How Leandro Trossard has helped Arsenal rediscover their attacking fluidity

Leandro Trossard had a massive, three-assist performance against Fulham last weekend. The Belgian has hit the ground running at Arsenal, immediately making an impact and fitting in brilliantly with the squad since his January transfer.

Leandro Trossard: Arsenal’s £27m investment into the title charge

The output from the attacker has been excellent, but he has improved this team in many ways in their quest for the title – the biggest being the fluidity of the attack. Since Eddie Nketiah’s injury, Trossard has stepped up and taken that space as a striker in the team. Despite playing the same position on paper, Arsenal’s dynamics were much more reminiscent of their pre-World Cup attack that featured Gabriel Jesus.

While Nketiah typically occupied the central space and rarely drifted wide, Trossard has operated as a do-it-all false nine; one that seeks to overload the opposition’s midfield by dropping between the lines and frequently rotates with Gabriel Martinelli down the left.

The efficacy of Arsenal’s attacking rotations featuring Trossard manifested at Craven Cottage as two of Trossard’s assists came when he drifted out to the left flank, while Martinelli scored the Gunners’ second from a central position.

This fluidity doesn’t exclude Bukayo Saka either, with all of Arsenal’s attacking line popping up in dangerous areas. This dynamic movement by Arsenal made the Fulham defence’s job much harder.

Nketiah often impressed in Jesus’ absence, but the two are very different players. Last season we saw more of this rotation and movement from Nketiah, but recently he has been more inclined to stay within the width of the six-yard box. Trossard has brought a different element that is closer to Jesus, and with the Brazilian returning to action following a lengthy injury layoff, healthy competition in the forward line has re-emerged.

Low blocks have given Arsenal trouble a few times since the World Cup, with matches against Newcastle and Everton resulting in dropped points. However, the utilisation of Trossard in a central position has proven to be the requisite solution to the aforementioned issue. The Belgian has helped reignite the Gunners’ title charge.