Watford vs Arsenal: 3 tactical areas to exploit for Arteta

3. Close Down Wide Areas To Close Down Watford

The bottom line is that Watford are a poor side. Whoever sits in the dugout can only do so much with what he has at his disposal.

Their scattergun approach to transfers sees them bring in players from all over the continent, often cherry picking from the Pozzo family’s other club, Udinese, to create a squad that is unsettled and unbalanced.

But despite that, they do have quality in attack.

Two players in particular stand out: Ismaila Sarr and Emmanuel Dennis. The Senegal and Nigerian internationals respectively are the undoubted threats in the team, both boasting blistering pace on the counter-attack and capable of beating their men down the flanks.

That is where the threat is, and Watford know it, so Sarr being ruled out with injury comes as a huge bonus. No other side in the Premier League this season attacks as little down the central third than the Hornets. Only 22% of their attacks are aimed through that zone, primarily down to the lack of creative quality in their midfield.

Dennis tends to line up at centre-forward but does a lot of his best work starting out in wide areas, while Sarr’s likely replacement, Josh King, is a pace merchant who Arsenal will still need to keep an eye on.

The aforementioned 4-3-3 shape needs to be forced into a 4-5-1 shape to pin the wingers back, and as soon as (if) the first goal goes in for Arsenal, the gaps it will open up in wide areas should be easy to pick off.

If Arsenal keep Watford’s wide areas closed down, they will keep Watford closed down.