Hello everyone.
A couple of hours later we face Benfica at the Emirates and this game, coupled with tomorrow's, will tell us basically in what shape Arsenal will start the season. It's as close as it gets to Community Shield and only two weeks away from the start of the new campaign, so I think we may be in for some interesting football over the weekend.
Because of the World Cup, however, we won't quite see our strongest side. The German trio definitely misses out on the Emirates Cup and looks likely to do so at Community Shield a week from now. They may even miss the opening game against Palace.
This places us in a hard spot. For today, Chambers will deputise at centre-back with Koscielny by his side, but the problem won't go away that easy. Vermaelen seems to have sustained an injury, Mertesacker is still on holiday, so we are skating on thin ice going into the new season. Right now we only have five fit defenders.
Though Arsene stated he's open to further arrivals (mercifully, he's also confirmed we're not in for Balotelli and Quintero), we need to address our defensive problems ASAP. Vermaelen is likely to leave, but what soothes my nerves on that front a bit, is Arsene saying he'll definitely buy a centre-back should Vermaelen go. All of this leads us to a simple question, which may partially be answered today: how will Arsenal line up for this campaign?
To start with, I don't expect many changes to the back five. Szczesny should start in goal, while Debuchy will be the only change in defense. Personally, I have no problem with this choice of defenders. It's basically last year's defense and we all know it worked like clockwork. It's what further up the pitch that interests me the most.
The DM position especially. The press continues to link us with William Carvalho and he can be a great addition for the right price. He's 22, which means he's got years in front of him and he's capable of performing consistently on a high level. A good fit, taken into account Schnederlin cried his eyes out that the Saints won't let him join Tottenham.
However, if we don't buy a DM, I'll be intrigued to see Wilshere perform in that role. I remember he played in that position for a short period of time in August and September last year (Arteta was injured) and didn't do badly. He swapped roles with Ramsey and became "the runner", while the Welsh Jesus was more of "the sitter". Can something like this work out for the upcoming campaign?
Of course, it'll be a bit sad to see Ramsey drop back and not score all that much, but who said Wilshere can't score 15 goals a season? He's as technically gifted as Ramsey and only needs to accomplish what the Welshman did last season: deliver on his early promise. I'm sure Wilshere can prove himself and show he can be a valuable member of this side, we just need to give him a chance.
If, for some reason, Jack isn't ready to play in that position, then I expect Arteta to continue in central midfield. I'm not sure it's an ideal option, the Spaniard isn't very physical or speedy, but he's still a very good passer and reads the game brilliantly. Definitely not the worst pick.
Ozil will continue playing under the striker, with Cazorla/Rosicky as back-up, but it's the front three where a fierce competition for places will unravel.
For now, I think we'll see a Cazorla-Giroud-Sanchez trio, but when Walcott returns, one of these will likely be dropped to give way for the Englishman. And, though I admit the prospect is thrilling, I don't think Walcott and Sanchez will play on different flanks, feeding Giroud. It might look good in theory (two speedy wingers for Ozil to pass to!), but, problem is, none of those are accustomed to playing on the left.
With Wenger hinting Sanchez will only be a winger until Walcott returns, I think Giroud may just be dropped. However, it'll also mean altering the scheme we've used for two years running and I don't think Wenger is too keen to do that.
Let's also not forget about Oxlade and Podolski. Though the latter seems to have cemented himself as a bench sub (it doesn't mean he won't fight for a place in the first team), Oxlade's qualities are similar to Walcott's, so I see no reason why one has to be played ahead of the other. Guess much will depend on their form and Arsene's view on the matter.
I've written all of the above assuming we keep our 4-3-3 formation mostly because I think the switch to something else is unlikely. Playing with four midfielders will mean dropping Ozil and Cazorla, while playing with three defenders is a hell of a risky thing to do. Three defenders means three central defenders (and we only have three, is there much sense in risking them all?) Also, it'll mean the flanks will have to trace back and help out, which is an unusual thing to do for Podolski, Walcott and Cazorla. Don't know about Sanchez. So I'd be surprised to see Wenger deploy a different formationto our usual 4-3-3.
Phew, enough guesswork. Let's see what happens later today on the pitch, it may well answer some of our questions. By the way, if you have missed my bit on Jenks, Campbell and Gnabry, check it out. Well worth your time.
That's it for today, here's for a good game and a win later and I'll be back with you tomorrow with my thoughts on this game.
