Pain in the Arsenal
Fansided

Arsenal Vs Vitoria SC: 5 things we learned – Absolute shambles

By Andrew Dowdeswell

GUIMARAES, PORTUGAL - NOVEMBER 06: Unai Emery, Manager of Arsenal gives his team instructions during the UEFA Europa League group F match between Vitoria Guimaraes and Arsenal FC at Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on November 06, 2019 in Guimaraes, Portugal. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
GUIMARAES, PORTUGAL - NOVEMBER 06: Unai Emery, Manager of Arsenal gives his team instructions during the UEFA Europa League group F match between Vitoria Guimaraes and Arsenal FC at Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on November 06, 2019 in Guimaraes, Portugal. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
GUIMARAES, PORTUGAL – NOVEMBER 06: Joe Willock of Arsenal battles for possession with Davidson of Vitoria Guimaraes during the UEFA Europa League group F match between Vitoria Guimaraes and Arsenal FC at Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on November 06, 2019 in Guimaraes, Portugal. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
GUIMARAES, PORTUGAL – NOVEMBER 06: Joe Willock of Arsenal battles for possession with Davidson of Vitoria Guimaraes during the UEFA Europa League group F match between Vitoria Guimaraes and Arsenal FC at Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on November 06, 2019 in Guimaraes, Portugal. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images) /

4. What do you expect Willock, Ceballos to do?

Drop deep. Receive the ball from a centre-back. Turn. See four or five opposition players between you and the nearest advanced teammate. Turn back. Pass the ball to the next centre-half. Rinse and repeat. This was Arsenal’s plan in possession. Predictably, it did not work.

Unai Emery implemented a 3-4-3 shape for the first time this season. The system features only two central midfielders, in this case, Joe Willock and Dani Ceballos. They were outnumbered, had very few options whenever they did get the ball, started to drop deeper and deeper, which then tipped the system out of balance, leaving just one central midfielder to progress play, and they combined for more passes in the defensive third than they did the final third in the first half.

But while neither Willock or Ceballos played especially well, I am not sure what more can be expected of them given the situation they were in. What do you actually believe they are capable of when thrust into such a stagnant, stalling system that is being executed in the completely wrong manner? Willock and Ceballos did not play well, but they are not the ones to blame.