Winter Transfer Speculation

[selassie]

It doesn't have to be an 'all the time, every game' thing - it's just an option that we can try out, if plan A isn't working. It wouldn't even require any real effort or a valuable substitution to make the switch - just get word to the two players to change places.



Totally agree about Santi and/or Jack - we've badly missed the kind of control they can provide. I'd even be tempted to give Mo a run in the middle while they're getting back to match-fitness, assuming his distribution is as solid as we've been led to believe? Ramsey just doesn't work for me there - he's not a terrible option to have there or anything like that, and he certainly has all the attributes that you'd look for in a modern day central midfielder, but I just don't think his priorities and his judgment are right for the job? His natural instinct will always be to attack, so I'd rather have him down as an attacker who can drop back and help with the defending when needed, rather than deeper player who can add an extra man to the attack (if that makes sense)?

Yep totally agree and they are exactly my thoughts on Ramsey, I like him and think he deserves a place somewhere in the starting XI but I'm not totally sold on him starting in Central Midfield, especially not in the big games.

Despite all that having the Ramsey & Coq partnership could work in our favour against the likes of Man Utd & Spurs away as we will no doubt allow both teams to dictate the game with the sole intent on hitting them on the counter. We are going to need to be really ruthless and efficient with our finishing in both games.

We certainly need to be careful though and both of them in Midfield, especially Coquelin is going to need to give the Defence plenty of protection.

[Dein-machine]

Yep totally agree and they are exactly my thoughts on Ramsey, I like him and think he deserves a place somewhere in the starting XI but I'm not totally sold on him starting in Central Midfield, especially not in the big games.

Despite all that having the Ramsey & Coq partnership could work in our favour against the likes of Man Utd & Spurs away as we will no doubt allow both teams to dictate the game with the sole intent on hitting them on the counter. We are going to need to be really ruthless and efficient with our finishing in both games.

We certainly need to be careful though and both of them in Midfield, especially Coquelin is going to need to give the Defence plenty of protection.

"We are going to need to be really ruthless & effecient with our finishing in both games" - its not happening mate, Giroud, Welbeck & Theo are about as ruthless as Audley Harrison.

[I am invisible]

Yep totally agree and they are exactly my thoughts on Ramsey, I like him and think he deserves a place somewhere in the starting XI but I'm not totally sold on him starting in Central Midfield, especially not in the big games.

Despite all that having the Ramsey & Coq partnership could work in our favour against the likes of Man Utd & Spurs away as we will no doubt allow both teams to dictate the game with the sole intent on hitting them on the counter. We are going to need to be really ruthless and efficient with our finishing in both games.

We certainly need to be careful though and both of them in Midfield, especially Coquelin is going to need to give the Defence plenty of protection.

I could see him working well in a 3-man central midfield, e.g. if we ever wanted to give Özil a break, and have Coq, Ramsey and Wilshere behind 3 attackers - it would rely on two staying back while one went forward, but it could work? I could even see Ramsey being OK in a 2-man midfield against weaker, more timid opposition, who we know are going to sit deep all game - probably not much point in having 2 deep CMs, if the other team aren't going to venture out of their own half all game? But against more challenging opponents, and assuming we're sticking with 4231 as our preferred formation, then he doesn't really work for me in CM.

The funny thing is, I actually see CM being dominated by box-to-box players again going forward, so Ramsey should, in theory, be a perfect fit. It just comes down to that all important question of judgment for me. I think the future B2B midfielder needs to be positionally disciplined and defensively switched on before anything else, with the ability to suddenly surge forward if it opens up for them - win the ball first, then burst forward and take a whole line of the other team out of the game with one move. Ramsey has all the ability to do the job, but he still marauds around everywhere too much for my liking. That kind of irrepressible, relentless enthusiasm, and the willingness to chase everything down would be a huge asset in one of your attacking players - it's the sort of thing that would lift them from being just one of the pack to something really quite special - but as one of the guys in the middle, who you're relying on to protect the defence and control the game, as much as you want to see them get forward and contribute to the attack? I just don't know. I think you'd end up with a 50/50 chance of him being as much of a liability as an asset...

[Power n Glory]

I could see him working well in a 3-man central midfield, e.g. if we ever wanted to give Özil a break, and have Coq, Ramsey and Wilshere behind 3 attackers - it would rely on two staying back while one went forward, but it could work? I could even see Ramsey being OK in a 2-man midfield against weaker, more timid opposition, who we know are going to sit deep all game - probably not much point in having 2 deep CMs, if the other team aren't going to venture out of their own half all game? But against more challenging opponents, and assuming we're sticking with 4231 as our preferred formation, then he doesn't really work for me in CM.

