Arsenal Tactics Talk

[Divided_Pie]

It seems Emery prefers 4-3-3 for defense (pressing), but is experimenting with the 4-3-2-1 to find a way to put his most important player (Özil) in the best position to influence matches.

First half it looked like a 3-4-3 with the ball and a 4-4-2 without, with Özil defending from the front with Auba. Elneny and Guendouzi would interchange quite a bit, as would Özil and Mkhi. Second half it was more of a 4-3-3 with a single DM/DLP.

It seemed that offensively things were well-organized in the first half with plenty of chances created (let down by mediocre finishing), but defensively the press was not as effective as Emery would like. In the second half the opposite was true, with effective pressing but a lack of organization/distinct roles.

It will be interesting to see how Emery finds a balance, especially when Torreira is integrated. We could likely see formations switching often, depending on the competition and which players are available.

 

[TheArsenalis]

433 or 4321?

Looks like classic 433

 

[yybecause]

I think its quiet clear what Unai wants, and how each player fits (and where).
we’re going to see different lineups and different set ups quiet often, unlike under Arsène, which many are not used to. that itself is making it a bit harder to name starting 11, but if we forget about our opposition for a moment and think eceryone is fit, It’s quiet easy apart from defense; will it be Nacho or Kola, Cech or Leno (actually think he’ll go with Petr) and will it be Sokratis Mustafi or one of the youngsters will take a spot.

then you have Xhaka as a DM easily and Torreira a bit in front of him as he can press well, cover ground but also has a trick in him to turn people on. Ramsey to be further ahead, or at least have a green light to do it, but still have an instruction to help those 2.
Özil and Micki as 2 10’s and Auba up top.
when defending its gonna be Micki dropping deeper to form 4 man midfield as (even Unai said it) its the hardest to break such structure.

Laca to replace any of those mids and push Auba a bit wider whenever we want to be more direct.

 

[The_Playmaker]

I think its quiet clear what Unai wants, and how each player fits (and where).
we’re going to see different lineups and different set ups quiet often, unlike under Arséne, which many are not used to. that itself is making it a bit harder to name starting 11, but if we forget about our opposition for a moment and think eceryone is fit, It’s quiet easy apart from defense; will it be Nacho or Kola, Cech or Leno (actually think he’ll go with Petr) and will it be Sokratis Mustafi or one of the youngsters will take a spot.

then you have Xhaka as a DM easily and Torreira a bit in front of him as he can press well, cover ground but also has a trick in him to turn people on. Ramsey to be further ahead, or at least have a green light to do it, but still have an instruction to help those 2.
Özil and Micki as 2 10’s and Auba up top.
when defending its gonna be Micki dropping deeper to form 4 man midfield as (even Unai said it) its the hardest to break such structure.

Laca to replace any of those mids and push Auba a bit wider whenever we want to be more direct.

Torreira's main ability is protecting the defence. Why would you want him to press and be bypassed? He needs to be our deepest midfielder. Xhaka isn't a certain starter right now and I like the idea that we will play players based on performance.

The only player we have who can effectively press high is AMN.

 

[nick gould]

I noticed that we are back to man-marking when defending corners. It took Wenger many years to stop Arsenal from conceding from corners. He fixed it by using zonal making. If at interview stage you told me we were hiring a manager who would bring back man-marking I would have said pass. Fix it please.

 

[Fewtch]

I noticed that we are back to man-marking when defending corners. It took Wenger many years to stop Arsenal from conceding from corners. He fixed it by using zonal making. If at interview stage you told me we were hiring a manager who would bring back man-marking I would have said pass. Fix it please.

It looked to me that we were doing both man and zonal marking at the same time when defending corners. Some match ups were downright stupid though (Smith-Rowe/Rudiger). That can’t be happening again.

But you’re right, we’ve been looking pretty good in that department in recent years, no need to change it

 

[field442]

There’s no problem with man marking if you do it properly. At one point I saw Smith-Rowe on Rudiger and Bellerin on Morata. That’s just weird.

 

[Wryer]

Might be bit premature. But I don't see any major tactical shifts from Emery yet, other than having the two attacking forwards narrower and closer to the striker?

 

[Fallout]

offensively the buildup phase is more structured, although so far it seems we lack the fullbacks to execute properly. defensively we are also trying to press more (although it's not consistent) and our back line is playing much higher.

 

[Xanth]

Might be bit premature. But I don't see any major tactical shifts from Emery yet, other than having the two attacking forwards narrower and closer to the striker?

You don’t see the difference in the pressing and defensive organisation?

A lot of people mistakenly assume that only a high press like Chelsea’s in the first 20 minutes can be considered pressing. There’s a reason they reverted to the way they defended under Conte after about half an hour. Even Liverpool play a little deep against top teams and focus more on providing them with a false sense of security before pressing intensely in midfield. Sp**s are another team known for their pressing and last season, they were defending deep against top teams as well.

