Arsenal: The problem(s) with Unai Emery’s offside trap

Unai Emery has clearly instructed Arsenal’s defense to play a high defensive line/offside trap. But it may be ineffective with their current defense.

Unai Emery, Arsenal‘s new manager, has had a bit of a rough start to his first season at his new club. After back to back defeats, albeit against Manchester City and Chelsea, and a tough win over West Ham, his side has definitely looked like a team in transition.

They have been seen trying to play out from the back, trying to press aggressively, as well as playing a high defensive line/offside trap, all part of the new philosophy Emery is trying to instill in his team.

It is clear the players are still adjusting to the new style of play, but Emery’s insistence on playing a high defensive line is quite concerning. One clear problem is the slow center-back pairing of Shkodran Mustafi with Sokratis however-you-spell-his-last-name.

The two cannot get back in time in case the offside trap is beaten. This problem is very clear and has been talked about to death.

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Another problem, however, is how incredibly small the margin of error is with the offside trap. When under immediate pressure, the defensive line has to simultaneously step up. If even one defender (I’m looking at you, Hector Bellerin) keeps the opposing player onside, the offside trap is useless, or worse, a liability. It takes a whole defensive line to make the offside trap work, but it only takes one poorly positioned player to make it fail.

Another problem with playing the offside trap is the lack of defensive support. Granted, the club now has an actual defensive midfielder in Lucas Torreira. Still, he has not started any games yet. And until he does, we won’t know just how much his defensive support will make a difference.

Even so, Emery wants his fullbacks, namely Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin, to push high up on the pitch, contributing to the attack. This leaves only the center-backs and maybe the CDM to cover their own goal.

With this defense, considering it is constantly getting caught out of position, playing the offside trap, which requires so much coordination and concentration, it might be a recipe for disaster. When the offside trap works consistently, it is extremely frustrating for the opposing team. But the word, as it always is with Arsenal, is “consistently.”