The Arsenal FC - Related News and Development for 2018/2019

[tolahs]

Is Mustafi mentally ok?Bobo need help,he can easily switch off and its sad for someone who suppose to be a leader.
If Emery ted this team up we are in for the title.Level with Manu,Spurs etc a point behind 4th place and 4 points behind City and 6 behind top 2.
Why is Iwobi not even been selected?Still sick?

Mustafi's whole game reminds one of a baby breaking off their mum's grip & running into traffic - his level of non-focus doesn't belong in any of the top 3 divisions. Cannot be a more error prone defender in any of the top 3 leagues.

[Waffiman]

Xhaka scored & Ozil scored. Aniks weekend is messed up.

Xhaka has had his best spell as an Arsenal player today ... Ozil has been crap ... a back pass that a keeper missed notwithstanding

Remember what I said about Torreira and how he will improve Xhaka's game back in June. Go look back at my analysis from the summer. You saw it all today. But I still Guendouzi starting because it us the only way he can be the alternative in case we have an injury to Xhaka or Torreira.

Guendouzi was very good first half but he always shackles, Xhaka's game, we needed more. Xhaka and Guendouzi are too similar, plus Xhaka has to cover for him defensively especially on the counter attack. How many times do you Xhaka in an zdvanced position and the kid joins him, forcing Xhaka to go deep, killing our build up play. Kid is inexperienced but he will learn.

We needed more balance, one to stick defensively, whilst the other went forward. This is were Xhaka and Torreira work so well together. The second goal today pretty much confirmed why Torreira has to start. Xhaka would never have made the run into that space in the left wing position so far forward knowing Guendouzi was the only CM left behind him. Guendouzi a great prospect but Torreira is having a huge impact on this team right now.

The team is also developing leaders. Sokratis is clearly now the boss, he and Kos will take us back to Per and Kos.

Emery now realises he cannot drop Lacazette. He does not need to score but he makes CDs know he is around and they have to earn their money.

You see why you be my guy. When you talk football and stop being obtuse for the sake of being obtuse you actually fit make small sense

Even though I felt bad for Guendo it’s clear he cannot play with Xhaka. But what I saw from Chaka, albeit from a Newcastle team that had no clue on how to deal with him (surprising considering how meticulous Rafa is in preparation ), was a ball dominant player who dictated play with quick passes and moved the ball quickly from Side to Side and actually moved into space. himself

I swear I have never seen it from him . And unlike some I will be objective and call it like I see it . Now I will like to see how he does against a team that will pressure and harry him when he gets the ball.

At least you didn’t come here with a bogus defense of Ozil and Ramshyt who were Bonafide crap today .

I will also give a shout out to Sokratis again ... what a performance especially with Mustafi who needs mental help. I still believe there is a player in there though

Xhaka was very good. Xhaka has always needed a Torreira type player. I said all these in the summer when we wanted to sign him. You talked about Rafa not trying to stop Xhaka, go have a read of what I wrote on the summer. With both of them in that midfield, you stop one the other will hurt you. Newcastle tried to stop Torreira but all it did was give Xhaka space. Like you observed, he just passed it quickly and found the spaces. Both of them can break the lines with passes from deep, so it is not a case of trying to stop one of them, you have to stop both simultaneously.

I remember Xhaka set Laca through with a 50 yard pass, and then again set him up before Ozil scored. Emery knows his men, and he will play them. I know Iwobi is a key man in his system, I have heard a few things from training. It will be interesting when Iwobi is fit.

As for Ramsey, like Xhaka, he played two 90 minutes plus games during the international break, yet he ran his socks off. He is playing the number 8 role, but I am of the view the team will be better balanced if Guendouzi plays alongside Xhaka and Torreira in a 4-3-3. Indeed, I take Guendouzi or Niles alongside Torreira and Xhaka. I will drop Ramsey. I believe Emery sees his front 3 as Iwobi, Auba and Ozil, if this is the case, he has to play Guendouzi or Niles alongside Torreira and Xhaka. But I am just a fan, what do I know. Emery knows far better.

Physically, Ozil had his best game in ages for us today. I have studied the numbers, he had the best physical output of any creative player in the league today. This is a very good sign and it is an indication he will be hitting peak form soon. You cannot be consistent if you are not at your physical best.

Ramsey is at his physical best but he now thinks he is Pele, tries stupid things like passing with the outside of his wrong foot, giving away the ball. I will bench him for nonsense like that.

