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Arsenal Should Consider Changing Formations
When you tune in to watch Arsenal play on the weekend, you can be sure of a few things. You can be sure that you will see a team with a wealth of attacking prowess. You can also be sure that you will see a team with the ability to hold onto huge sums of possession and also concoct a plethora of creative chances. However, you will also see a team that lacks directness and deadly finishing in their opponent’s final third. You will see a team that can be incredibly predictable and at times even lethargic. Arsenal’s play has become so one dimensional that it seems every opponent they face knows exactly how to set up in order to defensively stymie the Gunners.
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For years now Arsenal have been accused of lacking cutting a edge and physicality to their game. And like it or not there aren’t going to be any reinforcements making their way to the Emirates any time soon. It would be unimaginable for the Gunners to remain idle for a second consecutive transfer window. For now, though, the club will have to make due with the players that they currently have at their disposal. That is not to say that the stable of talent currently within the the Emirates dressing room is anything but capable of staying within striking distance of the top of the table though.
Arsenal have a host of world class players that can keep pace with any side. However the team’s playing style has become utterly one dimensional. Therefore I believe it is time for Arsenal to consider ditching the 4-2-3-1 formation in favor of something that will add a dose of unpredictability and nuance to their attack.
It is basic knowledge that a team’s personnel generally dictates what type of formation they are able to utilize. Furthermore the experience of the players is essential when deciding which formation will work smoothly. Which is why I believe that employing the 4-4-2 Diamond would be the perfect way to get the best out of the current collection of players that Arsenal have. It would also throw a new look at opposing teams.
If you take a look at the team’s most influential players they would actually all be getting what they want. Mesut Ozil would remain in his favored No. 10 role, tucked in behind the two strikers. This is clearly his best position, as the focal play-maker in Arsenal’s attack. Alexis Sanchez would play up front in a tandem striker system. This is the position he was in when he recently tasted Copa America glory with Chile. The South American spark-plug would pair well up front with Olivier Giroud who is a very different striker. Alexis likes to make darting runs into dangerous areas and Olivier Giroud is one of the best No. 9’s at setting his teammates up with chances. The Frenchman has a wide array of flicks and layoffs that he can use to play Alexis into space in front of goal.
Furthermore what Giroud lacks in pace is made up for in intelligent movement. He is well known for making unselfish runs which pull the center-backs out of position. He allows players around him to get clear paths to goal. Alexis is by far Arsenal’s most deadly finisher and when you pair that with Giroud’s guile and superb hold up play that could be a lethal combination. You add in Mesut Ozil just behind the two and that’s an attacking trident that could strike fear into any defense.
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Aaron Ramsey would be able to move in closer to the middle of the pitch as one of the two midfield “shuttlers” in this diamond formation. His most likely partner in the middle of the park would be Santi Carzola. The Spaniard is arguably Arsenal’s most technically gifted player and what he lacks in pace he makes up for with fantastic dribbling ability.
Ramsey is blessed with immense stamina and physicality which would give Arsenal’s spine that reinforcement which it needs. Carzola is like Arsenal’s Andreas Pirlo at this point in his career. He is the team’s metronome. He retains possession so well and remains calm under pressure, distributing the ball from deep and besting opposition with his dual-footed mastery. These two players can easily boss a midfield and allow the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez the freedom they need to create.
Also for years now Arsene Wenger has told us that he believes Alex-Oxlade Chamberlin’s future was in the midfield. The young Englishman is one the Gunners most robust and powerful players. Pairing him with Aaron Ramsey would give the Gunners a tough and mobile midfield.
However the diamond is certainly not perfect. There are three specific positions on the squad that will become even more important with this tactical switch. Those positions are the holding midfielder and two full backs. In the diamond there is only one player positioned at the base. That player acts as the primary shield for the back four and distributor from the defense. Obviously this task would fall to the feisty Francis Coquelin. The tough tackling Frenchman has improved in leaps and bounds since returning from loan at Charlton. He is fantastic at making interceptions and is currently tied with Watford’s Nyom for second most tackles in the BPL with 15, per Squawka.
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We all know that Coquelin is solid defensively and his dependability at the back is starting to seem more like the norm after every passing game. Although the holding midfielder in the diamond has little offensive duties it is very important for him to also be tidy in possession and confident on the ball. This department is where many will doubt Coquelin’s ability. However, according to Whoscored the young Frenchman has completed a surprising 91.4% of his passes this season.
That’s exactly the type of efficiency that he will need to uphold in order to succeed at the base of the diamond formation.
Coquelin isn’t the only Gunner who will have more responsibility laid upon his shoulders. One of the biggest weaknesses of the diamond formation is the lack of width supplied by conventional wing players. Therefore it is essential for the team’s full-backs to get down the touchline and provide support in attack. But they also must have the speed to track back on defense and support the center-backs and defensive midfielder. If the full-backs get caught out of position that could open up huge chunks of space for the opposition which could be disastrous. Arsenal already play incredibly narrow though. As such the full-backs should already be accustomed to working hard at both ends.
Luckily Arsenal have a pair of speedy and athletic full-backs in the form of Hector Bellerin and Keiran Gibbs. These two players are pacey athletes who possess a great deal of attacking acumen. Although Gibbs has fallen from the starting XI, I still believe he has what it takes to be a top flight full-back. He simply needs the opportunity. Of course when Arsenal need to deploy a more solidified back four, Nacho Monreal and even Mathieu Debuchy could be called upon form the bench. But ideally the pace and athleticism of Gibbs and Bellerin would be most useful for this experiment.
Of course this formation could not be used constantly. What would be the point of introducing variety in the first place? But when you think about it deeply, Arsenal have the players to make the diamond system work. Even injured players like Jack Wilshere and Danny Welbeck can smoothly fit into this system. Actually, we’ve seen the best from Danny Welbeck when he plays alongside another striker on international duty. I can already imagine Jack Wilshere surging through the midfield alongside Ramsey, Carzola or even the Ox partnered next to him.
This is not a suggestion to completely scrap the 4-2-3-1 but it s an acknowledgement that there are options out there for the Gunners to change things ups. If opposing sides know exactly what to expect from us then isn’t it time we attacked in a new way? Without new signings Arsenal will have to seek internal solutions to their slow start to the season.
Next: Is Cazorla the next captain?