₦airaland Forum

Jodera:
Thank you boss
So do you think Trossard will be available against Manchester United?

Even if he’s available for selection , it’s best he starts from the bench . It’s obvious Saka and Martineli are our number 1 RW and LW. We should allow them continue that way and when anybody gases out in the second half he should be introduced .

That way we won’t disrupt the rhythm between the players because of Trossard’s signing .

Jodera:
Thank you boss

So do you think Trossard will be available against Manchester United?

Yes no time

Gunners pushing to get medical done in time by midday tomorrow
in time for Sundays fixture against Manchester United

Sharp sharp abeg... No time

BlueRayDick:
Even if he’s available for selection , it’s best he starts from the bench . It’s obvious Saka and Martineli are our number 1 RW and LW. We should allow them continue that way and when anybody gases out in the second half he should be introduced .

That way we won’t disrupt the rhythm between the players because of Trossard’s signing .

Yeah, I didn't expect him to start, just as a squad depth to be in the bench. He doesn't necessarily needs to play sef.

iamoyindamola:
Yes no time

Nice..
I even read they're working on it

iamoyindamola:
Something way they finish
You no see here we go

yes oh

Jodera:
Yeah, I didn't expect him to start, just as a squad depth to be in the bench. He doesn't necessarily needs to play sef.

Imagine if he was available on the bench in that Newcastle match . He could’ve come-on at the time nothing was working for us upfront and change the fortune of the game in our Favour . I didn’t complain for sub that day cos I know none of those on the bench can come on and help us in that kind of match . Now we should be gliding pass such hurdles going forward .

One thing I think we always neglect when pushing the club to get a back-up for Partey is the fact that it’s not going to be an easy negotiation with any player that fits the party deputy role .

I mean it’s going to be difficult getting a top player who is not more than 27 years old, is as good as Partey in that DM role and will choose to sit on the bench till Partey gets injured . Whichever player we get to agree to that must surely be an arsenal fan from childhood .

I think the best bet is to hope Edu uses im his Brazilian sources to get a South American that can easily adapt and get signed as Partey’s deputy

Jodera:
Nice..
I even read they're working on it

We need some depth on bench
I dan tire to they see awilo and son on bench

Gotta admit I didn't see this Trossard deal coming. Even though eyes were on Brighton, Mitoma was who we're all looking at.
So Trossard is gonna start the week in midtable and end the week at the top gangan. I pray for this kind of elevation o.

I stand with Spurs tonight

I read this article about zinchenko and why arteta prefers him over Tierney. It's really an insightful one.



Most Arsenal fans would have been au fait with the concept of inverted full-backs prior to the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko. Under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal very typically tilted their attack to one side of the pitch and, in Wenger’s case, the left-back was often invited to push on and play like a support winger, while the right-back tucked in and played like a support centre-half.



Even last season, Arteta’s Arsenal had the same modus operandi. Tomiyasu would shuffle across like a third centre-half, allowing Gabriel Magalhães to push over to the left touchline so that Kieran Tierney or Nuno Tavares could provide an overlap on the left-flank. That all changed during the summer when Arteta raided his former club Manchester City for Zinchenko.



Guardiola has been playing with full-backs who invert into midfield for many years now, dating back to the time he used Philip Lahm in this fashion at Bayern Munich. Following his first game in charge of Manchester City, I recall the bemusement on Match of the Day as they observed former Arsenal full-backs Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy popping up in the centre circle when City had possession.



Clearly Sagna and Clichy were not going to be longed for that particular experiment but it set the template for how Guardiola wanted to play. Since then, Zinchenko and now João Cancelo have re-interpreted the full-back role under Guardiola in much the way Philip Lahm did in Bavaria. What’s especially amazing about how Zinchenko has revolutionised Arsenal’s approach is that we didn’t really see it coming.
Arsenal have signed Kieran Tierney to a new contract and bought Nuno Tavares during Arteta’s tenure. Perhaps Tavares, with his ability to drive inside on his right-foot, offered a slight clue of the direction of travel in retrospect. But the Portuguese is very much in the “winger in full-back’s clothing” mould of Kieran Tierney.
During the summer, Arsenal cased Lisandro Martinez from Ajax before being ‘gazumped’ by Manchester United and the offer of working with his former Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag. Martinez is a left-sided centre-half who can play at left-back. He is not in the same mould as Zinchenko, who is much more of a number eight disguised as a left-back.




