Arsenal Tactics Talk

[hydrofluoric acid]

I couldn't describe our tactics to a fan of another team. I THINK they are to move the ball quickly and try to manufacture chances. In terms of pressing, air don't know how we press or even if we do press.

We try to force mistakes my the other team and intercept. At times it feel like we want to defend with minimum effort for energy energy conservation.

We have been trying to press lately with Sanchez as the furthest forward. But I'm not sure if that is because of Sanchez influence or instructions from Wenger.

The players looked really confused what to do against City. Sanchez wanted to press, the other wanted to sit.

 

[truth_hurts]

We try to force mistakes my the other team and intercept. At times it feel like we want to defend with minimum effort for energy energy conservation.

We have been trying to press lately with Sanchez as the furthest forward. But I'm not sure if that is because of Sanchez influence or instructions from Wenger.

The players looked really confused what to do against City. Sanchez wanted to press, the other wanted to sit.

Can forcing mistakes and pressing be mutually exclusive? Although I know what you mean. I don't think we have the players to effectively press. It is unlikely we'd see a front 6 of Coq, Ramsey, Welbeck, Perez, Sanchez and Theo but it would be our best for a high intensity press.

Santi, Xhaka, Iwobi, Özil and Giroud are Wenger style players and these guys don't press effectively!

 

[Vinci]

Santi, Xhaka, Iwobi, Özil and Giroud are Wenger style players and these guys don't press effectively!

Disagree on that. Probably the best pressing side in recent years was Pep's Barca and they had players like Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta and Messi in there. The former two are far from quick and the latter two aren't big and strong, but they made it work anyhow.

It helps if you have very physical players, but drilling them effectively is way more important.

 

[truth_hurts]

Disagree on that. Probably the best pressing side in recent years was Pep's Barca and they had players like Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta and Messi in there. The former two are far from quick and the latter two aren't big and strong, but they made it work anyhow.

It helps if you have very physical players, but drilling them effectively is way more important.

Kind of but Barca operate a 20 second press and Busquets and Messi were great at that. Their equivalents work-rate wise would be Coquellin and Theo for us who are too of our hardest workers.

Enriques team press more and it's no coincidence that he bought in Rakitic. You also can not forget THAT Barca team have superior ball retention to us. I still maintain the players I've mentioned can not operate in a pressing system.

Santi/Xhaka could get away with it as DLP but the others couldn't in my opinion.

 

[nick gould]

We try to force mistakes my the other team and intercept. At times it feel like we want to defend with minimum effort for energy energy conservation.

We have been trying to press lately with Sanchez as the furthest forward. But I'm not sure if that is because of Sanchez influence or instructions from Wenger.

The players looked really confused what to do against City. Sanchez wanted to press, the other wanted to sit.

The holding midfielders just sat and that annoyed the hell out of me. We already had a spare man in central defence so one of our holding midfielders should have pressed toure nonstop to force them to play through Fernando.

We are just a confused team. The second half when it obvious to all and sundry that we were hanging on, our gaffer chose to do nothing. Pep would have said "keep it simple and string a few passes together " our guy did nothing except maybe a little prayer in his heart. That gets to me sometimes. I love Wenger he's part of Arsenal but sometimes I feel like shaking him and say wake up, we are about to sink. Do something.

 

[Gooner Zig]

Tim Stillman on Arsenal's issues with the 'press'

 

[NotAUserName]

We try to force mistakes my the other team and intercept. At times it feel like we want to defend with minimum effort for energy energy conservation.

We have been trying to press lately with Sanchez as the furthest forward. But I'm not sure if that is because of Sanchez influence or instructions from Wenger.

The players looked really confused what to do against City. Sanchez wanted to press, the other wanted to sit.

The highlighted passages from an article on ESPNFC says all about our lack of defensive game plan:

The Arsenal experience is a unique one. For the better part of the last decade, the team has married consistently reliable seasons with seemingly wild swings in form. They currently sit fourth in the table with 34 points, nine behind league-leading Chelsea. Fourth place is a comfortable position for the North London side. They've finished there five of the last 10 seasons, along with four thirds and last year's second. It's also disappointing. Just two weeks ago they sat in second, only three points back, a team that looked as likely as any to challenge Chelsea at the top of the table. They took leads against both Everton and Manchester City but held neither. Arsenal are always pretty good but often leave fans feeling like they could be better.

