Arsenal: The time has come to revert back to the distraction

Arsene Wenger described Arsenal’s back-three experiment at the end of last season as a ‘distraction’. Well, now the time to re-implement it has come.

When Arsenal initially shifted to a back-three against Middlesbrough, and for the closing stages of last season during which there was a great uncertainty and doubt threatening to engulf the club, Arsene Wenger rejected the notion that it was purely a tactical change.

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Instead, while admitting that there were on-pitch ramifications that spurred on the alteration, Wenger described it as a distraction, something for the players to fully concentrate on, shading out all of the off-the-pitch controversies, from the questions regarding his own future to the increasingly vociferous criticism from the fans. Well, it may be time to return to the distraction.

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Wenger did continue to use the back-three-based-system to open this system, but it was clear that he did not like it. Whenever matches would not quite go his side’s way, he would swiftly revert to a back four. Wenger even admitted as much, stating that while he recognised the uses of the back three, he had always used the back four and preferred the balance that it provided his team.

More recently, though, Wenger has shifted increasingly to a back four. In fact, a back three has not been played since the 2-1 loss to Bournemouth on 14th January, and it has been seemingly dispensed from Wenger’s thinking. But, for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, I believe that it again should be considered.

While Arsenal are renowned for their midfield and attacking players, because of injuries, departures and competition regulations, Wenger does not actually have that many options to choose between. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is cup-tied, Danny Welbeck is short of form and fitness, and Alexandre Lacazette has just undergone knee surgery, and Aaron Ramsey faces an extremely late test to prove his availability. Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez all departed in the January transfer window, with only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang coming the other way.

But in a 3-4-3 shape, Wenger has the opportunity to shift Nacho Monreal into the wide centre-half role that he does so well in, field Sead Kolasinac at left wing-back, a position that adds some much-needed athleticism and power against Kyle Walker and Raheem Sterling, and push either Jack Wilshere, Alex Iwobi or Aaron Ramsey into the wide role of front three, opposite of Mesut Ozil, but providing them with the attacking freedom to roam and the defensive instruction to drift inside and clog up the centre of the pitch.

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It might not be the best system for Arsenal usually, and Wenger may have moved on from it since January and the personnel alterations that were made, but given the injuries, fitness concerns and key absences that he is having to juggle, as well as the opposition, this seems like the perfect chance to revert back to the distraction.