OLIVIER Giroud has signed.

[Master Splinter]

Perhaps it still leaves us a bit exposed. When the Netherlands starting with RVP in an attacking midfield position against Portugal, they were getting ripped on the counter because he wouldn't drop back when they lost possession.

If you've actually ever seen RVP play without the seething hate turned up to twelve, you'd know he spends a lot of time dropping deep and linking play. It wouldn't exactly be an alien position for him. He also holds the ball up and relieves pressure when needed. He can also be useful defensively, much like Drogba often was.

Of course, one game in a ramshackle Netherlands team in which the terrible Huntelaar was accommodated and failed miserably in replicating RVP's role is more conclusive proof than many seasons of evidence to the contrary, however.

[Niall_Quinn]

If you've actually ever seen RVP play without the seething hate turned up to twelve, you'd know he spends a lot of time dropping deep and linking play. It wouldn't exactly be an alien position for him. He also holds the ball up and relieves pressure when needed. He can also be useful defensively, much like Drogba often was.

Of course, one game in a ramshackle Netherlands team in which the terrible Huntelaar was accommodated and failed miserably in replicating RVP's role is more conclusive proof than many seasons of evidence to the contrary, however.

RvP is a pretender. He pretended to score all those goals and people like you fell for it.

[Joker]

If you've actually ever seen RVP play without the seething hate turned up to twelve, you'd know he spends a lot of time dropping deep and linking play. It wouldn't exactly be an alien position for him. He also holds the ball up and relieves pressure when needed. He can also be useful defensively, much like Drogba often was.

Of course, one game in a ramshackle Netherlands team in which the terrible Huntelaar was accommodated and failed miserably in replicating RVP's role is more conclusive proof than many seasons of evidence to the contrary, however.

I wasn't actually criticising him, I don't really expect a forward player to be able to know which defensive positions to take up when without possession. Normally we've had Rosicky, Arteta and Song in the centre 3 recently, and those 3 are actually midfield players so defensively there's not a worry there. But when you play a forward there you're relying a lot on the other 2 (probably Song and Arteta/Wilshere) to do most of the defensive work. Maybe it'll work, I don't know, but it's something to consider at least.

[Fist of Lehmann]

My gut feeling is that you can call him an attacking midfielder, plonk him in the attacking midfield position, and he's still tend to play the role as a deep-lying forward.

So like we saw with Rambo last season, instead of tracking back with the intention of defending, he'd hang around on the edge of the box waiting to spring the counterattack. How much defending he'd need to do there I'm not sure, Rosicky certainly did alot of his tackling in the middle third. Cesc shuttled around in this area as well, sometimes it's not only about tackling but about being in the way - closing down passing lanes and pressuring opponents.

That said, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Rvp is smart, and disciplined. And it's possible he could do some sort of job there, but I'd still have concerns. For a guy who has played wide midfield, winger, no 10 and no 9 in his career, adaptability is not the concern. More depends on his will than his ability.

[Flavs]

I do wonder if after trying the adapted 4-4-2 last season a few times with varying success we will give it a go, we cant play 4-3-3 because our wingers/inside forwards lack the discipline and stamina to track back, I would love us to start with the Podster and Giroud up front

[Power n Glory]

We won't try a new formation. It's not going to happen. We have had plenty of excuses to try and play with two strikers but Wenger hasn't taken it on board. He could have played Arshavin behind the striker like how Madrid play, he could have tried playing Chamakh up front, Park, Theo has been desperate to get a chance to play up front and that hasn't happened.

Also, Wenger has turned RVP into a proper striker and if we're keeping him, I doubt he's going to shift him further back field after such a great season and adapting his game so well to play that role.

[Niall_Quinn]

If the guy is any good then we finally have a decent option on the bench whereas last year all we had was Chamakh. So big progress is a possibility here.

[WilshereourGHEL]

Lille have taking Giroud in a helicopter in a swoop that is known as 'OPERATION PARK CHU YOUNG REVENGE'

[Cripps_orig]

I think Park being the worst striker ever for us is revenge enough for Lille

[Master Splinter]

I think Park being the worst striker ever for us is revenge enough for Lille

Park's worse than Bendtner?

No-one has seen Park play.