Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny is making a strong case

Mohamed Elneny may not be catching headlines, but his unique skill set has been crucial to Arsenal’s recent performances.

Up to this point in his Arsenal career, Mohamed Elneny has primarily played the role of “the other guy”. He’s largely been the midfielder brought in during injury crises, or to give squad rotation during FA Cup or Europa League games. There’s no denying that when he gets his chances, his work rate is admirable, but his overall performances have been limited.

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That is, until the last two matches, when Arsenal have implemented a 4-3-3 with Elneny as the lone holding midfielder, a role that is perfectly suited to his mobility and stamina. The initial concern in such a setup was how disciplined he would be in his positioning. His prior outings revealed a tendency to overrun the play and leave gaps exposing the back line.

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But, having been charged with anchoring the midfield, Elneny has stuck to his task and provided the necessary cover for both the free-flowing midfield before him and the back line behind him. While each game has seen his role take a slightly different shape, which I’ll expand upon shortly, his mobility and versatility proved critical elements to his, and the team’s, performance. These qualities are quietly setting him apart in the new system.

With the departure of Francis Coquelin, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the Arsenal squad performing this job to such effect. Players like Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere would be wasted if they were forced to sit so deep, and Granit Xhaka doesn’t have the legs to provide the cover. What further separates Elneny as the man for the job, is what he did in the second half against Chelsea on Wednesday night.

During the first half of the Chelsea match, Arsenal set up just as they had against Crystal Palace. Here, Arsenal defended in a 4-1-4-1, with Elneny meant to screen the back four and clean up anything that slipped through the midfield. While this worked well against Palace, it was immediately clear that the quality of Chelsea’s front three were going to overrun a midfield of one.

A second-half tactical adjustment saw Arsenal defend in a 5-4-1, similar to what they did in the first leg against Chelsea. But what was novel about this approach, was that Elneny dropped off between Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny to play as a center back. It was an approach that worked to great effect, shutting up shop for the half, and denying Chelsea many clear opportunities.

With Elneny providing security and even more pace along an already quick back line, all three center backs were free to step into the midfield and get tight on Eden Hazard, Pedro, Ross Barkley, or Michy Batshuayi when the occasion called for it. Additionally, it allowed Nacho Monreal to pick up Victor Moses, freeing Alex Iwobi, who had been assigned to Moses in the first half, to play further upfield.

The second half tactics provided a harmony of all the best parts of Arsenal’s 4-3-3 in attack and their 3-4-3 in defense. Much of the conversation this season has been around which system is better, and Wednesday night, the answer was neither and both. But again, we must recognize the importance of Elneny’s versatility in such a system.

I’m not suggesting Elneny has gone from “the other guy” to standout performer overnight. However, I think he’s currently providing the proper balance in a promising system, that would be hard to replicate with other available personnel. His recent performances warrant recognition, and with the squad returning to health, should provide Arsene Wenger with a “good problem” regarding team selection.

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As a supporter, all you should ask of a player is to take their chances when they come. I believe Elneny is doing just that.

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