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Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 yesterday to move into 3rd position in the EPL. They now have 30 points from 14 matches and are 8 points behind league leaders Manchester City. Arsenal was especially dominant in the second half of the match yesterday and their win was even more impressive given the fact that Spurs had beaten Chelsea and Inter Milan in their two previous matches.
Arsenal lost their first 2 matches against City and Chelsea, but since then it has been a very good run for them. They drew with Liverpool in November and have won 10 of the other 11 matches. Unai Emery, who has replaced Arsene Wenger at the Emirates, has done a good job so far and should be hopeful of a top 3 finish in the league.
We would now take a look at 3 factors which might enable Arsenal to be genuine challengers for the title itself:
#3. Playing with a flexible formation
Arsenal started with a 3 man defence against Spurs to counter the high press and counter-attacking runs of their forwards. However, later on in the second half, they shifted to back 4 as Mustafi got injured and had to be taken off. They have mostly played with a back 4 this season, but Sunday’s 3-4-3 with Iwobi, Aubemyang and Mkhitaryan upfront seemed to work for them.
However, it seemed to be more effective in the second half as Mkhitaryan and Iwobi were replaced by Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette, respectively. Arsenal also has a very flexible midfield as players like Lucas Torriera, Guendouzi and Granite Xhaka can play both as a central midfielder and a defensive midfielder.
Therefore, Arsenal’s usual 4-2-3-1 formation with Torriera and Xhaka as double pivots work fine. Torriera has been superb this season for the Gunners and one of their better signings in recent times. He can play box-to-box and has enviable ball skills and work rate.
Arsenal also has Mkhitaryan, Ramsey and Mesut Ozil to choose from for the central attacking midfielder’s role and all of them are very skilful players. Emery, therefore, can afford to be flexible while choosing his starting formation and alter it according to the playing style of his opponent. This makes Arsenal a formidable proposition for any team they play against.
#2. Excellent work rate of the forwards
Each of Aubemyang, Lacazette, Iwobi and Ramsey has an excellent work rate and are very hard working players. Aubemyang has adjusted very well to the demands of the Premier League after initial hiccups in the matches against Chelsea and City.
He literally touches every blade of the grass in and around the opposition penalty box and constantly switches to the flanks. He also delivers crosses to the box from the flanks and those qualities make him a complete attacking player. He has already scored 12 goals in 18 matches this season and his brace against Tottenham proved his worth yet again.
The same goes for Lacazette, who has scored 7 goals in 16 matches this season and continues to be one of the key players for Arsenal. He is faster and more direct than Aubemyang and can quickly take a shot at the opposition goal from the edge of the penalty box.
He also cuts in from the flanks at times and can be very difficult to mark with his speed and strength. Ramsey and Iwobi can regularly fall back to win possession in the midfield and then deliver crucial passes to the other forwards.
One such move initiated by Iwobi led to the equalizer against Liverpool and Ramsey inspired the 3rd goal against Tottenham with one of his interceptions.
#3. Fullbacks providing necessary width and centre-backs lending solidity
Arsenal has one of the best right-backs in the world in the shape of Hector Bellerin, who is tireless with his overlapping runs. He also combines very well with the likes of Lacazette and Aubemyang and keeps playing passes or crosses from the flanks.
Bellerin is into his 7th season with the Gunners and has played in 175 matches for them. His flamboyant style suits Arsenal’s fluid and slick game very well.
Arsenal’s left back Sead Kolasinac has been a very good signing too. He is not as frequent in his overlaps as Bellerin, but makes his fair share of overlaps and is arguably a better defensive player than Bellerin.
Arsenal’s centre-backs Mustafi, Holding and Sokratis provide the necessary cover for the advancing full-backs as well are usually spot on with their positioning. Moreover, Arsenal does not play a high line usually and their centre-backs have to defend deep most of the times. Mustafi is very strong in the air and Socratis is very dependable with his tackles. They provide the Gunners with a strong spine and make them a complete, well-rounded side.
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