As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
VAVAVOOM 14 wrote:For all you trying to say Giroud's goal scoring record is fine: he scored 22 goals in 51 appearances - that's all competitions - he only scored 16 league goals... That's atrocious when you're Arsenal's starting striker and have Ozil and co. behind you.
indeed. I thought we'd seen the end of people sticking up for his lack of awareness and terrible finishing but it beggars belief that someone pipes up again and comes out with empty waffle.
Its not empty waffle though is it. Its fact that his return, even on those figures, remains better than Adebayor or RVP during his first two years.
I'm no rose tinter but FFS give the poor bastard a chance. I'm often as negative as the next person but some here appear to be negative just for the sake of it. They then have the nerve to say anything positive, even when factual, is waffle. there's no pleasing some
I'm with Spuddy on this one.
Also, what a stupid comment this is; "That's atrocious when you're Arsenal's starting striker and have Ozil and co. behind you". You totally bypass the argument about Giroud being played as the 1 in a 4-5-1 system that absolutely doesn't suit his (limited) abilities. Add to that the fact we have NO ONE that can cross a ball into him to utilise his height (possibly Debouchy might remedy this, maybe Sanchez too, if Wenger insists on isolating him out wide). TBH I'd say he has done brilliantly to get ANY goals given so much is stacked against him.
Further, mentioning Ozil? Don't get me wrong, I think Ozil is class and will come good, but he contributed far less than Giroud did last year.
I fully accept Giroud is average at best, not a world beater by any stretch, but idiots coming on here calling him shit is ridiculous.
Giroud's not shit, but I don't think he will never be what we need. He just isn't quite sharp enough, nor mobile enough, to play the role that's asked of him. He also needs too many chances to score, something that we cannot afford if we persist with one up front.
He's still a very useful option to have as he offers some physicality up front which is something we have generally lacked but, alas, he's not in the same league as RvP.
If we are not going to bother with Sanchez through the middle then we surely need to invest in a top-drawer striker with the correct attributes to play the lone striker role.
officepest wrote:Giroud's not shit, but I don't think he will never be what we need. He just isn't quite sharp enough, nor mobile enough, to play the role that's asked of him. He also needs too many chances to score, something that we cannot afford if we persist with one up front.
He's still a very useful option to have as he offers some physicality up front which is something we have generally lacked but, alas, he's not in the same league as RvP.
If we are not going to bother with Sanchez through the middle then we surely need to invest in a top-drawer striker with the correct attributes to play the lone striker role.
I am not holding my breath.
And that is the problem. How many modern strikers are equipped to play that lone striker role really effectively? And of those, how many does anyone think would be sold by their club? 4-5-1 is very obviously the root cause of so many of our problems and yet Arsene still plays it.
arseofacrow wrote:Giroud only needed to be competent to do better on Tuesday.
Yep. True. And he isn't. Not all the time. But no player is. Most of our players were not competent on Tuesday tbh.
Extreme example here, but fuck it - Henry and Pires made the most embarrassing stupid fuck up of a penalty debacle I've ever seen. Only a moron would call either of them shit. Players make mistakes. They have things they are good at, things they are poor at. It happens.
Giroud has no pace. His finish is average by PL standards. But he can finish brilliantly on occasion and his link up play is often top notch. He is strong in the air and shows for everything, no matter how shit the ball is. Play him with a top finisher in a 2 as part of a 4-4-2 or even a 3-5-2 and we would get much more out of him.
But a good manager will know how to do that, how to get the best from that player, how to play to their strengths. If Wenger is not prepared to play a system that benefits the main striker, then why sign that striker? Why wedge him into a system that does not suit him?
The problem is Arsene and the shit system, not necessarily the player.
arseofacrow wrote:Giroud only needed to be competent to do better on Tuesday.
Yep. True. And he isn't. Not all the time. But no player is. Most of our players were not competent on Tuesday tbh.
Extreme example here, but fuck it - Henry and Pires made the most embarrassing stupid fuck up of a penalty debacle I've ever seen. Only a moron would call either of them shit. Players make mistakes. They have things they are good at, things they are poor at. It happens.
Giroud has no pace. His finish is average by PL standards. But he can finish brilliantly on occasion and his link up play is often top notch. He is strong in the air and shows for everything, no matter how shit the ball is. Play him with a top finisher in a 2 as part of a 4-4-2 or even a 3-5-2 and we would get much more out of him.
But a good manager will know how to do that, how to get the best from that player, how to play to their strengths. If Wenger is not prepared to play a system that benefits the main striker, then why sign that striker? Why wedge him into a system that does not suit him?
The problem is Arsene and the shit system, not necessarily the player.
Two world class players cocking up a stupid pre-planned routine. This was unusual forthem whereas Giroud's performance the other night was not unusual. I don't expect him not to make mistake and be brillant every week. But what he produced the other night was more typical of him than a one-off stinker. And is separate to a manager who appears to shuffle his players like a deck of cards.
arseofacrow wrote:Giroud only needed to be competent to do better on Tuesday.
