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The Long Suffering One

Well-Known Member
Mar 13, 2014
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DJS

A hoonter must hoont
Dec 9, 2006
31,261
21,760
The weird thing is that the things their crazy fans complain about on Arsenal TV (do other clubs have a TV service like theirs?) is lack of defensive midfielders and defenders.

And yet they've sploshed out on Xhaka and Elneny for defensive midfield in recent times and neither seem to be setting world on fire (and let Coquelin go as wasn't playing him, even though initially he came in and did a good job in that role).

They've also bought in Mustafi for centre back but guessing he isn't meeting the standard either. Paulista was sold (presumably like Coquelin due to game time) so another who wasn't a rip-roaring success.

Wenger really seems to have lost magic touch in transfer market.

They've also let their right-back Debuchy go and he didn't really seem to be given much of a chance of a look in since coming back from injury (maybe he didn't fully recover?) but was odd given Bellerín's standards have dropped.
 

KILLA_SIN

Well-Known Member
May 24, 2008
7,809
14,449
The weird thing is that the things their crazy fans complain about on Arsenal TV (do other clubs have a TV service like theirs?) is lack of defensive midfielders and defenders.

And yet they've sploshed out on Xhaka and Elneny for defensive midfield in recent times and neither seem to be setting world on fire (and let Coquelin go as wasn't playing him, even though initially he came in and did a good job in that role).

They've also bought in Mustafi for centre back but guessing he isn't meeting the standard either. Paulista was sold (presumably like Coquelin due to game time) so another who wasn't a rip-roaring success.

Wenger really seems to have lost magic touch in transfer market.

They've also let their right-back Debuchy go and he didn't really seem to be given much of a chance of a look in since coming back from injury (maybe he didn't fully recover?) but was odd given Bellerín's standards have dropped.
They could sign Maldini and Baresi it wouldnt make a jot of difference, they dont coach players, thats their problem.

And what difference will one DM make if they have four players on the pitch they dont make effort defensively.
 

brendanb50

Well-Known Member
Jul 21, 2005
4,483
3,890
They could sign Maldini and Baresi it wouldnt make a jot of difference, they dont coach players, thats their problem.

And what difference will one DM make if they have four players on the pitch they dont make effort defensively.

There's a story quoting one of their old pros (thinking Adams or Dixon) that said one of the key things he didn't do was coach the team heavily - something which suited the older players in the group but left the younger players a bit lost. Running the risk of making stuff up with this due to the lack of direct info/quotes but it seems to ring true in my view. The key younger players who have broken through there, would have done so anywhere IMO - Fabregas is a key example.

They have (and have had) a few young players who with the right manager could step up further - Bellerin has the tools i think, plus they have Holding, Maitland-Niles, Iwobi who could all improve with the right coaching but Wenger isn't going to be that man and he never was really in my view.
 

'O Zio

Well-Known Member
Dec 27, 2014
7,405
13,785
Wenger really seems to have lost magic touch in transfer market.

I'm starting to think he never really had a magic touch. When he first came in, he was arguably the only manager who had an extensive knowledge of the French leagues and so was able to cherry-pick the best players from France and get them relatively cheaply. Nowadays when every Tom, Dick and Harry scouts the French league he's no longer got that advantage of having his own untapped resource to draw from and as a result is being exposed as quite an average manager in the transfer market at least.
 
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