Arsenal Vs Brighton: Move the ball quickly

Arsenal will have to break down a disciplined Brighton defence on Sunday afternoon. To do so, they must move the ball quickly, with accuracy and tempo.

The Premier League returns to the fore on Sunday afternoon with a stereotypical top team vs. bottom team affair: Arsenal host relegation-threatened Brighton and Hove Albion in their final match at the Emirates of the season, needing a win to preserve their top-four hopes.

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It would be reasonable to expect this match to take the normal pattern: the lesser team sits deep, ceded possession and looks to counter against an exposed defence, while the onus is on the top team to break them down.

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Breaking down well-disciplined and industrious defences is part and parcel of a Premier League campaign for a top-six team. They have to do it whenever they face lesser sides in the division. And there is one key element that must be mastered when trying to do so: moving the ball at speed.

Unai Emery has spoken about the need for his team to play on the front foot and at a tempo. He uses the word ‘protagonist’, highlighting his desire for his players to be brave when playing passes, not always choosing the conservative option, playing balls that have pace and purpose to them.

And when Arsenal do play well, the one tell is the speed of their passing. The ball moves with a certain fizz when they are really beginning to feel it, and it is extremely difficult to defend against.

The two key players to playing in this manner are Granit Xhaka, the deepest-lying midfielder who is in the team because of his ball distribution, and Shkodran Mustafi, a centre-half whose passing is predominantly poor, often lumping aimless long passes up to the strikers with little accuracy or intention, and tends to take far too many touches, slowing down the play.

Xhaka has the capability to play in this manner. It is why he plays, after all. But his over-reliance on his left foot does slow down the speed at which he can release the ball, often taking one or two more touches than dual-footed passer would just to get the ball under his control before he releases a pass. That said, if he can pass with speed, Arsenal’s attacking players may begin to hum.

Mustafi, meanwhile, simply has to get out of the way. Play the ball simply, quickly, accurately. Do not always look for the glory pass, take fewer than two touches to control the ball, and even if it is an easy five or ten-yard pass, play it with purpose and pace.

Attacking play requires speed. Not necessarily the speed of players, though it helps, but the speed of the ball. That is what the Gunners must master on Sunday, chiefly Granit Xhaka and Shkodran Mustafi.