If anything putting a extra defender in, and essentially play with 5 at the back and a sweeper, could improve us defensively. SInce there is an extra body who can ‘sweep’ in, recover mistakes more easily and we are not playing one-v-one.
With our lack of great wingers, it has always made sense with this particular squad to switch (back) to a two striker system be it a 3-5-2 or 4-1-2-1-2 etc. Calling it football hipsterism is hilarously. Especially since what we have been doing for the past three-six years has a lot of flaws.
That’s your opinion. Just because the system is relatively new too you, doesn’t mean other people haven’t toyed with the idea of possible system change. Be it with an extra defender or a extra midfielder.
Exactly right, its my opinion. And there is nothing new about it.
Edit: oh and switching to a two striker system, because we have a lack of great wingers, genius. Where did you manager to dig up these extra great strikers though?
Switching to a two striker system would not just be about the strikers. My reasons for a 4-man midfield were that it would put Ramsey or Wilshere in an actual useful role as b2b players without sacrificing Cazorla/Ozil on the wing. It would make us defensively better with an extra body in midfield (or defense). Sanchez is better as a support striker. Whilst Giroud is not great he would be more useful in a two striker system than either Walcott, Chamberlain or Ramsey as RW.
It’s not like I’ve watched Conte, Klopp, and Guardiola (who is flexible, btw…he sometimes uses 3, sometimes 4…that’s kind of the point, a strong tactical coach can do this, as Pochettino showed as well…it doesn’t have to be something so unrealistic as you guys are making it out, to use it occasionally when it is helpful, as it would be in this case, given we are without any RB whatsoever of decent standard) and said: aha! that’s the light, that’s the new way of football, let’s go to 3 at the back always! No; I’ve seen us have an injury in a position where we have no backup, I’ve seen that we have, on the other hand, have decent depth at centre back, and I’ve just said a simple and pragmatic solution.
I was a strong believer in possession football long before Barça-prime btw
Formations for me are meh, I guess if I’m a fan of one it’s 4-3-3/4-5-1 because 4-4-2 tends to be more for long ball football/English football with traditional wingers, but in general I like the one that fits the players best. Given that we don’t have a RB, and we have a good ball-playing CB on the bench, and we’re currently devoting a central midfield spot who contributes less to our play with the ball than said CB (or Mustafi), a 3/5 at the back would seem to be logical whilst Bellerín is out. It won’t happen because Wenger isn’t a technically flexible manager (which wouldn’t really be a critique if his ‘plan A’ produced good football–indeed, it was a critique I defended him against until I realised there just weren’t any excuses left for the lack of quality of the plan A), but just because the only manager we’ve known for the last 20 years is tactically unflexible, doesn’t mean that when you look around and have some perspective it’s really anything but a pretty simple ask of a manager.
I can’t believe I’m about to give credit to BradyMagic, but he was banging the three centre backs drum ages ago. It isn’t a brand new thing people are only talking about because Conte is doing it. Such a patronising thing to say.
And AC is totally right, Wenger should be capable of radically shifting formation when necessary/appropriate. But when we have players missing we just shoehorn players into the spaces vacated by the injured players and expect the team to function in the same way.
Right before Man United might not be the time to try such a different formation, but the point is that Wenger has been our manager for twenty odd bloody years, perhaps over the past few years he could have tried a few different formations and familiarised players with them. So they could go to Old Trafford knowing how to execute a specific game plan.
I agree, some really good points overall. My knack for being hesitant about this kind of thing is, like you have already explained, is that Wenger is somewhat rigid in how he sets a team out. There have been notable games in the past; Man City for example when we trampled them, where you can see a clear game plan that is unique to them as a team and we executed it with finesse. Then the following week or the next big team we play, we revert back to scrappy football.
My only concern with such ideas as fans, is that some people would expect Wenger to play that system, with the knowledge of his history and traits and then go absolutely mental that he didn’t implement said system. It’s fair discussion of course and by no means am I asking anyone to stop it but basically, no one is going to sway Wenger’s game plan, pundits or journos alike, rejoice in a circle jerk to make him do so because it’s popular opinion.
Very few managers in world football ever change tactics to such a degree at a moments notice.
This reminds me of the time Wenger was called an inferior manager by someone for sitting on the sidelines not taking notes and not barking orders at the team. You see it work elsewhere and go ‘oh that’s right, that’s obviously the key to success’.
There is always something that’s ‘in’.
Jenkinson and Debuchy can surely manage for a bit.
And I stand firm; going into a Manchester United game like that would be fucking suicide.
Literally was about to say the same thing. Only reason its now being mentioned is because Conte is doing a stella job with that formation. But youve got to realise its a formation he knows inside out.
I really dont think it would suit us personally, we dont have the players for it at the moment. Players would have to play in makeshift positions etc.
Our formation is fine for us, its only certain players letting us down so far this season that we may have expected more from.
Hypothetically. We could approach the United game without the likes of Alexis, Cazorla and Koscielny too, the latter being deeply concerning issue by Wenger in regards to playing games for France.
While I agree that I’d prefer Coquelin or Maitland-Niles there, it still makes sense, because you are giving more insurance for Jenkinson defensively, where he struggles.
I agree.
Coquelin has played there before for us, a few seasons ago, and he looked fairly comfortable.
He’s got to be better than Jenkinson who is not good enough yet.
