Relative squad strength to last year

[begeegs]

I am happy with the addition of Welbeck, but now the window has closed and no more defenders signed I am at a total loss as to why Jenkinson was loaned out! Chambers is both our reserve right back and reserve centre back! Even more concerning is Monreal is now our 4th choice centre back and will be likely to be playing there at some stage in the league

I have to agree with this. Yes, Chambers has an upside, but we really should have bought a proper centre-back. I'd also agree with the poster who claims that Wenger always does half a job. It certainly seems that way, but he is here for 3 more years, so not much I can do about it other than not go.

[Nos89]

We are much stronger, much faster. Last season we looked like The Arsenal of 08/09 on slow-mo. No pace in the last third of the pitch.
My only concern at the back is that for the full back positions we have coquelin, flamini, who could fill in there, and Bellerin should wenger take the chance like he did with cashley back in 2000. We could always drop to 3-5-2 if in dire straits. We can flood the midfield to cover a short fall at the back. I'd still have our squad than the £150m of utd's.
Front four of ozil, sanchez, theo and welbeck should take care of most defences...

[augie]

We are much stronger, much faster. Last season we looked like The Arsenal of 08/09 on slow-mo. No pace in the last third of the pitch.
My only concern at the back is that for the full back positions we have coquelin, flamini, who could fill in there, and Bellerin should wenger take the chance like he did with cashley back in 2000. We could always drop to 3-5-2 if in dire straits. We can flood the midfield to cover a short fall at the back. I'd still have our squad than the £150m of utd's.
Front four of ozil, sanchez, theo and welbeck should take care of most defences...

Seriously ?? Last season we had sagna as 4th choice centre back whilst this season we have monreal That in itself is bad enough, but when you consider that monreal is also back up to the most injury prone left back in the history of football, then that is shocking

Our midfield hasnt changed for the better at all - yes that is the same midfield that get steamrollered in every big game last season, and now our two make weight DMs are a year older and slower and that aint good at all.

People are inclined to say that our strikers dept is stronger this season cos we bought wellbeck, but for me that is mainly because he is a better option than le postman. Do people believe that he will be played centrally ahead of giroud ? Do people believe that wally and sanchez will both be in our first choice 11 ? If not then who pays the price ? If they both are in our first choice team then where does that leave ozil and cazorla ? For me sanchez is an big upgrade on wally but that only works if you selly wally and have ox as back up cos otherwise you are basically stocking up on players for one position whilst uignoring the needs in others. Our centre forward options are not good enough - they were not good enough in june and they still aint good enough today so cant fathom how you think that we are stronger never mind MUCH stronger as your post said

[QuartzGooner]

Last season we had sagna as 4th choice centre back whilst this season we have monreal

We are weaker at centre back but I think Sagna was just respectable at centre back, not great. I woudld have kept him though and signed Debuchy.

Chambers may actually be better at centre back than Sagna and a post-injury Vermaelen.
As for Monreal I agree he is no centre back.
Hayden may be good, no idea, only seen him in midfield.

Our midfield hasnt changed for the better at all - yes that is the same midfield that get steamrollered in every big game last season, and now our two make weight DMs are a year older and slower and that aint good at all.

We are stronger, we have bought Alexis Sanchez and Wellback who play wide midfield, and we have Coquelin back in the squad who can tackle at least.
Arteta was poor last season, so I expect little change in him, and Flamini though better I expect little change, he is 30 so yes he will be a touch slower but in his case it might actually benefit his game by forcing him to think more?

People are inclined to say that our strikers dept is stronger this season cos we bought wellbeck, but for me that is mainly because he is a better option than le postman. Do people believe that he will be played centrally ahead of giroud ? Do people believe that wally and sanchez will both be in our first choice 11 ? If not then who pays the price ? If they both are in our first choice team then where does that leave ozil and cazorla ? Our centre forward options are not good enough - they were not good enough in june and they still aint good enough today so cant fathom how you think that we are stronger never mind MUCH stronger as your post said

Wellbeck is better than Bendtner, and gives extra cover wide midfield too.
Akpom is one year on, but who knows how good he will be?

I agree we are still one world class striker away from being where we need to be up front.

Front four of ozil, sanchez, theo and welbeck should take care of most defences...

As for that formation, I long to see it, with Ramsey and Flamini in central midfield.

Augie you wonder where a team with Walcott and Alexis Sanchez will fit, well if we have any desire to use Ozil to the best range of his passing it would be in the middle between those two with a fast Wellbeck as striker.

From the bench it would give us a choice from Cazorla for guile, Rosicky for energy and short passing, Oxlade-Chamberlain for power pace and unorthodox run, Gnabry the same, and Podolski for goals if admittedly less work rate, plus Campbell for pace though I will wait and see what else he brings, Wilshere for passing (though I think he needs to make a big improvement), Arteta for team shape and Chambers for versatility.

Of course what we are crying out for is that commanding central midfield ball winner, for now we have to see how our existing squad copes and if Chambers, Coquelin or Hayden can grow into that role.

I am at a total loss as to why Jenkinson was loaned out! Chambers is both our reserve right back and reserve centre back!

Yes but we also have Bellerin and Coquelin who can play there, Flamini too if desperate.
Jenkinson would have been lucky to make the bench, he needs regular game time.
I personally doubt he will play for us again.

[TeeCee]

I think we can kiss goodbye to the two domestic cups because he is unlikely to risk any of the three CB's playing in those games unless someone hasn't played for a few weeks (unlikely). So we're likely to line up with two youth/reserve CB's for cup games...........oh well, there's always the CL
Wonga seems to want to overload the squad with midfielders who can be played 'somewhere else' in an emergency, rather than fill the squad with players for the right positions. Crazy.