The Big F**king German

[Wengerball]

I haven't seen an article for discussion about this guy so thought I'd take the liberty of creating one. I know he has his fans on here but I dont rate him and I can scarcely believe how someone that tall can be beaten in the air. so often It was a given when he signed that he has the turning circle of the QE2 but I never realised that he would be so easily beaten in the air. I mean what is the point of a guy that has no pace and no heading ability?

[SteveO 35]

I haven't seen an article for discussion about this guy so thought I'd take the liberty of creating one. I know he has his fans on here but I dont rate him and I can scarcely believe how someone that tall can be beaten in the air. so often It was a given when he signed that he has the turning circle of the QE2 but I never realised that he would be so easily beaten in the air. I mean what is the point of a guy that has no pace and no heading ability?

Are you really trying to drive me over the edge tonight ??!!

This bloke is about as suited to the Premier League as One Direction are to the Monsters or Rock festival. If ever White Men Can't Jump needed an extra this fella would fit the bill perfectly.

A real bottle-job of a centre half, happy to hide behind a physical partner and do all the nice little bits and pieces.

[g88ner]

He's certainly not the defender I hoped (and assumed) he'd be when we signed him

Then again, I can't say I'm hugely impressed with Koscienly or Vermaelen either

I don't know. It's a mess.

[falkirk goon]

6ft 6in tall and when he tries to head the ball hes 5ft 3in when he goes up for a header it would be a struggle to get a piece of tracing paper under his feet..

[clockender1]

He's certainly not the defender I hoped (and assumed) he'd be when we signed him

Then again, I can't say I'm hugely impressed with Koscienly or Vermaelen either

I don't know. It's a mess.

kos and TV are still first choice for their national teams.

its not the players, its the coach. our coach.

BFG is a useful back up for the botsch - who play as a unit.

we don't at The Arsenal, we just let our players go out and express themself - as TA said during the week we have one man to man CB and one zonal CB.

[franksav63]

6ft 6in, and jumps about as high as Warwick Davis (or even DB10), Big Fucking German? Big Useless German more like!!

[kite]

What I don't really understand is that you actually can train jumping higher quite easily and that would be something I'd expect from a professional

[northbank123]

Don't think it's necessarily a case of him literally not being able to jump. He doesn't attack the ball. Possibly the only player who attacks the ball properly is Vermaelen.

I don't know if he's scared of aerial challenges or what but if you watch a commanding centre-half then strikers will bounce off them in the air. It makes almost no difference whether or not there's somebody in front of them. Mertesacker, like Koscielny, is somebody who will just try and lean over the striker like a giraffe to nod it away. It's embarrassing how often strikers are able to bring the ball down against those two.

[augie]

Kos is not first choice centre back and is a back up only

For the record I agree that he isn't as dominant in the air as I thought and hoped he would be but he has been our best defender this season and that is an absolute certainty. His reading of the game is way better than the other centre backs as he reads danger whilst the other fools are running around like headless chickens

Tbh right now I would like to play sagna at centre back for a few games - he is good in the air and very good in the tackle plus he is having a'mare at right full so I would play jenkinson there

[burg hohenzollern]

In my humble opinion his reading of the game is excellent. Yes, he has made mistakes but so has practically everybody else this season.

[1989]

I laugh every time I see him go up for set pieces. He's about as dangerous from those as Cazorla!

[_James_]

With most of Theos corners, he could be the best player in the air or sitting on the floor and it wouldn't make much difference.

The defence seems better with him than with Koscienly, Vermaelen also seems to have defensive problems as well though so its not like we have far better options in the squad.

[Mood1987]

On the plus side he did nod 1 in against the spuds

[donaldo]

Milk turns quicker and he gets out jumped by the Sevens Dwarfs.He has one stock ball sideways.He plays so deep to cover his lack of pace. Thank christ Chelsea didnt play with a striker today till the last 10 mins

[N1Goon]

If Cahill does turn out to be a great defender one day, I will look back at the £6.5m Wenger refused to pay in favour of Mertesacker.