Is Wenger right about Walcott?

[Niall_Quinn]

This. At the time, I thought that given Chelsea's susceptibility to pace this season, sacrificing Giroud when Mertesacker went was understandable. The fact that we then conceded anyway, and allowed a Chelsea team to sit back, get bodies behind the ball and simply play long balls through on the break meant that Walcott was nullified. Because he does not have Giroud's ability to find the net when under pressure in a crowded penalty area. Walcott suits a particular style of play that is more open and counter-attacking. Did we play a high line because we don't have the MF solidity to sit back and play more on the counter? The choice of personnel and the playing style are just not joining up for us lately, and I think Theo is a victim of this.

Agree with that to some extent. Any player would have a hard time making sense of Wenger's bizarre selections, tactics and formations. But even so, Walcott has been badly off form, of late he can't kick a ball without fucking up. He's back to his bad old days with a vengeance. He was never going to do anything today. At least with Giroud, pace or not, you have a sniff. A corner, a free kick, one of those scrambles in the box, we'd have been much better off with Bif than the hapless Theo. But Wenger won't have figured that out. For all the games he claims to watch he doesn't seem to see any of them.

[IBK]

Agree with that to some extent. Any player would have a hard time making sense of Wenger's bizarre selections, tactics and formations. But even so, Walcott has been badly off form, of late he can't kick a ball without fucking up. He's back to his bad old days with a vengeance. He was never going to do anything today. At least with Giroud, pace or not, you have a sniff. A corner, a free kick, one of those scrambles in the box, we'd have been much better off with Bif than the hapless Theo. But Wenger won't have figured that out. For all the games he claims to watch he doesn't seem to see any of them.

Its a real shame for me that we have not been able to play effectively on the counter without the likes of Coquelin to shield our back four, and Carzola to help Ozil out creativity wise. It would have been good to see what Walcott could do centrally with the right set up - but now his confidence is low. As is the Ox's, and Ramsey's.

[Power n Glory]

Well, it's pretty clear playing on the left with this set up isn't working. I'm not sure why after going down to 10 men Wenger kept him playing there? Why wasn't there anyone up top? Why not swith to 4-4-1 instead of playing a the same formation we play but just without a striker?

But IBK is right about that goal we conceded. Allowed Chelsea to sit back and that was it for counter attack strategy.

[Niall_Quinn]

Its a real shame for me that we have not been able to play effectively on the counter without the likes of Coquelin to shield our back four, and Carzola to help Ozil out creativity wise. It would have been good to see what Walcott could do centrally with the right set up - but now his confidence is low. As is the Ox's, and Ramsey's.

Wenger's fault again. Vidal, $17mill or thereabouts, £90kpw. But no, Coquelin (the chance find based on injuries to others) is invincible and will never get injured, so set off on a 60 game season as prepared as we always are under Wenger. Chambers can play there after all. Can't he? And Cazorla is reaching the end of the road. Ox can play there. Can't he? We'll never get a balanced team while Monsieur Le Fuckup is ramming square pegs into round holes while sitting on his chequebook.

It all points back to one man.

[selassie]

Wenger's fault again. Vidal, $17mill or thereabouts, £90kpw. But no, Coquelin (the chance find based on injuries to others) is invincible and will never get injured, so set off on a 60 game season as prepared as we always are under Wenger. Chambers can play there after all. Can't he? And Cazorla is reaching the end of the road. Ox can play there. Can't he? We'll never get a balanced team while Monsieur Le Fuckup is ramming square pegs into round holes while sitting on his chequebook.

It all points back to one man.

I said after the window shut in the summer that Wenger had screwed up Midfield, we have the numbers...not the quality, the likes of Arteta, Flamini & to a lesser extent Rosicky are just there for the head count. Ramsey doesn't really play centrally anymore unless we have some sort of Midfield crisis and we're seeing now that he's just not got the game for a place in Central Midfield, so we're left with Caz & Coq and Wilshere who is always injured! Vidal was a no-brainer, cheap as chips and on fairly low wages yet we didn't move for him because he's not an improvement on what we have?

[IBK]

Wenger's fault again. Vidal, $17mill or thereabouts, £90kpw. But no, Coquelin (the chance find based on injuries to others) is invincible and will never get injured, so set off on a 60 game season as prepared as we always are under Wenger. Chambers can play there after all. Can't he? And Cazorla is reaching the end of the road. Ox can play there. Can't he? We'll never get a balanced team while Monsieur Le Fuckup is ramming square pegs into round holes while sitting on his chequebook.

It all points back to one man.

I agree that its a double whammy, really. Wenger's ongoing risk taking with injuries and refusal to accept that most players have a best position and are not multi-positional means that we are forever unbalanced.