05 May 2015 11:41:23
A question for Ed001 if he's around:
I know that despite how much you and most of us love Suso for his wonderful ability, you said that the club (the playing staff I guess) have concerns that his size/lack of strength and pace will prevent him from being a starting midfielder for Liverpool in the future. My question is, is Cazorla that much stronger or quicker for him to have the influence he does at Arsenal? Cazorla, like Suso, seems to be able to play across the midfield; what is it about him that enables him to play regularly for Arsenal while there are doubts over Suso?
Thanks in advance!
Jos

{Ed001's Note - well Suso will struggle to have an influence for us, considering we let him go in the summer, but I understand what you mean. You could also point to David Silva, who also lacks pace, power and strength but is still one of the best players in the league. The trouble is that we are not looking at their strengths and trying to find ways to play to those. Instead we are looking at their weaknesses and worrying about how opponents will play to them.

Other players in other teams do not have those same issues. Wenger mostly concentrates on the strengths of his players and doesn't worry too much about the opposition, at least he did over the last few years. This year he has made a few concessions, but even those concessions, in using a proper defensive midfielder, are to allow the creative players to create and play to their strengths. We simply don't have the right attitude to do that within the club.

I have never understood how a club that spends so much on Joe Allen could then worry about the physicality of young players! Allen is not fast, strong or powerful, he offers little physicality at all, so why do worry when a young player is similarly lacking?}

1.) 05 May 2015
05 May 2015 14:30:57
Thanks for your reply Ed and sorry about my silly mistake!
It is a shame that that is our mentality. Yet more reason big changes need to be made to the coaching side of the club, considering the quality we have all the way down to our youth players.
Jos

2.) 05 May 2015
05 May 2015 16:10:24
Great read, Ed1 barca have the exact type of players and do the exact same thing. they have players similar to the mould of Suso in Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro, Messi, Neymar and so on YET these players flourish under what you just stated as in, focusing on their strengths (technical ability, ball possession, raw skill, pace, movement etc)and let the opposition worry about them. I rmember a game where japan played cameroon and the Japan coach Phillipe Trousier was asked afJapan win, how he was able to counter the physicality the ameroonians had, he said, " We have to focus on our ball movement, pace, quick passing and constant movement because that is what you do when you are 5 foot 5` and weigh 100 pounds, soaking wet". I never forgot that quote