I can see that. I just think if we do that I want us to use another creative player in the middle, be it Merino (who I think is very progressive with his passing and offers goals) or Nwaneri (with his dribbling and shooting).

I think he’s fine as a plan B but we do need to consider whether we need to add another versatile forward (if we can shift Jesus on) who can be more like Kai. Perhaps someone who can also play wide if Kai’s fit and playing well. Also I never want that prick near our team (even if you’re right 😂).

Yeah, I think the idea would be to press in that shape when we’re defending (so Eze and the CF press the centre backs, the wide men press the fullbacks) but in possession it would play more like a 4-3-3. The way Silva would often get up alongside Cherki in the final third in possession.

Signed a pre-contract ahead of signing full professional terms in August once he turns 17.

That’s pretty much my take. It’s not that he can’t pass or he’s unable to make any incisive through balls. It’s more that when you see City using a proper 8 in their double pivot (Silva) alongside a 6 and then a true 10 in Cherki…there’s a blueprint we could tweak to work with our players.

I did too but tbh I’m not sure it works with someone like Gyokeres as a striker who won’t get involved in build up. It’s why the box-crasher role worked well with Jesus. I also think once you sign Eze it changes things a lot because you’ve now got a better fit for left 8 than Rice imho.

Excellent news about Salmon.

I think @tim-stillman.bsky.social may have been who said it on the @arsenalvpodcast.bsky.social podcast but when we’re at our best, Saliba and Gabi are 30 yards from goal and the rest of the team is higher as a result. Now those two are collapsing back into our own half, almost on top of Raya.

I agree it was a lopsided 4-2-3-1 and it’s become less lopsided now but I’m not at all convinced we ever really were playing 4-3-3 with Rice as an 8. Cala would often end up as more of an 8 than Rice would, or would go outside Leo and Leo ended up where a left 8 would be.

I think you’re right about Rice being wider and he’s narrowed a bit to help Zubi out defensively but I really don’t think Zubi was hitting too many passes through the lines. Odegaard invariably dropped deep and in fact many times people on here complained he was too deep.

I absolutely think Eze off the left works but I’d only want to do it if we had, say, Merino back, or if Ethan was still there bc I genuinely still don’t like the Rice-Zubi pairing. I think it’s fairly reductive and it’s made even worse when Ode plays with as he drops deep and we have no AM presence.

Tbf I don’t think Zubi dictates play from there either. This is a stereotype people have of him bc he’s a Spanish deep mid but honestly his in-possession game is not his strong suit. Even at Sociedad it was Merino who was the passer. Zubi’s role is primarily defensive and having good positioning.

I absolutely think so. We didn’t pay “starting striker for league title winners” money for him. Yet he’s had to be that for us and if we fall short I can already see people blaming him when it isn’t anything to do with him imho. Without him and his goals we’re not even in the race.

I agree we’ve looked better with an inverted left back and a single pivot. But Rice has been deep most of the season and frankly I don’t know that we’re better off with him marauding. Eze and Ode with Rice deep allows more creativity and Rice can still push on from 6 and attack. Rodri often does.

How do you feel Zubi’s role has changed? To me it’s been the same role, both were playing in a double pivot for almost the whole season. I’m not convinced the role or structure of the double pivot has changed at all. I think our CBs are dropping deeper which means our pivot is deeper.

Isak is brilliant but we know he’s injury prone. Admittedly the injury this year was impact from an abysmal tackle but it still happened.

The truly elite strikers play for Bayern, Real and City.

Sure Thiago’s done brilliantly at Brentford, but he was signed during Kai’s purple patch in 23/24.

Our last golden boot winner was Auba. We finished 5th and won…*checks notes* nothing. He finished 2nd the following year and we won the Cup.

In both seasons the team that won the league scored 20+ goals more than us despite Auba‘a goals. Funny that.

Let’s just get 20 a game to be sure. 100 goals between now and the end of the season. Easy.

Kinda in theirs too. But all we can do is focus on our part. Do our bit, and hope they don’t outdo us.

I think it’s absolutely possible. I just wanted to deal with the “in our own hands” phrasing bc for me that’s not strictly true even if it’s still very much doable and somewhat within our own hands (just not entirely) to control our own destiny.

Absolutely agree with that.

Worth adding that if we include his penalty goals (because last I checked a penalty is still only 0.8 xG and not 100% guarantee of a goal) Gyokeres would be at £101.85m per goal per 90 so the best value of the lot by a HUGE distance.

Is he elite? No. Did we pay elite money? Also no.

Before people say that’s down to the quality of the teams around them…

Ekitike was £69m for 11 Premier League goals in 1803 minutes. That’s £125m per goal per 90.

Sesko was £67m for 9 Premier League goals in 1511 minutes. That’s £124.98m per goal per 90.

For context Palace paid £48m for Strand Larsen who has 4 Premier League goals this season in 1991 minutes. So £266m per goal per 90. Gyokeres cost £55m for 9 non-penalty goals in the Premier League in 1989 minutes. So £134m per goal per 90.

It’s funny how people will put up stats that show Gyokeres goal and shot numbers are middling (his passing numbers are shit but we knew that anyway) and act like that proves he was a bad signing.

We paid middling money for him. That’s like complaining your value hatchback isn’t a Ferrari.

I’m not saying we don’t, but even your post has a caveat that’s out of our control. City could put 6 or 7 past Burnley. So while I agree it’s not *out* of our hands (in that we can just try to score more and concede less) it’s not totally *in* them either. It’s in that liminal space between the two.

I’m not writing off Saka but I don’t know if he’s very like Robben as a player. Robben was all pace and 1v1, Saka’s more combinations. So there’s scope to consider using him centrally imho. But I agree tekky dribblers will make a return just look at City. Their resurgence is bc of Silva and Cherki.

I think @tim-stillman.bsky.social said it best that maybe we’re a bit like Graham’s Cup Winners Cup winning team in that we’re really good at being hard to beat but perhaps not as good at outright beating teams. But you don’t need to beat teams to progress in cups. A draw is often a good result.

I think we may be talking about different games (I meant the one against City at the Emirates). Do you mean Wigan? I do think that sort of shape works best and frankly I worry that since his injury Saka’s lost a bit of burst and might be better in central areas where he needs to sprint less.

I would clarify that I think there needs to be some nuance here. It’s not out of our hands, but it’s not strictly in them either. City win their game in hand and it’s GD. We have influence in our own GD but can do nothing about theirs. I wouldn’t call that “in our hands” per se just not out of them.