We win games despite him not because of him
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Well, he did.
He can pass when under no pressure which teams often donāt allow, gives away the ball in sloppy fashion on a consistent basis.
He is so easily pressed itās not even funny and doesnāt have the speed of thought of a top player to compensate for his complete lack of athleticism.
In short heās an accident waiting to happen in almost every game.
Yes. This was something I pointed out since his second game with us.
Every pass is hit with same power.
fabregas used to weigh his pass perfectly so as to make sure the recipient doesnāt have trouble controlling the ball.
Time to sell him in january before itās too late, as no one is gonna get him in the summer if he kept playing in this way.
I saw him late in the game try to put āsomeā power behind his pass so that Laca can flick it and the moron went in with full power instead.
Look at Lucas, how he brushes the ball and weights it so nicely. As someone said, night and day.
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Easy to see Lucas must start.
Thatās a bit misleading.
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Heās our only forward passing midfielder and can affect transitions. Up until we find a midfielder like Santi, who can carry the ball from defence to the attaching third or someone who can pass from defence to the attacking midfielders without being a complete looney, Xhaka will stay in the first team.
Torreira and Guendouzi pivot wonāt work cause neither of them currently have the ability to pass forwards. While Torreira offers more industry, Guendouzi is more mobile and can hold the ball better hence heās been in the starting line up more often.
I wonder why we didnāt gamble and kept Santi on the books for one more season or didnāt sign someone similar. We could have done with players like Seri, Jorginhio who were available.
We need a Cesc and either one of Guen or Torreira could play the Flamini role easily. Iād be surprised if we donāt make a move for a passing/ dribbling midfielder in Jan, until then Xhaka is here to stay.
Guendouzi is pretty decent at forward passingā¦
The odd pass yes, but he hasnāt show that he can pass inbetween the lines or aid transitions from defence to attack. Him alone isnāt enough and weād lose control of the midfield, like what happened in the Chelsea game once we took Xhaka off.
Torreira and Guendouzi are actually more direct than Xhaka, so i do not think this is a reason for him to have a guaranteed first team place.
Most of his passes are sidways and like we saw on sunday, he tends to pass it from one side to another and risk a counter attack.
Itās clear as day anyway that Lucas and Xhaka should be our starting midfield pairing at this stage.
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It sounds Emery considers Xhaka our first choice in the middle. No chance to see him dropped.
Anyone notice him doing a Harlem Globetrotter move near our box? :mustafi:
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I think the partnership in midfield Iād like to see is Xhaka + Torreira. Xhaka seems to be the only one (barring Torreira weirdly enough who seems to be the most competent forward passer we have) who tries to pass through the lines.
In the spells where we have played well this season, Xhaka has been at the heart of starting moves with positive forward passes. Itās just that he also is the central cause of our lack of control / aimlessness in midfield. His good spells are vastly outweighed by the fact that heās such a massive fucking liability.
I never feel comfortable with Xhaka in our midfield. So susceptible to being pressed / dispossessed. Needs Torreira shielding / mopping up around him to give our possession machine some balance and control.
I hope there will be some ruthlessness in our squad building under Emery. If Xhaka doesnāt improve this season, it should be his last at the club and my realistic hope is that he gets marginalised over time.
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Odd to hear some wanting Torriera and Xhaka as a pivot, as good as Torreira is he wonāt be able to cover Xhakaās clumsiness and ineptitude.
Would much rather see Xhaka drop to the bench altogether pending unlikely improvement and blood Guendouzi even more, the way Iām seeing Xhaka is he barely has a future here particularly as a starter. Why continue to persist with mediocrity?
Iād like to see a three in midfield with Torriera at the base with perhaps Guendouzi and Ramsey as a paring. Or even put Mhki in there.
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Yep.
As well intentioned as this is weāre asking a hell of a lot from Bellerin and Monreal in how they support our attacks and have to factor in all the defensive considerations for them on a tactical level.
With a 4-3-1-2 weāre also asking our central mids and strikers to branch out wide a hell of a lot. Less concerning with our strikers but is it manageable with our midfielders? They might be capable of covering the spaces and protecting the full backs, but in the same vein it could turn out to be a mess.
We could still get a balance between what youāre suggesting but a broader shape by sticking with a 4-2-3-1, just with some personnel changes. Or we can go even closer to what youāre saying, with an England-esque 5-2-1-2/5-3-2.