[Waffiman]

Is Mustafi mentally ok?Bobo need help,he can easily switch off and its sad for someone who suppose to be a leader.
If Emery ted this team up we are in for the title.Level with Manu,Spurs etc a point behind 4th place and 4 points behind City and 6 behind top 2.
Why is Iwobi not even been selected?Still sick?

Mustafi's whole game reminds one of a baby breaking off their mum's grip & running into traffic - his level of non-focus doesn't belong in any of the top 3 divisions. Cannot be a more error prone defender in any of the top 3 leagues.

The penny has finally dropped with Sokratis when playing with Mustafi. He now uses the Kos approach. Do not trust him, just make sure you provide cover at all times. Mustafi is good most of the time but you just know there is that moment of madness in there, so you leave nothing to chance.

[anikulapo]

Physically, Ozil had his best game in ages for us today. I have studied the numbers, he had the best physical output of any creative player in the league today. This is a very good sign and it is an indication he will be hitting peak form soon. You cannot be consistent if you are not at your physical best.

Here you go again. You were doing fine until you came back with ya Ozil fables and propaganda. Physical output my Nyash. The guy couldn’t even trap simple balls in the box, Misplaced so many passes and left Bellerin out to dry so much that poor GUENDOUZI had to keep shading down the flank to cover.

He got lucky with a poor shot on goal, reminiscent of a player with zero confidence that got bailed out by a poor keeper.

[Waffiman]

Physically, Ozil had his best game in ages for us today. I have studied the numbers, he had the best physical output of any creative player in the league today. This is a very good sign and it is an indication he will be hitting peak form soon. You cannot be consistent if you are not at your physical best.

Here you go again. You were doing fine until you came back with ya Ozil fables and propaganda. Physical output my Nyash. The guy couldn’t even trap simple balls in the box, Misplaced so many passes and left Bellerin out to dry so much that poor GUENDOUZI had to keep shading down the flank to cover.

He got lucky with a poor shot on goal, reminiscent of a player with zero confidence that got bailed out by a poor keeper.

See trouble oh. Make I nor tok wetin I sabi.

Ozil scored a goal yesterday.

[Skylolo]

Xhaka scored & Ozil scored. Aniks weekend is messed up.

Xhaka has had his best spell as an Arsenal player today ... Ozil has been crap ... a back pass that a keeper missed notwithstanding

Remember what I said about Torreira and how he will improve Xhaka's game back in June. Go look back at my analysis from the summer. You saw it all today. But I still Guendouzi starting because it us the only way he can be the alternative in case we have an injury to Xhaka or Torreira.

Guendouzi was very good first half but he always shackles, Xhaka's game, we needed more. Xhaka and Guendouzi are too similar, plus Xhaka has to cover for him defensively especially on the counter attack. How many times do you Xhaka in an zdvanced position and the kid joins him, forcing Xhaka to go deep, killing our build up play. Kid is inexperienced but he will learn.

We needed more balance, one to stick defensively, whilst the other went forward. This is were Xhaka and Torreira work so well together. The second goal today pretty much confirmed why Torreira has to start. Xhaka would never have made the run into that space in the left wing position so far forward knowing Guendouzi was the only CM left behind him. Guendouzi a great prospect but Torreira is having a huge impact on this team right now.

The team is also developing leaders. Sokratis is clearly now the boss, he and Kos will take us back to Per and Kos.

Emery now realises he cannot drop Lacazette. He does not need to score but he makes CDs know he is around and they have to earn their money.

You see why you be my guy. When you talk football and stop being obtuse for the sake of being obtuse you actually fit make small sense

Even though I felt bad for Guendo it’s clear he cannot play with Xhaka. But what I saw from Chaka, albeit from a Newcastle team that had no clue on how to deal with him (surprising considering how meticulous Rafa is in preparation ), was a ball dominant player who dictated play with quick passes and moved the ball quickly from Side to Side and actually moved into space. himself

I swear I have never seen it from him . And unlike some I will be objective and call it like I see it . Now I will like to see how he does against a team that will pressure and harry him when he gets the ball.

At least you didn’t come here with a bogus defense of Ozil and Ramshyt who were Bonafide crap today .

I will also give a shout out to Sokratis again ... what a performance especially with Mustafi who needs mental help. I still believe there is a player in there though

Xhaka was very good. Xhaka has always needed a Torreira type player. I said all these in the summer when we wanted to sign him. You talked about Rafa not trying to stop Xhaka, go have a read of what I wrote on the summer. With both of them in that midfield, you stop one the other will hurt you. Newcastle tried to stop Torreira but all it did was give Xhaka space. Like you observed, he just passed it quickly and found the spaces. Both of them can break the lines with passes from deep, so it is not a case of trying to stop one of them, you have to stop both simultaneously.

