Mikel Arteta has made a significant tactical change this season, and it has worked wonders for Arsenal.
The Gunners sit top of the Premier League table after seven matches, winning five and losing just once, while conceding just three goals in the process.
Ally McCoist now believes Arsenal will win the title, and several more pundits have also expressed their opinion that the North Londoners are the favourites in recent weeks.
If Arteta’s side keep playing in the way that they have so far, then they stand every chance of finally winning the piece of silverware that has eluded them for so long.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesMikel Arteta’s key tactical change this season
Arsenal were criticised frequently for the way they attacked last season.
The Gunners were labelled laborious and sterile at times, as they’d regularly dominate possession and territory, but lack penetration in the final third.
While they’d find it easy to get into the opposition’s defensive third and stay there for long periods, they wouldn’t be able to convert that into fluid football that created chances.
Arteta has clearly sought to rectify this issue. Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres in the summer and have used the Swedish striker’s skillset as an excuse to try to change their style of play.
To create space and room for their forwards to operate in high up the pitch, they’ve stopped camping inside the opposition’s final third as relentlessly as they did.
Instead of suffocating the opposition high up the pitch, Arsenal have sought to draw the opponents towards them as they build up.
This involves the centre-backs passing between them, as they look for the opponent to press them, before playing around this press, creating space further up the pitch, which suits Gyokeres.
Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi interchange positions, which allows this to work and suits both players individually.
This tactical change is clearly reflected in the stats. Last season, Arsenal averaged 205.5 touches in the final third, compared to 180.1 this campaign.
However, the Gunners have equally as many touches in the opposition’s box in both seasons. They’re trying to keep possession deeper to, in turn, create more space further up the pitch, and it’s working.
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty ImagesIs this tactical change sustainable for Arsenal?
When teams don’t engage and don’t press Arsenal, then periods of games materialise where the Gunners simply keep possession and do very little.
This happened in both the West Ham and Olympiacos games, where there were large stretches in the second half with very minimal action.
In these specific matches, Arsenal already had the lead and there was very little chance of the opposition pegging them back.
However, if the Gunners don’t have the lead, then they could struggle to find it, as their new style relies on the opposition engaging.
Nevertheless, Arteta will also have solutions and the early signs are very encouraging.