23 Jul 2017 07:33:10
A wc central midfielder is critical for us. For a team playing possession football, we lack a top class central midfielder who is essential for playing this way. Other teams are just bossing the midfield against us like Chelsea, bayern. We need someone like Turan or veratti type, even Fabregas would do.
Cazorla- Good enough, but not playing.
Xhaka- needs a better midfielder alongside him.
Elneny, Ramsey, Coquelin, Ox when playing there, Wilshere are all not good enough in the center.
All top teams have better options than us.
Chelsea-Kante, Fabregas, Matic and now Bakayoku.
Spurs-Dembele
Liverpool-Coutinho
City-Toure, Fernandinho
United-Carrick, Harrera, Pogba.
All of these players, every single one of them is, better than what we have. This is where we are losing.
23 Jul 2017 09:45:55
Xhaka Xhaka Xhaka will someone tell me what's so great about Xhaka please?
Le Coq has had far more good games than Xhaka and did so last season too even when Le Coq was poor, Ramsey had at least as many good games last season as Xhaka and Ramsey was awful last season.
Can someone please make me understand why it's all about Xhaka :-) what am I missing?
23 Jul 2017 10:09:19
For me gunner one of the reasons we dropped out of top four and will be again next if Wenger relies on him.
23 Jul 2017 10:12:14
Was Xhaka bought to replace Jack? Not as a player but as an untouchable by most Arsenal fans because they eventually gave up on Jack :-)
Forget the price tag paid and judge every player on the performances they deliver, it's what all the best teams do.
Torres cost Chelsea 50 million years ago when it was a record fee but it didn't get him picked over those who performed better and cost less.
23 Jul 2017 10:24:46
Steve mate if Xhaka was a Chelsea Liverpool Spurs Utd or City player thier fans would be debating was it worth keeping him or getting rid after last seasons showing, only Arsenal fans could want to build a team around him mate :-)
I get he had a bad season and might get come good and is worth another season but I really don't get all this automatic choice over the proven Le Coq let alone build around him business.
23 Jul 2017 10:30:50
Strong physically and a leader.
Positionally disciplined.
Can pick out an excellent pass.
Can and does shoot from distance when its on.
Yes he might not have shown it at all times last season was too eager and rash in the challenge, but it was his first season, he's still young, was a lot of pressure especially from us lot, was coming from the bench or partner in midfield being rotated and only given the chance to settle near the end.
He showed his quality at international level and for his old club hence being thr captain there at such a young age.
23 Jul 2017 10:39:46
Gunner I hear fans of other teams calling him rubbish and that to me says it all. Not one would want him in their team. He may come good but until then he should never be spoken of as a shoe in, that's for sure.
23 Jul 2017 11:20:35
Steve being an Arsenal fan sometimes reminds me of the film Jaws and the scene at the beginning of the film where all locals set out to catch the shark.
Me and are Richard Dreyfuss and some fans are the the 4 blokes in the little rowing boat with their little carp rods.
" Your going to need a bigger boat ' we cry out but they just reassure us they will be home fur tea with the Great White safely in tow :-)
23 Jul 2017 14:38:16
Xhaka is an excellent passer, better than coquelin and Ramsey at that, doesn't give the ball away or get caught out of position like ramsey often does, can keep the ball better than coquelin and Ramsey and is stronger than them both, has a good shot on him as well. He was one of the best deep lying midfielders in bundesliga. He can be rash at times and doesn't seem to be the best at tackling, but I see tremendous potential. This is the season to judge him though. As for coquelin and Ramsey they are high quality, but not good enough against the big teams. They should be squad players if we have any ambitions on winning things. As for wilshere, the injury situation doesn't make him reliable and it's a doubt he will ever reach the potential that he was touted to have.
23 Jul 2017 16:08:50
Wesley Jim you can talk about potential for as long as you like but we've been doing that for over a decade now with Theo and for years with Wilshere Gibbs and Ramsey too surely at some point we have to start talking about what is reality right here right now rather than what might or might not happen some time some day at some point.
While we've been waiting for all this potential to materialize Kos and Caz have aged and we are no further forward than we were when they had years left at the top.
As we stand out CMF looks a real problem area and up till now Xhaka has proven to be and looked every inch part of that problem and most certainly not the proven solution to it.
23 Jul 2017 16:24:20
Jim and Wes I'm 100% certain if he played for a rival you would not be describing him like you are. You would be calling him a waste of money. You are both ever so slightly exaggerating his strengths and forgetting his weaknesses. Lol
He for me is a slightly taller arteta, he was limited too, too slow and couldn't tackle, create or score goals either. He isn't the presence we need or the clever player either.
23 Jul 2017 16:27:59
Coq and Santi were our best partnership since vierra and petit but even they were limited in the power stakes. If we can't have them together next season we need to buy to strengthen.
23 Jul 2017 16:43:14
But we do need to buy one player at least for that position, that is for sure.
23 Jul 2017 16:58:33
Wes we need a presence and a work horse in there.
23 Jul 2017 17:39:02
If Santi and Le Coq are our best paring then why wouldn't a Santi replacement and Le Coq also be?
The Le Caz partnership and the team was doing ok up until Caz injury.
Sign a Caz replacement partner for Le Coq then let Xhaka try to displace when his chance came through Le Coq poor form injury or suspension and all of a sudden the picture looks more rosy already, nit picture perfect like PREMIER LEAGUE champions or anything but suddenly finishing above one of Spurs Chelsea Utd or City doesn't look completely out of the question, then sign Lemar and Mahrez or a similar paring and all of a sudden top 4 is really worthy of serious debate because when I could see how it might happen with 3 more good quality additions.
23 Jul 2017 18:03:45
It's not easy gunner to make a partnership, Coq hasn't played the same with other players next to him. His partnership was working before it got split up. Arguably it was also the best Santi played too.
23 Jul 2017 18:29:54
Without a doubt Cazs game improved no end next to Le Coq and to be fair to Le Coq who have his other partners been?