I remember Xhaka set Laca through with a 50 yard pass, and then again set him up before Ozil scored. Emery knows his men, and he will play them. I know Iwobi is a key man in his system, I have heard a few things from training. It will be interesting when Iwobi is fit.

As for Ramsey, like Xhaka, he played two 90 minutes plus games during the international break, yet he ran his socks off. He is playing the number 8 role, but I am of the view the team will be better balanced if Guendouzi plays alongside Xhaka and Torreira in a 4-3-3. Indeed, I take Guendouzi or Niles alongside Torreira and Xhaka. I will drop Ramsey. I believe Emery sees his front 3 as Iwobi, Auba and Ozil, if this is the case, he has to play Guendouzi or Niles alongside Torreira and Xhaka. But I am just a fan, what do I know. Emery knows far better.

Physically, Ozil had his best game in ages for us today. I have studied the numbers, he had the best physical output of any creative player in the league today. This is a very good sign and it is an indication he will be hitting peak form soon. You cannot be consistent if you are not at your physical best.

Ramsey is at his physical best but he now thinks he is Pele, tries stupid things like passing with the outside of his wrong foot, giving away the ball. I will bench him for nonsense like that.

Waffiman 2 away wins, Life is good Bruh....

This is my own analysis of things so far this season, Unai is proving to be a smart guy...this team we are seeing is far from Arsenal best team. But this manager is doing well to get good results so far without upsetting too many people in the team who long term will likely not be in the staring XI. We also have to appreciate it is a squad game and we do not have the biggest so Emery is doing well to involve as many as possible. I'm sure the time will come when we will see more of the Torreira's, Leno's, Mikhi, Lichtsteiner etc...

GK: We are yet to see Leno in EPL but what I saw in pre season looked better than Cech to me. Eventually Cech has to lose the spot. Every man and his dawg can see quick + decisive transitions from the GK are important in this style of football...

CB: I can't wait for Kosc to be fit to partner Sokratis (who is proving to be a very capable CB, always felt he was a very good buy)

CM / DM: We can all see it, long term Torreira is the answer next to stalwart Xhaka. I'd like to see Dozi next to Torreira as well tbh...

Ramsey / Mikhitaryan: Mikhi all day for me, we may be playing Ramsey so he can sign his new contract

Ozil: Don't think he has hit his best yet this season but one can sense its coming....we know Ozil, once the speed and accuracy of our transitions is sorted out he will be deadly!

CF: Laca is starting to play with confidence, but it is hard to not think Auba (who is our best striker and will likely gain us an extra 10 yards against opposition defenders) is wasted as a LWF

All the same good start by Emery, "wining is a lot in football" and we should only get better from here. We have to get back into that top 4...we have the squad and I'm starting to believe we have the manager too.

[anikulapo]

Physically, Ozil had his best game in ages for us today. I have studied the numbers, he had the best physical output of any creative player in the league today. This is a very good sign and it is an indication he will be hitting peak form soon. You cannot be consistent if you are not at your physical best.

Here you go again. You were doing fine until you came back with ya Ozil fables and propaganda. Physical output my Nyash. The guy couldn’t even trap simple balls in the box, Misplaced so many passes and left Bellerin out to dry so much that poor GUENDOUZI had to keep shading down the flank to cover.

He got lucky with a poor shot on goal, reminiscent of a player with zero confidence that got bailed out by a poor keeper.

See trouble oh. Make I nor tok wetin I sabi.

Ozil scored a goal yesterday.

Anyway nothing spoil. The funny thing be say when you stop playing to ya small gallery and give a level headed analysis you fit show small football acumen

Very proud of Xhaka I must say. That’s how to rise and show what you’re capable of. Still waiting for Mezut to do the same .... Just once

[Waffiman]

Lucas Perez. Heard stories about Perez at Arsenal but what I hear now confirms all I heard.

[ojafranpa]

Lucas Perez. Heard stories about Perez at Arsenal but what I hear now confirms all I heard.

Give us gist bro.

[kajifu]

Xhaka scored & Ozil scored. Aniks weekend is messed up.

