WENGER’S BEST SQUAD SET UP FOR 2017/18? by
As we close in toward the new season, there are a few things that are clear to us. We are buying to build a new squad where our play will be based on three back players rather than four. We are buying the best possible players to fill up the roles in our new system. We know that Arsene Wenger is in hot pursuit of one Thomas Lemar to fill up some important role in the squad. Wenger has the knack of shifting players around and squeeze some talent they never really thought they had in their new placed positions. I suggest it should not be any different even now.
What we may not have known which I want Arsenal fans to start realizing is this – Alexander Lacazette was NOT brought in as a replacement for Alexis Sanchez. If he was, we would not be giving Alexis a whopping 300,000 pound a week offer for him to stay and we would not be trying to force him to stay and see out his contract.
Lamar may not be coming to play in the wings as we seem to be suggesting. Lemar was really NOT the afterthought after Leicester placed a huge price tag on Mahrez. I think Wenger wanted both to play in the new star studded Arsenal first XI.
So after trying to assess what could be in the mind of one of the most tactful coaches today, Arsene Wenger and my own imaginations I have come to the conclusion that watching the objects moving into place, this is what we should end up with as the first XI.
———————-Lacazette——————-
—————Ozil————–Ramsey———-
Kolasinac—–Xhaka—–Lemar—–Walcott
———-Holding-Kosienly-Mustafi———-
————————-Cech———————–
Lacazette at centre forward is a huge upgrade from the Giroud molding we have had to work with in the past few years. He will score lots of goals if we give him the best service. With Alexis and Ozil behind him, Lacazette could blossom into Europe’s hottest scorers. And that would be Wenger plan A. But as things stand, Alexis does not seem to be sold to the idea of staying for an exciting season, without Champions League. That is why Ramsey is his REPLACEMENT in my mind.
Ramsey – We all know what he is capable of closer to the goal mouth and with freedom to operate. He did it well with Wales and looked every inch the super Rambo we know him to be during the Euros. In Arsenal molding, Ramsey would do an Ozil successfully enough when Ozil is not there. Well, in my imaginations – Ozil and Ramsey can do two Ozils and two Ramseys…and behind Lacazette… Mouth Watering! If any of them goes missing in action – Iwobi is waiting in the sidelines.
Lemar – is the new Santi Cazorla in my mind. We all saw when Santi walked into Arsenal and the struggles we had to try and get him to his best position. He was a left winger, a right winger an Ozil as well. When Ozil came Wenger struggled to find the space for the two and settled for a more withdrawn role for Cazorla, which proved a masterstroke. Well Lemar is of this school of play too. He can virtually play in any spot across the midfield. He has some of the Cazorla standout capabilities too but of course Cazorla is Cazorla! But Lemar can play the role very successfully and build his own stature from there. He has the passing range, the shot from range, the eye for an odd goal, the intelligence to start off attacks from deep inside, the capacity to battle for the ball from impossible tight spots. He would lionize Xhaka and Arsenal from the Cazorla spot.
Walcott – he is a cat of nine plus lives. He has managed to remain relevant to Arsenal first team even when people ruled he was dead and gone. Right now people are saying he has no spot. What if the guy playing best from their right now leaves to go and spoil his career at Liverpool? Oxlade Chamberlain is perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Arsene’s change of tactics at the tail end of last season, he has just excelled as wing-back for about just three months – and now he thinks he should trade that for a hand and foot. Well Walcott, if he concentrates, may just pick up the spot and do what Walcott does best – make lemonade out of lemons provided. After all he has been a master right winger and even if he dribbles poorly, he can beat players with quick vision and flash pace. He is a bit more experienced now and more mature in his approach to the game and he may just turn out to be the right wing keeper.
Kolasinac – the left wing has been looking like the weak link in the new set-up. Nacho Monreal is not growing younger and we have experiences with older players. Gibbs just does not seem to be able to light up the confidence. Kolasinac should have it easy to turn this position into his own and he has the skills to do so.
I think I do not have to belabour analysis of the rest of the players who will be playing at places we know they have excelled already.
This squad has potentials. For instance, if Lacazette does 25 goals, Ramsey 15 goals, Ozil does 10 and the rest of the squad does 40…we will be at 90 goals. We never really gotten into scoring 90 goals in the EPL so this squad could just achieve things we have been dreaming about.
Can you pick a better line-up?
Nicholas Oyoo