Do you think it is down to Wenger and his misuse of such a talent?
I remember his first 4 months or so when he was electric, so who is to blame?
There is no denying how good this guy is, we have witnessed it for club (Zenit and initially with Arsenal) and country.
Wenger seems to use him in one way, with Cesc gone now surley he should be given a chance in a number 10 position or in central midfield...anything but the wings where he seems wasted in our psuedo 433 (really 4141)
Probably cos he's too clean a striker of the ball.Serioudly though, he was excellent when he came, then he got a full pre season under Wenger where he got Wengeritis and the rest as they say is history.Play him where he belongs and he's our best player by a mile
Hard to tell, but Wenger never plays players in their right positions which doesn't help.
One of our most gifted players but Wenger can't get the best out of him it seems.
Maybe he's just getting old?
It's certainly not being played out of position as I'm pretty sure starting a little to the left on the pitch doesn't deprive you of your ability to shoot straight or consistently avoid dribbling into the opposition.
He's looking a little more svelte this season and is working a little harder, maybe these will help him find more consistency, otherwise he's still pretty useful but not first choice.
he's not that old in footballing terms.Originally Posted by Darth Vela
what if Wenger had played Bergkamp on the left of a 433(4141)....a guy with the greatest touch, sensational vision etc etc...imo i feel he would have been 30% less effective if not more, would have been a huge waste of talent...my concern is that Wenger is doing the same with Asharvin.
He was productive in terms of stats last season, despite giving off the impression he was a fat fuck.
Dunno about him though, for 2 years he hasn't looked anything like the player who tore it up in his first 4 months. I wouldn't have been against selling him this summer but now of course we need to keep him for obvious reasons. Hopefully his form is a bit more consistent this year and we see some of that wow factor this team lacks.
Then, I feel sure Bergkamp would have still drifted into the spaces and found the passes and goals, good players are good players and with the general fluidity of our formation they get a chance to find space and do their thing, if he was just not getting chances then I might agree but he's finding the right positions so I don't know why he isn't quite getting it right.
True. Just watching his old clips on Youtube and he's not a winger. He has pace, but he's dangerous on the edge of the box. He can beat players but he's not the Ronaldo, Messi type. The amount of assists he gets from the flanks is impressive but he's hardly influential for us. He never takes over a game and it's hard for a player of his ability to when he's stuck out wide.
Also, he always looks knackered on the wing. Wenger is supposed to be obsessed with fitness and conditioning so I can't understand why he hasn't seen that Arshavin hasn't got the legs and lungs to burst up and down the pitch. If Wenger insists on playing a 4-3-3, then Arshavin should play in the centre, or play how Silva plays for Man City.
But he could also be used in a 4-4-2 and play behind the striker. Wenger is just so unorthodox and it really frustrates me. For years he's played Rosicky out of position and the same can be said for Theo, Hleb, Reyes and Nasri. It took him a while play Song as a DM and he preferred Denilson instead because of those damn pass stats and his ability to maintain the same energy level over 90 minutes. I also feel we didn't get the best out of Cesc. For years he played him in a 4-4-2, when a 4-3-3 would have been better and when he finally switched, he was playing Cesc so far up the field he couldn't receive the ball as much and dictate the tempo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIRxxurh0xg
Have a look at the Arshavin of the past. Makes me weep to see what he has become.
You can't just drift anywhere you want when you have defensive duties to think about. It's also crazy to think Bergkamp would do just as well on the flanks. How would he fit into counter attacks? The winger is supposed to carry the ball up field and make those breaking runs. You want a guy like Bergkamp further up the filed to play the final killer pass or to do some trickery on the edge of the box to create space for others.
Wenger
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