Now, there is some suggestion that Arsenal wanted both players and given the lack of back-up for Gabriel, that would make some sense. Upon his arrival, it was thought that the Ukrainian could offer support to both the left-back position and the central midfield. Given that Arsenal essentially had the end of their most recent campaign ruined by predictable injuries to Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney, that made some sense.




I don’t think any of us foresaw the transformation Zinchenko would play left-back and central midfield at the same time. He has totally usurped Kieran Tierney by now and Takehiro Tomiyasu is often preferred to the Scot at left-back. As Arsenal sought to lock the North London derby down on Sunday, Tomiyasu replaced Zinchenko, with Tierney deployed higher up as a substitute for Gabriel Martinelli. A year ago, Tierney was essentially the deputy captain to Lacazette, so it is difficult to believe that Arteta had always planned to oust him from the team- at least not this quickly.




Because the way Zinchenko plays left-back for Arsenal has revolutionised the team. He isn’t really a left-back at all. In essence, he is a central midfield partner for Thomas Partey and his presence unlocks other key figures in the team. He offers that technical and physical support for Partey, often joining him in the high press and providing a consistent passing option for Partey.




Zinchenko is almost like a technical contractor, popping up here and there to plug gaps when needed and provide respite to his colleagues on the ball. Much like Cancelo at Manchester City, it makes him very difficult to control for the opposition. Man-marking is not a popular tactic in modern football because no coach likes to concede a whole player from their team and you certainly can’t man-mark the nominal left-back without pulling your team’s structure out of kilter.




Zinchenko attempts 74 passes per 90, according to FBRef. No player to have played 45 minutes or more has attempted more for Arsenal this season. After last season’s victory at Watford, when Arteta bemoaned his team’s inability to “play 300,000 passes in the opponent’s half”, few would have predicted that a left-back would solve that issue. Only Thomas Partey averages more touches in the middle third of the pitch at Arsenal this season.



Few of Zinchenko’s passes, individually, are especially cutting. He has one assist this season from 0.4 expected assists. He has 1.55 shot creating actions per 90, that’s lower than Kieran Tierney, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Ben White and Thomas Partey. If Arsenal are trying to play death by a thousand cuts football, Zinchenko is armed not with a gun but with a pocket-knife.




He is softening the opponent up with sly digs to the ribs. Crucially, he unlocks other players in the team who have been able to find a new level. Gabriel Martinelli stays high and wide in Arsenal’s attack and is encouraged to isolate the opposition right-back, he has no overlapping full-back to call on. Instead, Granit Xhaka underlaps by running inside him.





This explains Xhaka’s increased attacking output this season. He often finds himself available in the half-space inside Martinelli, where he can either offer the cut-back for a teammate, or else shoot himself. He is not really a central midfielder anymore, playing instead in that slither of the left half-space- the more central work has been outsourced to Zinchenko alongside Partey. Look again at where Saka’s goal against Brighton emanates, from a Zinchenko and Partey pincer movement to win the ball back high up the pitch.





They are the technical heartbeat of the team and should really be considered the central midfield partnership. Some players make the system, others are made by the system. The top teams are split roughly evenly between those two poles. Top teams have a good combination of foot soldiers and commanders and Xhaka has become a foot soldier so that Zinchenko can command.




The way Zinchenko has interpreted the role has caused me to assess Kieran Tierney’s performances far more harshly than is probably fair. He is an excellent full-back but Zinchenko has totally changed my expectations of the role. On two occasions against Oxford, Tierney blasted a loose ball into touch and I sighed audibly in a manner that I don’t think I would have before.




