Arsenal’s big worry: Have they been found out tactically?

Despite an improvement in the second half, Arsenal were comfortably beaten by Crystal Palace on Monday. Any 3-0 scoreline, despite the chances the Gunners had, tells the story.

The entire technical level of the team dropped well below the standards set for most of 2022. Passes were going astray with frightening regularity and key players lost all effectiveness on the ball.

As is normally the case for a team of Arsenal’s stature, the finger is pointed at them in these moments. The narrative tends to lean on one side underperforming over the so-called ‘lesser side’ performing well.

Arsenal were sussed out at Selhurst Park. A team that has shown marked improvements over the course of the season had their system, shape and strengths mitigated. Patrick Vieira clearly does his tactical homework as seen with the Eagles’ impressive results against stronger sides in the division, and none were clearer than against Arsenal. Will others follow suit?

Arsenal’s big worry is whether they been found out tactically as Patrick Vieira’s gameplan and Crystal Palace’s execution was superb

Ian Wright expressed concerns of how his former side would fare back in March, much of which rang true on Monday.

"He told CBS Sports’ Que Golazo podcast: “The only thing that worries me is if those guys [the inside forwards] stop scoring where’s the goals coming from?“People are going to soon identify that if we can stop the runners, stop Saka and Smith Rowe coming inside then [Arsenal are] going to have a problem because they haven’t got many goals from other places.”"

Conor Gallagher’s role was crucial in carrying out this gameplan. He pressed Thomas Partey relentlessly in midfield with disrespectful energy levels, either closing him down or blocking off the passing lanes where Partey could feed the Gunners’ inside forwards.

Without goalscoring threat from the centre-forward the approach nullifies Arsenal’s super power. It is worth mentioning that Partey did have space and got himself into positions to make these passes only to fluff his lines on numerous occasions, but the pressure exerted on him succeeded in rattling him and reducing their frequency.

Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe got on the ball, with the former picking up positions where he was forced infield, yet this is precisely where Palace wanted him. Congesting those areas with a five-man midfield that had Schlupp and Kouyate limiting spaces between the lines cut of all threat, that which wasn’t helped by Martin Odegaard dropping his own stinker of a performance.

Their tactical plan worked a treat. They got themselves two goals up with Gallagher leading the press and causing unrest while the wide players physically dominated their sides, and then it was a case of sinking deeper and protecting the lead.

Simply knowing what the opposition will do doesn’t ensure success. There are other variables to consider, like 95% of the Arsenal team being dreadful on the day, the opposition taking their chances when they come, everyone performing to an excellent standard, and getting the crowd on your side.

Liverpool have a defined style of play but there is next to no way of stopping them due to the elite execution of their plan and the calibre of players they have to perform those roles. Arsenal quite aren’t there.

It’s happened already this season where Arteta has danced between shapes and systems, watched them work for a while and then moved onto the next plan. This we see now is here to stay and getting the players as comfortable as they can be and prepared to have teams dissect their approach is the next step. Solving the issue of teams mitigating Arsenal’s strengths requires in-game tactical intelligence and, more simply, further practice of the principles.

But this is twice now that Vieira has deciphered the method and formulated his own gameplan to suit. While it’s just one game of late where they’ve been picked apart tactically and hurt as a result, Arsenal need to be prepared for more such approaches, even if the quality of the Gunners’ individuals means it’s far easier said than done.