Bard
Much to the dismay and anguish of my better half I have watched the City game twice more since Sunday. My reaction is the same with every viewing; where the hell did that come from? The kamikaze rabble I’ve been watching all season morphed into a proper football side seemingly overnight. We looked well set up, we had players playing in their proper positions, we looked tight defensively, we looked like we had a proper game plan. The last time I thought we looked that solid was when Stroller was our manager.
The transformation begs a lot of questions not least why we haven’t performed like that for years, but that inquisition is for another post. What intrigues me is the effect it might have had on the players not selected and the shape of the side in the future. The fall out from the result could be seismic.
While Coquelin’s majestic performance may well kick start his career he may have ended the careers of Arteta and Flamini, if not they will surely be no more than bit players in the future. Cazorla’s man of the match performance settles the debate about who plays in the centre of midfield. I have never seen Ozil put in a performance like that - he is now a back up and is in effect playing second fiddle. And dear old Jack, a player of fantastic potential but having a career much like Diaby’s. Where would we accommodate him or do we need to move him on?
Monreal has ousted Gibbs and with his appalling fitness record - an ambitious manager might want to move him on as well and buy a ‘worldy’ at left back. The Ox while raw in many respects put in a terrific shift. While Wally has his moments he is inconsistent, can also be a passenger and a liability at worst. For me the Ox is more reliable and better defensively. Wally for the bench! Welbeck, Giroud and Sanchez up front look reasonably formidable.
By luck or judgment Wenger has found a tactical blueprint for many of the big games and the personnel to implement it. Moreover if he can ruthlessly prune the deadwood and get rid of the perennially injured, buy astutely (a new left back, a centre back and another defensive midfielder would be a start) we might have the makings of a side that can properly compete. You never know his career might end in a flourish rather than a whimper but he needs to grasp the opportunity.