Xhaka has had his best spell as an Arsenal player today ... Ozil has been crap ... a back pass that a keeper missed notwithstanding

Remember what I said about Torreira and how he will improve Xhaka's game back in June. Go look back at my analysis from the summer. You saw it all today. But I still Guendouzi starting because it us the only way he can be the alternative in case we have an injury to Xhaka or Torreira.

Guendouzi was very good first half but he always shackles, Xhaka's game, we needed more. Xhaka and Guendouzi are too similar, plus Xhaka has to cover for him defensively especially on the counter attack. How many times do you Xhaka in an zdvanced position and the kid joins him, forcing Xhaka to go deep, killing our build up play. Kid is inexperienced but he will learn.

We needed more balance, one to stick defensively, whilst the other went forward. This is were Xhaka and Torreira work so well together. The second goal today pretty much confirmed why Torreira has to start. Xhaka would never have made the run into that space in the left wing position so far forward knowing Guendouzi was the only CM left behind him. Guendouzi a great prospect but Torreira is having a huge impact on this team right now.

The team is also developing leaders. Sokratis is clearly now the boss, he and Kos will take us back to Per and Kos.

Emery now realises he cannot drop Lacazette. He does not need to score but he makes CDs know he is around and they have to earn their money.

You see why you be my guy. When you talk football and stop being obtuse for the sake of being obtuse you actually fit make small sense

Even though I felt bad for Guendo it’s clear he cannot play with Xhaka. But what I saw from Chaka, albeit from a Newcastle team that had no clue on how to deal with him (surprising considering how meticulous Rafa is in preparation ), was a ball dominant player who dictated play with quick passes and moved the ball quickly from Side to Side and actually moved into space. himself

I swear I have never seen it from him . And unlike some I will be objective and call it like I see it . Now I will like to see how he does against a team that will pressure and harry him when he gets the ball.

At least you didn’t come here with a bogus defense of Ozil and Ramshyt who were Bonafide crap today .

I will also give a shout out to Sokratis again ... what a performance especially with Mustafi who needs mental help. I still believe there is a player in there though

Xhaka was very good. Xhaka has always needed a Torreira type player. I said all these in the summer when we wanted to sign him. You talked about Rafa not trying to stop Xhaka, go have a read of what I wrote on the summer. With both of them in that midfield, you stop one the other will hurt you. Newcastle tried to stop Torreira but all it did was give Xhaka space. Like you observed, he just passed it quickly and found the spaces. Both of them can break the lines with passes from deep, so it is not a case of trying to stop one of them, you have to stop both simultaneously.

I remember Xhaka set Laca through with a 50 yard pass, and then again set him up before Ozil scored. Emery knows his men, and he will play them. I know Iwobi is a key man in his system, I have heard a few things from training. It will be interesting when Iwobi is fit.

As for Ramsey, like Xhaka, he played two 90 minutes plus games during the international break, yet he ran his socks off. He is playing the number 8 role, but I am of the view the team will be better balanced if Guendouzi plays alongside Xhaka and Torreira in a 4-3-3. Indeed, I take Guendouzi or Niles alongside Torreira and Xhaka. I will drop Ramsey. I believe Emery sees his front 3 as Iwobi, Auba and Ozil, if this is the case, he has to play Guendouzi or Niles alongside Torreira and Xhaka. But I am just a fan, what do I know. Emery knows far better.

Physically, Ozil had his best game in ages for us today. I have studied the numbers, he had the best physical output of any creative player in the league today. This is a very good sign and it is an indication he will be hitting peak form soon. You cannot be consistent if you are not at your physical best.

Ramsey is at his physical best but he now thinks he is Pele, tries stupid things like passing with the outside of his wrong foot, giving away the ball. I will bench him for nonsense like that.

Waffiman 2 away wins, Life is good Bruh....

This is my own analysis of things so far this season, Unai is proving to be a smart guy...this team we are seeing is far from Arsenal best team. But this manager is doing well to get good results so far without upsetting too many people in the team who long term will likely not be in the staring XI. We also have to appreciate it is a squad game and we do not have the biggest so Emery is doing well to involve as many as possible. I'm sure the time will come when we will see more of the Torreira's, Leno's, Mikhi, Lichtsteiner etc...

GK: We are yet to see Leno in EPL but what I saw in pre season looked better than Cech to me. Eventually Cech has to lose the spot. Every man and his dawg can see quick + decisive transitions from the GK are important in this style of football...

