So the six first team defenders we had, to cover the back four positions, has now become five, following a nasty looking sprained ankle for Debuchy. We don't yet know how long he'll be out, but Chambers is an able deputy for Debuchy, which actually makes us better prepared for an injury at right back this season than we were last. However, a further injury at right back, or any injury at centre back, will force us to call upon the 19 year-old Bellerin to play at right back. Having recently broken Walcott's club record for sprinting 40m, Bellerin certainly doesn't lack pace, and is effective going forward, but he has next to no Premier League experience.
4-1-4-1 remains, and now seems certain to be the formation we use for the rest of the season. While this pushes Özil out wide on the left, Wilshere made the most of his opportunity to play through the centre. Having Wilshere and Ramsey together in the middle of the park gives us plenty of running, grit and determination with which to press the opposition and fight to win the ball back. While they lack defensive discipline and positional sense, with a dedicated defensive midfielder behind, there is no confusion about who is meant to be staying back to defend. Both Ramsey and Wilshere are free to attack at will, while also being able to contribute effectively to our defending as a team. Wilshere was great at driving forward with the ball, looking to play quick one-twos and play other people in. He was rewarded with an assist and a goal which very few players in the league could have executed.
Welbeck had a good debut game. He offers pace and strength and gave Kompany plenty to think about, which is no mean feat. It was a breath of fresh air to see both him and Alexis working so hard to put pressure on the Man City defenders and win the ball back. They both offer a huge threat on the break with their pace, but just lacked some sharpness and understanding, often with the final ball just missing. It was good to see Welbeck go clean through on goal after some opportunistic play, capitalising on a mistake by City, but the chipped finish wasn't quite right, clipping the post. A ruthlessness in the box and when through on goal is what Welbeck needs to develop, and this was highlighted by the first Man City goal by Aguero, who was clinical in converting his first chance of the match. This goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of us a bit, but up until then we had been playing some great football and dominating the game - all very familiar!
So with 4-1-4-1 seemingly established, and allowing Alexis, Wilshere and Welbeck to shine, where does this leave Özil? He had a quiet game out on the left, working hard, but unable to influence the game either defensively or offensively. With Özil's favourite position being the number 10 role, through the centre, it's worth questioning why Wenger is insisting on playing him on the left. It seems that Özil and 4-1-4-1 may be incompatible, and yet he's played enough games to suggest that he remains one of the first names on Wenger's team sheet. Pires was a creator that played wide left but with the freedom to come inside, and I feel this is what Wenger intends for Özil. It seems that in this 4-1-4-1 the width is provided by the full backs, and the two wide midfield players are actually quite free to roam and influence the game where they see fit. I think that it is actually Wenger's faith in Özil's ability which strengthens his belief that he can learn how to become effective in the position. When questioned by the media about this left midfield position, Wenger has often referred to Zidane's success as a creative player on the left for Real Madrid; he believes that the very best players can adapt.
Welbeck had a good debut game. He offers pace and strength and gave Kompany plenty to think about, which is no mean feat. It was a breath of fresh air to see both him and Alexis working so hard to put pressure on the Man City defenders and win the ball back. They both offer a huge threat on the break with their pace, but just lacked some sharpness and understanding, often with the final ball just missing. It was good to see Welbeck go clean through on goal after some opportunistic play, capitalising on a mistake by City, but the chipped finish wasn't quite right, clipping the post. A ruthlessness in the box and when through on goal is what Welbeck needs to develop, and this was highlighted by the first Man City goal by Aguero, who was clinical in converting his first chance of the match. This goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of us a bit, but up until then we had been playing some great football and dominating the game - all very familiar!
So with 4-1-4-1 seemingly established, and allowing Alexis, Wilshere and Welbeck to shine, where does this leave Özil? He had a quiet game out on the left, working hard, but unable to influence the game either defensively or offensively. With Özil's favourite position being the number 10 role, through the centre, it's worth questioning why Wenger is insisting on playing him on the left. It seems that Özil and 4-1-4-1 may be incompatible, and yet he's played enough games to suggest that he remains one of the first names on Wenger's team sheet. Pires was a creator that played wide left but with the freedom to come inside, and I feel this is what Wenger intends for Özil. It seems that in this 4-1-4-1 the width is provided by the full backs, and the two wide midfield players are actually quite free to roam and influence the game where they see fit. I think that it is actually Wenger's faith in Özil's ability which strengthens his belief that he can learn how to become effective in the position. When questioned by the media about this left midfield position, Wenger has often referred to Zidane's success as a creative player on the left for Real Madrid; he believes that the very best players can adapt.
Alexis seems to be making the most of his freedom in the equivalent right midfield position, popping up on the left side of the box to score with a sensational volley. It's great to have signed a player who is so quickly able to influence games; Alexis is demonstrating what it means to be the finished article, as opposed to a player with huge potential.
Flamini's role as the '1' in the 4-1-4-1 was very interesting to me. It seems that while the width is provided by the full backs, this inevitably leaves us exposed at the back. However, it seemed that when one full back went bombing forward, Flamini would drop back into central defence, allowing Mertesacker or Koscielny to cover the missing full back. This makes this role incredibly important to our defending against quick counter attacks, and it was wickedly exposed for the first goal. This player needs to be competent both in midfield and defence, with passing ability, positional sense and the pace to recover. I wonder whether Chambers, with his ability to play both as a defensive midfielder or as a centre back, makes him an ideal candidate for the role? Or William Carvalho, perhaps?! (please!)
It's difficult to blame any one in particular for the second goal, but I wonder if we suffered from the loss of Debuchy. Debuchy is very strong in the air but also, Chambers had not long been on the pitch, and Man City made the most of any doubt about who should have been marking who. It didn't help that Szczesny then pushed the ball off Flamini's head and into the net, but you can hardly blame him for trying to keep the ball out. Had he not attempted the save and it had gone in off Flamini we would be questioning him then, too.
Generally, the performance in this game was encouraging, and this is not a bad point. With Liverpool losing at home to Villa, and Spurs also dropping points, there were many positives to be taken from the weekend. The big games seem to be coming thick and fast at the moment, but today's performance gives me confidence for the Dortmund game later this week, with more cohesion both defensively and in creating openings when attacking - bring it on!
Picture: Taken from the Daily Mail
No comments:
Post a Comment