Yep. True. And he isn't. Not all the time. But no player is. Most of our players were not competent on Tuesday tbh.
Extreme example here, but fuck it - Henry and Pires made the most embarrassing stupid fuck up of a penalty debacle I've ever seen. Only a moron would call either of them shit. Players make mistakes. They have things they are good at, things they are poor at. It happens.
Giroud has no pace. His finish is average by PL standards. But he can finish brilliantly on occasion and his link up play is often top notch. He is strong in the air and shows for everything, no matter how shit the ball is. Play him with a top finisher in a 2 as part of a 4-4-2 or even a 3-5-2 and we would get much more out of him.
But a good manager will know how to do that, how to get the best from that player, how to play to their strengths. If Wenger is not prepared to play a system that benefits the main striker, then why sign that striker? Why wedge him into a system that does not suit him?
The problem is Arsene and the shit system, not necessarily the player.
I wouldn't mind trying 4-3-1-2 either. As long as your forwards are willing and able to work the channels they should provide width. Three in central midfield should prevent being outnumbered and allow two to push up and support and the other able to drop back if you lose possession. Allow the number 10 to drift as and where required and pull defenders out of shape.
Just anything other than this tedious obsession with the lone striker,
One up front is so limiting and results in a midfeld which is flooded seemingly because everybody else does it.
VAVAVOOM 14 wrote:For all you trying to say Giroud's goal scoring record is fine: he scored 22 goals in 51 appearances - that's all competitions - he only scored 16 league goals... That's atrocious when you're Arsenal's starting striker and have Ozil and co. behind you.
indeed. I thought we'd seen the end of people sticking up for his lack of awareness and terrible finishing but it beggars belief that someone pipes up again and comes out with empty waffle.
Its not empty waffle though is it. Its fact that his return, even on those figures, remains better than Adebayor or RVP during his first two years.
I'm no rose tinter but FFS give the poor bastard a chance. I'm often as negative as the next person but some here appear to be negative just for the sake of it. They then have the nerve to say anything positive, even when factual, is waffle. there's no pleasing some
He's had plenty of chances, I don't have anything positive to say about him either, I can't see any positives in him, except for one perhaps that at least he's not Sanogo shit, but imo, he's a lazy bastard and struts around the pitch like Billy Big Bollocks and the only reason he doesn't get injured is because he doesn't put any effort in and never gets stuck in. The day he goes along with his wanky song can't come soon enough for me!
Midz wrote:What's required for us to be serious contenders:
DM - (£20m)
CB - (£20m)
LB - (£20m)
ST - (£30m)
With the above budget of £90m which no one can tell me we don't have, give or take a few million we could buy what's needed to make us viable proposition.
It might not cost that much (I was being generous).
What's sad is most fans would be ok with 2 or 3 of those, but we'd be lucky to get one.
I hope Sanchez and Campbell get a shot at forward soon. Giroud is hopelessly unfit and Sanogo is Sanogo.
agree re the lone striker bullshit. If Wenger cares to look around at all the successful sides in Europe over the last 5 years, does he see any of them with a big, slow, lumbering rugby player type up front, surrounded by a bunch of dwarves passing the ball sideways?
When did he have the revelation that playing with Henry and Bergkamp, and Vieira with a solid back 4 was an unsuccessful strategy?! He's finally signed a player with great pace, in Alexis, but Ozil is probably the fastest of our midfielders and he's not that quick. We are extremely one paced, so easy to play against.
Everton outplayed us in our home game last year. I'm expecting the usual fatigue, trip to Turkey in the week blah blah excuses.
Midz wrote:What's required for us to be serious contenders:
DM - (£20m)
CB - (£20m)
LB - (£20m)
ST - (£30m)
With the above budget of £90m which no one can tell me we don't have, give or take a few million we could buy what's needed to make us viable proposition.
It might not cost that much (I was being generous).
Your names not Wenger is it? You would happily leave Rosicky, Campbell and the Ox warming the bench, even though we need more pace and drive in the team and less of the tippy-tappy sideways crap!
That isn't the team I'd pick, its the one I think he will go with.
I would drop Wilshire (can come back on for 2nd leg) for Chamberlain and maybe Cazorla for Rosicky based on last couple of games.
Midz wrote:What's required for us to be serious contenders:
DM - (£20m)
CB - (£20m)
LB - (£20m)
ST - (£30m)
With the above budget of £90m which no one can tell me we don't have, give or take a few million we could buy what's needed to make us viable proposition.
It might not cost that much (I was being generous).
We don't need a left back. The others yes.
Gibbs is very injury prone and not reliable for the season. Monreal isn't very good.
Look at Monreal & Cazorla on the left against Besiktas - they offered nothing going forward and little in defence. They don't work together. We could offload Monreal and buy a better LB either as first choice or as backup.
there's no pleasing some
