Arsenal vs Brentford: 3 key tactical areas to exploit

Arsenal are finally back in action after yet another lengthy wait between matches as they host Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

With January now in the past it’s time to only look forward. That five-game winless run was anything but reassuring even when factoring in the selection difficulties, so to kick February off with a massive three points against Wolves was richly welcome.

That was part one of a three-game shootout in February, one that concludes with Bruno Lage’s side heading to the Emirates Stadium, and features Thomas Frank’s Brentford in between.

Having succumbed to a crushing defeat on the opening day of the season, it is time for Arsenal to right some wrongs when they host the Premier League strugglers on the weekend.

Arsenal vs Brentford: 3 key tactical areas to exploit when Thomas Frank and Mikel Arteta go head to head in the Premier League

And struggling they are.

Their recent draw 0-0 home draw with Crystal Palace was their first clean sheet since November, and ensured they’ve claimed maximum points from just one of their previous eight league encounters. Despite some early promise it has been a tough debut season in the top-flight for the west Londoners.

Even with concerns over Takehiro Tomiyasu and the absence of Gabriel Martinelli this is a fixture that Arsenal will be viewing as nothing other than three points.

When two teams are battling at opposite ends of the table it generally implies that the side near the top just needs to play their own game to a high enough standard to claim the win. Arsenal have better players and are at home, so just be better.

That discounts the tactical aspect of matters and this Brentford team has weaknesses that are there to be exploited by Mikel Arteta and co, those that if nailed should see them cruise to victory.

1. Pontus Jansson & Kristoffer Ajer Lack Mobility

Two towering central defenders with two similarly sluggish turning circles.

Setting up in a 3-5-2 shape, the strength of the Brentford back three is in their physical dominance and height, supplemented by the wide cover received from both pairs of wing-backs. In their defensive block they tuck in to form a five and limit spaces in between all of the defenders. That compactness should, in theory, frustrate their opponents, but the Bees have still managed to leak goals this season: 40 in 25 matches.

Where opposition sides have joy is in dragging the pairing of Kristoffer Ajer and Pontus Jansson out of position. Interchanging across the forward line, usually with a wide player and the centre-forward, forces the Scandinavian duo to be drawn out of position and vacate spaces in central zones.

Confusing these two, even if only briefly, opens gaps. Therefore constant movement across the front line, including Alexandre Lacazette pulling one of them out of position is a key tool the team need to utilise to carve open presentable opportunities.

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2. Brentford’s Wastefulness in the Final Third

There is a serious lack of cutting edge in this Brentford team, with the exclusion of the opening day of the season, of course.

Toney drops so deep that his influence is most often found threading passes through onto his fellow forwards, Yoane Wissa has popped up with some clutch moments but hasn’t found consistency, while Bryan Mbeumo’s finishing often leaves a lot to be desired.

Not just wasteful with their chances, the Bees are also lacking that final bit of quality to set up the ideal chance. It’s hoped that Christian Eriksen can address that, but he will need time to help solve their dreadful passing accuracy of just 61% in the opposition half. As per Orbinho, that’s the lowest in the division since Cardiff’s 58% in 2018/19.

Whether it be the final pass or a touch of invention in key moments, their progressive attacking play is among the bluntest in the division. They like to vary their game and also seek men in behind vertically, but when they do get men forward they can be susceptible to the transitions.

Interestingly, only Leeds have conceded more goals from counter-attacks (5) than Brentford (4), while no team has scored more goals in such fashion this season than Arsenal (5).

There is some ambiguity on what is considered as a counter-attack as different sources have different classifications, but it is clear that Brentford’s lack of pace centrally and in defence is a weakness when they transition into defence, while Arsenal have outstanding counter-attacking talent in Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.

A winning combination? Perhaps.

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3. Reliance on Ivan Toney’s Aerial Ability

Brentford are a side that like to build their attacks from the back. Boasting a goalkeeper in David Raya who is excellent with the ball at his feet (rather frequent mistakes aside) helps them do so and it’s little wonder why Arsenal were keen to bring the Spaniard in to the club prior to signing Aaron Ramsdale.

When they don’t have the avenues to progress the play through the thirds they instead aim for the head of one Ivan Toney. Watching the Bees try and replicate this miserably with Mbeumo and Wissa against Palace further highlighted their reliance on the 25-year-old.

Despite standing at under 5’9″, Toney is a monster in the air. He’s got the better of almost every central defender in the division this season, including Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip, who he dominated when the Bees drew 3-3 at home to Liverpool.

If Arsenal do seek to press in the way they do, which is more focussed on cutting passing lanes and blocking options as opposed to being aggressive in pressing the ball, then they have to be wary of the threat that Toney provides. The way he uses his body and times his jumps is quite unique and his height is merely a decoy for the aerial ability he possesses.

The ideal route to take would be to have Tomiyasu drift in from right-back and man mark him – which isn’t going to happen for a multitude of reasons – so instead it will come down to individual performance and defensive structure. Even if the header isn’t won Arsenal need to get bodies around Toney in the right areas to pick up second balls and take advantage of Brentford’s positioning in that phase.

Not only can the Gunners cut off the main supply for their visitors, it can also be used to their advantage when they have men committed forward.