The funny thing is, I actually see CM being dominated by box-to-box players again going forward, so Ramsey should, in theory, be a perfect fit. It just comes down to that all important question of judgment for me. I think the future B2B midfielder needs to be positionally disciplined and defensively switched on before anything else, with the ability to suddenly surge forward if it opens up for them - win the ball first, then burst forward and take a whole line of the other team out of the game with one move. Ramsey has all the ability to do the job, but he still marauds around everywhere too much for my liking. That kind of irrepressible, relentless enthusiasm, and the willingness to chase everything down would be a huge asset in one of your attacking players - it's the sort of thing that would lift them from being just one of the pack to something really quite special - but as one of the guys in the middle, who you're relying on to protect the defence and control the game, as much as you want to see them get forward and contribute to the attack? I just don't know. I think you'd end up with a 50/50 chance of him being as much of a liability as an asset...

Echoes my thoughts on Ramsey. He needs to sit down over the summer and think on how he can help the team. He needs to remember the goals starting coming once he started doing the basics and cut out the Hollywood stuff. Has all the ingredients but needs to add some intelligence to his game. Maybe throwing him back into a DM role will get him to hone his game.

[I am invisible]

Echoes my thoughts on Ramsey. He needs to sit down over the summer and think on how he can help the team. He needs to remember the goals starting coming once he started doing the basics and cut out the Hollywood stuff. Has all the ingredients but needs to add some intelligence to his game. Maybe throwing him back into a DM role will get him to hone his game.

He's also very fond of citing Steven Gerrard as a player who he's modelled his game on, so it probably wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to have a closer look at how Gerrard was actually used, and where he was most successful? He started out in the middle for Liverpool, but despite his eye-catching personal form, the team never really amounted to too much more than a decent cup side. During Liverpool's most successful recent spell, under Benitez, he was mostly shunted out to the right, while they opted for a ball-winner (Masscherano) and a holding midfielder (Alonso) in the middle. Then, later on, he moved back to CM again, but by that point he'd kind of worked out that he needed to look at players like Pirlo for inspiration, because that's what the game was starting to look for.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not writing him off as a CM - not at all. It's like you say though - he needs to have a sit down and really think about what the role demands these days. Is it still a perfect match for the kind of player he wants to be? If not, then he has a choice in front of him: modify his game to fit the role; or find a role that fits his game.

Edit: cutting out the Hollywood shit is sound advice either way

[mastermind84]

Gerrard's best two seasons came at right wing and as a support striker right off Torres.

Ramsey should not look to him for any inspiration, imo.

He has the problem a lot of British central midfielders have, which is they all want to be Bryan Robson.

[I am invisible]

Gerrard's best two seasons came at right wing and as a support striker right off Torres.

Ramsey should not look to him for any inspiration, imo.

He has the problem a lot of British central midfielders have, which is they all want to be Bryan Robson.

I'm OK with him looking at Gerrard for his inspiration, just as long as he does it with a critical eye, and pays attention to how and where he was used. If he's looking at him as inspiration for playing down the right or behind the striker then far out! If he's looking at him as inspiration as a central midfielder, then even the man himself had started to realise that he had to become more Andrea Pirlo than Bryan Robson by the end...

[mastermind84]

I'm OK with him looking at Gerrard for his inspiration, just as long as he does it with a critical eye, and pays attention to how and where he was used. If he's looking at him as inspiration for playing down the right or behind the striker then far out! If he's looking at him as inspiration as a central midfielder, then even the man himself had started to realise that he had to become more Andrea Pirlo than Bryan Robson by the end...

Ramsey should try and mimic Xavi, but honestly those guys are really unique.

Arteta woulda been a good role model if he hadnt fallen off the face of the Earth.

[I am invisible]

Exactly. We have to find an internal solution this season.

?

[Niall_Quinn]

Foul-mouthed Paris Saint-Germain defender Serge Aurier could be on his way to Arsenal, according to the Daily Express.

The 23-year-old has been suspended by the French club after an astonishing rant in which he insulted his team-mates and manager in graphic fashion and promoted coach Laurent Blanc to call him "pitiful".

Nevertheless the Express says that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is prepared to overlook Aurier's antics and make a "shock move" for him this summer.

Taking its cue from French sports daily, L'Equipe, the Express says that the Gunners will "offer him a fresh start" in the wake of the latest controversy. Aurier's suspension is his second in less than a year: he was banned for three matches bu Uefa in 2015 for criticising a referee.

Could add spice to the post game interviews.