HomeZ OLD CATEGORIESArsenal (NN)New Dawn at Emirates? | Arsenal Stats & Key Players Assessed

New Dawn at Emirates? | Arsenal Stats & Key Players Assessed

After all the pre-season worries and murmurs from fans, Arsenal have started the season brightly. The Gunners currently sit in 3rd place, 2 points off top and with the best goal difference in the league, helped by only conceding 1 goal so far. The new signings have bedded in with a varying degree of success; Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla have become integral parts to the side already, Olivier Giroud still needs a goal that will get the fanatical hype-driven majority of fans off his back. The defending from the entire team has improved immeasurably from last season and this has been helped by some interesting tactical changes. While all these improvements are welcome, Arsene Wenger rightly stated that the real test for his side, one that would give credit to or deny their title credentials, comes up next week against Manchester City, so now is the perfect time to take a look at how they have shaped up so far.

Tactical Progression

Against Sunderland, Arsenal lined up with 3 strikers in Podolski, Walcott and Gervinho. This failed miserably against a packed defence and the only real opening came when Giroud was introduced and used his movement to good effect. The following match against Stoke saw the basis of what seems to be the most likely formation Arsene will adopt this season. Cazorla and Giroud occupied nearly the same average position with Podolski coming central and Gervinho the most advanced. Gibbs began his progression into a wing-back and his average position is slowly creeping up as he grows into the role with more game-time.

This trend continued against Liverpool with Chamberlain replacing Gervinho and the team demonstrated its’ new tactical flexibility by seamlessly changing from 4-2-3-1 with the ball to a deep- lying 4-4-1-1 with 2 banks of four fiercely protecting the 18 yard box. The most interesting attacking change came against Southampton with Gervinho starting in the central striker role. While last season we had Robin Van Persie playing somewhat as a typical false 9, dropping deep and linking up play, Gevinho moved laterally along the back four and looked for gaps between the centre-back and their

Arsenal average positions vs Southampton. Note Gibbs in left wing position and the relative flatness of the forward line. (via @Orbinho)

full-backs. It worked a treat as it left the Southampton centre-backs with nothing to mark and Cazorla could drift into the vacant space with 9 penalty area entries. We’ve rarely seen such tactical flexibility for several years with Arsenal, as the team has often been built around one individual, and 3 different striking options in the first 4 games bodes well for setting up a game plan.

Wenger has often been a purveyor of Spanish tactics but with a twist that makes them adapt to the Premier League. Gervinho’s transformation into a striker is evidence of one aspect of this. Another has been the role of Arteta. Last season he was somewhere between a distributor/carrier role in a double pivot with Alex Song. This season, in the first 3 games, he was the furthest back midfielder. It is important to note he is not playing as a defensive midfielder in the traditional ‘Makelele’ way, but as a single pivot in the style of Xabi Alonso. He tackles well and collects the ball from the back four, distributing it to the wings or Diaby alongside him. Diaby has acted as a carrier, marauding forward with the ball and getting in and around the box.

Against Southampton, we saw Alex Song’s replacement Francis Coquelin and how he fits into the team. With Arteta they reverted to the double pivot of last season and Arsenal reaped the benefits of Arteta being allowed forward. Coquelin looked technically adept but still has some work to do in his awareness and strength. He was dispossessed 4 times but completed 92% of his passes showing a great maturity in his passing range. His style is potentially the future of the defensive midfield role as top teams can no longer afford to have a player who can only tackle and pass to his nearest team-mate (see Man City getting rid of Nigel De Jong), but now need a player with vision and ability to join attacks. I’ll look at Cazorla in the key players section further down, but this article by Gingers4Limpar is a joy to read on how the little Spaniard has changed our formation and Arsene’s way of thinking.

The defence has had the most marked improvement upon last season. Having only conceded 1 goal in 4 games and with that goal being a clanger by Wojciech Szczesny, the defence can be very proud of their performance so far. As well as the wingers tracking back a lot more than last season to protect Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson and Mikel Arteta providing more protection than Alex Song was capable of, the defence has looked to adapt their way of defending to frustrate the opposition. Against Stoke, the team were happy to let Crouch win headers as long as someone picked up on the second ball and they also pushed Stoke attacks through the middle, denying space on the wings. Against Liverpool they did the complete opposite, defending narrow and getting bodies around the box, forcing them out wide to attempt crosses. Against Southampton, I haven’t seen our defence sit that deep in years and it frustrated the Saints on the rare occasion they got forward. The lower percentages in possession (50% against Southampton) is a pleasure as it shows the team have become more ruthless when they have the ball and more comfortable without it. In previous seasons we looked jittery and liable to conceding a goal every time we lost possession, now we are comfortable letting the opposition pass it across their back four.

Next Page: Key Players – Vermaelen, Arteta & Cazorla assessed…

Alex Johnston
Alex Johnston
Disciple of Bergkamp
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