Is Toure the Answer?

2008-08-01 16:00:14

Now, I have been known to come up with crazy ideas. Some have been fun, some have ended up with one or more of my friends in A&E at one o'clock in the morning. That was just part of the joys of student life. Some of you may remember i wrote an article back in March about the possibility of Traore playing at left midfield instead of Diaby. Being a University student I have had to write a number of essays where you have to back up what you say to build up a convincing argument, which I intend to do in this article. However I think this time I have come up with my best idea yet. So here it is. If I was Arsene I would have Toure to replace Flamini in the heart of the midfield. However this would not be Yaya, but our very own Kolo playing there. To me it doesn't seem a strange option and I feel it could solve a number of problems that many Arsenal fans are having deep concerns about. When Toure came to us from ASCE Mimosas in February 2002 he he was seen as a utility player who can play anywhere. He played as a midfielder for us before being converted to a centre half at the start of the 2003/04 season where he has excelled ever since, forming a formidable partnership with Sol Campbell.

So 'why move him?' I hear you cry. Well as I've mentioned before he was a midfielder when he came here, and he can adapt very easily to a new position. His defensive capabilities he has developed over the past five years will come into play, from both attacking and defending set pieces and he has excellent positioning sense which is essential in any defender and defensive midfielder. He is strong and powerful which is an attribute needed when playing in the physical game of the Premiership and has been known to making bursting runs forward so theoretically, he could dominate a game playing in midfield.

My second reason for this theory is the fact that, many people are suggesting that Toure's partnership with Gallas just isn't working and we need another Campbell/Vidic-type player to stop us being vunerable from long balls, as well as to add height to a first team with only Adebayor and Bendtner over six feet tall. Moving Toure kills two birds with one stone, solving the problem of who to drop out of Gallas and Toure as well as solving our defensive frailties with a new centre half which many of you on this forum and in the media have raised issues with.

My final reason is that this would also put less pressure on the likes of Diaby and Denilson and allow them to develop furthur, as well as some of the youngsters such new signing Coquelin who has looked like a possible star defensive midfielder for us in pre-season before he got injured, as potential successors and won't 'kill' there future potential which Wenger is desperate to avoid .

The possibility of Traore playing at left midfield instead of Diaby, which, not naming names was laughed off by some people. However Wenger had obviously read that article as where was Traore playing at the end of last season? No doubt this idea will draw criticism as some people will pick holes in my arguments. Is this just an idea that should never be spoken of again or have I come up with a Wenger-esq stroke of genius? I like to think it is the later of the two.