Posted by Lineups
Arsenal Twitter was fuming Saturday after Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas announced, via RMC Sport, that Houssem Aouar would be staying in France this season. That anger threatened to turn into a full blown meltdown during Sunday’s first half against the as-yet winless Sheffield United.
Arsenal’s lack of midfield creativity was on full display throughout the opening 45. For all their possessional superiority (73% to 27%) the Gunners managed just three shots on target: Eddie Nketiah’s 27th-minute glancing header, and two hopeful Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang attempts (the 36th minute shot from distance that Aaron Ramsdale tipped over the bar, and the poor-angled overhead kick two minutes from halftime).
Until Nicolas Pépé’s 58th-minute introduction the second half largely resembled the first; Arsenal keeping the ball with ease, but struggling to do anything of note with it.
Pépé’s substitution added the creative spark the Gunners were missing, and paid dividends almost immediately. He was on the pitch for only three minutes before Arsenal scored their first goal and only six minutes before he scored the second one himself.
Famous last words incoming, but might Arsenal have found the shape and personnel combination to make a real top-four challenge?
Tactics
Arsenal were more 4-3-3 than 3-4-3 in this one, unlike previous matches against Fulham and West Ham. With the ball, Arsenal shifted a central midfielder (most often Mohamed Elneny) to offer the square option to the right of the back two. This allowed Hector Bellerin to push forward high up the wing…
…or to tuck inside to provide passing angles infield:
But the Gunners’ lack of ball carriers, and Sheffield’s organized defensive shape, left little opportunity for scoring chances in the first half. Instead, Arsenal passed the ball around, rather than through, Sheffield United and mustered just the three lethargic shots on target mentioned above.
Second half changes came in the first 15 minutes, and immediately sharpened Arsenal’s attack. Here they are ~20 seconds before scoring, with some notable changes:
This is as 4-3-3 as it gets, but with a twist: The two “midfielders” joining Ceballos in the center of the pitch are Willian and Bellerin. Bukayo Saka, who started the game in alongside Ceballos, played out and out left wing when in possession, and Bellerin swapped with Elneny (much like the first half) to take up the half space to the right of Ceballos.
Defensively, it remained Saka who was tasked with taking up the left side of Arsenal’s 5-4-1:
At 19 years old, Saka has the legs to run up and down the pitch in ways that Willian probably doesn’t anymore. Their interchanges offensively also served to pull Sheffield defenders out of position, while adding a creative element to the Gunners’ build up.
Player Focus
Nicolas Pépé
He only played 32 minutes, but Arsenal won the game because of his quality. The entire makeup of the team shifted when he came on and Sheffield had to worry about someone running at them.
He was heavily involved in the first goal…
…scored the second…
…and generally had Sheffield United defenders on skates:
He’s been in and out of the team since Arteta’s arrival, but having swung and missed on Houssem Aouar, Pépé’s creativity is sorely needed in the team. There’s room for both he and Willian if Aubameyang moves central more permanently.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
The argument for playing Aubameyang wide rather than central has always been: “He can’t hold the ball up the way Arteta wants him to.” He’s rarely been given an opportunity to show that he can though. For the final 30 minutes, he was in this one.
Aubameyang checked back to the ball, kept possession, and provided an outlet for the Arsenal midfield and backline:
The desire to move him central is probably more about Pépé than Aubameyang. Arsenal is crying out for creativity, something neither Alexandre Lacazette nor Eddie Nketiah bring, but as long as he can meet the minimum standards of a CF, this is the way moving forward for me.
If nothing else, these 30 minutes should give Arteta plenty to think about over the international break.
Bukayo Saka
His flexibility is an asset few 19 year olds have, and it allowed him to float between three positions at various times throughout the game. I highlighted the LWB and LW examples in the tactics section above. Here he is playing as a bonafide central midfielder:
Prior to Pépé’s introduction, Saka was the only one willing take take the creativity initiative on his shoulders:
There are a lot of contributors to this particular scoring chance, but there’s an argument that Saka’s role is the biggest.
Pépé’s sure to benefit from Aouar’s failed transfer. Saka too.
Looking Ahead – Matchday 5 vs. Manchester City
With news breaking today (Wednesday) that Kieran Tierney might miss the Manchester City match in self-isolation, and new signing Thomas Partey in theory available for selection, we might see a very different Arsenal team on October 17.
City have taken just one point from their previous two Premier League games, and currently sit 14th after three games.
But City are still City, and Arsenal probably can’t go toe to toe with them just yet. Instead, they’ll have to remained organized defensively and take their limited chances at the other end, something they did perfectly in the FA Cup semi-final.
I’d like to see a return to the 3-4-3, if only for this game, as Arsenal look to stymie the Man City danger men.
Prediction: Manchester City 2 – 2 Arsenal