The signing of Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares gives Mikel Arteta different options.
Arsenal signed Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares in the last transfer window to provide the team with more cover at the back.
Both players now give Arteta more options to experiment on new systems and formations.
I reckon that the Spaniard will feel the need to change formation occasionally as that would make his team more unpredictable.
I have a few formations which I believe Arteta would contemplate switching to in some games just because he now has a different set of defenders.
3-5-2
This is not a popular formation at the moment mainly because most managers prefer to set up their teams with a single striker, however, I think Arsenal has the players to successfully use it.
The three at the back would be Pablo Mari, David Luiz and Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
Soares can come in on either flank as a wingback among the midfield five, Alex Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can both combine upfront.
3-4-3
This is a more popular formation. Arteta can start with the same back three as above and play Soares and Bellerin as full-backs.
He can play Granit Xhaka as a holding midfielder, Mesut Ozil as attacking midfielder and a front three of Lacazette, Aubameyang, and Nicolas Pepe.
4-1-4-1
This four at the back formation would help Arteta partner Mari and Luiz as the two centre-backs with a fit Kieran Tierney as their left-back while Cedric Soares would be the right back.
Hector Bellerin can play further forward as the right-winger and he would be part of the four attacking midfielders.
Xhaka would play holding midfield, while Ozil, Lacazette, Aubameyang, and Gabriel Martinelli would complete the starting XI.
Mikel Arteta may use his new players in a completely different manner to what I have written here, but his new signings could give birth to new systems.
An article from Ime
I believe Arteta will be cautiously adventurous. 3 at the back did not work the time he tried it although admittedly he now has more options. Personally I would like to see the following 4.3.3 formation to first get the basics right before trying all sorts of weird formations that the players are not used to
Leno
Bellerin..Luiz..Mari..Tierney
Torreira..Ceballos..Saka
Pepe..Aubameyang..Martinelli
The above plqyers can also be used in a 4.1.2.3 formation with Torreira the DM which he will be anyway. I seriously believe the left axis of Tierney, Saka in left midfield, and Martinelli on LW would cause headaches for any opposition.
I predict there wont be a prem game where both those two are playing at the same time in any formation. I doubt, unless we get more injuries we will see them much at all this season.
MA should start with Auba and Laca as 2 strikers with Martinelli, Ceballos and Pepe in support. Belarin and Saka can make up the full back positions, both selected for their pace,
And any article or comment suggesting how Mikel should run Arsenal should not be tolerated because it creates anomity among us funs coz we will all never agree on how Arsenal should be run. Too many cooks spoil the roast.
We can talk all day about 2 strikers formations but MA will never use one. Why? Because he learned from Pepe and Pepe is the master of 4-3-3.
Arteta is looking for something consistant. You can talk all you want about who plays but the main formation will be that one.
Ime, any eleven that includes Ozil is in fact playing with ten men. Men go to work; Ozil does not!