Arsenal vs Brentford: 4 tactical improvements needed

3. Find the Forwards in the Right Spaces

Why do Arsenal not score enough goals? Is it because there aren’t enough goals in midfield? Is it because Thomas Partey can’t hit a barn door with a banjo?

It boils down to chance creation.

Nobody cares who scores so long as the goals arrive. In Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe there are goals. Throw in Saka and Smith Rowe who, despite an unwillingness to heap pressure on them, need to start finding the back of the net more frequently. There is confidence in them to do so. They’ve got all the tools.

Pepe won’t be creating chances – he statistically ranks among the lowest in the group – so him picking up the ball on the touchline or anywhere other than in and around the penalty box does nothing for him nor Arsenal. He has to be found in the right zones, just as the rest.

It comes down to balance and combination. So long as there is a symmetry of penalty box arrivals, athleticism, runs in behind, off-ball movement, take-ons and connectivity, the players on the pitch will be in the right spaces to have shots and create chances.

The right personnel is key; without a stable forward line that doesn’t lean more towards one profile the use of space is nullified. Without that, Arsenal are left with players treading on each other’s toes in areas that don’t trouble the opposition.