How many players (and what positions) do Arsenal need to sign in the summer?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Everyone wants a striker but where is he going to play? Podolski is coming but is he really effective on the left/right? This is assuming RVP is not sold to the highest bidder.. I believe we need to change our system to 4-4-2 to get the best out of current players. Assuming we play 4-3-3, we need a striker as back up to RVP and two quick wingers as Gerv and Walcott are both proving hit and miss (for me).. though Walcott looks lesser and lesser like a headless chicken these days.

As for other areas, definitely need a RB cover for Sagna.. our back up is a 19 year old fan, not yet Arsenal level.

I'd also want to see a replacement or back up for Song. We have Coq and Frimpong as back up.. while a lot of people rate them, I dont think they have the ability of Song. IMO, I'd get Flamini back to fill up that position.

Podolski goes apeshit for Germany when he is played on the left.

(This is to Cripps too) And 4-4-2. Man Utd can get away with it to a certain extent because they still carry that fear factor around with them in the Premier League. For us, we'd end up getting dominated in most games, in midfield. Man Utd have shown what happens when you play that way in Europe though.

As for it being the formation that won us the title, well it didn't win us the title the following season, when teams figured out better ways of how to deal with us.

[Syn]

Like I say, fack knows why we got rid of Bendy, in hindsight.

http://arsenalist.com/video/?id=xhhaym

It's because of shit like that. He misses 5 chances a game and that stupid hands-covering-face shocked look after every times. He thinks he's much better than he is - and normally I'd be the first to say that's just bullshit but you can actually see it with how he plays. A lot of people said lets see how he performs with a run of games - we're seeing it at Sunderland.

Is it hyperbole to say I'd rather we put Vermaelen up front?

[Marc Overmars]

Gotze has signed a new deal with Dortmund.

So we can rule out signing him this summer.

[GP]

I think you answered your own question. Plus it gives us a 2 up front option if we're chasing a game. Like I say, fack knows why we got rid of Bendy, in hindsight.

It's because he's massively shit.

[fakeyank]

Podolski goes apeshit for Germany when he is played on the left.

(This is to Cripps too) And 4-4-2. Man Utd can get away with it to a certain extent because they still carry that fear factor around with them in the Premier League. For us, we'd end up getting dominated in most games, in midfield. Man Utd have shown what happens when you play that way in Europe though.

As for it being the formation that won us the title, well it didn't win us the title the following season, when teams figured out better ways of how to deal with us.

And we have won what with the 4-3-3? Teams figured 4-3-3 before we even excelled at it!

[Syn]

I never know where the lines are in this formation talk. What did we use to play a few years back with Henry and them lot, 4-4-1-1? Is it really so different to what we're doing now? The football is obviously, but it's more or less the same structure. We've got Arteta and Song as the sitting CMs. Rosicky (or last season, Fabregas) in the free role behind the striker. Theo and Gerv are nearly putting in the shift required from a RM or a LM rather than being pure wingers/forwards. 4-2-3-1, 4-4-1-1, 4-3-3, 4-5-1....it all works but just need the right players in the right positions. Less of this Ramsey on the left stuff.

Jack goes straight into the no.10 position next season as far as I'm concerned. I don't care if he hasn't scored goals before, he'd better start netting. I guess Ramsey has been the biggest disappointment this season - and I realise that's harsh because it's only his first real full season, but I expected him to be a bit lighter on his feet and less shit in front of goal. I suppose Cesc had the same problem at his age.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

And we have won what with the 4-3-3? Teams figured 4-3-3 before we even excelled at it!

We have inferior players now. 4-4-2 is ok if you have two particularly dominating players in midfield (they will have to cope with being outnumbered in midfield); we don't have two of those players, so it'd be suicidal.

4-3-3 is the standard model now, football has changed.

[fakeyank]

I never know where the lines are in this formation talk. What did we use to play a few years back with Henry and them lot, 4-4-1-1? Is it really so different to what we're doing now? The football is obviously, but it's more or less the same structure. We've got Arteta and Song as the sitting CMs. Rosicky (or last season, Fabregas) in the free role behind the striker. Theo and Gerv are nearly putting in the shift required from a RM or a LM rather than being pure wingers/forwards. 4-2-3-1, 4-4-1-1, 4-3-3, 4-5-1....it all works but just need the right players in the right positions. Less of this Ramsey on the left stuff.

Jack goes straight into the no.10 position next season as far as I'm concerned. I don't care if he hasn't scored goals before, he'd better start netting. I guess Ramsey has been the biggest disappointment this season - and I realise that's harsh because it's only his first real full season, but I expected him to be a bit lighter on his feet and less shit in front of goal. I suppose Cesc had the same problem at his age.

I find the difference in the fact that in a 4-4-2 there are 2 bodies up front (not on the wings) attacking the opposition box. It could be that one of the two strikers plays a little behind the other but when you see crosses flying into the box, you have two strikers at least. Right now, we only see RVP and some other token player running in.

Look at City's formation this season to see a very good example of a 4-4-2.

[fakeyank]

We have inferior players now. 4-4-2 is ok if you have two particularly dominating players in midfield (they will have to cope with being outnumbered in midfield); we don't have two of those players, so it'd be suicidal.

4-3-3 is the standard model now, football has changed.

In 07/08 season, we played with a 4-4-2 with Cesc and Flamini (both not the dominating midfielder in the mold of PV4 and Petit), we did really well with that formation having Dudu and Ade tearing teams up. It all went downhill once Tiny shattered dudu's career**

I do not agree that 4-3-3 is the standard model now. The top two teams in England- City and Utd both play a 4-4-2. It is about playing to a teams strength and I think Arsenal will do much better with a 4-4-2 rather than a 4-3-3.

[Syn]

In 07/08 season, we played with a 4-4-2 with Cesc and Flamini (both not the dominating midfielder in the mold of PV4 and Petit), we did really well with that formation having Dudu and Ade tearing teams up. It all went downhill once Tiny shattered dudu's career**

07/08 was surely a 4-5-1. At best a 4-4-1-1 with Cesc as a second striker and Eboue as our right midfielder. Eduardo only started to play a bit more after the new year and while there were a couple of games where we played a proper 2 up front, they were few and far between.

I don't really know what Man City's looks like...I haven't followed them closely enough. But with Man Utd, I think there's just as much a case for calling it a 4-4-2 as a 4-3-3/4-5-1...which was my original point about this formation talk. The line is very fine and it's not really a big deal. The more important issue is who plays rather than where they play.