4231? 343? Smith Rowe or Pepe? Auba v Lacazette? – What are Mikel Arteta’s options

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So that is the transfer window shut. Some highs and lows. Probably the right players bought, but not really the right players sold. But that is another blog for another day.

With the players we still have at the club, how will Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal line up (with everyone fit?):

Most Logical – 4231

4231 is the most logical line-up with the players we have.

I have excluded the keeper on all of these as I do not want the Leno v Ramsdale debate to side track the discussion of the 10 outfield players.

On that, Bernd Leno will be first choice this season with Aaron Ramsdale given some game time in the cups.

This would be Arteta’s most balanced side.

A proper back 4 with all playing in a natural position. Balance in midfield between Thomas Partey’s power and pressing alongside Granit Xhaka’s passing and control.

Further forward we have the creativity of Martin Odegaard in the middle with Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka either side; and upfront Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Whilst it is not the perfect XI, and will create a debate over Pepe and Xhaka (see Alterative XI), this is the time that I feel Arteta will play if all fit.

Alternative XI – 4231

The 2 debates over the most logical XI is Pepe and Xhaka.

Had business gone as we wanted this summer, Xhaka would no longer be with the club and would have been replaced. But no significant bids came in and he ended up staying, getting a new contract and getting the captains armband in the opening game.

Some will argue that Albert-Sambi Lokonga should start ahead of him. I am against this for 2 reasons.

The first is that Sambi is just a youngster. It is clearly too early for him to come in and be expected to play week in week out. Let him develop and get up to Premier League standard.

Secondly I think a midfield of Partey and Lokonga will lack any real control.

Both are power and pressing; neither are great passers. You need a Xhaka in there to maintain the balance.

The second change is moving Saka over to the right and playing Smith Rowe on the left.

I have seen a lot of XI’s produced with the pair in the team ahead of Pepe.

Whilst it does excite me, I do question if an attacking midfield of Saka Odegaard Smith Rowe will have enough goals in it.

Last season in the Premier League, Pepe scored 10 goals. Saka, Smith Rowe and Odegaard scored 8 between them.

Taking into account scoring was a huge issue for us last season, removing our highest scoring midfielder will only compound the problem.

We would need a drastic improvement from Saka, Smith Rowe and Odegaard in the goals department, and I am nut sure if any of them have it in them.

A Complete Change – 343

If Arteta decides to implement a complete change and move to the 343 that saw us lift the FA Cup, he would have plenty of selection headaches.

343 would see new right back Takehiro Tomiyasu slot into the right hand side of defence with Ben White and Gabriel making up the back 3. But would this be our best line-up?

As I write this I wonder if Rob Holding would be best off playing in the centre of the 3 with White to his right; therefore ensuring our best header of the ball is on the pitch and in the middle of the back 3.

So then what was the point of signing Tomiyasu if he would not play in what is perhaps his best position on the right hand side of a 3.

Cast aside Ainsley Maitland-Niles also returns. He is our best wing back and his defensive frailties are not exposed with a back 3 behind him. Tierney would start left.

In the middle we have Xhaka and Partey. Read the debate above about Lokonga if you wished to play the Belgium over Xhaka.

The front 3 was a headache.

You have no natural number 10; so Odegaard would either have to play deeper in the midfield 2 or out wide. Neither of these positions suit him.

Would Odegaard be better out wide then Pepe, Smith Rowe or Saka? I think not. So why sign him?

You also have the Aubameyang / Alex Lacazette factor that we have not yet discussed.

Aubameyang looked deadly in a 343 when we played it; so does he come on the left with Lacazette in middle? But this then leaves just one Saka, Pepe or Smith Rowe playing on the right hand side.

I think if we went down this route, we would see Pepe, Aubameyang and Saka in the forward 3 positions.

I think we will see 4231 with everyone fit.

Hopefully Arteta works out his best team and sticks with it.

One issue under Arteta has been the chopping and changing of personnel and tactics. This leads to lack of continuity in play.

Pick your tactics, your best XI, and play them.

Keenos

Arsenal “anti-fans” praise Guendouzi call-up whilst ignoring Lokonga first cap

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Friend of the site Darren Berry introduced us to a new type of fan in his latest book Over Land and Sea (and Lockdown).

He labelled these fans the “Anti-Fan”.

In a nutshell, they are “fans” that only ever talk negative about the club they supposedly support in an attempt to appear “indifferent and cool”.

They hope by taking the negative standpoint they will “stand out from the crowd” and gain more clicks, RTs and followers.

