Arsenal: Full back problem is not the full backs

The advanced positions of Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal were exposed by West Ham United against Arsenal on Saturday. But the full back problem is not actually a full back problem. It’s a midfield problem.

There was a major problem in Arsenal’s 3-1 win over West Ham United. Unai Emery spoke about it after the match, fans discussed it at half-time, such was the depth of the deficiencies in the first half, and Henry and I delved into it on this week’s podcast, which you can find here.

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I am referring to the defensive balance and positioning of the collective team, both in and out of possession. In fact, while there were some issues when West Ham had clear possession of the ball and Arsenal sat deeper in their own half, I would argue that the majority of their problems actually came from turnovers and transitions.

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At the heart of this is the positions of the two full backs, Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin. Consistently, West Ham were able to exploit the wide spaces down either flank because of the advanced positions of both full backs, especially Bellerin. Michail Antonio and Felipe Anderson were the Hammers’ most prominent threats for much of the match and their pace and movement in behind the high line of Arsenal with Bellerin and Monreal up the field caused the Gunners great strife.

In his press conference after the win, Emery touched on the positions of both Monreal and Bellerin:

"“It is clear today that maybe in the first half we wanted to use the right back and left back in the attacking moments and we needed the balance with the midfielders. In the first half, we conceded a lot of options. But in this balance, the first goal is in one action with Hector, finished by Nacho. And another option we didn’t do this attack with the fluidity and the balance for the transition.”"

The difficulties that West Ham caused in these areas, however, may not actually be because of the full backs. I should preface this point by stating that I do not know what Emery is asking, tactically, of his players, and it could well be that he wants a deeper positioned full back when the opposite player goes forward. But based on the above comments, I am not so sure that that is the case. I actually think that Emery wants both his full backs high up the pitch providing width in attacking areas.

And that doesn’t have to be an issue. You see, the full-back problem that West Ham exploited is actually a midfield problem. Take Spurs as an example. Mauricio Pochettino also asks his full backs to provide the width in the final third, pushing them extremely high up the pitch to deliver crosses into the box and work the wide channels. But he also ensures that the midfield is providing protection against the counter-attack.

Rarely does Pochettino play without two from Moussa Dembele, Eric Dier and Victory Wanyama, all of which are deep-lying, sitting midfielders with excellent athleticism to cover the vast spaces vacated by the full backs and have a good defensive acumen, meaning that they can read the game well and anticipate danger early. Arsenal do not have those type of players.

Granit Xhaka is a ball-playing midfielder who would much rather push a little higher up the pitch and begin instigating attacks with his passing. Matteo Guendouzi is still young and a little rash and was routinely caught between pressing and dropping off on Saturday. Only Lucas Torreira brings the defensive instincts that this midfield requires if the full backs are to be as adventurous as they were at the weekend.

dark. Next. Arsenal Vs West Ham United: 5 things we learned

So yes, Arsenal did have a full-back problem on Saturday. And yes, West Ham exploited it to great effect and should have scored more than the one they did as a result of their work. But the issues don’t stem from the full backs themselves. It all starts and ends with the midfield. It might just be time for Torreira to start…

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