CB: I can't wait for Kosc to be fit to partner Sokratis (who is proving to be a very capable CB, always felt he was a very good buy)

CM / DM: We can all see it, long term Torreira is the answer next to stalwart Xhaka. I'd like to see Dozi next to Torreira as well tbh...

Ramsey / Mikhitaryan: Mikhi all day for me, we may be playing Ramsey so he can sign his new contract

Ozil: Don't think he has hit his best yet this season but one can sense its coming....we know Ozil, once the speed and accuracy of our transitions is sorted out he will be deadly!

CF: Laca is starting to play with confidence, but it is hard to not think Auba (who is our best striker and will likely gain us an extra 10 yards against opposition defenders) is wasted as a LWF

All the same good start by Emery, "wining is a lot in football" and we should only get better from here. We have to get back into that top 4...we have the squad and I'm starting to believe we have the manager too.

Like i said this team can compete,i know we will make top 4 this year but with small believe we can win the league or push the winner to the end.Liverpool will fall,Chelsea same and City will only drop points also.
They are yet to play Chelsea,Spurs,Manu and Liverpool.By end of October i expect us to be in top 3 or 2 if we keep win our games in October..Its coming to emirate if we believe this year

[bepanda]

More should be expected of our main players than one good game per month. That just doesn't do it for me.

[kajifu]

More should be expected of our main players than one good game per month. That just doesn't do it for me.

We are now begging them to do their basic job well against an average team.Hope they continue this wining run as we can fight for the league.Just need that defense tied up..

[bepanda]

I don't agree that the defense is the main problem. Our main problem is our offense. And here is why.
1. Our midfield doesn't usually do a good job tracking back and help the Defense win the ball
2. Except for the Chelsea game, Our midfield has not created enough chances for our strikers.
Our midfield seems to only play 45 minutes per game.
I expect more from these guys.

More should be expected of our main players than one good game per month. That just doesn't do it for me.

We are now begging them to do their basic job well against an average team.Hope they continue this wining run as we can fight for the league.Just need that defense tied up..

[tolahs]

I don't agree that the defense is the main problem. Our main problem is our offense. And here is why.
1. Our midfield doesn't usually do a good job tracking back and help the Defense win the ball
2. Except for the Chelsea game, Our midfield has not created enough chances for our strikers.
Our midfield seems to only play 45 minutes per game.
I expect more from these guys.

More should be expected of our main players than one good game per month. That just doesn't do it for me.

We are now begging them to do their basic job well against an average team.Hope they continue this wining run as we can fight for the league.Just need that defense tied up..

I was one of those who screamed out for radical change but one now truly believes incremental change would suit this group better. The gaffer's insistence on one formation isn't wise in my opinion - i just really think, if you play Auba & Laca in your 11 - line them up as a 2 upfront(3-4-1-2 or 3-5-2) - might mean one of the central big name M/F sits but hey.
Emery has given the team the license to shoot from distance(about time) & we look to have tricks in our back pocket from Corner kicks. We press more on the opponent's throw ins - still not good enough for me.
Those are the pros - we must work on closing the gap to man with ball - we give too much space which enables players to look up, spot a move & make a pass.
We've lost some of the verve in our passing game from AW days - we'd had an exactness about the pace of a pass while these days we seem to overshoot the passes a lot.
Ball control of the forward players with Auba being the worst culprit - RVP back in the day talked about how Bergy & Titi killed high paced balls on a dime - Auba's control is very disturbing - now one appreciates the control of Titi,RVP & Bergy a lot more. Seems to me AW encouraged drills on that end.
We lack some of the instinctive passing from B4 - too much seems telegraphed now. More than anything team shape & compactness are needed, pride in lack of goal concession - lastly, earlier movements of the ball & quicker passes. Ramsey & Ozil must be more decisive in the offensive end - else try Iwobi & Mkhitaryan in those spots.

[bk-one]

I don't agree that the defense is the main problem. Our main problem is our offense. And here is why.
1. Our midfield doesn't usually do a good job tracking back and help the Defense win the ball
2. Except for the Chelsea game, Our midfield has not created enough chances for our strikers.
Our midfield seems to only play 45 minutes per game.
I expect more from these guys.

More should be expected of our main players than one good game per month. That just doesn't do it for me.

We are now begging them to do their basic job well against an average team.Hope they continue this wining run as we can fight for the league.Just need that defense tied up..

