Marcus Christiansen seems quite sure about the Xhaka lad

[The Jorge]

"There is no doubt he will be an asset for Arsenal as Wenger has finally decided to opt for a bit of bite in midfield to go with all the skill. Not that Xhaka isn’t skilful, it is more that he combines both aspects of the game. One minute he will get stuck in to the tackle, the next he will be spraying the ball crossfield like Xabi Alonso."

:cloud9:

[redgunamo]

"There is no doubt he will be an asset for Arsenal as Wenger has finally decided to opt for a bit of bite in midfield to go with all the skill. Not that Xhaka isn’t skilful, it is more that he combines both aspects of the game. One minute he will get stuck in to the tackle, the next he will be spraying the ball crossfield like Xabi Alonso."

:cloud9:

Andy Christensen ain't it, one of Chelsea's many wandering legionaries?

[Jake]

"There is no doubt he will be an asset for Arsenal as Wenger has finally decided to opt for a bit of bite in midfield to go with all the skill. Not that Xhaka isn’t skilful, it is more that he combines both aspects of the game. One minute he will get stuck in to the tackle, the next he will be spraying the ball crossfield like Xabi Alonso."

:cloud9:

It's odd. Why is it now, providing he is everything those in the know say he is, that we are making this signings/possibly more?

It's great, but odd. Considering the state of things in the league last summer you would've thought you go all out then...

[Monty92]

"There is no doubt he will be an asset for Arsenal as Wenger has finally decided to opt for a bit of bite in midfield to go with all the skill. Not that Xhaka isn’t skilful, it is more that he combines both aspects of the game. One minute he will get stuck in to the tackle, the next he will be spraying the ball crossfield like Xabi Alonso."

:cloud9:

Coq and Elneny are pretty bitey, no?

Is it not simply the case that this fella is probably, just, better?

[Monty92]

It's odd. Why is it now, providing he is everything those in the know say he is, that we are making this signings/possibly more?

It's great, but odd. Considering the state of things in the league last summer you would've thought you go all out then...

How come Wenger's allowed to have called him a year ago? Would that have been with his club's permission?

[The Jorge]

Coq and Elneny are pretty bitey, no?

Is it not simply the case that this fella is probably, just, better?

The Xabi Alonso stuff less so though

[Norn Iron]

"There is no doubt he will be an asset for Arsenal as Wenger has finally decided to opt for a bit of bite in midfield to go with all the skill. Not that Xhaka isn’t skilful, it is more that he combines both aspects of the game. One minute he will get stuck in to the tackle, the next he will be spraying the ball crossfield like Xabi Alonso."

:cloud9:

He averaged a red card every 9 games last season. Hopefully,he's intelligent enough to sort that out.

[The Jorge]

He averaged a red card every 9 games last season. Hopefully,he's intelligent enough to sort that out.

Playing for the Arsenal he's sure to get that down to 6.5

[Monty92]

The Xabi Alonso stuff less so though

They can both pass a football. As I say, I reckon this bloke's probably just better :shrug:

[Burney]

They can both pass a football. As I say, I reckon this bloke's probably just better :shrug:

I've just tried to imagine what passing a football would feel like :-(

[The Jorge]

They can both pass a football. As I say, I reckon this bloke's probably just better :shrug:

I dont think Coq is that great a footballer tbh, and that does show sometimes.

Not that I dont like him, I do, he's just not going to unlock a defence.

[Jake]

I dont think Coq is that great a footballer tbh, and that does show sometimes.

Not that I dont like him, I do, he's just not going to unlock a defence.

Not every player needs to be able to unlock a defence. I don't think there's any expectation for Kante, Matic etc to do that.

[Jake]

How come Wenger's allowed to have called him a year ago? Would that have been with his club's permission?

Dunno. Everyone speaks to everyone, at anytime, nowadays. We're particularly good at little bit tap up apparently.

A friend of mine worked on the Chambers deal and told me about 6 months before the case that we had shamelessly rubbed him up.

[Norn Iron]

My scouting report based on youtube videos

He seems to love a threaded pass. The 'hollywood ball' so to speak. I can imagine he gives the ball away a lot.
He's Stevie G with a better haircut.

[The Jorge]

Not every player needs to be able to unlock a defence. I don't think there's any expectation for Kante, Matic etc to do that.

Of course, though with Coq, Flamini and Ramsey taking up quite a bit of the midfield slots we were a little short in that department.

