Arsenal Vs Spurs: Here’s how Arsene Wenger got it wrong

Arsenal were dismantled by Spurs in a humiliating fashion on Saturday lunchtime, and much of the blame should be shouldered by Arsene Wenger. He got his tactics wrong. Here’s how.

When Arsenal welcomed Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates earlier in the season, they put together one of their best performances of the year. Energetic, dynamic, pressing. They were on the front-foot, they forced Spurs into error, and they dominated the game. There was none of that on Saturday.

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Instead, Arsene Wenger implemented a very different approach indeed. The defensive line was extremely deep, possession was relinquished, and the counter-attack was the primary source of attacking threat. It did not work. What such a strategy did was accentuate Arsenal’s weaknesses, restrict their strengths, and play into Spurs’ hands entirely.

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First and foremost, it requires a great defensive effort, especially mentally. Because the opposition has a lot of the ball, concentration is an absolute must. Any slight positional error or mental mistake could be punished at any time in the match. This is something that Arsenal have never been good at, both from an individual, personnel perspective and a tactical, collective aspect given that they rarely play in such a style or practice it in training.

Moreover, the pattern of the match that it invites does not suit the team, and it allows Spurs to play their natural game. Even when Spurs do lose the ball, it is often done so in high areas of the pitch. That means that they can immediately press their opponents to try and recover possession quickly. Even if they don’t win back the ball, they do force a long, wayward and often inaccurate pass forward that is more of a clearance than accurate distribution.

That is the type of defending that the Gunners struggle greatly against. Granit Xhaka, Shkodran Mustafi, Hector Bellerin, Mohamed Elneny. None are especially comfortable on the ball when under pressure, unable to wriggle away into space, lacking the requisite composure and quality to play precise passes forwards.

Had, for example, Wenger played with a greater bravery, installing a higher defensive line, demanding that his players press high up the pitch, then not only would his team be far more effective from a defensive point of view, but they would also have the chance to recover possession in advanced zones and initiate attacks with a greater footing in the game.

The likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while having the ability to play on the counter-attack, all flourish in a team that is on the front-foot, is aggressive in its natural approach, and attacking in its philosophy.

Next: Arsenal Vs Spurs: 5 things we learned

Admittedly, pragmatism is something that Wenger is often criticised for lacking, especially away from home. But here, it did not make sense, not with the players available or the opposition he faced. Wenger got it wrong; his team lost as a result.