I was one of those who screamed out for radical change but one now truly believes incremental change would suit this group better. The gaffer's insistence on one formation isn't wise in my opinion - i just really think, if you play Auba & Laca in your 11 - line them up as a 2 upfront(3-4-1-2 or 3-5-2) - might mean one of the central big name M/F sits but hey.
Emery has given the team the license to shoot from distance(about time) & we look to have tricks in our back pocket from Corner kicks. We press more on the opponent's throw ins - still not good enough for me.
Those are the pros - we must work on closing the gap to man with ball - we give too much space which enables players to look up, spot a move & make a pass.
We've lost some of the verve in our passing game from AW days - we'd had an exactness about the pace of a pass while these days we seem to overshoot the passes a lot.
Ball control of the forward players with Auba being the worst culprit - RVP back in the day talked about how Bergy & Titi killed high paced balls on a dime - Auba's control is very disturbing - now one appreciates the control of Titi,RVP & Bergy a lot more. Seems to me AW encouraged drills on that end.
We lack some of the instinctive passing from B4 - too much seems telegraphed now. More than anything team shape & compactness are needed, pride in lack of goal concession - lastly, earlier movements of the ball & quicker passes. Ramsey & Ozil must be more decisive in the offensive end - else try Iwobi & Mkhitaryan in those spots.

Özil and Ramsey seem to be cancelling each other out. Özil out wide doesnt offer much defensively and most of the time the game is passing him by. He is always effective every time he is moving to the middle: By doing that he is somehow linking those two up-top with the rest of the team. Ramsey's passing is not terrible but it is not effective either.He always needs many touches on the ball before releasing it and that doesn't work most of the time especially when you have speedy players like Auba who are more effective when released quickly. The other aspect of Ramsey is those runs onto the box but Arsenal doesnt need that because they already have Laca and Auba uptop. By running to the box everytime arsenal has got possession he is leaving out nobody to pass the ball to the two up-top, he is now joining them as a third forward and lastly he is leaving that gap in the middle thus leaving the two in the central midfielder with nobody to release the ball to.That is why both Guendouzi and Xhaka are always forced to play the ball backwards because there is no movement in front of them and Özil is too far wide where he is just a passenger both offensively and defensively. Emery has to be brave.....He should not resort to picking players based on seniority. He will have to play either Iwobi/Mikhi out wide for Özil because both of them are effective there. Özil is more effective in the middle than Ramsey because of his superior and efficient passing. With him in the middle the two behind him are more involved in play than when it is Ramsey playing there. Either Emery decide to man up and bench one of those two or the team will stay in-balanced like they were during the latter years Wenger's reign. The other option might be playing with three central midfielders like Waffi suggested.

[ohenhen1]

They are about to destroy Guendouzi confidence like I predicted.

[bk-one]

They are about to destroy Guendouzi confidence like I predicted.

Genius Ohen......who is about to do what to who?

[tolahs]

They are about to destroy Guendouzi confidence like I predicted.

You're more dedicated to your prediction than the kid's form - that's quite a spectacle.

[tolahs]

I don't agree that the defense is the main problem. Our main problem is our offense. And here is why.
1. Our midfield doesn't usually do a good job tracking back and help the Defense win the ball
2. Except for the Chelsea game, Our midfield has not created enough chances for our strikers.
Our midfield seems to only play 45 minutes per game.
I expect more from these guys.

More should be expected of our main players than one good game per month. That just doesn't do it for me.

We are now begging them to do their basic job well against an average team.Hope they continue this wining run as we can fight for the league.Just need that defense tied up..

I was one of those who screamed out for radical change but one now truly believes incremental change would suit this group better. The gaffer's insistence on one formation isn't wise in my opinion - i just really think, if you play Auba & Laca in your 11 - line them up as a 2 upfront(3-4-1-2 or 3-5-2) - might mean one of the central big name M/F sits but hey.
Emery has given the team the license to shoot from distance(about time) & we look to have tricks in our back pocket from Corner kicks. We press more on the opponent's throw ins - still not good enough for me.
Those are the pros - we must work on closing the gap to man with ball - we give too much space which enables players to look up, spot a move & make a pass.
We've lost some of the verve in our passing game from AW days - we'd had an exactness about the pace of a pass while these days we seem to overshoot the passes a lot.
Ball control of the forward players with Auba being the worst culprit - RVP back in the day talked about how Bergy & Titi killed high paced balls on a dime - Auba's control is very disturbing - now one appreciates the control of Titi,RVP & Bergy a lot more. Seems to me AW encouraged drills on that end.
We lack some of the instinctive passing from B4 - too much seems telegraphed now. More than anything team shape & compactness are needed, pride in lack of goal concession - lastly, earlier movements of the ball & quicker passes. Ramsey & Ozil must be more decisive in the offensive end - else try Iwobi & Mkhitaryan in those spots.

