Gabriel Jesus (9)

[22-0]

Sure but because we lack squad depth we tend to get key injuries that really set us back a lot.

[ag6789]

We don't lack squad depth, its injury affected depth that's the concern. If you lose 3 first choice players like Tierney, Partey and Tomi to long term injury, planning will be affected. These players were brought in to handle the bulk of the load and their covers are supposed to pick up the remaining . When it starts to get the other way round, then you've to revamp the whole strategy once again and that's not easy.
You're forced spend over the top to secure another player of similar quality and it causes problem within as whom to keep in the long run.
For example if Tierney were fit and robust, we didn't need to worry for the LB and a relative green horn like Tavares could develop on the side w/o much ado. But now we had to dole out another 30mil for Zinchenko, send Tavares on loan....A bunch unnecessary complexities. Getting Zinchenko is great but it is the circumstances that forced our hand that's the regret.

[Zenith]

We don't lack squad depth, its injury affected depth that's the concern. If you lose 3 first choice players like Tierney, Partey and Tomi to long term injury, planning will be affected. These players were brought in to handle the bulk of the load and their covers are supposed to pick up the remaining . When it starts to get the other way round, then you've to revamp the whole strategy once again and that's not easy.
You're forced spend over the top to secure another player of similar quality and it causes problem within as whom to keep in the long run.
For example if Tierney were fit and robust, we didn't need to worry for the LB and a relative green horn like Tavares could develop on the side w/o much ado. But now we had to dole out another 30mil for Zinchenko, send Tavares on loan....A bunch unnecessary complexities. Getting Zinchenko is great but it is the circumstances that forced our hand that's the regret.

You have raised a few fair points, and I feel it could ruffle a few feathers, but I do feel we are short quality-wise in central midfield. We are one Partey injury/absence away from missing out on UCL football. Elneny/Xhaka just isn't going to cut it, even with Zinchenko as a potential option at left eight.

I do agree that losing key players to injury can derail your season. Just look at Liverpool. When Pickford sent VVD into a long-term injury, they just weren't the same team.

With the injuries of Tomiyasu, Tierney, and Partey we lost 3 players who are as important to us as VVD is to Liverpool. Again, relatively speaking as T, T, and P—whilst good players—aren't currently VVD-level superstars.

Sure, squad is God and all that, but there's a reason only City have 2 like-for-like players in almost every position. When bad luck strikes in several positions, it will always affect your results if you're a team that's not owned and funded by a one of the richest nation-states on the planet.

Having said that, bad fortune does not excuse our decision to not utilise the January transfer window. We only need to look at how Spurs' transfer activity and how it has helped them catch us and secure UCL football.

[Losmeister]

bitch about Xhaka in the GabiJesu thread...

normally i am fine w/ bitching about Xhaka at ANY time...

here it just feels gratuitous

[ag6789]

To contain the injury bug, we probably now recruit multipurpose players ( multiple abilities), like White and Zinchenko ( possibly Tomi, but he himself is on treatment table now, the Arsenal luck!).

[theHotHead]

We don't lack squad depth, its injury affected depth that's the concern. If you lose 3 first choice players like Tierney, Partey and Tomi to long term injury, planning will be affected. These players were brought in to handle the bulk of the load and their covers are supposed to pick up the remaining . When it starts to get the other way round, then you've to revamp the whole strategy once again and that's not easy.
You're forced spend over the top to secure another player of similar quality and it causes problem within as whom to keep in the long run.
For example if Tierney were fit and robust, we didn't need to worry for the LB and a relative green horn like Tavares could develop on the side w/o much ado. But now we had to dole out another 30mil for Zinchenko, send Tavares on loan....A bunch unnecessary complexities. Getting Zinchenko is great but it is the circumstances that forced our hand that's the regret.

Mate thats pie in the sky. For a club like Arsenal, a tier 2 club in a league with 5 tiers, we cannot afford to have 2 players for each position our problem is that it takes 2 or 3 players to be out and we are screwed. Why are we screwed ? Its because the gap to the second string is too large.

It is EXACTLY down to squad depth although the missing word is Quality - Squad depth quality. No point having a 50 man squad if 30 of the players are shite as an example. what difference does "injury affected" make ? If a player is out through injury they are still out, the player coming in needs to step into a hole that probably they cannot fill. We do lack squad depth quality, if we lose Jesus we rely on Nketiah, if we lose Saka who can come in for him ? Now we have Saliba back if we lost White or Gabriel we have good cover, if we lose Tierney we have Zinchenko (who I do not rate at LB), who covers Tomiyasu when he is out, the drop in quality is alarming?

Lets look at the 2007-08 season, we just lost Thierry Henry, Adebayor was first choice but after him we had Eduardo who got 30 odd appearances, we had RVP who got 20 odd appearances that season and Bendtner who made 40. Thats quality in depth. Look at our midfield, we had Fabregas, Rosicky, Diarra, Flamini, Gilberto Silva, Diaby, again, quality in depth.

[Highbury Hillbilly]

To contain the injury bug, we probably now recruit multipurpose players ( multiple abilities), like White and Zinchenko ( possibly Tomi, but he himself is on treatment table now, the Arsenal luck!).

That's a Sunday League strategy, and it never works in practice. How many top division players do you know that can effectively cover 2 positions? Think about the detail-heavy nature of Arteta's tactical setup and training drills. A player is not going to be able to keep 2 sets of instructions in his head.

Last year there was so much rubbish about Ben White being able to handle a ball-playing DM role. It never happened. Same this year with Zinchenko being a top CM, even after we hit the Eject button on Tavares and dont expect Tierney to be fit for a while.

