Nine Jimmy Rimmers – Arsenal and Football

With all the changes in personnel, there is fresh debate on what would be the most effective formation.  Many believe that Arsenal’s switch to 4-3-3 was solely designed to fit a team around the massive talent of Cesc Fabregas.  But that now Cesc is gone should we revert to good old 4-4-2!

Actually the debate has been around a while, even before the departure of Fabregas.  Playing a loan striker makes it very difficult to maintain the form of a second striker, blunting the attack when that second striker is called into action.

The debate has been given fresh impetus this week by the comments of Robin Van Persie that he enjoys the free role that he has in the Dutch team.  Some pundits point to the four goals Van Persie scored during the 11:0 demolition of San Marino as an example of what Arsenal are missing. Given San Marino’s record in international football I don’t see that this proves anything.

Equally unconvincing is any blog post contrasting Arsenal’s tactics with experience of a tactic tried out playing FIFA Football on a games console!

But despite these two rather spurious arguments, the debate is a real one.  Robin Van Persie does tend to drop deep, linking with the midfield.  Sometimes this means that we don’t have a player further forward in the box and some chances get wasted.

But is a return to 4-4-2 the answer?  If you look at how most successful club and international teams are playing, it isn’t 4-4-2.  Most are playing with one or even two holding midfielders and a lone striker.

The most successful formation at the last World Cup was two holding players and a fairly fluid group of four in front of them.  This is how Manchester City are set out now, with De Jong and Yaya Toure providing a tough shield and turning regained possession into forward movement.

It isn’t actually too far off what Arsenal had when the centre of it’s midfield was patrolled by Petit/Gilberto and Viera.

The challenge of playing this way, and incorporating two strikers, is that in the fast moving Premier League you will need attacking players athletic enough to roam all over the pitch to give you the width when you want it.

Using the Arsenal squad this way you could play something like this (injuries allowing of course):

_______ Walcott _______
_______ Van Persie ______
__ Gervinho ______ Arteta _
_____ Song ___ Wilshere __
Santos _ Verm _ Mert _ Sagna
________ Szczesny _______

What do you think?

If that’s too defensive for you, and expecting too much running from Arteta, how about:

_______ Walcott _______
_______ Van Persie ______
Gervinho __ Arteta _ Ox Cham
_________ Song _________
Santos _ Verm _ Mert _ Sagna
________ Szczesny _______

Either way you’ve got five contesting the midfield when possession is changing and that is where games are won and lost.  I  think that playing four across the middle against Chelsea, City and other top teams would see us being taken apart.

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Please note. The author has no idea whether these formations will help you win at FIFA Football.

Koscielny will apparently be an Arsenal player by the end of the week.  I think that this is good news, though he’s not a player that most English fans no much about.

But he is a central defender and he isn’t a teenager so I think he fits the bill for the more pragmatic transfer window policy I think Arsenal need this summer.   If we sort out the defence and goalkeeping situation with quality players then I for one wouldn’t complain if we didn’t buy another midfielder or forward.

But Koscielny isn’t enough on his own.  We are losing three central defenders.  We need to get two in. When Arsenal had it’s most solid defence of recent years the manager could reliably choose any two from Adams, Bould and Keown. Or even play all three at once to win two nil at Anfield and clinch the title! And we had Andy Linighan as well.  This isn’t a plea to return to the Arsenal of Don Howe but we won’t win a title conceding the number of goals that we do.

So we need another central defender. Subotic would be good and Vertonghen also sounds promising.  I’m not so sure about Mertesacker.  I’ve only seen him on the telly during the World and European Cups and I don’t think he’s been that convincing.  He looks indecisive and not a particularly great tackler.  I still think that some team is going to take Germany’s central defenders apart in South Africa.

Goalkeeping gossip all seems to be about Schwarzer.  I think he is better than what we have, but I hope for someone even better.  Chamakh came on a free, so would the rumoured Joe Cole.  Koscielny is rumoured to be coming for between eight and ten million.  Surely we can afford more than four million for a keeper?

There is gossip now that more surplus Man City players are linked with Arsenal.  The Emirates seems to be Rumour Central this summer!

Not sure how much worth commenting on the Wright-Phillips and de Jong stories are but hey, it’s summer England are out of the World Cup and this is a blog right?  A player like de Jong would be a sensible buy.  Arsenal need more depth and Eastmond isn’t ready yet.  Denilson and Diaby are only good enough as defensive midfielders against weak opposition, they are better going forwards (where we are over-run with players, but that’s a different issue).  Song will play in the African Nations Cup every two years and needs some cover/competition.  And sometimes Arsenal could do with two holding players to see out wins against the best opposition.

Not sure what the point of Wright-Phillips would be. At the moment he seems to be defined as ‘speedy right-winger who doesn’t get enough crosses in’.  Think we’ve got that role covered as deep as we need at the moment.