by ag6789 » Thu Jan 09, 2025 10:23 pm
It is difficult to keep two attacking midfielders of equal caliber, because,none would like to sit out for long or not be the attacking focus.
Nwaneri could be considered a junior partner to Odegaard in this department for a while, but, if he really makes major strides , then if you'll end up choosing one or the other.
As for a no. 8 , who is equally adept at attacking and defending, and switches on or off at ease, is another rare commodity. We have Merino, Rice played often as no.8, and maybe Jorginho might fulfill the requirements ( he's coming short strength wise ... maybe the end of the line for him here), but none have really excelled there.
Finding proper balance in attack and defense simultaneously is a difficult task. Wenger couldn't do it, in later years ,put more emphasis on attack, and left us vulnerable at the back.
Arteta is trying to juggle, and probably has taken the safety first approach, which has hampered the attack, especially, in a season marred by injuries to critical players.
Lately the coordination between the midfield, full backs and forwards have been breaking down due to constant changes owing to injuries/ sickness, but, even then, we've been creating chances ( even w/ Newcastle we had 5 clear cut chances, some which should have been buried) but are inconsistent in execution on regular basis. Played 4- 5 decent games against WH, Palace and Brentford, but threw in draws and defeats against Everton, Newcastle in between. Pretty frustrating.
No easy solution ( other than buying mid season, don't know the kind of budget we've and what's actually available) unless the injury bug goes away and we can get a run going.