Arsenal: 3 risks with modified 4-3-3 system

The season continues in exhilarating fashion with upsets and shock scorelines aplenty, all the while Arsenal have to sit back and watch on as Liverpool and Chelsea contest in the League Cup final.

But it’s a weekend left to savour, not sulk. Coming from behind to beat Wolves 2-1 at the Emirates on Thursday night was one of the more special evenings the stadium has had since its construction, with an atmosphere far exceeding any the noise levels seen in recent seasons.

Mikel Arteta has got his side playing a brand of football that is carving out chances galore, forcing the issue onto the opponent, and prompting greater levels of dominance across the 90 minutes.

No longer do Arsenal go full throttle for 20 minutes in each half, they now play their game from the first whistle to the last.

Arsenal: 3 risks with Mikel Arteta’s modified 4-3-3 formation that has Partey playing as a lone No. 6 with Xhaka and Odegaard as No. 8’s

Formations means less in modern football with individual roles more important than a pre-determined position, although Arsenal are fluctuating between systems throughout matches, more often than not resembling a 4-3-3 at present.

This system allows the team to be more balance going forward, with Thomas Partey less inclined to lean on a left-sided bias, while it also sees them to create 3v3 situations in wide areas and match their opponents numerically.

There are huge benefits to this change, those which have been transferred into results with Arsenal losing just one of their previous nine Premier League matches.

It isn’t without risks, though – like every formation, system or tactical approach – three of which stand out.

1. Defensive Responsibility on Wide Forwards

One of if not the primary reason for Arsenal fielding duel No. 8’s is with an emphasis on controlling and dominating matches more than they were previously. It’s working.

Having Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard forming trios with the wide players on either side in the half-spaces means Arsenal have bodies in the right area to retain possession and keep circulating the ball. They want to pin teams back, not let them get out and keep pounding down on them until the net, or their spirits, break.

The counter-attack is always on for the opposition, though.

There is no risk without reward and committing more players forward into these areas leaves the team more exposed, thus placing more defensive responsibility on the wide forwards to protect their full-backs if the ball is turned over.

Emile Smith Rowe is still developing this area of his game, but he like the others has to be on his bike to cover his defenders when the single pivot has to cut lanes in central areas. No two counter-attacks are the same but managing these defensive transitions is a crucial aspect of this shape, with reduced solidity centrally meaning lateral movements will leave gaping holes centrally.

The wide players have their work cut out.

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2. What if Thomas Partey Has an Off Day?

Pretty straightforward.

Right now, in this team, Arsenal’s two most irreplaceable ingredients are probably Benjamin White and Partey. There are other players in the squad who if unavailable in the lineup are huge misses, of course, but balanced with the rest of the team can at least be less impactful on the whole.

As for Partey, he’s doing what nobody else can do in that No. 6 role.

An outstanding reader of the game defensively, his role in managing transitions, breaking up play and getting back into his box to defend is just as important as what he does going the other way. This system places huge responsibility on him – that which he can handle – to pick up the forward passes to his No. 8’s, find the right people in dangerous spaces, and beat the press with jink and a jive.

It relies on him being consistent. He is the beating heart of the team when he has the play in front of him, and if he isn’t at his free-flowing best then it directly affects the overall performance.

Everyone knows the level that Partey can hit, that which he’s found numerous times this season, but consistency is not his closest ally. Dips in form have been commonplace, usually coinciding with the string of niggling injuries he’s had.

He needs to be on it, pretty much all of the time now. There is less of a midfield partner alongside him to shoulder any burden.

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3. Granit Xhaka’s Obvious Physical Limitations

Of course. It’s the most notable change of the entire tactical setup, one that by all accounts is least suited to Xhaka. Yet it’s working. Very well, too.

Against Wolves there were a couple of moments where the visitors exploited Xhaka’s well discussed physical limitations. Sometimes he looks like he’s running with cement in his boots, and in having a player of that mobility higher up the pitch you’re playing with fire.

But Arsenal’s shape with and without the ball is excellent. The least mobile player in the entire team is playing in position where agility and a degree of technical craft are highly desirable without it being costly.

However, the risk is always there.

Xhaka may have an unreal engine and never leave anything out on the pitch, but he is slow and teams will look to target the spaces he vacates more and more moving forward. Wolves did so with Daniel Podence cleverly dropping into those areas, particularly in the first half, and Arsenal had to rejig their system slightly.

It’s a credit to the coaching staff and players that this has new role for Xhaka has brought about almost solely positive points at this stage given how remarkably untailored he is to the position, but there is always that additional risk involved.