Arsenal Vs Spurs: Why a back three is not terrible

On Sunday, Arsenal host Spurs in the first North London Derby of the season. Unai Emery might be tempted to play three at the back, and it isn’t actually the worst idea in the world. Here is why.

Last season, Arsenal head coach Unai Emery was extremely flexible in his tactical approach. Most broadly, he flipped between a back four and a back three throughout the year, but even within those wide-ranging systems, he used a vast array of subsets, some more successful than others.

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This year, it is expected that the Gunners will more consistently stick to a back-four-based approach. Emery has publicly stated that he prefers the back four and there is a growing demand for an identity to be defined now that he is in his second season and has his own players in house. Nevertheless, there are some matches where being tactically adaptable is crucial, and Sunday’s North London Derby might be one of them.

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With Nacho Monreal departing on Saturday morning and Kieran Tierney still out injured, Emery has only one senior left-back to select. But Sead Kolasinac is not really a left-back. Yes, he grew up as a full-back and has played the majority of his career there, but his skill set is much better suited to a wing-back role, his offensive production unique thanks to this size-speed combination as he hurtles towards the goal line one more time.

As a result, Emery may veer towards a back three on Sunday, using Kolasinac in his more natural left wing-back role. That would likely see Calum Chambers introduced on the right side of three centre-halves, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles, another player who is more comfortable in attack than defence, pushed in front of him.

The back three has been criticised in the past by Arsenal fans, but Emery did make it work at times last season. And I think it could work again against Spurs, should he select it. There are the obvious benefits of alleviating the defensive responsibility of both Kolasinac and Maitland-Niles, who can be suspect, as well as adding a third centre-half to help shackle the best striker in the Premier League. But there are other benefits too.

Perhaps the most advantageous aspect of a back-three-based system is the freedom that is afforded to the attacking players, especially the wingers if using a 3-4-3. Because the wing-backs provide offensive production and defensive protection down either flank, the wingers are released from their usual responsibilities, consequently given a license to roam — Antonio Conte used this to his advantage with Eden Hazard in Chelsea’s title-winning season.

Arsenal’s strength is their front three, who are yet to start a match together. By playing a 3-4-3, Emery could release Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, unleashing a fluid and prolific attack that could cause Spurs serious problems, especially on the break. In the 4-3-3, the wingers have to track the opposing full-backs and stay wide in attacking phases. But in the 3-4-3, that is not as frequently the case, and it could serve Aubameyang and Pepe beautifully.

Whether Emery chooses this route or not remains to be seen. I still think he may trust Kolasinac in a back four. But if he does switch to a back three, it would not necessarily be the worst idea in the world, despite what its critics would have you believe.