Arsenal: Four at the back must continue

In the last two matches, Unai Emery has shifted his Arsenal team into a back-four shape. It has worked because it is the best system. Now, it must continue.

After the shocking defeat to BATE Borisov ten days ago Unai Emery seems to have finally settled on a system with four defenders. And this is good news. Arsenal beat Southampton comfortably on Sunday using a back four. It was as comprehensive a performance as we have seen in months.

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While there are obvious benefits to the five at the back shapes, including manufactured width provided via the wing-backs and extra defensive cover thanks to the third centre-half, the negatives have outweighed the positives since the turn of the new year.

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With five at the back, Arsenal often struggle to dominate the midfield and leave the attacking players somewhat isolated and lacking support. It is intended to provide defensive stability and a license to roam for Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, but in effect it breeds conservatism, dull football and an over-reliance on Kolasinac — he created over half of the team’s total chances in the last match that wing-backs were utilised.

Against Southampton and BATE Borisov on Thursday, both games in which Emery switched to a back four, Arsenal were the pace-setters, enjoying around 60% possession and creating far more chances. Against West Ham United and Huddersfield Town earlier in 2019, where Emery player five defenders, they struggled to exert any sort of control and even had less than 50% possession against Huddersfield, who are bottom of the league.

As fans of a club managed by Arsene Wenger for 22 years, this was a pretty alien and unenjoyable experience. Emery, thankfully, seems to have learned his lessons from it. In both games last week, he featured just one striker and used a number 10 to help create chances and enhance the fluidity between midfield and attack.

While there are occasions when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette work well together, it also makes sense to rotate them against smaller teams when perhaps a creative midfielder would be more useful in trying to unpick a packed defence. Also, it should be remembered that, beyond Eddie Nketiah, they are Emery’s only striking options and have both had a significant workload all season.

It was also nice to Mesut Ozil put in another decent performance. He is a player that everyone knows has so much quality and this perhaps looks like the first sign in a while that his career in north London isn’t entirely shot. If he takes Emery’s advice, cuts out the absences and buys into his high-energy philosophy, he can be of enormous value to the squad going forward.

Finally, with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur on the horizon, I really hope Emery sticks with four at the back. When Arsenal beat Spurs, remember, it was the half-time change to a 3-5-2 and then 4-4-2 that won the match.

A back-four-based system has worked well recently for Emery and Arsenal. And there is a reason. It is the system that provides the most balance to the defence, control in the midfield, and creativity in attack. Long may it continue.