You’re not wrong tbh, the quality isn’t quite there yet.
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68 - 73 points is what we’ll get this season. We still have to upgrade our CM position, I’d honestly prefer Guendouzi at this point. We need to phase Xhaka out of the side and get rid. Mustafi isn’t CL level, and we need a legit winger.
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Sounds about right. LB too.
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Further evidence playing Laca and Auba together isn’t the magical tonic people have hyped it up to be.
I don’t know why people get so offended by the idea of dropping one of them tbh. We were playing better when auba was coming off the bench
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We may have stolen the game had Aubameyang scored with 20 mins to go or so, but we really can’t complain, if anyone deserved to win it was Wolves.
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Save to say reading through this thread that today’s game was a total clusterfuck and we were lucky to get a point out of it. Weird how every November falls and we begin to struggle.
But look, we had a crazy run of winning 11 games in a row, so it was always going to be a point after that we’d have a tricky patch at some point, and now that seems to be the case.
We know the frailites of the team and weaknesses, it’s all about what Emery can do to try and improve the situation going forwards. Still a concern though we’re slow starting in first halves, an obvious problem that needs addressing.
But also, make no mistake, Wolves are a decent outfit this season and sometimes these promoted sides can often cause a surprise every now and then. Let’s not forget, they also managed a draw with Man City earlier this season, so you have to credit them as well, for being a competitive side this season.
Unlike the last international break, it feels like this one we kinda need this time. So I hope two weeks away some solutions can be found to our play and try get back on the right tracks soon.
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The only positive thing is that we are not losing compared with the Wenger years. Liverpool and Wolverhampton would have been 2 defeats last season.
In Hong Kong so couldn’t watch, but this string has been coming. Expected goals tend to reflect better with greater sample size. We still need to improve a lot. Need a top winger badly and it sounds like Xhakalamity returned- hopefully he kicks on. We really need him to prove us wrong to have a great season.
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Playing Auba out wide and Laca up top is one thing, playing them both up top is entirely another.
It also has a knock on effect on Iwobi who plays his best stuff on the left, there are ways to get more out of our front line and it does not involve playing our best striker out wide.
I don’t see why Emery persists with a formation that needs genuine wide options on either flank, Auba is not a wide player and it shows every time he plays there. He’s a fox in the box, put him where he plays best FFS.
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Yeah don’t understand why we are playing with wingers tbh.
A manager should use a formation that suits your best players. We have two strikers so use a two striker formation ffs
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Disappointed here , I honestly thought we were going to get a good solid home win . The unbeaten run carries on despite too many draws .
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Wolves did play well defensively and that was the key.
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A two striker system is unnecessary really. What you’re asking for is to create a top heavy attack at the expense of the midfield and defence. It doesn’t make sense in terms of on pitch balance or off the field rotations now with Welbz out
Emery has already said two up top cedes too much control in the midfield battles. And that’s correct.
The truth is we were playing reasonably functional football this season where one of only Auba or Laca started. We didnt have a problem scoring at all and Auba was a great impact sub against tired legs. Where’s the sense in moving to a system we don’t intend to use going forward?
Why are people so determined to force this Auba x Laca magical partnership? First the line was as long as they’re on the pitch together thier partnership would shine through now it’s we need a two striker system at the expense of the whole team for it to thrive?
In my view it is not unnecessary because we don’t have the genuine width that would bring out the best in the current formation. Lacazette as your primary source of goals without good wide play is asking for trouble, especially as Iwobi, Ozil, Mhki and the rest are not prolific in the least. Additionally, they aren’t really wide players.
Who are we playing out wide, Iwobi and Mhki? That would be dire and yes it would solely because of Mkhi. You play to the strengths of the personell and right now that means playing Laca and Auba together but not just anywhere, you have to get the best out of what’s at your disposal. Right now Emery is stifling Iwobi and Auba playing the former on the right and the latter out of position.
You say that it would be at the expense of the team but IMO if we deploy then in the right way we could get the best out of both. We lack genuine wide options, why persist with a system that doesn’t suit the personell?
For example we could either play an augmented 4-2-2 (as pictured below) or a narrow diamond and both would allow us to switch to change formation without substitutions to say a 4-3-3 if the situation called for it. Emery needs to be more forward thinking otherwise these kind of results will continue to happen, especially since our spell of riding our luck by pulling wins out of our arses is now on pause.
Auba Laca
Iwobi Özil
Xhaka Torreria
Kola/Monreal Holding Papa Bellerin
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Good post, very well put forward point.
I’ll I say in counter is that this squad doesn’t have the discipline or the know-how to successfully implement a two striker system
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I wouldn’t mind us trying out a 4-2-4 or a 3-5-2 or even a 4-3-1-2.
Yeah there is an array of options to get more from this team, Auba needs to be playing in his actual position.
4-3-1-2 isn’t a bad shout either, we could play Iwobi in a three on the far left with Xhaka in the middle and Torreria on the right, Özil of course would be in behind Laca and Auba. Iwobi would have more license to get forward out of the three. Out of possession they would need to be compact and disciplined to track runners on either flank.
Emery needs to get more creative rather than playing a standard 4-2-3-1 man, with the players we currently have its potential to hamper the team is far too great.
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And we were way below our usual level in breaking them down. We do struggle with it in the first half but this is the first time in a while I feel we never got it going until far too late.
We still looked tired and misplaced a lot of passes though.
They drew with Man City the same way; they game plan worked well, soaked up pressure and counter.