HERE. WE. GO. Transfer window has slammed shut and boy has the international break come at the right time for Arsenal. Oh how Mikel and his men needed that. 2 weeks in between drinks is just enough time, for a few of the boys to recover from Covid, injuries and the like; and hit the training ground and be ready to fire come match day vs Norwich.
So with players returning to the side I think we can certainly expect to see first of all a much better performance but second of all a group of players who can perform and do what Arteta is asking to a much higher level. The frustrating thing for fans is that from the first 3 games it looks like there isn’t much of a plan.. But I can assure you there is.
Let’s first of all take a look from a defensive aspect. The obvious improvement straight off the bat is we are hopefully going to see a lot less individual errors. However the real question is, what are we going to see tactically.
The Press
Over the past 3 matches we have seen a very disjointed high press. It is clear that Arteta wants to do it. He wants to win the ball back as high as possible. This is what leads to increased possession, high quality chances (as the opposition defensive structure is not set) and ultimately goals. All the big teams have done it – Klopp’s Liverpool and Dortmund sides; Pep’s Barcelona, Bayern and City also.
What we have seen from Arsenal though is extremely disjointed. It is not cohesive. As soon as the initial press is beaten there is wide open spaces in midfield. This is happening for a variety of reasons. Firtly Xhaka is often either getting caught too high or more commonly ending up being dragged backwards into the defensive line. This is where the extra mobility of Partey and Lokongo should be able to cope better.
Secondly, we have seen Chambers, Holding, Mari, Kolasinac etc all struggle to step onto their man as he shows for the ball. The main reason for this is that they are worried about getting beaten by a ball in behind or over the top due to a lack of pace. This causes them to drop off as the high press is beaten, leaving acres of space in midfield, and often our CBs not even marking anyone. White and Gabriel with their pace and athleticism will really improve us in this sense.
There we go. You can see the plan and tactical input from Arteta. It has just been executed really poorly. The unfortunate thing for Arteta is that all the major members of this plan have been out together with White, Gabriel and Partey.
“Sound defensively, composed in possession and adaptable, is also calm, laid back by nature and extremely marketable.”
The Athletic on Ben White
Next we must look at our use of the ball.
Arsenal’s Build Up Play
Our current possession based build up from the back has been to be quite frank, bloody awful. It is slow, laborious, and honestly very easy to defend against. You can see as soon as the ball rolls into a FB or midfield and the opponent presses that we just roll backwards and it is back pass after back pass before having to go long. If we do manage to play out, it is so slow that the opposition has plenty of time to get 9 or 10 players behind the ball. Effectively killing our space to play, before Tierney crosses to nobody.
However the mind takes us back to Wembley watching us walk the ball around our penalty box for a few mins before taking it down the other end, one two see you later and Auba pops one into the back of the net. Champagne football from our lord saviour Mr Arteta. He has an idea of how he wants to play but it just isn’t quite working out at the minute.
Looking at the Back 4 for that could start at Norwich and Tomi, White, and Gabriel are all instantly more comfortable on the ball than their counterparts from the first 3 games, with obviously Tierney status quo. Putting Partey next to Lokongo in defensive midfield will mean that once we get the ball into midfield we are looking vertically forward and will expect to break the lines more often than the sideways and backwards passing that we have seen so far. Thomas Partey ranks in the 88th percentile for progressive passing.
The key point here is that this means the opposition will not be constantly pressing forward and forcing us back. How many times did we see against Chelsea and City, that they almost marched us back to our own goal even though we had the ball. It almost felt a little embarrassing at times.
Ben White’s passing range and distribution will also have a massive effect on this. He is well known for his big cross field diag that he hits with such consistent ease. You can just see KT bombing down and taking it in his stride. so nonchalantly. Or better yet Aubameyang peeling off the shoulder as Ben White opens out, allowing him all the space to run at the wide defender before cutting in and bending one top bins or sliding a cheeky reverse to Tierney on the overlap. Mark my words, Ben White’s cross field pass will bring multiple goals this season and be a massive weapon.
Of course it does a whole lot more too. As teams pick up on how dangerous we will be with this, the opposition back line will start dropping off to counter against us. The midfield will then follow suit allowing us to push forward and play out from the back easily. If the opposing midfield doesn’t drop off and continues to press then it opens space for Emile Smith Rowe, Odegaard and Saka to find the pockets in between the lines.
So there we go. Two major tactics of the Arteta regime that have so far been unsuccessful due to an unfortunate lack of key personnel through the spine. I know I am certainly excited to see these lads come back into the team and play a big role.
On another note Arsenal Women play against Chelsea today. Massive game, and absolutely fantastic to see women’s football getting more spotlight. Let’s see if we can all get behind the women’s game and grow it amongst the fan base.
Kia Kaha everybody.
