ARSENAL TACTICS: 6 PATTERNS TO GET MOST ARSENAL’S ATTACK MINDED PLAYERS FIELDED by Nicholas Oyoo
With exciting new breaking in multiple channels that Arsenal will get Aubemeyang this January, in a window that we have shipped out Sanchez and acquired Mkhitaryan. The focus on rebuilding a new attack unit despite our defending being one of the bad linkage of our team may be seen as same old, same old. In attack we have lost Walcott and Sanchez and we may be losing Giroud too.
However, I insist that we have been shipping goals because our attack has been wanting. We are highly creative no doubt but we lack the killer punch to get the ball directed into target and even worse at getting targeted shots actually turned into goals. Notice, we are also losing Walcott whose claim for a start has recently been unrequited and he was partly involved and we acquire a player who has been top range in attack the last few seasons – Aubameyang for Walcott. And we have also exchanged a player (Sanchez) who has had issues in the changing room but also his playing style with his best asset for assist making (Ozil) is not really clicking fully. Sanchez will keep ball, dribble a lot, change directions and shot after the fact. Ozil will want one-two flicks and provide killer passes to be tapped in one time and take full advantage of the first touch to beat defenders and cross quickly. The two together have not really set the EPL ablaze.
I also want to point out that Arsene Wenger pattern transition to one Central Forward has also affected and lost changes for fielding our best attacking set-up out there. When Giroud came, he was expected to carry on from where Robin Van Persie left, yet Giroud thrives on support striker system and not as a lone striker. Soon Arsene took favour of Sanchez in that lone striker role and finally replaced Giroud with Lacazette. Wenger also changed the defensive unit from back four but in my view not to back three but rather back 5, pulling out one more attacking asset to shower up the defense. This in my considered opinion resulted in several things.
1) Weakened attacking – The extra man attacking effect that Ramsey provided us with once, was taken away and turned into stopping us from conceding goals.
2) Invitation to attack us – Arsenal football philosophy had quietly shifted and now we were inviting opponents to come and attack us as they would see we were not operating in full attack gears and it was easy for them to get into our defending side of the pitch much quicker as they countered lesser bodies on the way.
3) The defender turned attackers – have you noticed that the defenders are contributing to much more goals lately. It is because for compensation of removing the extra attacker Arsene must have asked the defenders to assist in attacking. This meant more chances of the ball falling kindly for a non-specialist goal scorer, they will often be caught out we ended up conceding even more when we finally settled to the system fully and the defenders became much more comfortable going out.
So I will not TOLERATE any pattern that will keep Aubemeyang or Lacazette out. Giroud or Walcott could have been the extra players that were kept away from Sanchez and Ozil. and Lacazette has lacked a support player too.
Having said those, here are the six option that Arsene Wenger should consider fielding.
Pattern 1 – 4.2.4.
This one will operate with no centre forwards and the two Attackers Aubemeyang and Lacazette will operate as WING FRONTS. Just like a Wing Back does most of their work in the wing but with a bias to defend, so will these tow work on the wing with an attacking bias. The other two attackers Ozil and Mkhiytaryan will operate as a duet Attacking Midfielders just as lately Arsene preferred to field Sanchez and Ozil.
Aubameyang——————————-Lacazette
—————-Mkhitaryan——-Ozil——————
——–Xhaka——————Wilshere——-
Kolasinac———Mustafi——— Koscienly—–Bellerin
————————Cech———————-
Pattern 2 – 4.4.2 Diamond
————–Aubemeyang-Lacazette—————-
———————–Mkhitaryan———————-
———–Wilshere———————-Ozil———–
—————————–Xhaka————————–
Kolasinac———Mustafi——— Koscienly—–Bellerin
————————Cech———————-
Pattern 3 – 3.5.2
————–Aubemeyang-Lacazette—————-
———Ozil———Mkhitaryan——-Ramsey——-
——————Xhaka———–Wilshere—————
——–Kolasinac——–Koscienly—–Bellerin———
————————Cech——————–
Pattern 4 – 3.4.3
——-Aubemeyang—–Lacazette—–Ozil————–
—————————Mkhitaryan————————
————Xhaka—–Wilshere—–Ramsey————–
——–Kolasinac——–Koscienly—–Bellerin———
———————Cech——————–
Pattern 5 – 4-1.3.2
——————-Aubemeyang-Lacazette—————–
——Ramsey———–Mkhitaryan———–Ozil——–
—————————–Xhaka————————–
Kolasinac———Mustafi——— Koscienly—–Bellerin
————————Cech———————
Pattern 6 – 4.3.3 (4.3.1.2)
——————-Aubemeyang-Lacazette—————–
—————————Mkhitaryan————————-
————–Xhaka——–Wilshere——-Ozil————-
Kolasinac———Mustafi——— Koscienly—–Bellerin
————————Cech———————
In any case we have a back three we should ask our defenders to stay back and defend and tackle only when the unique opportunity arises or situations such as set-pieces.
Which would you pick? How else would you like Arsenal to line up with most of our attack minded players in the pitch with Mkhitaryan, Aubemeyang and Lacazette and Ozil starting together? I personal would go with the first pattern. 4.2.4.