wenger left giroud out, played sanchez instead in the striker role. this meant the ox and ozil had no one to cross to. so they just played one-twos through the middle in hopes of finding a hole, which isn't a workable standalone strategy. you have to have variety.
and then, when counter-attacking, arsenal uses giroud to hold the ball for the skillful players, who in turn deliver it to the speed merchants. no giroud, no centre of gravity on the counter.
so the whole arsenal operating system failed.
it was a decent result but it might have been better if arsenal were set up properly in the first half. could have scored five or six in the second half. but everton are a good team and of course a draw at goodison isn't bad. martinez is a really good manager who i hope becomes wenger's successor.
if only giroud was also fast. he's got everything else. but since he isn't, they need someone like cavani as another striker option.
also when playing counter-attacking sides, we cannot afford mertesacker. he's perfect for structured play, but when things break down, he's just too slow.
chelsea played very appealing football in the second half.
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