It is reminiscent to a kid who picks on and bullies the girl he likes in the hope she will notice him more.

The fact that many of these anti-fans are in their 40s, and are not teenage boys shows a worrying state of their mind. I have seen others label them as “football incels”.

Their negativity towards the club is not just aimed at the owners and management but also the players.

They rate every player that leaves and think every player that stays is rubbish. We see them criticise Bukayo Saka, labelling him average whilst moaning we sold Joe Willock.

Emiliano Martinez, Willian Saliba and Matteo Guendouzi are the 3 favourites of these fans.

Their refusal to support players at the club leads them to create their own narrative around those that have left.

Suddenly Martinez is a world class keeper, whilst Bernd Leno and Aaron Ramsdale are derided.

It is the same with Saliba and Ben White.

The interesting one this weekend was Guendouzi.

Due to injuries Guendouzi got a call up to the French squad for the latest round of World Cup qualifiers.

“Not good enough for Arsenal but good enough for France” was the narrative they took.

He was an unused substitute for the Ukraine game.

Meanwhile Guendouzi’s replacement at Arsenal – Albert Sambi Lokonga – was also on international duty.

Lokonga had gained his first cap for Belgium – playing 74 minutes in their World Cup qualifier against Estonia.

The same people making a point that Guendouzi had been called up by France failed to mention Lokonga starting a game for Belgium.

France are the World Champions, Belgium are the number one ranked team in the world.

So on one hand, they make a lot of noise about a player currently on loan from Arsenal getting an international call-up; whilst making no noise about a player currently playing for Arsenal getting his first cap.

This situation really sums up these anti-fans.

They support Guendouzi because he is out on loan but do not show the same support to a Lokonga because the manager likes him.

Lokonga is an extremely talented 21-year-old footballer. How about we use our energy backing him? Encouraging him? Rather than crowing for a player that is not currently at the club.

It must be very tiring constantly having to take a negative stand point against a club that consumes so much of your daily thoughts.

Keenos

Death, taxes and Emiliano Martinez talking about The Arsenal

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Is Emiliano Martinez the most boring fan in football?

It is now becoming so predictable.

There’s an international break and out trots Martinez in another interview to talk about Arsenal again.

I will begin by defending Martinez a bit. He can only answer the questions he is asked. And if a journalist is asking him about Arsenal, he can politely answer.

It probably shows how gargantuan Arsenal are that on every international break, journalists want to ask him about Arsenal and not Aston Villa.

Very few in England, let alone Argentina care about the 2nd club in England’s 2nd city.

This time it was some bollocks about him not wanting to join Arsenal in the first place.

A fair enough comment considering he was 18 when he joined us; and had to uproot himself from his family to move to a new continent.

But ultimately it was his decision and if Arsenal as as bad as he made out, why did he sign 3 or 4 contracts?

Only the most agenda driven Arsenal fans still side with Martinez – those that would agree with any critical comment about the club regardless of who says it. The “anti-fan”.

The majority call Martinez out for what he is. An obsessed, disgruntled former lover.

Let’s remember, Arsenal wanted Martinez to sign a new deal. He was promised that he would start the season as number one. He wanted a guarantee that he would remain number one.

Football clubs can not issue those guarantees. Especially to a player with just 15 Premier League starts to his name. So he left.

So good was he at Arsenal that when it came to him leaving – for a £20million price tag that was considered a steal – it was only Aston Villa that were in for him.

Villa finished that season 17th. 1 point off relegation.

According to some, “Martinez was the best keeper in the league last season” before “being key as Argentina won the Copa America”. And yet he is still at Villa.

Maybe his bitterness comes from regret?

Taking into account Bernd Leno’s form, Martinez would have started as number one and probably remained it for the entire of last season. Then this season he probably would have been given the number one jersey.

Instead he jumped ship and hoped after a good season a top club would come in for him again. No one came knocking.

There was talk at the beginning of the summer that Barcelona wanted to bring him in, reuniting with Lionel Messi. That was never going to happen.

So Martinez is now 29. His chances of ever being a regular number one at a top club dwindling. The best he can hope for is Aston Villa stay up and then in 3 years time, when his contract runs out, a top club sees him as a viable, cheap, home grown option as number two.

Maybe he will even return to Arsenal to cover Aaron Ramsdale.

For now, Martinez needs to stay quiet. Concentrate on his football, and stop obsessing about The Arsenal.

I look forward to his autobiography.

Keenos