Positionally, however, it feels as if he can’t help but be sacrificed. If Ozil is fit, Mkhitaryan won’t play in his best position – as a #10. Due to the lack of other good wide options, his most-likely role will be on the right, where he’ll be expected to come inside and link up with Ozil and the striker, leaving space for Bellerin to overlap (and put in terrible crosses).
It has been a journey of resiliency for the 5-foot-5 defensive midfielder. It certainly takes belief to make the move from Uruguay to Italy as a 19-year-old. It takes even more to be an immediate starter- he has been for all of the three years he has spent in Italian football.
As Arséne Wenger manages his last fixtures in English football, his departure is something much more than a manger leaving his persevering post. It is a departure of morality, honesty and loyalty in an industry that needs it more than ever.
One team that hasn’t adopted the fad is Arsenal, which is hardly a surprise. Arsene was not an early adopter of the transition from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3, and he’s shown no recent signs of increased tactical flexibility. Thus, I preface the following by saying that it is a dream. A hypothetical.
Since injury removed Santi Cazorla from the equation in mid-October, Arsenal have failed to find balance in the two positions at the base of the midfield.Without that balance, the team does not function properly. Mesut Ozil is playing the #10 role, but it is a very advanced interpretation of the position and this season he has spent a lot of time on the shoulder of the opposition’s defenders, looking to run behind them.
Welcome to Episode 43! Thank you for listening to the Coshcast. If you enjoy it, subscribe right here on Itunes. Bonjour! Today on the Coshcast we have conversation about les Euros – the tournament, not the currency – including a semi-informed preview of just about everything. Elsewhere there […]
In the mid-90s had you told Romario that his primary function was to serve as a snow-blower for Luis Figo, he’d have probably knocked you out or died laughing. These days, the game’s poachers or “fox-in-the-box” types like Chicharito, Defoe and Soldado are staggering around in a daze, wondering what happened to the football they knew, and whether they’ll get a flick on from a target man ever again.
Arsenal fans are licking their lips and rubbing their hands together at the prospect of signing Arturo Vidal from Juventus. The rumours have been doing the rounds that Vidal is available, from Juve’s point of view, and that Arsenal are interested, from Arsene Wenger’s point of view. After […]
To me it was obvious that the team needed another experienced centrback to provide cover and competition. I also wondered why he didn’t get a proper defensive midfielder, seeing that the injury-prone Arteta’s performances had declined in the latter part of the previous season, and the fact that Flamini just isn’t a very good footballer.
Eleven games into the season and heading into yet another international break, we have decided to take a look at the productivity of the top players from each of the top clubs so far in the Premier League. With a third of the season almost over, its a […]
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