Asymmetric defence to minimize Zaha’s influence

Wilfred Zaha is key to Crystal Palace’s build-up and attack, and in Arteta’s pre-match press conference, he spoke about devising a plan to stop Zaha.

“We know Wilf, the type of talent he is, and when he gets isolated in one-vs-one situations what he can do. Of course he will be part of the game-plan.”

I expect Nelson and AMN to start on the right. Nelson has already shown he can provide cover for AMN and is best suited for the second full-back role required vs. Zaha. Furthermore, I suspect Arteta will start Nelson over Pepe given the former’s goal and early substitution vs. Leeds.

A way Arsenal can minimize Zaha’s threat is by overloading Palace’s left-wing through an asymmetric defence. Arteta could compact Arsenal’s right-side by shifting the whole defensive structure towards the right. This would move Torreira and Sokratis closer to AMN and Nelson, creating a 4 vs 2 overload against Zaha and Schlupp. The obvious downside to the asymmetric right-side defence I am suggesting is the susceptibility of Arsenal left-side to a cross-field switch to Townsend. Arsenal’s left-side would be vacant because Arsenal’s LB and LW would have to move towards the right to maintain compactness.

Palace’s reliance on Zaha is so extreme that it makes sense for Arsenal to take the risk of exposing their left-side. Additionally, Aubameyang’s more central defensive position could work well on the counter if Arsenal win the ball back in this asymmetric shape.

Back-three in build-up and vertical staggering of the double pivot

In buildup, Xhaka has moved between LCM and LCB/LB. This role is well suited for Xhaka, who won’t be as pressured in defence as in midfield. Also, Xhaka’s passing is needed at the back to compensate for Sokratis’ weaker distribution.

When Xhaka occupies the LCM space, Arsenal have a 2-4-3-1 shape and often the second line (LB, LCM, RCM, RB) are caught in the same horizontal line. This violates Guardiola’s Positional Play philosophy (Juego De Posición), which states that there should be a maximum of three players in the same horizontal line at a given time.

This violation is caused by the double pivot, who stay in the same horizontal line in build-up. I would like to see Xhaka move more often to form a back three in build-up or another LCM who can move higher up the pitch (Ceballos could perform this role). Xhaka doesn’t excel at receiving the ball and turning, rather he performs best when facing play and using his passing ability to split lines and progress the ball forward. The LCB role enables just this.

A back-three in build-up also reduces the space between centre-backs, which helps circulate the ball from side-to-side. Additionally, the trigger for many pressing traps is a long pass between centre-backs. Maintaining a short distance between centre-backs reduces these triggers and even when pressed, the back-three can use short passes to play through or around the opposition’s press.

Another possibility of creating a back-three in possession is with Torreira dropping as a CB, with Luiz moving to the left. I like this idea, but Torreira’s ball-winning abilities are valuable to the counterpress in the CM role.

Ideally, Arsenal’s double pivot could stagger with one playing higher than the other. Staggering helps create an option for a 3rd man run, which is a great way to play through a press. The setup below is effective because, despite the #6 being under pressure, he just needs one touch to release the #8. This would take the opposition #10 out of the game.

Assessing the right-side of attack

AMN has been able to move into midfield whenever Xhaka moves into defence, which has given Arsenal more passing options and better defensive structure for a counterpress if they lose the ball. Arteta only needs one player occupying the other flank to stretch the opponent. For instance, if the ball is on the left with Xhaka or Luiz, the RB could tuck in and the RW would stay on the right touchline.

Against United, Arteta used Pepe higher and slightly more inside than Nelson vs. Chelsea/Bournemouth. This helped pin back Luke Shaw and gave Pepe chances to use his one-on-one ability.

However, Arsenal had some difficulties in build-up vs. United. AMN wasn’t able to move into midfield because of Pepe’s position and Arsenal were often in a 2-4-3-1 shape. Typically, Nelson hugs the touchline more than Pepe and drops into an RWB role, giving the RCB on the ball an option. Nelson’s movement satisfies Arteta’s principle of having one player on the touchline and allows AMN to move into midfield. The movement between AMN and Nelson is shown below.

Furthermore, Ozil benefits from Nelson’s wide positioning because the right-half space is free. Pepe intruded on Ozil’s space and as a result, Ozil dropped deeper and wasn’t as influential in the final third as he was vs. Bournemouth (1 vs. 4 key passes). The average positioning of Ozil vs. United was in his own half, much deeper than vs. Chelsea and Bournemouth.

Arsenal’s shape vs. Man Utd (H) Arsenal’s shape vs. Bournemouth (a) Arsenal’s shape vs. Chelsea (H)

The combination of Ozil, AMN, and Nelson is really fluid at the moment and is important to Arsenal’s build-up.

Pepe brings a lot to the table, but Nelson’s defensive work-rate and better understanding with Ozil and AMN seem to better balance the team. Pepe is an elite dribbler and is more devastating in the final third and on the counter than Nelson. Against man-marking sides like Leeds, Pepe can help progress play and break opposition pressure. At the moment Arteta hasn’t found a way to include Pepe without disrupting the build-up, but as shown vs. United, Pepe’s end product can win Arsenal matches and shouldn’t be ignored.

One idea to improve build-up

So far, Arteta has developed really interesting tactical solutions to improve build-up play. However, I fear that Arsenal’s build-up is lacking variety and is a little predictable. For instance, vs. Leeds Arsenal couldn’t find a way past their man-marking system.

Arteta has repurposed Arsenal’s full-backs, which has given the team more options on the ball. However, there are just two movements used in build-up to create space:

1. Xhaka -> LCB, Kolasinac -> LW, Torreira -> LCM, AMN -> RCM

2. Xhaka -> LCM, Kolasinac -> LB, Torreira -> RCM, AMN -> RB

I feel confident with the AMN, Nelson, Ozil combination and I am more concerned that the left-side will break down in build-up. I would propose the following movements to give the left-side more variety:

Xhaka -> LB, Kolasinac -> LCM, Torreira -> CM, AMN -> RCM

If Luiz is having difficulty picking out players, this sequence of movements could freshen up his options, releasing Kolasinac, Xhaka and Torreira from the defensive shadows of the opposition players. Kolasinac’s movement inside to a LCM role is fundamental to this potential idea. Since Kolasinac is in the shadow of the opposition #7, his movement into the left half-space confuses the #7. If the #7 doesn’t follow Kolasinac, Luiz could pass to Kolasinac. If the #7 follows Kolasinac, the #7 will move from the wing and open up space on the touchline (Xhaka or Aubemeyang could occupy the left-wing channel). Kolasinac’s movement would be similar to that of Benjamin Mendy vs. Arsenal last year. Ozil followed Mendy, which opened up the channel to Sterling on the left-wing.

Also, Xhaka’s movement to LB confuses the opposition #10 and if the #10 follows Xhaka there is a lot of space in the middle for Luiz to find Torreira and Ozil/Lacazette.

This idea could help add some diversity to Arsenal’s build-up, especially against man-marking teams. Regardless of whether Arteta uses something similar to this, I am excited to see what ideas Arteta will implement vs. Palace tomorrow.