What should Arsenal fans expect of this team? Are they a team that should be a title contender? Are the last two weeks yet another hiccup keeping Arsenal from reaching the levels they should achieve? Or was their position in the table two weeks ago a mirage? Were the last two weeks the kind of blunders that inevitably happen to teams that are playing above their heads? Are Arsenal, yet again, simply a pretty good team who can't sustain a challenge for the title?

Tactically, this team is not quite the same old Arsenal. The major change in personnel has been moving Alexis Sanchez to striker in place of Olivier Giroud. Without a traditional striker, Arsenal are more fluid in attack than they've been in years. They're less focused on possession and more committed to creating the best types of goal-scoring opportunities. They're only keeping the ball 55.8 percent of the time, the lowest proportion of any Arsenal team since 2010-11 (as far back as ESPN Stats and Info has data). They move the ball forward more quickly, but also more dangerously. They attempt and complete fewer passes in their own half -- 211 out of 262 per game -- than at any point over the six previous seasons. That's only an 80.6 percent completion percentage, their lowest. That's partially because 16.1 percent of those passes are long balls, also the highest percentage in recent history.

Alexis Sanchez has made a habit of goal celebrations this season, but can he sustain that pace? Alexis Sanchez has made a habit of goal celebrations this season, but can he sustain that pace? Arsenal have shifted more of their possession into the attacking third of the field, where they emphasize working the ball around to create good chances. They're completing 136 passes out of 179 attempted per game. Both those totals are the highest in their recent history, while their 76.2 percent completion percentage is only slightly lower than their 76.5 percent high in 2013-14. Meanwhile, their crossing -- perhaps unsurprisingly without Giroud in the starting lineup -- is down to 9.9 percent of their final third passes, the lowest it's been.

At first glance, this approach seems to be working. They've scored 37 goals, the second most in the Premier League. Their 2.24 goals per game clip is better than in any of the previous six seasons. Sanchez at striker and Theo Walcott as a striker-ish winger have combined for 20 goals and 8 assists as they form an unorthodox but balanced partnership. Sanchez, despite nominally being the striker, is more involved in build-up play, receiving 40 passes per 90 minutes, while Walcott is the less involved but more lethal player, receiving only 28 passes per 90 minutes while taking 3.05 shots per 90 minutes to Sanchez's 2.82. The system works -- the problem is, it might not work quite as well as it seems.

While Arsenal have scored a lot of goals, they've scored more than expected goals predicts. Expected goals projects a healthy 30.24, which is still third-best in the league, but it is still a good deal behind their 37-goal pace. The 6.76 goal gap is the second-largest in the league. A lot of that performance comes specifically from Alexis Sanchez. His 12 goals have come despite less than seven expected goals. Now, Sanchez is undeniably a great player, but he hasn't ever really shown a tendency to outperform his expected goals like this before. In his first two seasons with Arsenal, he scored 29 goals from just over 27 expected goals. At Barcelona, surrounded by Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, he was closer to these numbers, running 11 goals over expected goals during his three years there, 39 to 28.

It's at least possible that Arsenal's altered attacking approach is partly responsible for the hot finishing. Their emphasis on shot quality over quantity is real. Even accounting for the outlying performance, the expected goal tally they've run up is impressive, especially in light of the fact they've only taken 242 shots, seventh-most in the Premier League. Their average shot distance is only 17.5 yards out, the closest of any team. Sanchez may well be reaping the rewards of Arsenal's efficient chance creation. But at the same time, on his current pace, he'd finish the year with 12 more goals than expected goals projects -- nobody in the last six years has managed to outperform that metric by even 10. So even if some of Sanchez's finishing is helped by the system, odds are he's bound to come back to earth eventually.

