Arsenal: 4 tactical triumphs vs Tottenham

2. Understanding the Weak Tottenham Press

watching Sunday’s game could be forgiven for thinking that Jose Mourinho was still in charge of Tottenham. Their approach was negative and as per Santo this time, the press non-existent.

There are many ways to play an effective brand of football without pressing high. It isn’t essential. And Spurs’ plan was to set their usual midfield traps with the front three all trying to screen off passing lanes into Xhaka and Partey. The latter in particular.

How Arsenal countered this was enjoyable to watch.

With Kieran Tierney usually high in the final lane of attack, Arsenal occasionally switched their build-up structure to a 3-2-3-2 shape. With ball-playing centre-backs in Gabriel and White, Xhaka and Partey would squeeze together to open the lanes either side of them. It meant the central defenders had room to make passes as well as switches, as the wide men forced Dele Alli and Tanguy Ndombele to push out to follow. Alli especially was sucked in to Xhaka all throughout the first half.

Odegaard, meanwhile, found all the right spaces and received all the right passes.

Spurs were wonderfully atrocious, of course, but the build-up structure Arsenal had was fluid and interchangeable, making their lives difficult. Knowing White and Gabriel would get time on the ball, the way the midfield moved meant they could break the lines with ease.

Continued on next page…