That’s the whole point of the change. The more creative players would be more involved in the build up, because they wouldn’t play as far up the pitch. In my opinion, with the number 10 the way Arsenal uses it, there is too much of a gap between the pivot and Ozil. Hence Coquelin has more responsibilities in the build up.
With Arteta in that spot, who was rated so highly by some because of his build-up qualities, the midfield was as disjointed. I think there is something fundamentally wrong with the way the midfield is set-up rather than the limitations of Coquelin. Not to say those limitations do not play a part at all.
The bolded seems a pretty easily refuted assertion. Our midfield was the most coherent it has been in a while with Arteta-Ramsey in 12-13, and even in 13-14.
I disagree. Our build up play was slow and predictable back then too. The current football is not something from the last one or two months/years or so.
This difference is important on Football Manager because the players aren’t intelligent and mobile like the reality, but the real football is a different thing.
…and @SDGooner, Coquelin isn’t capable to pass the ball to a near team-mate, imagine him in the position of the classic creative midfielder. Who should be our playmaker with Coquelin in front of Koscielny and Mustafi? Who will receive the the first ball from the defenders?
Do you know why Arsenal play much better when there is on the pitch a player like Santi Cazorla? Because he receives the ball from the defenders and has the technique, the vision, the pass and the intelligence to find the players in the space or to start a ball possession.
You’re talking about the dutch system, the Total Football. Do you know who was the Ajax and Oranje National Team midfielder in front of the defense?
Arie Haan, a player with an incredible intelligence and a super technique.
You can’t talk of Total Football mentioning Coquelin (and Ramsey), because Rinus Michels, Cruyff, Krool and the others football heroes of this fantastic system because should be an offence for them.
I still think he can make it but hes lost some pace since he got his last injury. He also needs to be drilled and the defense needs to be too. we often look like a pick side in a park in defense and le coq gets drawn out too much .
Slow and predictable yes. Coherent, did a good job of protecting the defence and maintaining relative control of matches (at least compared to the shit we’ve seen the last couple years), and getting the ball to attacking players, yes as well.
What? The “creative players” are already more involved than Coquelin (check pass attempts per game and you’ll see), and that’s kinda the problem here. It’s why most coaches just don’t bother with pure destroyers.
Wenger’s no moron, and he’s using Coquelin the only way you can use him. Just wish that he would try someone else in that position, instead of finding ways to work around him being non existent when the team has the ball. Ramsey for example, is quite good in possession when he’s a deep midfielder. I’d like to see that again now when Xhaka is suspended.
I was referring to that system, because Wenger is trying to play a total football kind of style. But is failing at it miserably. Pressing is essential in type of style; we suck at that. You need to be compact and keep the pitch small; we suck at that. I made the suggestion, because I think our midfield needs to be more compact etc. Which we aren’t with the pivot and a number 10. I was saying Cazorla should play in stead of Ramsey nonetheless, but he is currently injured…
Saying he did a good job protecting the defense and we were more in control, is a bit much, seeing how the same defensive frailties were also very relevant during 12-14.
It doesn’t matter if our pivot was Song-Wilshere, Song-Arteta, Ramsey-Arteta, Coquelin-Cazorla or Coquelin-Ramsey. The same midfield problems have been relevant during the past 6,5 years with each of those pivots.
I just think this goes a lot further than players at this point. I don’t think a ‘proper’ defensive midfielder is going to solve any of the problems, Coquelin limitations causes. It goes wrong on a managerial level and as long as Wenger doesn’t changes his ways, he can keep buying DMs but there will not be significant improvement.
As a kid when I started going to Highbury (mid 90s) my dad told me that Highbury had won some sort of grounds keeping award for the pitch a couple years running and I genuinely considered this to be a majorly achievement on par with winning an actual trophy.
Our tactic is miles away to Total Football. Arsenal never played with 11 players with technique, vision and dynamism as principal strengths.
I’ve seen the best things with Cazorla and Coquelin on midfield or Arteta and Ramsey.
Arsenal should try to play a type of total football with Xhaka, Ramsey and Cazorla on midfield, Iwobi and Ozil on the flanks and Alexis on attack, but, is the Premier League the right league to propose this type of tactic? Manchester United, Chelsea (now and in the past), Leicester have won titles with the opposite strategy.
That is what I’ve been saying for some time now. Wenger is trying to play a style of football for which we don’t have the footballers at all. I don’t think he will succeed at it implementing either. With or without Coquelin.