Özil and Ramsey seem to be cancelling each other out. Özil out wide doesnt offer much defensively and most of the time the game is passing him by. He is always effective every time he is moving to the middle: By doing that he is somehow linking those two up-top with the rest of the team. Ramsey's passing is not terrible but it is not effective either.He always needs many touches on the ball before releasing it and that doesn't work most of the time especially when you have speedy players like Auba who are more effective when released quickly. The other aspect of Ramsey is those runs onto the box but Arsenal doesnt need that because they already have Laca and Auba uptop. By running to the box everytime arsenal has got possession he is leaving out nobody to pass the ball to the two up-top, he is now joining them as a third forward and lastly he is leaving that gap in the middle thus leaving the two in the central midfielder with nobody to release the ball to.That is why both Guendouzi and Xhaka are always forced to play the ball backwards because there is no movement in front of them and Özil is too far wide where he is just a passenger both offensively and defensively. Emery has to be brave.....He should not resort to picking players based on seniority. He will have to play either Iwobi/Mikhi out wide for Özil because both of them are effective there. Özil is more effective in the middle than Ramsey because of his superior and efficient passing. With him in the middle the two behind him are more involved in play than when it is Ramsey playing there. Either Emery decide to man up and bench one of those two or the team will stay in-balanced like they were during the latter years Wenger's reign. The other option might be playing with three central midfielders like Waffi suggested.

During the UEFA Euro 2016, Charlie Nicholas made a comment on skysports that i considered well sourced. He said Ramsey would leave if Ozil signed a new contract. He believes himself to be that guy who plays off the striker but the problem's he lacks the discipline to play there plus as you noted he ain't never been a one touch guy - he slows down play.
AW had a habit of giving in to the demands of contract rebels b4 they signed - i fear Emery's doing the same thing but it messes up team balance. I also believe Ozil & Auba are giving license to go inside & play - we end up often playing a 4-2-2-2
thereby overloading our FBs with double duty.
I also believe we should play 3CD - allowing our FB to go on WB duty - Emery has to do a Pep & really takeover.

[bk-one]

I don't agree that the defense is the main problem. Our main problem is our offense. And here is why.
1. Our midfield doesn't usually do a good job tracking back and help the Defense win the ball
2. Except for the Chelsea game, Our midfield has not created enough chances for our strikers.
Our midfield seems to only play 45 minutes per game.
I expect more from these guys.

More should be expected of our main players than one good game per month. That just doesn't do it for me.

We are now begging them to do their basic job well against an average team.Hope they continue this wining run as we can fight for the league.Just need that defense tied up..

I was one of those who screamed out for radical change but one now truly believes incremental change would suit this group better. The gaffer's insistence on one formation isn't wise in my opinion - i just really think, if you play Auba & Laca in your 11 - line them up as a 2 upfront(3-4-1-2 or 3-5-2) - might mean one of the central big name M/F sits but hey.
Emery has given the team the license to shoot from distance(about time) & we look to have tricks in our back pocket from Corner kicks. We press more on the opponent's throw ins - still not good enough for me.
Those are the pros - we must work on closing the gap to man with ball - we give too much space which enables players to look up, spot a move & make a pass.
We've lost some of the verve in our passing game from AW days - we'd had an exactness about the pace of a pass while these days we seem to overshoot the passes a lot.
Ball control of the forward players with Auba being the worst culprit - RVP back in the day talked about how Bergy & Titi killed high paced balls on a dime - Auba's control is very disturbing - now one appreciates the control of Titi,RVP & Bergy a lot more. Seems to me AW encouraged drills on that end.
We lack some of the instinctive passing from B4 - too much seems telegraphed now. More than anything team shape & compactness are needed, pride in lack of goal concession - lastly, earlier movements of the ball & quicker passes. Ramsey & Ozil must be more decisive in the offensive end - else try Iwobi & Mkhitaryan in those spots.

