Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo seemed to take a sly dig at Arsenal after his team managed to hold the Gunners to a goalless draw last night. The game was a significant one for both teams, as they were both chasing league leaders Liverpool, and it was considered a must-win for Arsenal.
Arsenal, being the closest team to Liverpool, had been tipped to take advantage if the leaders faltered in the title race. Despite this, Forest was determined not to let the Gunners win, even though they have struggled to maintain their earlier form. Both teams were unable to find the back of the net, resulting in a draw that left Arsenal’s title hopes hanging by a thread.
One of the most notable tactical decisions from Forest was their change in defensive setup. Typically, they play with a back-five, but in this match, they opted for a back-four, which surprised many observers. Espirito Santo was asked after the game why he chose to switch formations, and he appeared to take a subtle jab at Arsenal’s attack, or lack thereof.
As quoted by The Daily Mail, Espirito Santo explained his reasoning:
“I’ll tell you. As Arsenal doesn’t have a striker, with [Mikel] Merino playing in that position – there’s no need for an extra body.
“The overload will be in the midfield and it’s about containing the midfield.”
Espirito Santo’s comment suggests that, without a recognised striker, Arsenal’s attacking threat wasn’t as concerning as it could have been. He implied that Forest didn’t need to be overly cautious about Arsenal’s offensive play, as their lack of a traditional striker meant there was less to worry about in terms of direct attacking threat. Instead, his focus was on containing the midfield battle.
Without a clear striker to cause trouble for the opposition, many teams may not fear Arsenal in the same way they might have in previous seasons. Forest’s tactical decision to focus on midfield containment was part of their approach to make life difficult for the Gunners, regardless of their attack’s shortcomings. Espirito Santo’s words highlight Arsenal’s ongoing struggles up front and the challenges they face in maintaining a strong title challenge.
ADMIN COMMENT
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He’s spot on. It’s sad that everyone in the league knows that Merino won’t work as a makeshift striker, except Arteta:. It worked once and we got away with it. The fact that Arteta continues to push it, says a lot about his tactical nous. Just sayin…
It thought it was worth a punt again, having worked against a poor Leicester team but the grim reality is that was it. Come in plan B!
NY, with your tactical nous who would you have put as striker there. It’s not like Arteta had an option. We are so short in attack that we put Sterling in the team. I think we can all see that.
ARTETA is one coach that never learns from his mistakes, I expect him to still use Merino as the striker in our next match and I won’t be surprised at all
I am not sure it mattered. They never ventured outside their half and we tried to play i will give it to you football, if you give it back to me. Are we proud, we kept the team below us with the same gap? Thats what it looked like.
It’s not a sly dig, it’s an honest assessment of how he set up his team based on the opposition he faced. Why would you play three centre backs when the opposition are playing a player who isn’t a striker and doesn’t position himself the same way as a normal striker would.