“The fun is back,” Sokratis remarked in his post-match interview. Arteta has Arsenal playing more attractive football and working harder as a team.

Arsenal began the match in a similar setup to when they played Chelsea and Bournemouth, using a 2-3-3-2 shape in attack and a passive 4-4-2 shape in defence.

Attack and build-up

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

Arsenal’s attack was more balanced with Xhaka’s inclusion. As shown in the images above Xhaka (34) enabled Saka (77) and Kolasinac (31) to push further forward. Aubameyang showed more intelligence in his movement. His runs helped open the channel for Luiz to find Kolasinac, as seen in the video below. Notice how Aubameyang checks and then runs in between United right-back and centre-back, drawing Wan-Bissaka away from Kolasinac on the touchline.

As a result of the improved left-side, Arsenal attacked in a more balanced manner relying much less on the right-side of attack.

Distribution of attacks vs. Man Utd Distribution of attacks vs. Chelsea

AMN and Xhaka continued their relationship in the build-up, which entailed two movements. 1) AMN would move into midfield if Xhaka dropped to form a back three. 2) AMN would move wide to his full-back position if Xhaka moved into midfield. Here is a video that captures both movements.

Mesut Ozil’s role changed slightly due to United’s double pivot. Matic and Fred covered the half-spaces, which forced Ozil to drop deeper. Against Bournemouth, Ozil excelled, finding space behind Gosling and next to Lerma, who was the sole defensive midfielder.

Ozil deeper positioning meant he was more involved in the build-up, helping rotate play from side to side.

Pepe’s tendency to move inside with the ball also push Ozil further back. Ozil played higher vs. Chelsea and Bournemouth because Nelson would stay on the touchline and rarely moved inside when he received the ball. Ozil, Nelson, and AMN seem to be a more cohesive right-side, but Pepe created individual moments and terrorized Shaw with his dribbling.

Effective passive defence

Arsenal were tidy in their build-up and gave United few opportunities to counterattack. United lined up with James, Rashford, Lingard and Martial, who are explosive and thrive in attacking transitions. However, United lacked technicians (United’s front four are better off the ball, besides Martial). United’s lack of creativity was perfect for Arsenal’s 4-4-2 because the passivity of the low-block was an invitation for United to try to break them down. Fred and Matic were tasked with beginning attacks, but most resulted in Arsenal winning the ball. United had 22 dribbles (Matic had 7) – an unusually high number – indicating United’s lack of ideas on the ball.

Arteta also made the Arsenal team very compact. Torreira and Xhaka screened the defence really well and Sokratis and Luiz stepped up when United tried to play through. Most of Arsenal’s interceptions came in the centre of the pitch, where the two centre-backs and double pivot squeezed tightly together.

Like their first-half vs. Chelsea, Arsenal pressed United high up the pitch in intervals during the first half. Ozil and Lacazette initiated these presses well and as shown below Arsenal were pressing more as a unit. Lacazette led the first movement, with Ozil following. Typically one of the wingers (Aubameyang or Pepe) would either join the side of the press or cut off the other side.

In the second-half, Arsenal dropped even deeper (Arteta said he did not want this) and United had their best chances of the game. The team was tired from playing three matches within a week and could not maintain the energy required for the press. Torreira and Lacazette struggled to finish the match. I thought Pepe’s substitution was strange because Lacazette appeared to be struggling at that point.

We know that Arteta has the squad working harder than under Emery, however, there isn’t a sustained organized high-press. Arsenal’s last two first-half performances have been energetic but only in short periods. Furthermore, Arsenal have become passive in the second-half of both matches.

Average Passes Allowed Per Defensive Action (PPDA) * :

Everton (Ljungberg was in charge) – 8.04

Bournemouth – 7.65

Chelsea – 14.04

United – 12.32

* Statsbomb explains this well here. Man City averaged 7.1 PPDA in 2018/2019.

