In today's Arsenal Vision Post Match Podcast: Elliot (@YankeeGunner), Tim (@Stillberto) and Paul (@PoznanInMyPants) talk about the victory at Hull City. Some of the talking points include Alexis at centre forward, Granit Xhaka and his goal, Nottingham Forest in the EFL cup and plenty more in this weeks Arsenal Vision podcast
What seems clear to me is the fact that most of our moves come from that left/central position. There is a little box of switching players and it is not just down to Walcott to move into those spaces but also Mesut Ozil and Alex Iwobi. It must be a nightmare for defenders to have to try and mark this rotating circle of attacking players all popping up in between the lines and then whoosh someone is running into the space that Alexis has left behind. This looks planned and choreographed to me. We got a hint of it last season when Welbeck came into the team with Iwobi and Alexis on the right and our attacking play improved considerably. It's the way Arsene wants to play football and it's probably why a player like Lucas Perez has been signed. A player who is comfortable in both positions on the flank and centrally. He can join the circle of fun. Maybe this is why we have seen little of Giroud so far this season
While I was disappointed at xhaka not starting, I was absolutely annoyed at this Alexis striker bit. If Perez isn't fit to start, I'd rather the guy who has been calling himself a striker be played up top and Alexis out wide instead of vice versa. Alexis drops to midfield way too much often leaving the striker role vacant. As for midfield, I'm a fan of coq/cazorla partnership but will really like to see xhaka get more game time. So I would have put Alexis wide left, theo Center and iwobi right. Perhaps rested santi and brought in xhaka.
Coquelin’s role in our build up has been a cause of frustration in recent games from Arsenal fans but I don’t think that acquisition can be levelled at him yesterday. He received the ball in tight spaces between the lines and recycled quickly. He also passed between the lines without any issues. He is no Iniesta but he was fantastic yesterday. Cazorla too played an important role yesterday and linked up very well with Mesut Ozil in particular. He tired a little in the second half and was on a knife edge in regards to his early booking but it begs the question
Theo Walcott comes back into the team on the right and Alex Iwobi keeps his place on the left, which I am pleased about. I'm not too worried about Alexis starting at centre forward as long as Theo Walcott makes runs into his spaces when he moves to the flank as he often does. Xhaka and Elneny and new boy Lucas Perez are on the bench, hopefully we can ease them in from a comfortable winning position *prays*
n short, he is still adjusting, it’s about partnerships so I wonder who suits him the most and also that he sees Xhaka as a box to box player. Now I am no manager and I’m one of those weird blokes who actually thinks the Arsenal manager has a better grasp of the game than I do but I really don’t see Xhaka in any other position than deep midfield, sitting distributing and making tackles. So if Xhaka is starting in the midfield, who is the best partner for him given that Arsene apparently wants him to play as a number 8 or maybe that is further down the line
In today's Arsenal Vision Post Match Podcast: Elliot (@YankeeGunner), Tim (@Stillberto) and Paul (@PoznanInMyPants) talk about the draw at PSG in match day one. The crew talk about the midfield, centre back partnership, Chamberlain’s form and plenty more in this weeks Arsenal Vision podcast
We did not manage to create many clear chances with our possession but that was largely because they defended much better than we did throughout the game. Mesut Özil was far from his best but 13 minutes from time he showed his quality with a lovely check back from the left of the box. Most players in the world are crossing that ball into the box but Özil does not need to cross the ball, he passes from all angles of the pitch and it was his pass that landed at Iwobi who lashed in a shot that Areola could only manage to push out to Alexis who came in late to scuff a shot off the turf and past the keeper.
Grant Xhaka has been in and out of the side and if you look carefully, he was rarely included in our strongest teams during the pre season while Francis Coquelin has consistently been in the team, playing alongside various partners. Now is this because Xhaka lacks fitness? has not adjusted to the speed of our game? or some other reason. It certainly cannot be anything to do with the Euros as players who progressed further are already starting regular games (Ozil and Koscileny)
In today's Arsenal Vision Post Match Podcast: Elliot (@YankeeGunner) and Paul (@PoznanInMyPants) talk about our late victory against the Saints at the Emirates Stadium. The crew talk about Francis Coquelin in depth, Arsenal's chances in Paris and more in this weeks Arsenal Vision podcast