[theHotHead]

To contain the injury bug, we probably now recruit multipurpose players ( multiple abilities), like White and Zinchenko ( possibly Tomi, but he himself is on treatment table now, the Arsenal luck!).

That's a Sunday League strategy, and it never works in practice. How many top division players do you know that can effectively cover 2 positions? Think about the detail-heavy nature of Arteta's tactical setup and training drills. A player is not going to be able to keep 2 sets of instructions in his head.

Last year there was so much rubbish about Ben White being able to handle a ball-playing DM role. It never happened. Same this year with Zinchenko being a top CM, even after we hit the Eject button on Tavares and dont expect Tierney to be fit for a while.

Also, in reality, multi-purpose players don't thrive they get a hard time, its the reason AMN has never been taken seriously, clubs don't actually want jack of all trades and masters of none. Does anyone seriously think a manager would buy a player that is a 6 out of 10 playing in 2 positions over a player that is 8 out of 10 in one position ? I don't even think they would do it with a player that was 7 out of 10 in one position.

The only jack of all trades player that has done well out of it is James Milner, who else do we see playing regularly in multiple positions at any top club ?

[Power n Glory]

To contain the injury bug, we probably now recruit multipurpose players ( multiple abilities), like White and Zinchenko ( possibly Tomi, but he himself is on treatment table now, the Arsenal luck!).

That's a Sunday League strategy, and it never works in practice. How many top division players do you know that can effectively cover 2 positions? Think about the detail-heavy nature of Arteta's tactical setup and training drills. A player is not going to be able to keep 2 sets of instructions in his head.

Last year there was so much rubbish about Ben White being able to handle a ball-playing DM role. It never happened. Same this year with Zinchenko being a top CM, even after we hit the Eject button on Tavares and dont expect Tierney to be fit for a while.

I wouldn't say that. A lot of players have the ability to play a second position. I think of former players like Rosicky, Cazorla and that time when Flamini filled in as LB and helped us get to the Champs League final. Currently, we have Saka, ESR, White, Tomiyasu, Gabriel Jesus....At other clubs, I think of Firminho, Jota, Berando Silva, Foden, Richarlison....

For us, I think it will be difficult to find bench players that are good as the starters and if they are that good, it's hard to convince players to share one position without disrupting form. We can't really afford it to be honest. Then you have the quality issue. I would much rather try White as RB then have Cedric start or move Tomiysau to CB instead of Holding. At least they're not coming off the bench cold and out of match practice which is another problem. Besides the dip in quality, we have players that aren't ready to start, which was a problem for us last year. Hopefully, with the Europa League, some of our bench options will get more games and won't look so rusty off the bench if needed.

[theHotHead]

I see what you are saying but we need to be clear here, most players if not all players can play multiple roles, if you are a striker you can play wide or centrally, a CF can play wide - might not be as effective but can still do a job when called upon. Unless you are a slow lumbering CB all CBs can play full back because you understand defending, you might not be so good as a marauding FB but you can certainly play the defensive role and understand the offside trap.

A box to box CM can play a purely offensive or defensive role because they are key facets to being a box to box midfielder, where the departure takes place is trying to get an attacking mid to play a defensive mid role or vice versa, we know that doesn't work.

So the idea that we have to buy multi-position players doesn't make sense to me and I don't agree with it.

[Power n Glory]

I see what you are saying but we need to be clear here, most players if not all players can play multiple roles, if you are a striker you can play wide or centrally, a CF can play wide - might not be as effective but can still do a job when called upon. Unless you are a slow lumbering CB all CBs can play full back because you understand defending, you might not be so good as a marauding FB but you can certainly play the defensive role and understand the offside trap.

A box to box CM can play a purely offensive or defensive role because they are key facets to being a box to box midfielder, where the departure takes place is trying to get an attacking mid to play a defensive mid role or vice versa, we know that doesn't work.

So the idea that we have to buy multi-position players doesn't make sense to me and I don't agree with it.

Yes, which is why I responded to the following and disagree with it, especially the part in bold.

That's a Sunday League strategy, and it never works in practice. How many top division players do you know that can effectively cover 2 positions? Think about the detail-heavy nature of Arteta's tactical setup and training drills. A player is not going to be able to keep 2 sets of instructions in his head.

Most of our current players can play multiple positions. You can here it when Arteta talks about individual players and new signings. It's what he's looking for.

[theHotHead]

I think we also need to consider the length of time the player is expected to cover. Covering 2 or 3 games should be no big deal, covering 10+ consecutive games I would have more of a worry about. Xhaka covered LB and he got roasted as expected but it wasn't the clusterfuck we all expected it to be. If he had to play more games there I suspect it would've ended up being a clusterfuck.

So short term, I think players can cover other positions adequately, but mid to long term, thats a no for me.

[RowdyRoddyPoppins]

Just read that he is the most picked player in Fantasy PL Football history with 72% pretty impressive to be fair and a good reflection of how other fans think he will do this season.

[22-0]

Seems fair. he looked great so far and hes the focal point of our attack. at city he was just one of the boys.

Same story with sanchez.

[Power n Glory]

I think we also need to consider the length of time the player is expected to cover. Covering 2 or 3 games should be no big deal, covering 10+ consecutive games I would have more of a worry about. Xhaka covered LB and he got roasted as expected but it wasn't the clusterfuck we all expected it to be. If he had to play more games there I suspect it would've ended up being a clusterfuck.

So short term, I think players can cover other positions adequately, but mid to long term, thats a no for me.

Xhaka's a player I don't really trust in his primary position let alone to cover for someone else.

Long term injuries will be problem for most teams and it goes back to the points ag6789 and Xenith already made. Older and experienced cover players like Holding, Cedric and Elneny have their limitations and taking a chance to blood youth/inexperienced can backfire as well.