There’s alot of frustration with the team this season despite the positive results in the PL and CL. The feeling that there’s something simply not clicking is simmering under and over the surface. I’m quietely satisfied with how the team is shaping up. I’m liking the control over vibes approach but I’m also not naive to the fact we’re creating less and that it’s a problem in some games.
I appreciate the fighting spirit of Nketiah, Jorginho and Havertz. They are all trying their hardest to be what the team needs while the likes of Partey and Jesus are out injured. But at the same time we aren’t performing to the best of our ability when either of them are playing, let alone when they are all on the field.
4 games out of 15 with a goal contribution for Nketiah and 2 in 16 for Havertz isn’t really conducive with a strong consistent run. And considering the rise of Tomiyasu I believe there is a golden opportunity to create a new balance that could potentially unlock many of the issues we are seeing. Man City stumbled upon a ultra solid base to kick-start their season last year and I think we have the tools to do something similar.
I’m not bashing Eddie or Kai per se, but if we want to find our most fluent self again we probably need to use them less frequently. Here is what I propose Arteta do from now on:
- Give Tomiyasu the starting role at LB
- Play Zinchenko as the left 8
- Build in a 2-3 instead of a 3-2
- Give White license to overlap more
- Trust Trossard or Nelson over Nketiah
- Use Kai as more of a plan B
Tomiyasu is one of the standout performers of the season and by starting him our level of defending will suit our control-based approach. Less holes in the armour let’s say. He is adept at inverting but also at overlapping using his left foot. The very definition of a hybrid player.
In my opinion Zinchenko has been our best passer this season but also a liability at the back. I don’t think it’s right to drop him even though I want Tomi at LB. By playing him in the position he occupies for Ukraine we get the best of him and we spare us of his worst. We haven’t found a suitable replacement for Xhaka yet and Arteta seems to prefer a double pivot midfield this season. I think it works. We really need his line-breaking passes, we haven’t really threathenned through the middle so far.
If we build in a 2-3 we can keep Saliba and Gabriel in their best positions and rotate Zinchenko and Tomiyasu for that left spot in the 3. The other one goes higher, wide or central depending on the wingers movement. White has a higher starting position this way and is closer to Saka and Odegaard when we move up the field. He can also adapt and help Saliba with ball progression.
We really need a CF that can hold on to the ball, drive/dribble and rotate with others. Someone more like Jesus than Nketiah. I suggest we either play Trossard in the middle or move Martinelli there and play Nelson on the left. Leo is a killer around the box and Nelson is the closest we have to Martinelli/Saka. Take your pick but only from those two options. I’m done with bashing our heads against the wall by using ill-suited options only because they are higher in hierarchy or percieved to be more defensively sound.
Only use Havertz as the plan B when we need a taller forward/midfielder or as a rotation option when players need a rest.
We have a way of playing, but when important cogs are injury prone it’s important we have like for like replacement for those players. Trossard for Jesus, Nelson for Martinelli/Saka, Vieira for Odegaard etc etc. Now everything changes when we rotate and that’s not good, regardless of how unpredictable Arteta wants us to be.
Hello! Im a 39 year old family man from Sweden, born in Gothenburg, living in Stockholm. Why Arsenal? I was 11 years old and didnt have a PL team yet, but was a big fan of the Dutch national team with Dennis Bergkamp up front. So when he joined us in 95’ it was a easy choice which team I wanted to support. It only felt better when success quickly followed and Freddie Ljungberg came in. My first and only live game was the Palace game at the Emirates when Giroud scored that scorpion kick goal. My biggest regret will forever be that I never got to visit Highbury. Most of my friends through life have been Man Utd or Liverpool fans but I have always been proud to be a Arsenal supporter. We are more than a club, with values I live by, and watching this Arteta revolution fills me with great joy. This beautiful club deserves to be at the top. Lets talk Arsenal!
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