 

[YeahBee]

Well atleast we are playing a 3 man midfield

 

[Wryer]

You don’t see the difference in the pressing and defensive organisation?

A lot of people mistakenly assume that only a high press like Chelsea’s in the first 20 minutes can be considered pressing. There’s a reason they reverted to the way they defended under Conte after about half an hour. Even Liverpool play a little deep against top teams and focus more on providing them with a false sense of security before pressing intensely in midfield. Sp**s are another team known for their pressing and last season, they were defending deep against top teams as well.

Pressing - fleetingly. And it doesnt seemed like intended tactically. It felt random with no real rhythm or purpose. I know Emery has said this is a focus but I haven't felt that it has changed significantly.

Defensive line yes, but shape? Not for me.

Offensively I think we don't have the full back to execute what Emery wants. I feel he wants his full backs to provide all the width, with the forwards tucked closer to the striker than the width.

 

[Wryer]

offensively the buildup phase is more structured, although so far it seems we lack the fullbacks to execute properly. defensively we are also trying to press more (although it's not consistent) and our back line is playing much higher.

Wow u just took the words right out of my fingers.

 

[YeahBee]

People dont change):

The overhype of Guendozi is the same Wenger would have done, he shows promise but get a grip...

The constant nostalgia over Cazorla falls into the same category

The dislike Ramsey, Kola and Bellerin gets is also the same, and I suspect there is considerable overlap in those sentiments , same people write Xhaka off to.

Why sack a man and continue the same mistakes?

Ramsey, Kola and Bellerin are amongst the few in our team That possess what we need and people want to get rid of them and just get more players Wenger would go for?

Football has come to far to just be about technical brilliance

We need these guys physical attributes

 

[The_Playmaker]

People dont change):

The overhype of Guendozi is the same Wenger would have done, he shows promise but get a grip...

The constant nostalgia over Cazorla falls into the same category

The dislike Ramsey, Kola and Bellerin gets is also the same, and I suspect there is considerable overlap in those sentiments , same people write Xhaka off to.

Why sack a man and continue the same mistakes?

Ramsey, Kola and Bellerin are amongst the few in our team That possess what we need and people want to get rid of them and just get more players Wenger would go for?

Football has come to far to just be about technical brilliance

We need these guys physical attributes

It's going to be pretty hard playing out from the keeper, exiting down the sides and back into the middle if:

1) your keeper has inconsistent passing.
2) your right back is too weak to hold onto the ball under pressure and is still used to playing the ball backwards for years. We used to have Lauren and Sagna who used to dribble the ball inside and play the ball to a midfielder, you are more often than not up against an attacking player who in theory should be weaker defensively. It is a problem that Bellerin can't do that.
3) Your left back in Kola is technically not good enough. What's the use of his physicality if he just kicks it anywhere down the line under pressure or has a dodgy first touch. Not to mention his method of defending is simply to grab you and throw you to the floor.

 

[YeahBee]

Our defenders will all start to look better when the tactics and defensive organisation really sets in

 

[Football Manager]

———————Ramsey———————
——————————————————
——————————————————
——————————————————
——————————————————
————Auba—————Laca————
————————Özil————————
————Xhaka————Torreira———

If you play ramsey on the pitch...

 

[The_Playmaker]

I'd go with:

--------------Laca--------Auba

----------------------Özil
---------AMN-----------------Ramsey

-------------------Torreira

My reasoning is the following:

1) we have no wingers and this keeps Özil central.
2) this provides Özil with two runners ahead of him.
3) our full backs are attacking, this allows them to get forward without worrying about a wide player in front of them.
4) AMN and Ramsey have the engine to go up and down all game.
5) places all 6 players in their proper positions.

 

[Football Manager]

I'd go with:

--------------Laca--------Auba

----------------------Özil
---------AMN-----------------Ramsey

-------------------Torreira

My reasoning is the following:

1) we have no wingers and this keeps Özil central.
2) this provides Özil with two runners ahead of him.
3) our full backs are attacking, this allows them to get forward without worrying about a wide player in front of them.
4) AMN and Ramsey have the engine to go up and down all game.
5) places all 6 players in their proper positions.

We need technical midfielders, the type of midfielders Guardiola would play in his team, not someone running up and down like a fool.

 

[celestis]

Pressing - fleetingly. And it doesnt seemed like intended tactically. It felt random with no real rhythm or purpose. I know Emery has said this is a focus but I haven't felt that it has changed significantly.

Defensive line yes, but shape? Not for me.

Offensively I think we don't have the full back to execute what Emery wants. I feel he wants his full backs to provide all the width, with the forwards tucked closer to the striker than the width.

No Wryer you're right , haven't seen anything organised just yet . Certainly aren't pressing twice we were caught with a compressing highline and no pressure on the ball carrier resulting in an easy ball over the top .

Still early in the season , much more interesting when Torreira , Xhaka and Lichsteiner fill in .