For a long long time I have said that I would love Arsene Wenger to play Thomas Vermaelen at left-back.
In fact, when blowing the candles out on my (ahem) 18th birthday cake last year I wished that the Belgian would become a regular there.
I have always felt that Arsenal would be so much more solid at the back with him playing there.
Imagine a back-line of (from left to right) Vermaelen, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Sagna.
That defence, in my opinion, would be Arsenal's strongest 'defensive' back-four.
A defenders job, first and foremost, is too defend isn't it? And those four mentioned love to defend as much as I love BBQ Spare Ribs.
Of course my plan means taking, who many consider to be, our best centre-back from his favoured position and shifting him to the left-back slot.
Well, due to the injuries we have suffered, it appears my wish that Vermaelen has an extended run at left-back may come true.
However, I should have been more careful what I wished for!
Thomas will have to play there, not through merit, but because Wenger's first-choice, André Santos, is out for three months.
I am genuinely gutted for Santos because he has become my most favourite Brazilian. I even like him more than Pamela Anderson's Brazilian.
When he first joined the club I thought he was Frank Lampard's distant South American cousin. He was that fat.
Not only that, it appeared he couldn't defend to save his life.
André's kamikaze forward runs meant we were exposed at the back and his obvious lack of fitness didn't help either.
He needed time to adapt to the English league and earlier in the season, we were struggling, so we didn't have that time.
So some people made quick judgements on Santos and many thought he wasn't up to scratch.
This was unfair on him. How can a player be judged in such a short space of time?
Especially when you consider he had no pre-season with Arsenal and had signed from the Turkish league. A league with all due respect, that is weaker than its English equivalent.
I think André Santos has come a long way in a very short time since arriving at Arsenal.
His fitness has improved, he is finding his feet, and every week he is beginning to show that he can actually defend too.
Santo is proving the doubters wrong all the time and that is why I am gutted for him that this injury has come now.
Fingers crossed he makes a quick recovery and doesn't end up plumper than he was before he joined!
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Keep It Goonerish.....
7 comments:
TommyV at left back is a waste of pure centre-back giant. He is also seriously lacking in his role of attacking from this position. So what we had on saturday was half the player he truly is.
I cannot stand Djourou anymore and was praying Wenger kept Kos at right back, TommyV and Mert as the CBs, and drafting in Miquel on the eft whp has always impressed.
Santos was looking good recently. Gibbs is our No.1 and will hopefully be back for the Xmas fixtures. But surely with Santos out until March Wenger HAS to buy in Jan and surely at £7m Cahill is a snip. Or how about £10m for Leighton Baines?
I too am gutted about Santos ~ he was fast becoming my favorite player, he was learning and gave me the ultmate in noooo's and oh yes!. I hope they fix him quickly, I don't thnk Miquel is quite ready for the really big games and should be eased in more gently, though his potential is obvious.If we can get a draw on Sunday I will happliy take that!
wrighty, would agree with a lot of that post,also i would not be 2 critical of wenger playing santos as he needed game time in an arsenal shirt and get proper match fitness.
we are lucky in that gibbs is injured also and the boss has no option but play vermaelan, because when he comes back watch the goals flying into our net AGAIN
I'd much prefer to see Verm in the centre of defence. I don't see him as a full back galloping forward giving a bit of support to our front line, and we do need this sometimes in games when were struggling to score.
Anyway, what's happened to Gibbsy? Is he dead??
Up the Arse!
I'm surprised that anyone thinks Wenger may go for a LB in Jan. What he always does in these situations is try and wing it, why should this time be any different. He'll gamble on Gibbs staying and remaining fit all season. So I guess we'll be seeing Tommy V at LB for most of the season.
if we could get one of our right backs playing again we would still be able to field a strong defensive unit
Great shame for Santos. If he'd kept on improving I think he'd have nudged Gibbs into second spot by the time he was fit again.
I'd much rather see Verm as the centre back alongside Mertesacker with Konchelny at Right back & Miquel at Left back.
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