It is not going to be easy for Arsenal to peg back the prolific Manchester City attack in tomorrow’s Caraboa Cup Final, and we all hope that Arsene Wenger has got his tactics in place to nullify the amazing strike force that Pep Guardiola has got at his disposal.
The Boss managed last season in the FA Cup semi-final in their last meeting at Wembley, but can he do it again tomorrow. According to the ex-Liverpool star Steve Nicol, Wenger should take note of how Jurgen Klopp managed to inflict City’s only League defeat earlier this season.
“I think they have to look at what Liverpool did,” Nicol said. “Close them really early and high. If they’re going to do it, then they need to get players on the field who can get around.
“I think they have to go with a 3-5-2, that’s what I would do. I would have legs up front, (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang and (Danny) Welbeck.
“I would play five in the middle to make sure they can squeeze high and have three at the back, which will probably end up in stages being five.
“But that’s what you need against Manchester City, they fling that many players forward that you need numbers to defend against them.”
The only problem is that Wenger rarely changes tactics depending on who his opponents are, and Nicol doesn’t think he will consider changing Arsenal’s normal game plan. “Well you talk about stubborn, Wenger will go out and try and do what they do and that’s ‘well this is how we play and this is how we’ll do it’,” the ex-Scotland international added.
“That’s what they did against Tottenham and got blasted. It finished 1-0 but it should have been four or five.”
So will Wenger surprise us all (including Liverpool) by trying a new formation? Or do you think he will stick to our normal game?
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Who with ? Elneny and Xhaka ??
It’s our worst area
The team is not disciplined enough to play a pressing game. It has taken Klopp three years to implement his pressing game at liverpool, we are not going to be able to execute it effectively overnight. To play the pressing game, the whole team needs to have tactical and positional awareness to know when to press and when to back and when we field players like Ramsey or Iwobi there is no chance for success.
The sad truth is that the manager has for years not had any clarity on how the team should play. Week in week out he throws eleven bodies on the field and ask the players to hog position and figure it out the rest. It’s a tactical abomination that we continue to switch the ball from side to side on the pitch and putting awful crosses in when Giroud has been sold and when we have PEA who likes running behind the defense.
Klopp should be our current Arsenal manager. I rest my case. Old dog cant learn new things.
How about his erstwhile assistant Wagner at Huddersfield! Plays the same system as Klopp and works on small budget like Pochottino which suits stingy Kronke
No disrespect but Arsenal are in need of a someone who comes with a bit of reputation with him . The pressure is going to be immense high for every new manager in the future.
Please accept we are crap in every department…if we win than it will be on pure luck nothing else.
I wouldn’t feel comfortable going back to 3 at the back.
Also midfielders Xhaka, Eleny, Iwobi don’t fill me with confidence. Neither does Welbeck
Aubameyang should be the sole striker until Lacazette comes back
With Mkhitaryan not playing, I would chose Wilshere over Iwobi, Welbeck.
I would also try Kolsanic over Xhaka
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…………………….Ospina
Bellerin….Koscielny….Mustafi…Monreal
…………..Eleny………..Kolsanic
………..Ramsey….Ozil….Wilshere….
…………………Aubameyang
Innit, I like the look of your eleven for this game. Maybe interchange Welneck (for his running/stamina) with Ramsey, if Ramsey tires.
Let’s just hope Wenger has worked out a way to stop them swarming all over us otherwise it will be a rout.
Wenger rarely changes formation,rarely surprises with the odd player asked to do something different and will be telling the players to let them worry about us.This will not work against Citeh.
We need a strong and focused performance from EVERY player out there and we CAN compete if we remain compact and solid.
It doesn’t happen often but we can win this game.
God knows why I’m confident after some of the performances we have given this season but I am.Lets Trust the team feel the same.
Who can we field, and what shape can we put them in that suits their strong suit?
Auba, Mesut……..Ramsey………Welbeck……jack, Xhaka (AMN) Monreal, Koscielny, Mustafi, Hector, Ospina.
No wide attackers/wingers/7s, so need to play the two forwards together and the midfielders in central midfield positions. Both FCB and Real Madrid achieving success with a tight diamond 442. If Arsene were flexible we could do the same, and potentially be dangerous with it once lacazette is healthy.
Let welbeck and Auba rub up top together, mesut directly underneath at the 10; Ramey inside right, jack inside left, AMN (Xhaka) at the base. Width from hector and nacho, where both feel comfortable.
For me that has players in comfortable positions where they can be successful. Shouldn’t beat city but could contend and make a chance.