I swear we were chatting late last season about how much fluidly we play with ESR over Martinelli on the left.
ESR hasn’t really played much with Zinchenko and Jesus yet. Odegaard, Saka, Xhaka, Partey, Nketiah and White have all gotten better and are more involved in the final third.
The lad will be a fantastic asset in this side once he’s fully fit.
A lot of what I’m reading in here about him smells like pure revisionism. Even when he was free scoring people were hanging him by his xg and how he wouldn’t keep it up. Yet the lad kept scoring.
I’m obviously a big fan of the lad but don’t understand the negativity or harsh criticisms. He’ll take a little while to get back to speed but he’s a great asset to have at the club. I don’t mind if he starts behind Martinelli, Trossard or Odegaard. He’ll find minutes somewhere due to his versatility and unique set of skills
Its not over analysis, its just basic observation of how we have changed over time tactically. The LW player now has a very different role than when Smith-Rowe was preferred over Martinelli in that position. Since Auba left how many games has Smith-Rowe started over Martinelli at LW when Martinelli hasn’t had a knock or badly needed a rest?
Using Zinchenko instead of Tierney is just going to make this dynamic more pronounced, not less. The LW needs to stay on the touchline because Zinchenko doesn’t spend much time overlapping, if ever. Its just not ESR’s game.
I’m sure if ESR is fully fit Arteta will find ways to use him - competing with Trossard for backup LW, competing with Vieira for backup to Odegaard - but he doesn’t really have a natural fit and there’s definitely not a clear path into the first choice 11 for him at this point.
I’m with you Cas.
I think people are being too hard on an excellent player who has struggled with a long term injury that wouldnt heal properly.
I had to defend Saka on here last season despite getting 10 league goals with people saying he wasn’t good enough and we needed Raphinha to challenge.
ESR got 10 league goals last season and was a key part of us even making a run for 4th.
He’s an excellent player and has a lot more to show us, I think with a good run of games he’ll really show us what he can do.
Well yes lol. Of course the team has changed, our entire squad has been reformed to suit Mikel’s ideology. Through both personnel and tactics. That’s not the conversation here though. Someone like ESR would have survived and thrived during the process of evolution whether that was at LW or AM. Martinelli has been far from infallible on that left and just because ESR was injured doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have been involved.
You cite Tierney but truth be told I believe ESR would suit playing with Zinchenko just as much if not more.
This idea, the conversation- that ESR is useless when he isn’t scoring is just nonsense and the lad will no doubt prove that himself soon enough. Every single player has got better as the team has evolved, Nket, Odegaard and Saka. ESR would have too if not for his injury
I agree with what you just wrote and never was on the side of ESR being useless when not scoring (a lot of his initial breakthrough season was really about knitting our play together after all). But I do think we’ve evolved in a direction where he is a bit of square peg facing a number of round holes. I have a hard time seeing a situation where he we keep this tactical setup and he retakes the first choice LW from Martinelli. Even harder to see him taking Odegaard’s job. Still can be a valuable player of course but he’s basically competing with Trossard and Vieira, not the other two, at this point.
Oh I know you weren’t saying he was useless, it’s just this conversation overall was leaning into that hyperbole. As for that paragraph yeh I understand where you are coming from and that’s certainly a concern. Although even if he does find himself bench bound for a while I have no problem with that. He’s a young and highly adaptable and versatile player. I think he’s the perfect fit to have floating around the peripherals of this new look Arsenal team. His time won’t be wasted - he’s got a fantastic oppertunity to learn from guys like Trossard, Jesus, Odegaard etc. Make himself and his play even more multidimensional - as said yourself all his entry points into the side are blocked right now and that’s on the player to overcome himself. As long as his injuries don’t continue to hold him back, I’m confident that he’ll do just that
Iirc the surgery he had was supposed to clear up the problem that was the root cause of his issues.
I’ve got absolutely no doubts that Arteta would trust him to come in more or less cold over Vieira. He must be desperate for ESR to be back. Imagine him crashing the box when we’re really running at teams. I think it may be particularly important as clubs try to emulate the United/Newcastle/Spurs gameplan.
ESR is an asset. Last season even coming off the bench he’d consistently bag goals that sealed games. The depth in attacking midfield and left sided positions is crazy at Arsenal right now. Nothing wrong with him offering something different to the others.
If we can bring in a serious defensive mid that can cope with PL intensity I’d say we’re fully good to go.
So Elneny could be facing an extended period out again apparently, probably going to have to do something in the next week, Elneny getting injured a lot now for a guy that doesn’t play often.
We needed a midfielder with or without Elneny. Edu should get it done and not let one gap screw our chances.
Sabitzer on loan
Yep I agree, but it just makes even more desperate now that Elneny can’t stay fit.
Nah not desperate at all. We now have got Kiwior, very good defensively can play DM and can spray a good pass forward too i think he can play in Parteys position worse case scenario.
Based on what mate really.
Well based on who he has come up against like Vlahovic etc he kept him quiet and i am sure he aint easy to deal with. What exactly have we got with Elneny…people are panicking but Elneny isn’t a bloody world class talent is he but all of a sudden that he is injured everyone is panicking when we just bought a player that plays DM and probably better than Elneny ever could.
Well, we brought hin primarily as a CB, no?
Arteta addressed hin as one.
Speaking of Arteta, he himself said we’re short in midfield today.
yes he bought him as a CB but he can easily step into the DM role and has done…Arteta likes Adaptable i am sure he could use him there at a push if worse case scenario dictates it.
Easily step in to the DM role. In the Premier League. Yeah right.
They’re going after midfielders for a reason.
read the comments in that video, he plays DM…i am not saying we will rely on him there i am that even if we get no midfielders in we have cover with him. I am sure if he can handle Vlahovic he will cope with the EPL for a couple of matches.