Note: I'm kind of reserving judgement on Elneny but he is looking quite promising now he's beginning to get into the groove

[redgunamo]

Not every player needs to be able to unlock a defence. I don't think there's any expectation for Kante, Matic etc to do that.

It matters in our team though, with the way we want to play. It really shouldn't, actually, but it does.

[Monty92]

I dont think Coq is that great a footballer tbh, and that does show sometimes.

Not that I dont like him, I do, he's just not going to unlock a defence.

Is this bloke unlocky too, then? I thought he was mainly picky uppyfrom defensey and spray-ey ball-ey around-ey-ey, Pirlo-style-ey

[The Jorge]

Dunno. Everyone speaks to everyone, at anytime, nowadays. We're particularly good at little bit tap up apparently.

A friend of mine worked on the Chambers deal and told me about 6 months before the case that we had shamelessly rubbed him up.

Don Revie likes this post :thumbup:

http://prints.colorsport.co.uk/p/210/don-revie-england-manager-gives-dennis-tueart-a-body-5249731.jpg

[Monty92]

My scouting report based on youtube videos

He seems to love a threaded pass. The 'hollywood ball' so to speak. I can imagine he gives the ball away a lot.
He's Stevie G with a better haircut.

I watched a video that was almost exclusively of him hitting diagonal long balls into feet.

[The Jorge]

Is this bloke unlocky too, then? I thought he was mainly picky uppyfrom defensey and spray-ey ball-ey around-ey-ey, Pirlo-style-ey

He's certainly got a decent pass on him. His left foot can discus the merits of Vorticism and is familiar with the work of Lorce, certainly.

[Jake]

It matters in our team though, with the way we want to play. It really shouldn't, actually, but it does.

Disagree. I think it matters to win the ball back and play an intelligent pass, rather than a safe one. You don't have to unlock a defence, we've got plenty who can do that.

[Burney]

I watched a video that was almost exclusively of him hitting diagonal long balls into feet.

Yeah. Boring, wunnit.

[Burney]

He's certainly got a decent pass on him. His left foot can discus the merits of Vorticism and is familiar with the work of Lorce, certainly.

Do you mean Lorca?

[redgunamo]

Coq and Elneny are pretty bitey, no?

Is it not simply the case that this fella is probably, just, better?

It's different if you actually sign a player with specific, already well-defined qualities, rather than develop the player with those qualities yourself.

It's why big clubs struggle with developing strikers, imo.

[Norn Iron]

I watched a video that was almost exclusively of him hitting diagonal long balls into feet.

Yeah, he looks great in the videos, almost Cesc like with his passes. It will be interesting to see how many he gets right.

[redgunamo]

Disagree. I think it matters to win the ball back and play an intelligent pass, rather than a safe one. You don't have to unlock a defence, we've got plenty who can do that.

Yes, we do but, things being what they are (I mean Giroud, of course), we could often use one more :-\

[TheCurly]

The only time I have watched him live he gave away a penalty against Seville :-(

[The Jorge]

Do you mean Lorca?

Yes, the chap who wrote blood wedding and was murdered by Franco for being a pesky maricon.

[Jake]

Yes, we do but, things being what they are (I mean Giroud, of course), we could often use one more :-\

True. I always forget our problems "up there" :-(

[Ash]

Playing for the Arsenal he's sure to get that down to 6.5

He said how he likes getting 'stuck in' and the refs in Germany don't allow that as much as in England. He's come to the wrong club, then.

[redgunamo]

True. I always forget our problems "up there" :-(

Most of the the football we play is our attack v their defence so everyone except our keeper and maybe one centre-half needs to be able to unlock 'em; it's why Wilshere as a DM is still part of the discussion.

[redgunamo]

He said how he likes getting 'stuck in' and the refs in Germany don't allow that as much as in England. He's come to the wrong club, then.

True, but isn't the feeling that we are more sinned against than sinning nowadays. The Premier League gods would love us to win it now, I think, now that we seem to be trying to do what they said we should be doing all along?

[Ash]

True, but isn't the feeling that we are more sinned against than sinning nowadays. The Premier League gods would love us to win it now, I think, now that we seem to be trying to do what they said we should be doing all along?

According the The Sun's analysis of key goal and pelanty decisions, Arsenal should have won the league. A blunt and simplistic analysis of the officiating, but at least it's not entirely my paranoia that we haven't had the rub of the green of the decisions. Though at least Anthony Taylor got one wrong for us on the last day that gave us that highly amusing St Totteringham's Cup.