Should we try a three man attack? By Sylvester Kwentua
Hello again Gooners. Hope you are all doing good? Today I got thinking once again about Arsenal’s lack of goals in recent times, and I tried various attacking options in my head. I will surely tell you about the various options I thought of, but for now, I will just talk about the three man attack option.
Arsenal in past years were known for playing entertaining football. And they won trophies too, while entertaining football lovers. However in recent years, post-Wenger, the team has shifted from the tippy tappy entertaining football, to more of a fluid, fast paced football. With the presence of various talented wingers in the club, playing a fast paced game was always going to give Arsenal the advantage in most games.
Now with Arsenal’s style of play, I thought about how Arsenal could become deadly on the counter attack, with three fast paced attackers running down the energy of opposition defenders. With two players running things from the flanks, a center forward who is equally fast, can benefit from through balls from the wings. Hope you understand?
Arsenal right now have the players to fill up the three man attack I just spoke about. These players are fast, are good dribblers of the ball, and relentless in their search for goals.
Players like Saka, Pepe and Martinelli have all the qualities I just highlighted above. I know a lot of fans may not want to see Pepe in the first team for now, but trust me, in a three man attacking formation, Pepe will do well. He may not be good at scoring goals, but he sure knows how to unlock defenses. A combination of him and Saka from the wings and Martinelli in the center, will lead to a lot of goal scoring opportunities for Arsenal, which I am sure Martinelli would convert. See, I know Arsenal has tried this formation before, but what’s wrong in Arsenal giving it a shot again and allowing it work?
We are Arsenal and proud.
Sylvester
To be fair ESR fed Tavares who provided the assist for Sakas goal while White played a simple pass to Tomi who played a brilliant chip for Martinelli to volley home. Lokonga played Saka into space who pulled it back for ESR to head wide of the keeper who parried it into the path of Auba who should have scored. Odegaard had a decent dip from a free kick. Tavares found time and space to shoot several times. So goals can come from many quarters.
Monday morning búllshît.
Pepe should be no where near the team. Never seen a fanbase cook up excuses and write long debates defending Pepe who’s an expensive flop.
He didn’t ask to be signed for that amount? Neither did Kepa ask for it or Harry Maguire.
Yet, look how Chelsea preferred a GK who works better than the expensive flop on their bench. United’s stuck with Maguire and their fanbase tear into him every time.
Allow Pepe be on the bench, or better still leave.
The crazy part is the don’t judge Pepe yet or Pepe needed time to show what he can do are part of the Ødegaard is a flop after a six months loan and nearly halfway into a full season.
Fans can say anything they like I guess. After 15 games it was said that Leno was still better than Martinez due to a small sample size but for lesser games aren’t people saying Ramsdale is better than Leno?? Some players are just more likable
Arteta used to be Guardiola’s assistant for three years, so I believe he wants to implement 4-3-3 formation at Arsenal. In fact, most European serial winning teams play predominantly without a CAM or a no 10 player, winning the leagues with 4-3-3 systems
Unfortunately, Wenger’s 4-2-3-1 system has been implemented for more than two decades at our academy and the importance of a creative midfielder in that system has been instilled into the minds of some fans here. I bet this is why Arteta chose 4-2-3-1, instead of using the formation used by the top European teams
Klopp has mentioned about a creative midfielder/ playmaker/ no 10 player vs a good counter-pressing and Liverpool have become much scarier after Coutinho left. I think Arteta will very slowly change the system Wenger set for our academy, if he can manage Arsenal for more than five years
You see Sylvester , when you say we play ” fluid , fast pace football” we are not remotely on the same page.
There are, its true, small periods in certain games where that happens but in general we pass far too slowly across the whole team.
Liverpool and City who pass so quickly are successful as they have passing PACE in abundance and that is what we most lack, IMO.
SO THOUGH I’D LOVE TO AGREE WITH YOU, I CANNOT DO SO AND STILL BE HONEST.
Exactly Jon. And those two teams have midfielders who press all thru 90 mins. When they loose the ball, they work hard in getting it back.
Aubameyang has lead the line for 2 years running with Arsenal not being able to reach top 6. If he is not replaced now, there is no hope of top 4 because the goals aren’t simply coming from him. Take him out and use Martinelli.
Bring Tabares to the center and get Tierney in. Thye team will be stronger in the attack line. Tabares is an attacker who can also defend
Considering our pesent players and the strengths they possess, I still feel the 4-2-3-1 formation is the best. Also we have Tavaes who could be a goal threat.
You guys are spiralling really in my opinion.
We are currently playing a 4-4-whatever else. But transitioning here, Arsenal tried a couple formations that didn’t give balance, structure or stability.
But with the inclusion of Lacazette, and adopting Saka and ESR in opposing Wide MF roles, Arsenal have come to stability and found some consistency.
To get more clear chances and increase the goals, what is need is higher intensity. They need to move the ball, forward faster. Not tweaking formations.
And No, I don’t think Pepe is a good dribbler. He likes to dribble but loses the ball more often than not because of his lack of good decisions. And Pepe has been tried as a forward.
I however think there might be a lifeline for him in the ESR position. While Martinelli is the option for Saka’s role. It keeps the directness and the team doesn’t have to adjust to Pepe’s drag style of football