The PPDA has varied in each match under Arteta so far, which can be explained by fatigue and opposition strength (Bournemouth are worse than Chelsea). Low PPDA is an indicator of high-pressing sides and as Arteta implements his ideas, this statistic will be interesting to follow. So far it’s hard to draw any conclusions, however, the statistic passes the eye test.

Improvement in set-pieces

Arsenal’s 2nd goal after a flick-on & MUnited’s positioning issues in the zonal-oriented structure. Highlighting some necessary adjustments based on the oppositional setup & expected delivery. pic.twitter.com/UfeVbXuujC — István Beregi (@SteveBeregi) January 1, 2020

Arteta worked on set-pieces at Man City and so far under Arteta half of our goals (2/4) have resulted from corners. As explained in the tweet above, for Sokratis’ goal, Arsenal crowded De Gea, delivered an inswinger, and used Lacazette at the near post for a flick-on. Targeting De Gea, who isn’t the strongest in the air, seemed like a smart and premeditated strategy. Aubameyang’s goal vs. Chelsea was a different routine than that of Sokratis’ goal. Chambers ran to the near post and Aubameyang anticipated the flick-on.

Arteta must have had time to work through different set-piece routines with the team. This shows Arteta’s attention to detail and follows the trend set by well-run modern football clubs, like Liverpool, Brentford, and Man City. Organizing set-piece routines is a simple way (takes just one hour to organize several routines) to score an additional 5-10 goals throughout the season. This is a promising start and hopefully Arteta continues to develop Arsenal’s set-pieces.

Distribution of playing time

We are only three matches in, but there are hints of the players Arteta trusts and views as important to his philosophy. Luiz and AMN have thrived due to their importance in the build-up. Torreira has returned to his natural position, screening the back four and has offered grit and quick passing. Arteta has solved the Lacazette and Aubameyang conundrum, using their complementary attributes to strengthen the left-side of attack. Aubameyang runs beyond Lacazette, and Lacazette drops into the left half-space to receive the ball.

Ozil is a #10 on paper, but he operates mainly in the right-half space, where the best form of his career has come from. Nelson’s work-rate, right-footedness, and dribbling ability have helped balance the team. However, Pepe’s goal and greater overall threat vs. United may have moved him ahead in the pecking order. Arteta confirmed Xhaka will stay during the January transfer window. Xhaka’s passing is key in build-up and like Nelson, Xhaka acts as a counterbalance for this team. Luiz has been paired with three different centre-backs. I suspect Holding may be gradually reintroduced due to his ball-playing ability and Sokratis’ lack thereof.

I am fascinated to see how Arteta will use Ceballos because his skill set is unique to the squad (technical #8/10). Leeds will give Arteta an opportunity to experiment with other players and systems. Perhaps Arteta could use a 4-3-3?

I am excited by Arteta’s philosophy and it seems like the players are responding well to it too. Arteta explained how he is trying to sell his vision to the players:

“I said to them that without you guys I won’t be able to do it. You have to open that door and believe that I can bring something different to the club.”

Arteta is not only bringing new ideas, but he’s forming a sense of togetherness that has been missing at Arsenal. The Chelsea result was so painful because fans bought into Arteta in the first-half.

The United game further accentuated the disaster of Emery’s time in charge. The decision to sack Emery should have been made earlier. Oddschecker has Arsenal at 14/1 to make the top 4.

Arsenal’s squad is unbalanced, but on paper, the team has enough quality to compete for the top 4. Arteta has designed Arsenal’s system to bring out the strengths of the squad. For instance, Nelson and Saka provided width in the first two matches to counterbalance Ozil and Aubameyang. Arteta is also slowly implementing his ideas as shown by some of our build-up play and “non-negotiable” work-rate. I would be surprised if the defensive philosophy of Arteta, who worked under Pep for three years, is a low-block 4-4-2. Arteta has shown maturity and patience to accept this passive system, which is more comfortable for the squad at this moment.

As Arteta has more time with the players and makes new additions in the transfer market, I am sure he will be able to implement a different playing style. Nonetheless, Arsenal have found some security in this 4-4-2 defensive shape and Arteta can use this as the bedrock to build his team on.