Arsenal: Sead Kolasinac provided exactly what was required

Sead Kolasinac recorded a goal and an assist in a dominant performance at left wing-back. He provided Arsenal with exactly what was required against a stubborn and disciplined deep-lying Swansea defence: An attacking threat out wide.

As Arsenal prepared to face Swansea City ahead of the Saturday afternoon kick-off, it was clear what type of game it would be. Given Paul Clement’s more pragmatic approach this season, which has seen his side enjoy defensive success, it would have been surprising to see the Welsh side do anything other than to sit deep and soak up the oncoming pressure.

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That was indeed what happened. Against such a tactic, space is limited and time is short. The attacking play to penetrate a disciplined and organised defence has to be extremely tight and accurate. That is not easy.

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As a result, width is key. The opposing defence will attempt to defend the width of the penalty area. By having a threat in wide areas, it stretches the size of the pitch that must be defended, resultantly, opening up spaces in central areas. Moreover, it is, for the most part, only possible to get in behind a deep-lying defence down the two flanks. There is not enough room to work centrally, so the two flanks must be utilised instead.

For Arsenal, in the 3-4-3 system that Arsene Wenger has employed since the closing stages of last season, that wide threat must come from the two wing-backs bombing forwards. Thankfully, in the second half at least, it came thanks to the powerhouse that is Sead Kolasinac.

Kolasinac was incessantly bombing forwards from the wing-back position down the left flank, collecting long-range switch of plays from Granit Xhaka, and linking up well with Alexis Sanchez, who was given the freedom to drift inside because of Kolasinac’s wide threat.

He scored the opening goal with a thumping strike, lashing home the loose ball after it squirmed away from Mesut Ozil inside the penalty area, and then brilliantly supplied Aaron Ramsey for the second goal with a precise cut back after bringing down Xhaka’s raking pass from deep.

But more than the goal and the assist, Kolasinac was a relentless thorn in the Swansea side. He was always looking to get to the byline and deliver an accurate cross, he stretched the pitch as wide as possible, standing on the touchline whenever the ball was in central areas, and defended stoutly when needed.

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Against a resilient and disciplined team like Swansea, Arsenal required an attacking threat in wide areas. It has been something that they have struggled to find many times before. But on Saturday, in the second-half particularly, it came in healthy supply, namely, through Kolasinac. He provided exactly what was needed.