Summer Transfer Shit and Everything Else

[mandela8]

I dunno - I think it is a bit over simplistic to think that a striker will solve our current problems going forwards. Firstly we had a record scoring season last season with the same strikers, and sharing the goals out between our attacking forwards. Second, the whole team is misfiring ATM (in relative terms), from front to back. Our possession based system needs everyone to be firing but we are not - and even an upgraded striker needs quicker ball progression, more directness and far better service than the ones we are using have.

Whilst I think there's definitely some validity to this point we have seen Jesus habitually miss chances since his very first game. Eddie is guilty of this. Just having a more reliable striker would make a difference, even if everything else remained equal.

The other obvious improvement would be teaching Saka to use his right foot and get to the one more often. Just adding this variety to his game would add another dimension to the entire team. His constant cutting inside does stifle opportunity.

[IBK]

Whilst I think there's definitely some validity to this point we have seen Jesus habitually miss chances since his very first game. Eddie is guilty of this. Just having a more reliable striker would make a difference, even if everything else remained equal.

The other obvious improvement would be teaching Saka to use his right foot and get to the one more often. Just adding this variety to his game would add another dimension to the entire team. His constant cutting inside does stifle opportunity.

I thought about this...and again I don't think its quite that simple. Jesus is the perfect striker for our team - in everything apart from his finishing. He is maybe the best pressing forward in the league, and is pretty essential in allowing our other forwards chances to score. I think what we need therefore is a Jesus who is lethal, but is there anyone who fits that bill? A Toney would be more likely to finish chances, but would his style of playing lead to fewer goals elsewhere?

[dostoy]

Which striker will Arsenal sign in the summer ?

It won't be Toney.

[dazthegooner]

Thankfully also looks like Osimhen will sign for PSG dodged two bullets hopefully.

[Letters]

Firstly we had a record scoring season last season with the same strikers, and sharing the goals out between our attacking forwards.

My think about that is while yes, we did score a lot of goals we did also hand out a fair number of thrashings. There were, imo, too many games in which we didn't score.

Newcastle Away
Villa Away
West Ham Home
City Away
Villa Home

Sometimes in a tight game you just need someone to get that goal to get us going. That said, I was quite surprised to find that City actually failed to score in 4 games, so only one less than us.
So maybe it's not as big a problem as I imagined, but it does feel like a problem.

[dostoy]

Thankfully also looks like Osimhen will sign for PSG dodged two bullets hopefully.

He might go to Chelsea.

Maybe it will be Sesko, Zirkzee or Brobbey for Arsenal.

[Letters]

The other obvious improvement would be teaching Saka to use his right foot and get to the one more often. Just adding this variety to his game would add another dimension to the entire team. His constant cutting inside does stifle opportunity.

There is something in this. He can be a bit of a one trick pony. It's a very good trick but he could get found out. I think generally we need an alternative in his position, he's overplayed for the lack of one.

[HCZ_Reborn]

My think about that is while yes, we did score a lot of goals we did also hand out a fair number of thrashings. There were, imo, too many games in which we didn't score.

Newcastle Away
Villa Away
West Ham Home
City Away
Villa Home

Sometimes in a tight game you just need someone to get that goal to get us going. That said, I was quite surprised to find that City actually failed to score in 4 games, so only one less than us.
So maybe it's not as big a problem as I imagined, but it does feel like a problem.

For me It’s about goal distribution

The main problem I think we still have is dealing with being caught cold by teams who then sit with 11 players behind the ball.

We can say “oh they shouldn’t do that” but why shouldn’t they. West Ham at home a game you cite as crucial to our not winning the title, I don’t think our overall play was that bad. Unlike Villa who always looked threatening on the break, West Ham created pitifully little. Their first goal is an example of the arbitrary nature of VAR…the goal was awarded because it couldn’t be proved conclusively one way or the other whether the ball had gone out of play.


What you need is a player who can produce either that one moment of brilliance or one moment of ugliness. So either a Thierry Henry or an Olivier Giroud.


We’ve also been reliant on penalty awards this season. Most I think fairly, some a bit charitable.


I understand the Arteta desire to have several different outlets for goals, I totally support that approach. But you still want a go to guy who can stick it in the net at a clinch

[HCZ_Reborn]

There is something in this. He can be a bit of a one trick pony. It's a very good trick but he could get found out. I think generally we need an alternative in his position, he's overplayed for the lack of one.

Wenger told him this as well apparently

In that Wenger came in to meet the players as a guest of honour and Saka actually asked him how he thought he could improve

[Letters]

We can say “oh they shouldn’t do that” but why shouldn’t they. West Ham at home a game you cite as crucial to our not winning the title, I don’t think our overall play was that bad.

Most teams are going to play defensively against us because we're better than them so why wouldn't they? They're not just going to have a go and let us thrash them.
We need to be able to cope with that and it can be frustrating but West Ham at home is a good example of a game where we were well on top, created plenty but didn't score and then conceded a silly goal.
Even then, it was still the first half. We had what, an hour to get back into it? And we just couldn't. It was pathetic watching us flailing around with no idea how to stick the ball in the net.
Liverpool in the Cup was arguably worse, we absolutely spanked them in the first half and once again failed to score. Most of called it at half time - we were likely to be punished and picked off the first time Liverpool got a decent chance, and that's exactly what happened. There are fine lines in football, we just need someone who can score in tight games where you don't get many chances.