Özil and Ramsey seem to be cancelling each other out. Özil out wide doesnt offer much defensively and most of the time the game is passing him by. He is always effective every time he is moving to the middle: By doing that he is somehow linking those two up-top with the rest of the team. Ramsey's passing is not terrible but it is not effective either.He always needs many touches on the ball before releasing it and that doesn't work most of the time especially when you have speedy players like Auba who are more effective when released quickly. The other aspect of Ramsey is those runs onto the box but Arsenal doesnt need that because they already have Laca and Auba uptop. By running to the box everytime arsenal has got possession he is leaving out nobody to pass the ball to the two up-top, he is now joining them as a third forward and lastly he is leaving that gap in the middle thus leaving the two in the central midfielder with nobody to release the ball to.That is why both Guendouzi and Xhaka are always forced to play the ball backwards because there is no movement in front of them and Özil is too far wide where he is just a passenger both offensively and defensively. Emery has to be brave.....He should not resort to picking players based on seniority. He will have to play either Iwobi/Mikhi out wide for Özil because both of them are effective there. Özil is more effective in the middle than Ramsey because of his superior and efficient passing. With him in the middle the two behind him are more involved in play than when it is Ramsey playing there. Either Emery decide to man up and bench one of those two or the team will stay in-balanced like they were during the latter years Wenger's reign. The other option might be playing with three central midfielders like Waffi suggested.

During the UEFA Euro 2016, Charlie Nicholas made a comment on skysports that i considered well sourced. He said Ramsey would leave if Ozil signed a new contract. He believes himself to be that guy who plays off the striker but the problem's he lacks the discipline to play there plus as you noted he ain't never been a one touch guy - he slows down play.
AW had a habit of giving in to the demands of contract rebels b4 they signed - i fear Emery's doing the same thing but it messes up team balance. I also believe Ozil & Auba are giving license to go inside & play - we end up often playing a 4-2-2-2
thereby overloading our FBs with double duty.
I also believe we should play 3CD - allowing our FB to go on WB duty - Emery has to do a Pep & really takeover.

Your are right regarding Ramsey. He sees himself as something he is not. The fact that he is English and white meant that most pundits and fans tend to overestimate his skill set to a point whereby they will rather sacrifice players with better technical skills than him. It is not a coincidence that the emergence of the likes of Walcot/Gibbs/Ramsey coincided with the team losing their identity and looking in-balanced. The same people want arsenal to play a certain way but the players they want to play don't fit that style. Ramsey is neither a ten nor an 8 but somehow everybody looks at him at that guy who will knit that team together. He is first of all too selfish to play as a ten, too tentative with his passing and reliant on others to make him look better. I also think arsenal doesn't have the players to make him play better without hurting the shape of the team. Ramsey looks at strikers as those who should hold the ball for him to score. He doesn't see himself as a creator but the one the team is working for in order for him to be the star of the show.

Like you said. Emery havery to be brave or else he will be gone in a year or two. He sounded like somebody who knew what he wanted our of his players but somehow he is willing to give in to player power.

[Nkume]

Is Mustafi mentally ok?Bobo need help,he can easily switch off and its sad for someone who suppose to be a leader.
If Emery ted this team up we are in for the title.Level with Manu,Spurs etc a point behind 4th place and 4 points behind City and 6 behind top 2.
Why is Iwobi not even been selected?Still sick?

Mustafi's whole game reminds one of a baby breaking off their mum's grip & running into traffic - his level of non-focus doesn't belong in any of the top 3 divisions. Cannot be a more error prone defender in any of the top 3 leagues.

The penny has finally dropped with Sokratis when playing with Mustafi. He now uses the Kos approach. Do not trust him, just make sure you provide cover at all times. Mustafi is good most of the time but you just know there is that moment of madness in there, so you leave nothing to chance.

He is useless! A "hey you"! A scrub! The worst defender to play for Wenger! Yes worse than Squillarchi!

[kajifu]

Ivory Coast defender Eric Bailly could be ready to leave Manchester United in January, with Arsenal and Tottenham thought to be interested in the 24-year-old centre-back.Bailly has maker it clear if he is leaving Manchester it has to be Arsenal unless Arsenal is not interested but Mourinho has been clear with Eric Bailly that he will have to go outside England or wait till a suitable replacement is in place.

Hmm beloved fans should we trade him with Mustafi just like we did the Sanchez deal?
Eric Bail is on 75k a week and Mustafi on 90k a week.

[kajifu]

They are about to destroy Guendouzi confidence like I predicted.

If anything happen to that boy I will hold you responsible.You have been going traditional doctors to destroy the young man game just to say I told you so.Next time you visit that old man in Benin trust me you will be the victim.Please stop that bad habit like few here that when to see a man of God to convince all beloved fans that Wenger should stay at beloved till 90 years old