Zinchenko’s role is not without risk, of course. It can leave Arsenal vulnerable on their left-side, especially when teams counter quickly. West Ham earned their penalty at the Emirates on Boxing Day because they were quick to launch the ball into that space and catch Arsenal out. Antony scored against the Gunners at Old Trafford for similar reasons.




However, Zinchenko has so quickly become one of Arsenal’s most important players in a manner that has taken many of us by surprise. I expected him to offer strong squad support in two key roles, a little like an Emile Smith Rowe but for the back section of the team. Instead, he has transformed the way that Arsenal can play football, popping up hither and yon to provide technical support to his teammates like an office IT support guru.






He seems to teleport around the pitch yet, strangely, never seems to be in much of a rush. I can’t picture Zinchenko sprinting; I feel like I can’t conjure the image in my mind so seldom have I seen it. Yet he is omnipresent, allowing Arsenal to create numerical superiority in midfield with ease. He might be the most peculiar transfer success I can remember in an Arsenal shirt.

Goal!!!
Spurs!!!

Spurs!!!
Goal number 2

It’s like Spurs wants to be unfortunate

kokaneprodigy:
It’s like Spurs wants to be unfortunate

No go give your self HBP ontop Dirty!

Dirty go always be dirty

Be like City coming for you guys.

BlueRayDick:
Imagine if he was available on the bench in that Newcastle match . He could’ve come-on at the time nothing was working for us upfront and change the fortune of the game in our Favour . I didn’t complain for sub that day cos I know none of those on the bench can come on and help us in that kind of match . Now we should be gliding pass such hurdles going forward .

Exactly, it is the reason I didn't wail that day too. I just looked at the bench, no Smith Rowe or Nelson. I just shake head

At least now, we have someone we can call on from the bench

iamoyindamola:
We need some depth on bench
I dan tire to they see awilo and son on bench

Wait, na who be the son again?

Roland17:
No go give your self HBP ontop Dirty!

Dirty go always be dirty

Now I see why they are called bottlers

These oyingbo are the definition of people are water
Trossard have worked with arteta second in command when he was incharge of genk

iamoyindamola:
These oyingbo are the definition of people are water
Trossard have worked with arteta second in command when he was incharge of genk

.
Was about to post

The way these players move around countries, cities and clubs, what about their families? How do they cope?

I have a question..
If a player moved from one club to another within that same league and has recorded a number of goals in that his previous club, will the goals be added to his tally when he joins the new clubs in that same league??

Shegzdave:
I have a question..
If a player moved from one club to another within that same league and has recorded a number of goals in that his previous club, will the goals be added to his tally when he joins the new clubs in that same league??

Yes sir

iamoyindamola:
Yes sir

Thanks gunner

@FabrizioRomano on Arsenal & Trossard: “A key factor in the deal was the will of the player, because when Leandro learned of Arsenal's presence in the negotiations, he blocked any other option because he didn't want other clubs or other possibilities.”

FBS:
The way these players move around countries, cities and clubs, what about their families? How do they cope?

I think this has always been a major issue in the life of those footballers . That was why Peter Cech joined arsenal cos his family doesn’t want to move outside london . I think Mikel had to join Middlesbrough cos his family wants to stay in the UK and not Turkey/other parts of Europe .

iamoyindamola:
@FabrizioRomano on Arsenal & Trossard: “A key factor in the deal was the will of the player, because when Leandro learned of Arsenal's presence in the negotiations, he blocked any other option because he didn't want other clubs or other possibilities.”

Exactly why I am angry with Murdrky and not even Chelsea. It is senseless mehn. Thing is he will do it again.

Be like Edu don start his work again

Loók like we're finalising two deals.
There is rumour going round about one Jakub Kiwior. A left-footed CB who can play LB and DM. He plays for Speziq.

Ladies and gentlemen... Kiwi is here!

Kiwi vs Gabi