Arsene Wenger has hinted he’s going to stick with the three at the back formation for a while, by talking about how happy Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is playing as a wing-back in the new formation.
The Arsenal manager was asked about the England international being named Arsenal’s Player of the Month (winning out ahead of Inanimate Carbon Rod, some glue, and a chair leg), and suggested he’s enjoying his football in yet another different position.
The 23 year old has played as a left winger, right winger, attacking midfielder, central midfielder and even defensive midfielder, but had a man of the match showing at Wembley as Arsenal beat Man City 2-1 to reach the FA Cup final.
“His performances have been convincing and positive,” said Wenger. “It looks like he’s made a move forward. I’m very pleased for him.
“He’s happy with his position, where he’s playing at the moment. I’m convinced that he has all the qualities to play well there so hopefully it will give him the needed confidence.”
It also sounds like he’s willing to play him there ahead of Hector Bellerin for the time being, despite making it clear that he still sees his future in a more central position.
As for his long-term future, Wenger once again insisted that the Ox had to be retained and hoped a deal could be struck this summer.
“Personally, as I have told you many times, he has to commit his future to the club and I hope he will do that in the summer,” he said.
You know who suits as a LCB Arsené?
Rob Holding
You know who suits as LWB?
Monreal
That’s what I want to hear and see. Sick of going wtf every time he presents the lineup.
He is a good option too. Who bought this bloke?
Such a composed young lad.
And they say David Dein doesn’t know how to buy players.
Next they will tell you players don’t improve under Wenger…like err Monreal and Koscielny perhaps?:D
That’s the main thing Professor, that all the players are happy.Doesn’t matter if we have a disaster of a season…..wait a fckn moment. Actually it does, the people who pay their hard earned money for tickets. THEY’RE the ones who have to be happy. I’m so bloody disillusioned every stupid soundbite is making me more Victor Meldrew.
You, me and thousands of others just dont believe it!!!
Of course he’s happy. He couldn’t get 90 mins of football in CM. Thing is, he’s not wing back. He can do a job and put in a shift but he has no defensive qualities at all. Unfortunately over the last few years Wenger has collected a plethora of players who only seem suited to ACM and now has to deploy them all over the pitch.
Clearly he will still have some flaws in his game when playing wingback. It is a position he still needs to fully familiarise himself with. Point in case, his attempt at clearing the ball off the line with the wrong leg. That said, plenty of players were in a position to do better for that goal, Gibbs particularly who was caught ball watching. This game against United I feel we should switch Ox to an inverted left wing back ahead of Monreal : 1) It will allow us to play Bellerin on the right and better balance our threat going… Read more »
I love Giroud but players out of form shouldn’t play. I know all the team is out of form but I mean abject form. Sanchez as a CF, Welbeck on left and Perez on right.
Sanchez was horrendous against spurs
How is welbeck or Perez in better form than Giroud?
Why does everyone favour inanimate carbon rod for player of the month?
Won’t someone please think of Frank Grimes?
I don’t care much where Ox has played, i rather care that he’d stop slowing down the team and losing balls. Making him the new star of Arsenal shows the ambition of the club and the demands of the fans. Low, very low… Watching guys like Sané for City and not understanding the buzz around Ox…
but what about Bellerin…now we’re going to piss him off, no?
Does anyone suspect that there really is serious interest from Barcelona and that the Ox has been adapted to that position as a preemptive measure? Its just, when introduced, I thought Bellerin could play wingback.
In recent years Wenger has turned players full of potential like the Ox into mediocrity. Think Walcott, think Gnabry, think Wilshire, think Ramsey. All these players have been managed badly over the years. Over playing them and chopping and changing their positions. It is terrible really that a manager of Wengers experience has taken years to figure out where they should play on the pitch. They have become confused individuals without any real identity on the pitch and with no idea about how to assert themselves psychologically. They have become almost like zombies, who just reel out Wengerisms after a… Read more »
i cant agree enough , theres just so many players regressed under wenger . some of the players we can maybe understand , wilshere is obviously injured all the time , walcot is nowhere near the hype . but so many other players ramsey , ox , even wordcup winners and best players in euros look like utter shit at arsenal like mustafi , cech , xhaka . it’s easy to say these players are poor , but these guys have proved it elsewhere and maybe just maybe the fault lies with how the players are being used.