When he does, Arsenal might be in trouble. While their attack is good, it's not good enough to make up for what's been an exceedingly mediocre defense this season. They've conceded 19 goals, which is the fifth-most in the league, and a number a high-flying attack could live with, but they've conceded 22 expected goals -- a more average eighth in the league. They aren't particularly good at restricting shots (the 182 they've given up is only eighth-fewest) or at restricting good shots (they've given up 70 shots from feet in the box, the fifth-most in the league). Those 70 shots have turned into 13 goals, which tracks with expected goals. That's only the seventh-fewest goals conceded that way, and the eighth fewest expected goals.

The trend of being above average but not great is true of how they contest possession as well. Teams complete 357 passes per game against them, the eighth-fewest in the league, and do so at a 75.8 percent clip, again the eighth-lowest. But despite not contesting possession, they also don't drop off and keep teams in front of them either. They've only blocked 43 shots all season, the fifth-fewest, and they've only blocked 23.6 percent of shots against them, the third-lowest percentage. They're neither aggressively challenging possession nor aggressively challenging shooters. Defensively, Arsenal are somewhat above average at most things, but not particularly good at any one thing.

Overall, Arsenal are still a pretty good team. They create high-quality chances, and do a decent job overall defensively. What they aren't is a great team. Their flirtation with the top of the table earlier in the season was powered primarily by an incredible run of form out of Alexis Sanchez. Arsenal are certainly good enough to compete for, and likely win, a Champions League spot, but in order to challenge at the top of the table, they need one of two things to happen. Either they need to improve defensively, and develop some form of defensive identity to match their attack, or they need Sanchez to have a record-setting season when it comes to finishing. Barring that, Arsenal will be what they've been for the last decade. Exactly as good as expected, and for their supporters, disappointingly so.

http://www.espnfc.com/barclays-prem...cid=InsiderTwitter_GoodmanArsenalExpectations

 

[asukru]

@NotAUserName that article sums us up to a T. Honestly, it's disappointing because we always seem like we are just a couple steps behind to winning the title.

 

[carlito'sway]

The highlighted passages from an article on ESPNFC says all about our lack of defensive game plan:

http://www.espnfc.com/barclays-prem...cid=InsiderTwitter_GoodmanArsenalExpectations

Very good article. This Arsenal is a good team indeed but nowhere near greatness. It has been powered up by an exceptional Alexis but one can not and should not expect him to do so a whole season. This team has obvious flaws, defensive frailties, average to mediocre players on the flanks, and until those are addressed, we may find ourselves out of the title race soon.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

We need to find a solution in terms of fixing our midfield, it's clear how vital Cazorla is to our setup in terms of playing the way we want to and being able to create the number of chances we want to. Rightly or wrongly Wenger clearly went into this season with Cazorla as an important part of our system with Xhaka seen more in the long term and that he'd be eased into the team. Now we're in a position where we're forced to find solutions to the problems Cazorla's absence has faced us with. So far we've just put Xhaka in as a straight replacement for Cazorla but he's not really playing the same role so we need to find a way of fixing out system that gets the best out of Xhaka which clearly isn't paired with Coquelin. I think Elneny is the short term answer at least as he has similar energy to Coquelin but is far better at recycling possession. Longer term the answer may be Ramsey if he can be disciplined enough.

So far we're still in an "adjusting period" without Cazorla, and it's one we need to get out of pretty quickly and find something that works if we've any hope of getting back in contention.

 

[Gooner Zig]

We always seem to be "adjusting" in one way or another. I still think Wenger's insistence on our current formation holds us back somewhat. I miss the Fabregas era when we used to pass the opposition to death. We were **** defensively but we had some absolute ballers in that midfield - Fabregas, Hleb, Nasri. No way we'd be struggling with the press with those three.

 

[celestis]

To not struggle with the press you need the entire side to be able to be comfortable with possession . That includes the entire back 4. You have one or two players ****e in possession it all goes pieces , Rafa used to get Gerrard to press Flamini , Pep made sure that Sagna got the ball , whose only pass was down the line .

