Arsenal Vs Ostersunds: 5 things we learned – Job done

3. Fluid midfield runs the show again

Officially, Arsenal were structured in their famed 4-2-3-1 shape with Mesut Ozil at the heart of the midfield in behind the central striker. In reality, it was not that at all.

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Although there were certainly periods in which Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi maintained their left-wing and right-wing starting positions, in practice, they were afforded the freedom to roam throughout the pitch. All three players, for example, touched the ball in central areas and both flanks evenly.

It was this fluid movement that Ostersunds struggled to contain. Mkhitaryan, for instance, made two assists in this game. One was a cross from just inside the penalty area on the right channel; one was a fizzed, low pass into Mesut Ozil from the sideline on the left flank.

There was a clear intention of Arsenal to be free-flowing and interchangeable behind the central striker. It is a style that I believe best suits the players in this squad. Shackling the likes of Ozil and Mkhitaryan seems a little illogical, unfair almost. You are asking them to do things that they do not do well. Why? Freeing them produces far better results. Let’s hope we see much more of this in the future.