbell some game time wenger! Dont let this talent go to waste! Coyg!
Campbell Podolski Rosicky
Ryo Jenkinson are all deemed
to be not good enough to start.
So why are they in the squad?
They were not as good as we thought they were?
They are on lucrative contracts and won’t leave?
We are flush with superstars?
Seems crazy to pay Podolski 90,000 pound a week to
spend his time posting on twitter. How is giving some
one 90,000 quid a week to do nothing an example of
a club suffering severe financial restraints?
Hell I’d suffer on 90 thou a week 🙂
Have you forgotten about the league cup? How did he along side podolski and rosicky performed?
The manager works with players on daily badis hence know which player is ready and which is not.
I think we should try either Welbeck and Alexis or Giroud and Alexis in a 4-1-3-2, with Walcott/Ox on the right, Podolski/Campbell on the left and Cazorla/Özil in the middle. A very attacking lineup, so only against the smaller teams of course.
Against stronger teams I’d go for our standard formation – Either Welbeck or Giroud as lone striker, Alexis on the left, Walcott or Ox on the right, Cazorla/Özil in the middle, Ramsey as box to box and Arteta/Flamini as holding midfielder.
Sorry did I miss something?
Was our ‘standard’ formation working against stronger teams?
THE ATTACKING STUFF WILL SORT ITSELF OUT.ON THE LEFT OF THE FRONT 3 IS SANCHEZ ON THE RIGHT OF IT WILL BE WALCOTT AND Wellbeck AND giroud will fight it out for the central role. More importantly we need a class centre back and a defensive midfielder ffs. Pogba would sort lots of our troubles out and hummels maybe??????? It would never happen I no but it would help stop the same old boring scrap for 4th season in season out
wenger: always 1 or 2 short.
Pogba is not a defensive mid fielder to start with while Hummels and BVB are anchoring the bundasliga with a goal difference of -7. BVB is not a small club by any means hence the Hummels are responsible for the poor results the same way you blame Per, Flamini and others for Arsenal’s currebt sixth position in the league. To cap it Hummels appears to be nr ever ibjured as well as was the case with TV in his last days at Arsenal.
You complain that Arsenal players are injury prone and that the club always buy players with history of injuries yet you are doing the same in the xase of Hummels. You always complain that Arsene play players out of position yet you want him to buy Pogba to play him out of position. You contribution thus lack logic.
Really hope that finishing of ramsey and cazorla can come back as soon as possible …..
Sanogo is next diaby, just loan or sell him if he could, next season afobe or akpom should step as first team player
“……But with Olivier Giroud back from his tibia injury, that gives Arsene Wenger a problem, so how does the boss keep both his central strikers happy and do the best thing for the team?”
—- Easy!! 4-3-3 like last weekend against west brom
I guess campbell/poldi/rosicky will only play in the cup games this year. I feel so sorry for the lads.
Having Wellbeck and Giroud available
is not a problem it’s great!!!
We can play them together.
We can alternate one game at a time.
We can sub one for the other.
Sanogo is injured 75% of the time
Podolski does not work up front and Campbell
is not yet trusted. So for the next 30 games or so
we have just two strikers Wellz and Gousa (ok Sanchez could
play up front but he can play any where probably left and right back too) 🙂
I HATE AOBss!!!!!!!!!