Wenger Talks Up Five Man Midfield
There’s some intriguing talk coming out of the Emirates today as Wenger sings the praises of the 4-5-1 he employed in the win against United - including a little hint that he could look to use it more often.
Wenger was, in many ways, forced to playing Bendtner up front on his own against United, with the inexperienced Vela his only option as a second striker. As it was, Diaby played in the role just behind Bendtner and he tracked back into midfield as the game progress, as the Gunners looked to hold onto their lead.
Wenger’s words today hint that we could see this formation for a good while yet, suggesting that Diaby’s potential in fantasy terms may well be on the rise…
Speaking on the formation employed against United, Wenger was in no doubt that it gave his side the platform for the win - offering them more defensive solidity.
“I will use it again because going forward we have scored many goals but defensively we have conceded too many from outside the box,” explained Wenger.
That’s likely to see Diaby playing off Bendtner again for Saturday’s trip to the Reebok but long term, it could also be a system that Wenger adopts from this point on. We’ve seen it in previous seasons, most recently when Hleb was employed just behind the front man early last season.
This could be a major bonus for those contemplating the Gunners midfield. Diaby will be an obvious benefactor, but the formation should also protect Nasri’s role in the side and offer him more freedom to bomb forward beyond the striker from a position on the left. We might even see Fabregas in the box more often.
It’s not such good news for those who have invested in Van Persie and Adebayor. Both should be back in action by the end of the month, with Van Persie due to return from suspension after this weekend. Just how Wenger will fit two strikers into the formation would be a puzzle for him to solve and it could well see greater rotation of the pair, particularly Van Persie.
“I don’t know [about what will happen when all the strikers are back]. I took this decision because I tried to balance the team with the players that were available,” remarked the Gunners boss.
It’s clear then, that Wenger is undecided on whether he’ll carry this change of formation forward once his two strikers return. There’s short-term gains to be had from Diaby though, and potential long-term concerns for Van Persie owners. Certainly it’s something I’ll have my eye on.
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can’t see him doing that when all 5 forwards are fit.
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Mark you are a machine. This is one of the best ever sites. Thanks very much for all your work.
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My wife’s 10 days over her baby arrival date and all I can think of is:
Bentley/ Modric or Nasri?!?
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I wouldn’t call it any of those names.
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Reply by Bedknobs and Boomsticks on November 10 1:32 pm:
You could be subtle and try and slip in Henry or Neville.
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Reply by Murt on November 10 1:40 pm:
If I call it Neville her mum may never talk to me again. Hmmm….
Seriously though. Modric/ Nasri/ Bentley???
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Reply by Andy on November 10 1:49 pm:
Call it Nasri.
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Diaby is not a guaranteed starter even if arsenal plays 4-5-1.. On some occasions, Wenger will be tempted to use RVP and walcott on the wings with Ade upfront and Nasri in the supporting role for the striker.. In this case, as fabregas is a certain starter, the defensive role will be for Denilson or Song. But the option Song does not please me a lot.. This year, Wenger has used the 4-5-1 in CL with Song in the role in front of the defense but in my opinion, it has not been that succesful! On saturday, Fabregas, Diaby and more particularly Denilson have defended a lot and were also very quick counter attacking man Utd and that made the difference..
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Arsenal are at home to Villa this weekend!
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Is there anyone else who thinks that Fergie will drop (officially ‘rest’) Vidic and/or Rio for the Stoke game? I’ve just got this really terrible feeling that he will want to send out a message to his big name defenders that he expects more from them and less gaffes. I really can see Evans replacing one of them and possible O’shea coming in for the other one, as he should be able to beat Stoke without his main centre back pairing - does anyone else think that this is a possiblity?
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Reply by Rollo on November 10 1:49 pm:
No chance!
SAF will want both his top pair in there to defend against Delaps throws. Vidic in particular will be key in this game, imho.
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Reply by dadoune on November 10 1:52 pm:
With no CL match during the week, there is no risk seeing Fergie resting any 1st team member.. Well, he can be tempted to play Tervez instead of Berbatov or Rooney but I cant see that happening
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Reply by Adam on November 10 1:59 pm:
Cheers both of you, you have eased my fears there. I totally forgot about the whole Delap-throw threat and you’re correct, SAF will need Rio and Vidic to stop that. I hope he drops Neville though, he is proving to be a bit of a liability for United. I can well see Tevez starting and I think that will mean Rooney dropping to the bench. Rooney missed great chances on Saturday, what’s more, Berba is great at home playing against the lower teams.
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Reply by comfycoxy on November 10 1:54 pm:
Interesting thought, but SAF can’t surely do without Vidic and Rio’s height and talent.
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Wenger played 5 man midfield for much of the start of the season due to strikers being unfit.
At the time they were not scoring much and he said this would improve when they are able to play 4-4-2.
What’s changed? Can’t see it myself. Arsenal need to be scoring lots of goals because they are leakier than than a Government data holder.
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Can’t see Fergie dropping Rio or Vidic but Van Der Saar is definatly at risk I’d say, he hasn’t looked comftable at all.
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Reply by Adam on November 10 2:05 pm:
Yep, VDS surely won’t play, I can see Kuschack (sorry, I can’t remember how to spell his name) getting the gig ahead of Foster. I think the only reason why Fergie would pick VDS above the other 2 is if he thinks that he can handle/cope with Delap’s throws/rockets.
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I need a cheapy…thoughts on Bendtner?
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What’s the crack with Nasri?
Is he guaranteed a start in the side from now on?
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Jamie i’ve gone for Bendtner and got rid of Zamora, he will be a good bet for a short term hit as he will play the next 3 games and Arsenal are playing Villa, City and Chelsea so all 3 matches will be open.
Nasri will play so long as he’s not injured I’d say.
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Reply by Jamie on November 10 4:05 pm:
ok, thanks for the response Marc
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Reply by Jon on November 11 6:00 pm:
Nasri is 3rd in FPL points per game behind Lamps and Ronaldo, and aside from his injury has only had one game all season that he didn’t start, and we all know what happened at Stoke. I think he’s going to be an FPL must before too long. Ship in while he’s cheap.
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Reply by Jon on November 11 6:09 pm:
3rd in the midfield listings, that is
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Cant see arsenal employing 4-5-1 often, unless against big teams like chelsea and man u. This is because other teams which do not have the flair or attacking ability of the top sides would play defensive against arsenal if they’re in the right frame of mind. 4-5-1 vs a 4-5-1 arsenal team which always seems to only pass outside the box would most of the time end up in a 0-0 draw.
This happened last season as rvp was injured and wenger stuck to 4-5-1 and ended up with loads of low scoring draws (this problem was even more evident 2 years back). It was only when wenger switched to a 4-4-2 did the goals start flowing in and when arsenal plays best.
I think what wenger was implying is that 4-5-1 would be employed against the top teams, as it relies on fast counter attacks into the space left behind by attack minded teams. So even if diaby was to start he would be starting against a top team, so i highly doubt his potential output then. And arsenal has been employing this tactic long ago, so I dont really see any cause for concern only now. thanks.
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