Arsenal's Rambo-esque start of the season analysed

So, overall, I will try to sum up a few ideas:

Ramsey has become an essential piece of Arsenal’s puzzle. He is THE man of the start of the season. He didn’t have the best day against Aston Villa and looked a tad lost without his mate Arteta but the Welshman hit superhero mode and decided he could be the player who could save Arsenal. Therefore he launched many runs up field just like Song used to do. If often led nowhere but the player still tried it out. But he brilliantly corrected that against Fenerbahce and Fulham.

Comparison between Ramsey’s heatmap vs Aston Villa and vs Fulham:

The double pivot is a solution when you don’t have a proper defensive midfielder as you need to strengthen your midfield and assure the best cover possible for your back four. It works with Ramsey and Arteta, it can function with Wilshere and Ramsey when the opposition’s midfield is weaker than ours, but those are the only possible combinations.

Let’s compare Wilshere’s heat map (1) against Aston Villa and Rosicky’s heat map (2) against Fulham:

We can easily notice Rosicky played much higher than Wilshere throughout the game. They basically held the same role: alongside Ramsey, they had to do the transitions between defense and attack but strike a balance in their positioning.

- We should play Cazorla as much possible in the center, he is Arsenal’s playmaker and the only player with such weight on the attacks.

- If Lukas Podolski sticks to the flank as he did against Fulham and gets involved like this, combining with Gibbs, trying to be there on Giroud’s second balls etc, he can be an essential element for Arsenal. Otherwise, he isn’t useful and it would be a pity given that he is a sensational finisher.

- Walcott’s case is a complicated one: he tends to be decisive, a “match-winner” some say. So, should we just look at the figures and leave aside 75% of his games? I leave that one to you, I have my idea on the question.

Giroud’s partners seem to trust him this year. Therefore his performances are very encouraging: 3 goals in 3 games. But as I said, Giroud’s contribution also concerns his moves, the pressure he puts on the center backs, his positioning etc. He is going to have a fantastic season, I feel. Even if another “world class” striker arrives.

I decided to not deal with our defense but no worries, their turn will come! Captain Fan-Tactique pour vous servir, have a nice day chaps.