Damage to Martin Odegaard, a one-game suspension for Declan Rice and a fixture checklist that noticed Arsenal travelling to Tottenham, Atalanta and Manchester Metropolis within the house of every week compelled Mikel Arteta’s facet into a practical nook of late. Arsenal averaged 35% possession throughout these three video games and demonstrated their defensive mettle.
Two of the three targets they scored in that interval had been Gabriel headers from corners, the opposite was an extended distance strike from a left-back. Arsenal saved their gloves up by their chin and didn’t throw many punches- an strategy borne out of necessity. Inside that framework, it’s maybe barely simpler to bridge the hole left by Martin Odegaard’s absence, even when the Norwegian is extremely onerous working off the ball.
He leads Arsenal’s press from the entrance however Arsenal performed somewhat deeper in these robust away video games. In lots of respects, we realized little concerning the Gunners on this interval that we didn’t already know, they’re defensively elite and have an ‘aura’ with regards to shutting opponents down. Additionally they have quite a lot of defensive depth.
Even with Tomiyasu and Zinchenko nursing accidents, which we’re nicely accustomed to by now, Timber, White, Calafiori, Gabriel and Saliba have all been in a position to begin video games. Even when Timber, Calafiori, Zinchenko and Tomiyasu had been concurrently unavailable for the dying minutes on the Etihad, Jakub Kiwior was in a position to come into the fray at left-back. He began the identical fixture final season when Arsenal saved a clear sheet.
However Arsenal’s skill to enhance on their 89 level tally from final season was at all times going to relaxation on how the assault improved. On the danger of repeating myself advert nauseam, Arsenal didn’t rating at Porto, Bayern, Manchester Metropolis, Newcastle and Aston Villa final season and scored from a setpiece at Anfield. Arteta’s squad has a superb assault however whereas their off-ball play is presumably probably the most formidable on the planet, no one would fairly formulate the identical argument concerning the assault.
Now that nightmarish block of away matches is out of the best way, Arsenal have three dwelling video games in every week in opposition to Leicester, PSG and Southampton and the query as to how Arteta amends for Odegaard’s absence within the attacking and artistic sense involves the fore. During the last week and a half, Arsenal fell on a type of 4411 system which concerned Havertz interchanging with Trossard or Jesus in 9 and 10 partnership.
Havertz would typically drift upfront to contest for top balls and drop again into midfield behind Trossard and Jesus in assault in possession, whereas the midfielders behind him performed in additional of a double pivot. That strategy is unlikely to generate sufficient risk in video games the place the workforce usually tend to dominate the ball (that is very true of the Leicester and Southampton video games).
Towards Metropolis, 21.2% of Arsenal’s passes had been lengthy, in opposition to Atalanta it was 12.4% and in opposition to Spurs it was 17.1%. Final season, 11.3% of Arsenal’s passes had been lengthy on common, so Arteta’s facet superior on that baseline in every of the final three video games. Once more, upcoming video games are much less more likely to name on a extra direct strategy and the way they address advancing their technical recreation with out their technical prefect in Odegaard goes to be each fascinating and possibly even somewhat regarding.
When Odegaard’s absence was first established, I wrote a chunk about how necessary Kai Havertz would show to be (particularly with Mikel Merino additionally absent). It’s no coincidence that he performed all 270 minutes throughout final week, his bodily presence as an outlet was essential in a interval the place Arsenal had been happier to be extra compact and direct. However his skill to play a hybrid function between a 9 and a ten was additionally important in how Arsenal needed to play.
Now Havertz’s extra refined qualities are going to be known as upon and I strongly suspect he might be requested to play a extra conventional midfield function with Gabriel Jesus taking part in upfront. It could possibly be that he steps immediately into Odegaard’s proper eight function. I definitely assume there can be worth in him receiving the ball in positions the place his pure physique form might be inwards and in direction of extra central positions.
Nevertheless, I believe it’s simply as probably that Arteta would possibly reinstate him into the ‘left eight’ function for which he was initially (primarily) purchased with Rice shifting over to the appropriate. This could imply that Rice might concentrate on offering service to Bukayo Saka on the flank. But it surely additionally signifies that Arsenal might begin to create a pleasant quadrant on the left facet.
Throughout pre-season, Arsenal performed consummately in opposition to (an admittedly undercooked) Leverkusen. Havertz began that recreation in midfield with Jesus upfront and Trossard on the left. Zinchenko performed at left-back and there was a really pleasing fluidity between these 4 gamers that Leverkusen discovered tough to deal with, as Trossard, Jesus and Havertz persistently swapped positions, underpinned by the technical high quality of Zinchenko.
The addition of Riccardo Calafiori provides one other aspect to the combination together with his skill to dribble into that left half-space. The Italian can also be in a honeymoon interval the place his qualities might be barely unknown to different Premier League groups, a lot as Zinchenko’s had been in that golden autumn of 2022. Calafiori, Havertz, Jesus and Trossard strikes me as a quartet with some potential to make Arsenal somewhat extra fluid on a left facet that has beforehand been a artistic junior to Arsenal’s proper.
The tremendous established trident of White, Odegaard and Saka on the appropriate might be damaged up for the primary time in over two years, so it is smart for the left facet to essentially choose up a few of that slack and type some networks which might be presently much less well-known to opponents. There’s a potential for fluidity there. Even with Martinelli on the left as a substitute of Trossard, the 2 Brazilians share a fluid understanding primarily based on interchange of positions.
It could possibly be a superb time for Martinelli and Jesus to re-establish their type and primacy on this Arsenal workforce and it could even be a really helpful time for Raheem Sterling to make his title on the membership in whichever function(s) he seems in. In disaster, there may be alternative. As a result of Arsenal are going to have to indicate a lighter, flightier face than the snarling, decided one they’ve proven during the last 7-10 days on this upcoming block.
