Arsenal: Time for Unai Emery to screw the back three

Arsenal have struggled in multiple encounters when Unai Emery has employed the 3-4-3 system. It is time for him to change the system… again.

Arsenal produced one of the most mediocre performances of the Unai Emery era as they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of BATE Borisov on Thursday night. The team lacked the necessary grit and commitment to win on a cold night, on a dodgy pitch, away from home. The performances of individual players looked far from satisfactory as Arsenal’s road to Champions League qualification hit a new block.

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Emery again went with the three-at-the-back formation to prosper creativity from the flanks with Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland Niles playing as wing-backs. Other than the opening stanzas of play, it didn’t really work.

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There was no creativity from the midfield and the front three failed to carve out the Borisov defence with space to work in extremely tight. Apart from the first 10 minutes, Arsenal never really looked dangerous. They paid a heavy price for it. This leads to a conclusion that there are some major issues that need to be rectified as quickly as possible, some of which, I believe, can be solved by ridding of the back three.

The back-three system is constantly killing Arsenal’s creativity through the middle because all they do is depend on their full-backs to create and deliver something from the flanks. Maitland Niles is not even a proper full-back, and so all the burden falls on the shoulders of Kolasinac. The Bosnian created seven of the 11 total chances.

Moreover, other than Nacho Monreal, the centre-backs clearly aren’t comfortable playing in a back three, which can be seen from open spaces they leave constantly, both in possession, when they are unwilling to step up and use the ball productively, and also without it, with the Gunners still very vulnerable against counter-attacks.

The inability of creating through the middle proved to be the killer blow for Arsenal on Thursday. The Borisov Defense managed to block down the flanks and win the tactical battle. The frustration also caught up on the players with Alexandre Lacazette receiving a straight red ruling him out of the second leg at the Emirates next week.

Emery needs the scrap this idea of a back three and go back to the formation which was at the heart of the 22-game unbeaten run, the 4-2-3-1. He should bring back that attacking midfield position and let the play prosper through the middle, instead of creating attacks from the sides always. This will also make the defensive organisation more compact with that extra central midfielder and more natural full-backs. Moreover, this is a natural system that Emery likes to play because of the high defensive line and suffocating press. So why not go back to the basics and try keep things as simple as possible?

It will be worth seeing how Emery sets up the team next week. Will he see the problems that currently preside and make the necessary changes or will he persevere with a lacking system? I hope that change is in the winds.