The struggles were evident as Arsenal lost to Southampton 1-0 at the St. Mary’s Stadium on Saturday. The result marks Arsenal’s third defeat in as many Premier League games. The defeat also means Mikel Arteta’s men have slipped to 6^th place, 3 points off the top 4, with a trip to Stamford Bridge the only game in hand.

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The Gunners particularly struggled to dismantle Hassenhuttl’s solid defensive structure. The Gunners managed to put only 6 of their 23 shots on target throughout the game, amassing 1.8 xG. Let us take a look at how Southampton set up, and how it helped neutralise the Arsenal attack:

Formation:

Arsenal began with a 4-2-3-1. In Lacazette’s absence, Eddie Nketiah was deployed as the centre-forward. Southampton countered with a 3-4-3 set-up.

Southampton’s Defensive Structure:

Higher up the field, the Saints looked to maintain their 3-4-3 shape. Armando Broja pressed as the lone centre-forward, cutting the field into half. Wingers Elyounoussi and Armstrong remained more passive and narrower, to stem build-up centrally. Arteta countered this by using his full-backs deeper. This created passing options to the wider areas.

Alternatively, the Gunners could utilise any one full-back to create a 3-man back, allowing the other one to bomb forward. Usually, this happened when Cedric tucked in as the third centre-back.

Higher up the field, the Saints dropped off into a conservative 5-4-1 shape.

This provided them with several advantages:

1. Easy access to the wings: The wing-back system meant Walker-Peters and Perraud were able to cover Arsenal’s wide men easily.
2. Numerical Superiority: Elyounoussi and Armstrong were allowed to remain with the midfield line. Essentially, the Gunners found themselves outnumbered by Southampton’s defensive and midfield lines.
3. Cutting off the centre: With a double pivot in front of a three-man back, the Zone-14 became virtually inaccessible for Arsenal’s playmakers.

Arsenal in Possession:

Arsenal had three notable amendments in their set-up:

1. Gabriel Martinelli was used down the right flank, with Bukayo Saka slotting into the left. Arteta would go on to change this as the game went on, however.
2. With Lokonga as a holding midfielder, Xhaka had more freedom. Often, Arteta’s men resembled a 4-3-3 formation. Xhaka was allowed to occupy the left half-space in more advanced locations.

   

3. Arsenal’s full-backs rarely got into attacking positions. This may have been a risky venture as it would have allowed the Saints more chances on the break. On the left, Tavares would overlap when Saka moved in-field, prompting Xhaka to cover deeper. This was much rarer on the right.

Why Did Arsenal Struggle?

The defensive shape of Southampton was perfectly oriented to contain Arsenal in possession:

1. The wing-backs were well situated to track Arsenal’s wide men continuously. This meant that the Gunners struggled to create space down the flanks. If Cedric or Tavares overlapped, Southampton were easily able to commit an additional defender to track such movement.
2. The exterior Southampton CBs had the freedom to track Arsenal players in the half-spaces. This was facilitated by the good cover and support actions by the remaining defenders when Valery or Bednarek stepped out of their defensive line.
3. Broja as centre-forward looked to limit Ben White’s influence in the game. White is Arsenal’s best outlet in playing out of the back. The Saints looked to cut off passing lanes to the Englishman, forcing the ball to the left flank instead. Gabriel and Lokonga failed to provide the same standard of distribution, slowing down Arsenal’s build-up.
4. Southampton’s mid-field line prevented penetrative passes down the middle. Arsenal were constantly forced to recycle possession and unable to accelerate or string together quick attacks.

Arsenal’s struggles throughout the game could be attributed to three key factors: Southampton’s flawless discipline, poor decision-making on the field by Arsenal players, or Arteta’s failure to identify/act upon evident weaknesses. Here are some important factors that prevented Arsenal from getting all three points:

A. Game Speed:

The Gunners held the ball for 76% of the game. They averaged 25.17 passes per spell of possession. In comparison, the hosts were restricted to just 7.64 passes per possession. Arsenal’s numbers in possession aren’t too shabby either:

However, the Gunners were often too relaxed in the build-up. Arsenal’s play in general lacked a sense of urgency. This allowed the Saints to settle into their defensive structure and absorb pressure effectively.

B. Stagnant Half-Spaces:

Another major problem for Arsenal was their use of half-spaces. Southampton did wonderfully close down the box. The visitors also struggled to make in-roads using the wings. However, either of these, if not both, could have been achieved if the Gunners were smarter in the half-space.

The greatest advantage of the half-space is that it allows optimal positions for a final pass or shot, just like the central regions. However, it also offers the space and time that can be afforded only in the wings. Arsenal were abysmal in such positions. Odegaard, Xhaka, and Saka often offered little movement.

This allowed Southampton to close down the man in such spaces with relative ease. The lack of movement also reduced the threat Arsenal could create behind the Saints’ defence. This gave Hassenhuttl confidence to assert more aggression down the flanks. Southampton could commit 2-3 players to close down Arsenal’s wide men.

As a result, Southampton forced Arsenal to play tame back passes from the wings. The flanks became an outlet for circulating possession rather than creating chances.

C. Engaging Opposition Centre-Backs

Eddie Nketiah was given his first start of the season in the absence of usual striker Alexandre Lacazette. However, the Gunners faced very similar problems with a different target man.

Nketiah constantly failed to assert himself in the central role. With just 19 touches, he barely troubled Southampton’s backline and was marked out of the game. A major problem with Nketiah happened when the 22-year-old was not even on the ball. The Englishman often drifted too wide or deep, allowing Southampton’s defence to stretch and cover the wings better. Nketiah managed 9 touches in the box, but registered just one shot, creating one more.

However, Arsenal’s inability to trouble Southampton’s centre-backs cannot be pinned on Nketiah alone. Even in the past, Arteta has shown a liking for a flexible 9 role. This means Arsenal’s centre-forward is usually given the liberty to drift in possession; either to the flanks (like Aubameyang) or between the lines (like Lacazette). Nketiah showed a tendency to mimic both movements. However, when this happened, Martinelli, Odegaard, and Saka continuously failed to take advantage of the space vacated.

Chance Creation:

Especially after taking the lead, Southampton did a brilliant job in defending their box.

Arsenal were restricted to possession outside or in the wings, but with little penetration.

The Gunners’ strategy for breaking down Hassenhuttl’s set-up could be classified into two main approaches:

1. Long Shots: Arsenal attempted 10 shots from outside the box. Only two of these were on the frame.

   

2. Crosses: When Arsenal got the ball into the wide regions, they looked to cross the ball into the box. The Gunners hit 31 crosses in the game, to no avail. Crossing proved to be an ineffective approach for Arteta’s men. Southampton’s centre-backs won 10 out of 13 aerial duels and affected 32 clearances. Arsenal sorely lacked a poacher; the sort of profile that could nick a header or get to a loose ball first.

   

Pep Guardiola historically has had great success in dismantling solid defensive structures. Guardiola’s teams always make use of smart movements, overloading, and rotations to create space and time. By overloading a particular zone, Arsenal would have forced Southampton defenders to make rapid decisions: to either track their man and abandon space or, defend space and allow the ball-player time.

One of Manchester City’s trademark moves is the use of cutbacks. Rather than lobbing crosses into the box, City try to get the ball close to the byline, before drilling a lower pass into the box.

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The Southampton game presented several such opportunities to Arsenal. However, the Gunners were let down by poor decision-making or positioning by supporting players. As a result, a major opportunity to break into the box went unexplored.

What do you think went wrong for Arsenal against Southampton? Let us know in the comments.

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