It pains me to say this but I agree with you in principle. While I understand Wenger’s logic, I think it would be better to let a player learn his role and get used to it while others around him get used to him in that role. However, when you play a different position, you get to know what a player in that position does and the best way to work with them. Our main problem currently is the lack of a focal point. We used to have a better flowing game with Giroud as the focal point for goal… Read more »
Injuries stopped and started the careers of all of those players. don’t forget the Years of injury problems for Walcott, the bad timing of injuries to Ox, obviously Ramsey and Wilshere, and then Gnabry had a really bad long-term injury.
Personally I think that the Ox has been a standout player for the club this season. He was asked to up his game & has actually delivered on this time & time again. Is he perfect or our best player? No, but at least he is one of a few that have consistently managed to up his game. Far too many other players seem to be going in the opposite direction. Genuinely hope he stays with the club.
He’s had two or three good games and now everyone forgets how rubbish he’s been for most of the season. I hope he can come right, but he needs to improve his focus and decision making before he can be anywhere near a standout player. Oh, and not cough up the ball 20 times in the NLD. He’s a player that I think is worth keeping, but he hasn’t managed to consistently anything, and has a lot of work to do if he’s going to live up to his potential.
He’s had far more hits than misses this season than previous ones, where I felt he was regressing. Definitely improving this year, and his passing range has definitely been on the up.
That’s part of problem though isn’t it. Waiting and hoping for players to improve, Ox Theo welbeck Giroud xhaka coq Gabriel Mustafi. Chelsea are not waiting or hoping that players will improve, their proving now. Some of these players have been here years and would have been sold a long time ago under any top manager. I didn’t inckudr Ramsey cos there’s no point. a rank average player that when he eventually scores you will see how many sing his praises and acclaim that he’s back
Totally agree, I think the effort Ox has put in has been second to none, the semi final being his best. Also people have been moaning about his defensive qualities but he has run his arse off of late getting back to defend
Ox is one of the few in this group that I really like and believe in. His skill set is huge, potential is massive, and I think he has been really let down since joining us. So many of his best performances have come in the middle, so why is he constantly moved around? I know there are factors that have effected his selection in other positions but he’s been here 6 years without a proper run in his preferred and best position. He’s been encouraging at right wing back but come on, surely no one really thinks he’s gonna… Read more »
OX has said loads of times he prefers central midfield, you keep playing him out on that wing so that you can fit your shite Welsh bum chum in midfield you senile fuckwit and watch him bugger off to Anfield in the summer – no matter how well he regurgitates your media spin.
I love playing on the wing
the boss knows exactly what he’s doing
blah blah fucking blah
hello Mr. Klopp
Haha ‘bum-chum’. You’ve used some very strong language for a 6 year old.
haha reads through a passage of text, ignores every point it contains but laughs at some funny words – who’s the 6 year old here pal?
Fuck off
It’s good playing this system but we need a solid centre midfielder though mainly to help the defence when the wing backs get forward.
I think we should play Cech as striker and Giroud in goal. Ozil central defence because he’s physically tough and always up for the fight. Coq should play number 10 as he’s assured on the ball and always able to spot forward runners.
So now Bellerin is some kind of afterthought? Yeah, this makes a lot of sense…
And that, my friends, is how come Alex Oxlaide Chamberlain is unable to develop into anything in particular, when he should be approaching the peak of his career. Because Mr. Wenger is unable to develop him with any focus. Right, left, middle, back, here, there, everywhere, nowhere, and a promising footballing career is being spent floundering. It happened to Walcott and Coquelin and Podolski and Ashravin and Campbell. It is happening to Sanchez and Welbeck and Ramsey and Chambers and…