Arsene Wenger has explained why he tinkered with a winning formula, moving Santi Cazorla to the a more advanced wide role on the opening day of the season against West Ham.
The Arsenal manager said he wanted a bit more physicality in the centre of the midfield, allowing the Spaniard to operate further forward as a creator like Mesut Ozil.
However, it didn’t really work and a return to last season’s line-up, with Cazorla sitting deeper and Aaron Ramsey pushed out to the right brought about a win at Crystal Palace.
Talking about his motives, Wenger said, “My thinking was more about physical power in the centre of the park, to win the ball back and be capable of winning challenges,” he said.
“It is tricky, because he is an important player in the build-up of our game. He is naturally a guy who brings fluidity, and gets you out of tight situations.
“Santi is a more technical player. And also to get him higher up, next to Ozil, to play through the lines, find those two, and combine in the final third.
“It worked sometimes, and sometimes not. The first goal in these games is vital. But anyway, against West Ham, I changed in the second half and brought Cazorla back to central midfield.”
The manager also touched on the need to find the right balance of players to help create the correct competitive environment.
“I believe that competition is part of our job,” he said.
“On the other hand you have to get the number right – too many players in the squad goes against competition. If you have a certain number of players who think they never have a chance to play, they killed something.
“Not enough players creates too much of a comfort zone.”
It remains to be seen how he’ll select his team tonight, but it would be a surprise if, after the win against Palace, he changed things around again.
Now that it prove to be the best position for him and the team, hope no more tinkering with the formation again. Up gunners
Love Wenger
but he dun’t luv u
Hi, please have a read: http://news.arseblog.com/comment-policy/
I up-voted your commented but surely this applies to the original comment as well..no
Yh, he just stuck around for the pension rather than go to PSG or Real and have the tough job of playing real life football manager!!!
If only we had the love that Mouriniho showed Inter or Real or Chelsea or Porto!
Bring on the GK shuffle.
Cazorla just has to play. With him on the field, you’re sure of chances being created.
I am quite a lay man in technics and tactics but I love watching Cazorla trut his stuff in the middle of the park.
We’re all laymen in tactics.
That’s partly what makes it so fun in here.
Cazorla to do a Pirlo. 3-4 more years please.
10 or 50
A brilliant player!! Ih Santi Cazorla! !!
After a great run of form with Cazorla in the centre and so much talk of automatisms etc during the summer, it did seem odd to change it on the opening day.
Honestly, I think is simple. Alexis wasn’t ready. Arsenal brought the Ox on in the most effective position as right winger. So, given the fact that they both are starters, of the two, Ramsey and Cazorla, who is most likely to function best on the left? Cazorla.
Chamberlain on the left would have been the best bet and kept everyone else where they’d been playing
Seems like he likes to tinker with the formation/personnel in the early stages of the season.. and then there is more a solid compact formation towards the Feb to May part of the season.
Seems he’ll do anything to accommodate Ramsey. Centre midfield should be Coq and Santi, Ox and Sanchez wide.
Has anyone noticed that it’s hard to find a picture of santi, Alexis or Giroud not smiling? That’s a sign they enjoy being here. Can somebody point that to benzema please. Be a Gunner, be happy. Soyez un Gunner et etre heurex mon pote. In case he can’t speak English
Maybe they are just thinking of how rich they are…
Sounds like the “physicality” he wants is basically saying “I want to play Ramsey in the middle”.
Wenger just has to decide; if you want Rambo in the middle, then sadly, you can’t have Coq as neither can control a passing tempo. So either buy a DLP to play next to Rambo (or Arteta, but we all know how we feel about that) or “Santicoq” in the middle.
But please, no more Ramsey on the wide right. I want to see more of Ox and Sánchez on the wings, causing mayhem.
No more Ramsey? He causes his fair share of mayhem. I could only hope to see more of him.
Plus, you can’t dismiss the captain like that. Poor form Stillmatic.
And don’t confuse ‘me’ and ‘we’ as it pertains to Arteta.
I think he’s going to surprise some a few times this season in a good way. He looked sharp and on it when he came on.
Arsene thinks we are abit gullible. We know Rambo is probably his favorite and he will move Cazorla to cf if it means Rambo is in the xi too
Well judging by the down votes you’ve received there appears to be quite a few gullible types out there!
“If you disagree with me, then you are gullible.” Valid as a logical form but surely you can do better as an argument. It might be that he sees Ramsey as a long term leader and is willing to accommodate him now because of what he will be/do in 3 years. I agree with Wenger on that, and am not sure it means I’m gullible. Time might tell, but your pronouncements won’t help.
If Wenger see’s Ramsey as a long term leader why doesn’t he just say it, why come out with physical power bullshit?
If you believe Ramsey was played because he brings physical power to the team then you are gullible because there’s nothing physically powerful about him.
Personally i think Ramsey should be on the bench until he becomes the best player in the squad for the job, which right now i don’t think he isn’t. I don’t think him playing on the right wing helps the team either.
Enough of this tinkering shit. Let’s smash the mugmashers. Accidentally it’s Michael Thomas’ birthday. What better way to celebrate his birthday than to crush some scousers. Come on you fucking gunners.
I’m sorry boss….
Santi can never be a winger
Spain seems to think he can.
I don’t care what position a player is put in or what formation we use as long as we win. Up the arse! Lets smash some mugs
Looks like our transfer business was done the day we signed Cech. The striker position is one that I could understand. We could have signed potential but they wouldn’t solve our problems right away. And the accomplished strikers aren’t available, But I cant get why we cant sign a defensive midfielder that would compete with coq. Is it really worth keeping our 25 mil in the bank and hoping that coquilen doesnt get injured or loses form? why didn’t we go for the likes of Schniederlin and kondogbia? sigh always so close. Regarding Liverpool we should play the ox on… Read more »
And not forgetting that for the West Ham match we had no Alexis or Wilshere who are the most natural for playing the left forward role, while we had a surplus of right sided attackers.
You know, there are just certain people who have smiles so pleasant, that they can’t help but be infectious. Santi is one of those people. When I see him smiling, I find myself doing the same.
This is a shite excuse if it’s true. More physical presence from Ramsey??? He is energetic, but he’s hardly a physical player. If he wanted more physicality he should have put Chambers there or someone bigger. Truth is he is always trying to get round pegs in square holes.
Bad tactics and the wrong attitude lost us that match.
The pre-season went too well, we were too relaxed going into the game, that coupled with a strange formation didn’t help.
And yes, we’re all fed up of Wenger shoehorning players into the wrong positions. Before long we’re going to lose one or more of our CM’s – we just have way too many.
Speaking of the wrong attitude…
Once I see a predicted starting XI without Carzola, I count it as invalid. I mean, how do you leave the magician out of your starting team. I love the way he dribbles out of tight situations, talk of those lovely passes, the smile. Remember that dance at the Etihad after we went 2 nil up?. My next favorite Arsenal player after Rosicky. 3 more years pls.
that loss at home to west ham is so embarrassing. they are total shite. i’m afraid that wenger doesn’t have what it takes to do what’s necessary in the transfer market to win the title again. i just can’t forget being top of the table at christmas and wenger bringing an injured kim kalstrom to the side in january thinking that would be sufficient for a title push. we could’ve bought schneiderlin this year which would’ve provided competition for coq and weakened manure. and maybe you don’t have to buy a world class striker – buying a good one that… Read more »
Absolutely, It’s difficult to ever see it happening again because he just isn’t decisive enough with player recruitment or ruthless enough with team selection.