As Arsène put it, “Thomas can play [left back]; it’s hot his preferred position and he has been out for a long time now, but we’ll see. I still have 48 hours to make a decision.” None of the options seems ideal as we face playing one of two (or three) players, none of whom seems fully match-ready. The one closest to it has fallen out of favor for his preferred position, in part due to his own patchy form and in larger part, it must be said, to the improved form of his teammates at that position. With Monreal the least likely to make the trip, what’s the best option—the rusty, out-of-favor and out-of-position Vermaelen, or the pained-in-the-arse Gibbs? Casting our net a bit fruther, could we send out Flamini at left back? It may not be his preferred position, but he’s at least fully fit and defensive-minded enough to press too far forward, as an overly-aggressive Vermaelen might be.
In the longer term, converting Vermaelen to a versatile defender who can cover at left, right, and center, but that’s another question for another day. For Saturday, we’ll have to rely on the idea that Stoke does not pose a terribly potent attacking threat so that whoever it is who gets the nod at left-back can put in an eventful shift. We’ll take a closer look at that as match-day approaches.
‘Til then, feel free to weigh in: who’s our best option at left-back against Stoke? Vermaelen, Gibbs, or Flamini?
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What about Jenkinson at RB at Sagna on the left?
I worry that moving Sagna around too much will undermine efforts to resign him. I prefer that he stay on the right. I'm hoping that Gibbs will be fit enough that we don't have to worry.
I prefer Vermaelen jus give him a chance he is a good player he jus nid game time so tht he gain confidence i trust him so much
It is hard to believe that Vermaelaen has fallen so far down in the esteem of both AW and the fans. Just a year or so ago he was the bulwark of the defense and, prior to the ascendancy of Per, the last line of defense. In fact, most of the comments as to a slow defense were directed toward Per.Have I missed something? Why has AW now relegated Tom to the Gulag (not quite, Andrei Arshavin seems both figuratively, as of now, and literallly much closer)? Has he totally lost it? Meantime, although not a reason for starting him, Tom has seemingly kept quiet, not complained about his circumstances and played when asked. Compare him to so many of the prima donnas playing these days who berate managers immediately if not starting, getting even more money or winning cups, let alone having other players “entering and crowding their zone and interfering with their ability to score”
I think it's mostly how well Kos and Per work together, there's no reason to drop Kos and it's too risky to drop Per even for a match. the consistency is just as important as the players' qualities. against lower clubs like Stoke, though, it would be good to see a bit of rotation in case one of them does get injured. if this means playing Vermaelen at left back so he can get time on the pitch, so be it. let him get back in the groove of playing so he can step in at CB to rest Kos. a bit.