Arsenal vs Brentford: 4 tactical improvements needed

2. Allow Ben White to Switch the Play

Having someone who can drive out of the his own penalty box up until the halfway line was one of the key reasons behind Arsenal pursuing Ben White so heavily this window.

Those carries and zipped passes along the turf can move Arsenal from phase one into phase three with pace. They aid in recycling the ball with greater tempo and reduce predictability in trying to get the ball into the final third.

Arsenal are so painfully slow at doing this.

But beyond that, the need to isolate defenders in a back three system becomes paramount. Operating as the right sided centre-back, creating overloads on that side of the pitch becomes a crucial component in opening the gaps for Tierney or whomever plays at left-winger to make the out to in runs.

It’s no new formula to exposing spaces against a three/five-man defence. This has been adopted on numerous occasions before. However, Arsenal do so in phase two and three, by which stage the opposition are in shape and given time to lace their boots. So often the horseshoe passing patterns with Xhaka in the centre dragged on without any penetration.

Having a central defender who can hit those diagonals, or at least find the feet of the forward players who can shift the ball on economically, is a valuable asset.