 

[carlito'sway]

To not struggle with the press you need the entire side to be able to be comfortable with possession . That includes the entire back 4. You have one or two players ****e in possession it all goes pieces , Rafa used to get Gerrard to press Flamini , Pep made sure that Sagna got the ball , whose only pass was down the line .

Vs City last week, Pep left that "honor" to Coq and Gab, two of our worst passers and double teamed Xhaka. Our inability to be able to beat the press is baffling to say the least. Happens like clockwork, specially with the absence of Santi.

 

[SA Gunner]

http://spielverlagerung.com/2016/11/27/examining-arsenals-defensive-flaws/

Apologies if posted before. But found this interesting

 

[Sir Bump]

Wenger is still using his nokia flip cell and wonders why apps won't appear.

 

[The_Playmaker]

We need to find a solution in terms of fixing our midfield, it's clear how vital Cazorla is to our setup in terms of playing the way we want to and being able to create the number of chances we want to. Rightly or wrongly Wenger clearly went into this season with Cazorla as an important part of our system with Xhaka seen more in the long term and that he'd be eased into the team. Now we're in a position where we're forced to find solutions to the problems Cazorla's absence has faced us with. So far we've just put Xhaka in as a straight replacement for Cazorla but he's not really playing the same role so we need to find a way of fixing out system that gets the best out of Xhaka which clearly isn't paired with Coquelin. I think Elneny is the short term answer at least as he has similar energy to Coquelin but is far better at recycling possession. Longer term the answer may be Ramsey if he can be disciplined enough.

So far we're still in an "adjusting period" without Cazorla, and it's one we need to get out of pretty quickly and find something that works if we've any hope of getting back in contention.

I think that is the main problem we have at the moment. We are getting away with a midfield combination that doesn't really work. Xhaka is a physical player who has excellent passing and is competitive in the air. What he isn't good at is turning while under pressure.

Ramsey on the other hand is quite comfortable under pressure we could hardly say that Arteta enjoyed being pressurised.

We have seen glimpses of Ramsey and Xhaka together and if I'm honest they look good. Ramsey has been disciplined when he has been placed beside him. It is the only combination we are yet to see so Wenger will have to take a chance soon.

 

[carlito'sway]

I think that is the main problem we have at the moment. We are getting away with a midfield combination that doesn't really work. Xhaka is a physical player who has excellent passing and is competitive in the air. What he isn't good at is turning while under pressure.

Ramsey on the other hand is quite comfortable under pressure we could hardly say that Arteta enjoyed being pressurised.

We have seen glimpses of Ramsey and Xhaka together and if I'm honest they look good. Ramsey has been disciplined when he has been placed beside him. It is the only combination we are yet to see so Wenger will have to take a chance soon.

I usually agree with you but we are definitely not on the same page with regard to Ramsey under pressure. One of his weaknesses is his poor first touch/ ball control and that makes him quite easy to pressure. His does not have dribbling ability either to escape such pressure and teams have often used that vs Ramsey. Finally both him and Xhaka not being particularly fast either, I am definitely not comfortable with that pairing.

 

[scytheavatar]

Xhaka still has a long way to go before he can be considered irreplaceable and someone we build the midfield around, there's no reason why we can't buy someone else to be the Cazorla replacement.

 

[Sykes]

Funny enough, our problems without Santi reminded me of someone who most on here would laugh their heads off at...JOHN MIKEL OBI of Chavs fc.
Now I'm not saying he's a world beater or anything, but a player of his skillset would do us whole lot of Good. He's strong, extremely difficult to get the ball off and has above average passing(certainly better than Coq). I honestly wouldn't mind having him on loan as he'd suit our passing game.

 

[WhatAFC]

Our problem is simple, we don't have someone who is currently able to transition the ball through the lines quickly from defence and attack. One of Santi's biggest attributes is he very rarely makes the wrong passing decision. If he gives it to someone then they generally have a bit of time and space.

Wenger hasn't often had a plan B outside of his first choice 11. I do believe last year and continuing this season he is trying to create a more versatile squad which can adapt to different tactics and still have high quality performances.