re: Arsenal 2016/2017 Season Long Thread: 13 time FA Cup Champs

Yeah I have no idea how Ramsey fits into the first XI. Maybe on the right and Giroud tries Theo on the left. Maybe on the left. Maybe centrally next to Coq or Xhaka.

Good problem to have. Good on Giroud for doing his job. Also thrilled to see Gibbs get a start.

feel like Ramsey is just a sub now. For the set up of this team hed be best on the rt or playing more of ozils role. But with the way Walcott has been playing, Ramsey is just going to have to ride the pine.

I do think Iwobi's dip in form opens up a spot for Ramsey. But he'd have to be willing to play on the left. Might work. Iwobi doesn't play like a left winger very much. He's usually pushing infield and trying to get in between the lines which is what Ramsey loves to do. And ramsey's runs in the box could get him on the end of Walcott and Bellerin crosses, which we have lacked.

I feel like Ramsey played leftish for Wales this summer. Basically an attacking three of Bale-Robson Kanu-Ramsey.


ETA: here.

The only thing about Ramsey on the left side is that he likes to tuck in and create sort of a midfield 3. Monreal is usually more reserved in attack than Bellerin but Nacho will have to create some balance out wide like Hector and Ramsey had on the right.

That Ramsey sort of played leftish for Wales I think undermines the aims of that Wales team, which was to free Ramsey and Bale of defensive responsibility, as well as to free them from having to check back to the ball, instead relying on entry passes from Allen, Ledley and Williams. The second point is key, and basically means we can't do what Wales did without a similar structure. So Xhaka can probably make those entry passes, but I don't think Coq or El Neny can, which is their limitation (which I think is a function of confidence and not ability).

Ramsey has to be the link player between attack and defense for midfield. Putting him on the left negates a lot of what he does well, which is make deep runs from midfield to create overloads at key moments. When he is closely marked his running ability is effectively negated. He isn't the silky dribbler that Iwobi is, nor can he create space for himself like Cazorla, but I think any team that has him as a 2nd central midfielder has to have a player like Xhaka as his partner. He does things our other midfielders don't do, namely, run without the ball. There will come a point this season when we will face nothing but low block sets, and that is when Ramsey's runs from deep will be most effective. All he has to do is not abdicate his defensive responsibility. If he can do that, like he did in the first half of the 2013/2014 season, I can't see our best team without him. And he isn't all that poor defensively. Last season when he was paired with Flamini, they were positionally all over the place, but I think that was due to Flamini wanting to do everyone's job, and not Ramsey, who was attempting to win the ball high up the field.

In short, I don't want Ramsey left because I think our balance will be negatively affected. At least I don't want him left with any consistency. He wants to play in the middle, he will drift to the middle, and while he will return to the left in the defensive phase of the game, our precarious offensive balance runs the risk of being upended. Now if we retreat to a low-block game and counter-attack at pace, then Ramsey is as useful on the left as he is at the center, because his ultimate goal is to move upfield as quick as possible. But when we face committed low-block teams we need to use his running ability, as he has an amazing ability of finding space for Ozil in particular to play passes into.

It's amazing when the fans debate over who should play where, instead of debating how we're going to even field enough players.

It's a great time to be an Arsenal fan, and I trust Wenger can find the right combination.

And let's not forget, we have a lot of games. We can have several different lineup combinations with all of our options

I think Gibbs can do better on an island by himself. Nacho needs proper defensive structure. Iwobi has basically left him alone and he's struggled without the protection.

Mustafi is a fairly good passer. I'm super happy with the signing. He's been pretty great.

I'm fine with all of those not going.

Can't wait, already have the day off tomorrow.

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Gibbs looks superb. 

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Not really. He has started 3 games I think? The first he was god awful and it was obvious why monreal starts. Then he had a good game in the league cup and a winless Sunderland.

He hasn't really played against top notch competition.

hopefully we get a result today. As badly as we beat them the first 30 minutes of that game were pretty close. They easily could have equalized. But they came out guns blazing and you can tell they were gassed in the second half.

Will be interesting to see if they keep that high line this time around because we were getting in behind it with ease.