Arsenal recently stripped Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang off his captaincy. The Gabon forward also hasn’t played for the Gunners in the last four games. In the course of these 4 games, Arsenal began with a 2-1 loss to Everton, before registering impressive 3-0, 2-0 and 4-1 wins against Southampton, West Ham and Leeds United respectively. The home win against West Ham helped the Gunners leapfrog the Hammers into the top 4. Let us take a look at how Arsenal’s front four – Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli and Lacazette functions, and why it could be the best option for Arsenal going forward.
Positions:
Arsenal usually set up in a 4-2-3-1 shape. In the last four games, the Arsenal front line comprised of Martinelli and Saka as wingers while Odegaard occupying the number 10 role behind Lacazette.
Defensive Shape:
The Gunners maintain the same 4-4-2 shape while pressing without Aubameyang. Lacazette is partnered by Odegaard in the first line of press while Martinelli and Saka occupy wider positions.
An interesting tactic Arsenal have developed in the recent weeks is the position of the far-side winger. The far-side winger is often willing to step higher up to eliminate the option of a switch.
Both Saka and Martinelli have tremendous work rates. The two wingers put in solid defensive shifts and drop very deep to assist the team defensively. Odegaard too drops into the midfield at times to provide the Gunners a more solid defensive structure.
Attacking Shape:
In possession, the Saka-Odegaard-Tomiyasu triangle has been mentioned before too. Saka usually starts in a wider position while Odegaard functions in the half-spaces. This has remained constant even without Aubameyang.
Against Everton, Lacazette’s positioning was an issue for the Gunners. The Frenchman dropped very deep, making penetrative attacks difficult. The Frenchman continued to drop deeper in the next three games too. However, the benefits of this movement have been maximized by one catalyst: Gabriel Martinelli.
Martinelli has the most varying role in the set up. Defensively, the Brazilian defends very deep, almost like a wing-back would. He holds a wide position in build-up which allows Tierney to play deeper or on the underlap.
In the final third, Xhaka drops deeper into the left half space. This allows Tierney to overlap allowing Martinelli to occupy the left-half space. However, unlike Odegaard on the opposite side, Martinelli aims to attack the space between the full-back and centre-back. This means the opposition defenders cannot step up to track Lacazette’s movement.
This provides Arsenal two benefits:
- Numerical superiority in the midfield
- Pins the opposition defence deep and provides an outlet for effective movement off the ball.
Challenges:
1. Slotting in Smith Rowe: Smith Rowe came on as a substitute against West Ham and made an instant impact with a goal. The same happened against Leeds on Saturday. The Englishman has been in imperious form this season and it would be impractical to reduce him to a bench role. However, Martinelli’s eye for goal adds another dimension to Arsenal’s attack. Smith Rowe facilitates better possession and progressions, but does not offer the same movement off the ball as the Brazilian.
Odegaard is also an asset on the right side. Naturally a left-footed player, the right flank offers the Norwegian a more natural angle to cut in and get a sight of goal. Odegaard’s understanding with Saka and Tomiyasu is a major plus point too, as Arsenal have reaped rewards attacking down the right wing. Against West Ham, 43% of all Arsenal attacks originated on the right wing.
2. Quality Chances Against Quality Defenses: Against Southampton, Arsenal registered 1.5 xG from 15 shots, of which only 5 were on target. Against West Ham, the Gunners recorded 21 shots with 8 on the frame, 10 of these 21 shots came from outside the box. Again at Leeds United, Arsenal took 21 shots with 12 of them on target. Against a more prepared defensive set-up, they need a more consistent mechanism to create chances closer to goal.
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Closing Comments:
While Arsenal’s current XI is working well, it is not unimprovable. A useful possibility could be to integrate Smith Rowe into the lineup in place of Lacazette, where Martinelli takes up the striker position. This could line-up in the following way:
The philosophy of Arsenal’s defensive and attacking organization will remain unchanged here. Value is added by:
- Reducing Martinelli’s defensive workload allowing him to optimize his positions in areas higher up the field
- Providing Smith Rowe sufficient space in and around Zone 14, with Tierney maintaining width.
- Transitioning into a future without Aubameyang and Lacazette.
- Flexibility in shape, this formation could also line-up as a 4-3-3 (as shown in the above image as number 2).
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