Rosicky, Yossi, Coquelin and AOC are four players who have looked good this term and would clearly benefit, and have benefited, from playing in the first instance, but also playing with the first eleven – if Song and Arteta are playing then perhaps play Rosicky and bring Ramsey on if needed; if RvP and Theo are starting then start Yossi and

Good day to all fans of the best club on Earth. If you are one of us you will know.

I hope that everyone is feeling as happy as they possibly can, although as this is most unlikely I will reluctantly settle for ‘chipper’, ‘top’ or any other slightly outdated expression of positive vibez dem. (ß current expression)

I have, unfortunately, been absent from the pages of this site for longer than I can remember since I started contributing, which is a shame. I would offer to make it up to you all with an extra special post stuffed full of expertise and jam packed with hilarity but since I’m pretty rusty my offering is more likely a poorly assembled jumble of letters lightly smothered in guesswork and dipped cautiously in amusement. Or sumfin.

I’ve returned to day to talk about rotation. Squad rotation is, I’m afraid, a real bugbear of mine. Since Wenger seems completely Plaster of Parised in his ways the problem will likely continue but, hey, whinging about things that won’t change is still useful, right? (Though @hazzaboy21 would disagree I’m sure.)

The current situation appears to be this: Wenger picks a first eleven and then plays them in successive games until they their limbs start falling off. The alternative is this: rotation. The benefits of this are thus:

1. The first eleven get to rest
2. The second string get used to playing
3. Bingo

Rotating to rest key players is imperative, and as a result does take place, but the problem is that Wenger is reluctant to rotate that often for fear of affecting continuity. But continuity of playing staff and continuity of performance are two very different things. 

It makes no difference to the club which eleven players play in a given game as long as the result is favourable. If ‘Drooling’ Desmond, a local pisshead, was mistakenly registered as one of our 25 (in the home grown 8, obviously) no one would give so much as a single shitlet if he replaced RvP in the team so long as he kept staggering unpredictably into excellent scoring positions and knocking the ball in with his dizzy bonce.

You have to assume that part of the reason rotation doesn’t take place is that Wenger isn’t confident that the second string are good enough to do the job. But if there are players on our bench who haven’t played for so long that they had stop to ask directions to the Emirates then they’re even less likely to be at the required level when they are finally called upon. 

We saw this last season with Theo van Nasregas when we beat Chelsea after Christmas with our first eleven, drew with Wigan with an almost completely different set of players, and then demolished Birmingham with our first eleven a few days later. This set the pattern somewhat for the next portion of the season, where we excelled with our core staff, but when we were forced to play squad players later on they were far from prepared to do the job required.

The key solving to this is rotation. Rotation but also, importantly, integration.

Changing a first eleven for rest is one thing, and you can even rest all eleven players if you choose. But taking so many first choice players out is likely to weaken the team to an unnecessary level, which is a bad idea in important matches. 

Rotation with integration is therefore far more effective, and can only be achieved by resting different players at different times. But if done correctly you can end up with 15, 20, or even 25 or more players that you feel happy to play, which is a far better situation than having only 11, 12 or 13.

Our first eleven is not a single entity – despite what Wenger sometimes seems to believe – it is a collection of individuals who try to work together as a team. Whether we are on top form or on the point of collapse there will be some players playing better than others and some playing worse; some players tired and some players not.

This same radical, leftfield theory also applies to our second string. Chamakh may be off form but Yossi has looked pretty sharp whenever he’s played. And any player in the squad who shows form – first eleven or second string – should immediately be given increased playing time because form is hard to capture and needs to be harnessed whenever spotted.

In fact, call me crazy, but if a second string player is showing form and a first eleven player is not then that second string player should be playing instead. I fink I readed sumware dat dis is called com-peh-tish-un.

Rosicky, Yossi, Coquelin and AOC are four players who have looked good this term and would clearly benefit, and have benefited, from playing in the first instance, but also playing with the first eleven – if Song and Arteta are playing then perhaps play Rosicky and bring Ramsey on if needed; if RvP and Theo are starting then start Yossi and bring Gervinho on if needed.

If you do that and do it regularly then you may find that Rosicky and Ramsey walk through the Stars in their Eyes doorway as a first teamer and a replacement and emerge through the smoke and budget light display as two valued members of the same squad. And that’s a transformation that even Matthew Kelly would gasp at.

There are however some positions, unfortunately, where rotation can seem too big a risk, but even Park and Chamakh might improve if they were utilised more effectively. 

Integration is not only about starting players but also about giving them minutes with other in form players whenever reasonably possible. So why was neither brought on when we were beating Wigan 3-0? Why not rest our most played and influential player when we were comfortably ahead and give an off-form player a chance to play with the first team? 

Keeping Park and Chamakh on the bench and RvP on the pitch wasted an all too rare opportunity to let another striker play and only added to the tiredness that would ultimately affect our captain’s performances later on.

But though clever substitutions are important, the system works best when you combine rotation and integration. By regularly swapping just one or two first teamers for second string players, especially those who have shown form, we can integrate others and begin to possess a genuine squad, as opposed to a first eleven + those other guys who high five Theo when he comes off. 

This is the magic of integration and rotation, the more comprehensive benefits of which are thus:

1. The first eleven get to rest
2. The second string get used to playing
3. The first eleven and second string get used to playing with each other
4. The second string players who exhibit form are rewarded
5. The second string players who are lacking form get to play with players who are on form, which will improve them
6. There is genuine competition for places, which means players have to work harder to play
7. This parity of opportunity means players are less likely to complain about game time, and those who do will be those underperforming
8. Form is more likely to remain when changes in personnel are necessary
9. The whole notion of first eleven and second string becomes far less relevant
10. Genuine continuity, in the most important sense, is more likely to be achieved
11. Bingo

Arsenal ended the summer transfer window with a rather large squad. This has admittedly been hit hard by recent injuries but equally it has been hit hard by the fact that several useful members of that squad that may as well be playing noughts and crosses on the team bus.

I’m no Wenger, and fuck it I love the guy, but I do fail to see the point of a having so many players outside of the first eleven if you’re not going to utilise them regularly, and then only when you’re forced to do so. Doing that says to me that either you’re making a mistake now, or that you made a mistake in purchasing them or keeping them at the club.

Yes we have injuries, yes Wilshere and Diaby would play, yes Chamberlain might not be quite ready, but Gods damn it we have the players that we have and we have to utilise them well.

When you look at a club like Man U, the most successful team in PL history, you see how effectively rotation and integration can be implemented. This is a team where the quality of their squad is often criticised but yet Rooney can be dropped for a few games and their top scorer in the league not even put on the bench in the CL final. Where Jonny Evans or John O’Shea are/were virtually guaranteed to play twenty-plus games a season while trophies are still captured.

Out first eleven, fit and on form, can beat anyone in the league, but we as fans of le Arse know just how rare a luxury that is. Squad players at Man U always get games and are always ready when called upon, which is partly why they always last the distance even in the face of injuries and absences.

Many would argue that Arsenal have at times had the better team in the past few seasons but unlike our sometimes rivals we rarely seem to have the legs to match. But maybe if Arsenal could become a little less of a team and bit more of a squad then we might find we were able to go that little bit further.

WB

@WengerBoy1