Until then
A couple of hours later we face Benfica at the Emirates and this game, coupled with tomorrow's, will tell us basically in what shape Arsenal will start the season. It's as close as it gets to Community Shield and only two weeks away from the start of the new campaign, so I think we may be in for some interesting football over the weekend.
Because of the World Cup, however, we won't quite see our strongest side. The German trio definitely misses out on the Emirates Cup and looks likely to do so at Community Shield a week from now. They may even miss the opening game against Palace.
This places us in a hard spot. For today, Chambers will deputise at centre-back with Koscielny by his side, but the problem won't go away that easy. Vermaelen seems to have sustained an injury, Mertesacker is still on holiday, so we are skating on thin ice going into the new season. Right now we only have five fit defenders.
Though Arsene stated he's open to further arrivals (mercifully, he's also confirmed we're not in for Balotelli and Quintero), we need to address our defensive problems ASAP. Vermaelen is likely to leave, but what soothes my nerves on that front a bit, is Arsene saying he'll definitely buy a centre-back should Vermaelen go. All of this leads us to a simple question, which may partially be answered today: how will Arsenal line up for this campaign?
To start with, I don't expect many changes to the back five. Szczesny should start in goal, while Debuchy will be the only change in defense. Personally, I have no problem with this choice of defenders. It's basically last year's defense and we all know it worked like clockwork. It's what further up the pitch that interests me the most.
The DM position especially. The press continues to link us with William Carvalho and he can be a great addition for the right price. He's 22, which means he's got years in front of him and he's capable of performing consistently on a high level. A good fit, taken into account Schnederlin cried his eyes out that the Saints won't let him join Tottenham.
However, if we don't buy a DM, I'll be intrigued to see Wilshere perform in that role. I remember he played in that position for a short period of time in August and September last year (Arteta was injured) and didn't do badly. He swapped roles with Ramsey and became "the runner", while the Welsh Jesus was more of "the sitter". Can something like this work out for the upcoming campaign?
Of course, it'll be a bit sad to see Ramsey drop back and not score all that much, but who said Wilshere can't score 15 goals a season? He's as technically gifted as Ramsey and only needs to accomplish what the Welshman did last season: deliver on his early promise. I'm sure Wilshere can prove himself and show he can be a valuable member of this side, we just need to give him a chance.
If, for some reason, Jack isn't ready to play in that position, then I expect Arteta to continue in central midfield. I'm not sure it's an ideal option, the Spaniard isn't very physical or speedy, but he's still a very good passer and reads the game brilliantly. Definitely not the worst pick.
Ozil will continue playing under the striker, with Cazorla/Rosicky as back-up, but it's the front three where a fierce competition for places will unravel.
For now, I think we'll see a Cazorla-Giroud-Sanchez trio, but when Walcott returns, one of these will likely be dropped to give way for the Englishman. And, though I admit the prospect is thrilling, I don't think Walcott and Sanchez will play on different flanks, feeding Giroud. It might look good in theory (two speedy wingers for Ozil to pass to!), but, problem is, none of those are accustomed to playing on the left.
With Wenger hinting Sanchez will only be a winger until Walcott returns, I think Giroud may just be dropped. However, it'll also mean altering the scheme we've used for two years running and I don't think Wenger is too keen to do that.
Let's also not forget about Oxlade and Podolski. Though the latter seems to have cemented himself as a bench sub (it doesn't mean he won't fight for a place in the first team), Oxlade's qualities are similar to Walcott's, so I see no reason why one has to be played ahead of the other. Guess much will depend on their form and Arsene's view on the matter.
I've written all of the above assuming we keep our 4-3-3 formation mostly because I think the switch to something else is unlikely. Playing with four midfielders will mean dropping Ozil and Cazorla, while playing with three defenders is a hell of a risky thing to do. Three defenders means three central defenders (and we only have three, is there much sense in risking them all?) Also, it'll mean the flanks will have to trace back and help out, which is an unusual thing to do for Podolski, Walcott and Cazorla. Don't know about Sanchez. So I'd be surprised to see Wenger deploy a different formationto our usual 4-3-3.
Phew, enough guesswork. Let's see what happens later today on the pitch, it may well answer some of our questions. By the way, if you have missed my bit on Jenks, Campbell and Gnabry, check it out. Well worth your time.
That's it for today, here's for a good game and a win later and I'll be back with you tomorrow with my thoughts on this game.
Until then
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