Not doubting who came out on top this time.
On the 12th of May, Arsenal’s Champions League hopes were severely dented by the old enemy as Tottenham Hotspur ran out 3-0 winners on home soil. A result that many didn’t expect but one that led to the Gunners’ capitulation towards the dying embers of the season, losing out on a place in Europe’s top flight to their bitter rivals by just two points.
The game itself saw Rob Holding press the self-destruct button, throwing the tie away with persistent, petty challenges on Son Heung-min. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Arsenal’s approach was to dominate, suffocate and impose their style on the opposition. This is the Mikel Arteta way and a game plan that he will not deviate away from regardless of the opponent.
Perhaps this seems suicidal on surface level given the devastating speed Spurs show in transition. But contrary to popular belief, this wasn’t the issue. The problem was who Arteta tasked specific key roles with. Holding isn’t a player who is comfortable in isolation nor does he show composure in possession under pressure. A back four containing Cedric Soares, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Gabriel Magalhães and Nuno Tavares would have offered greater stability. But in the Spanish tactician’s defence, he found himself in a tricky situation given the limited healthy options available to choose from.
Rob Holding sent off in Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat to Spurs in May
Fast forward to last Saturday and it was a completely different story. From a backline of Cedric, Holding, Gabriel and Tomiyasu to one consisting of Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel and Oleksandr Zinchneko, Arsenal had three dual specialists across the last line, giving Arteta greater confidence that his men could successfully stamp his blueprint with authority, which they did.
William Saliba imperious in Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Spurs
Three points secured in emphatic style and one that typified the way the Gunners have been playing at the very top of the table. Ultimately it was an encounter that would see Spurs surrender possession and remain compact in their 5-4-1 low block, unsurprisingly. “Over to you Arsenal, break us down” was the message, loud and clear from Antonio Conte. Arsenal however had solutions, with Arteta’s tactics inside the opponent’s territory key to the red side of north London achieving success in this mouthwatering derby.
Trust in the methodology, trust in principles
Manchester City and Liverpool have both suffered from Conte’s approach last season. The two elites within the division over the years have found it difficult to create consistent high-quality chances against The Lilywhites. Surprising given the plethora of quality both Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp’s men possess but this is also a testament to the former Inter Milan manager’s ability to control game states with little possession.
Arsenal also struggled to play passes through the lines in advanced areas because of minimal open space within Spurs’ first two lines of structure. But they were able to take advantage and gain superiority (qualitative, numerical, positional, dynamic and cooperative) – which is the underlying goal of positional play – in a different way because of this, through a repetitive process of spacing, pinning, isolating and overloading.
Shown below is an image taken in the second minute of the game, with Spurs’ defensive block clearly visible. White plays a pass to the right flank for Bukayo Saka to latch onto (not in the picture), who is now in a position to isolate left wingback Ivan Perišić. What’s key to note here is the positioning of Granit Xhaka. The Swiss international is occupying space in between both Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal, meaning that Gabriel Martinelli can operate with freedom at the back post.
With Son failing to support Perišić, Saka offers Arsenal a clear qualitative edge since the Hale End superstar’s one vs one qualities outweigh the defensive abilities of his marker (Perišić). As stated previously, the goal is superiority.
“I want to be better than you in every possible way” is the message Arteta transmits and one way to gain success in this department is by giving your outlets the opportunity to utilise their creative tools in isolation, which is what happens here as Saka breezes past Perišić on the outside before delivering a threatening cross towards the back post.
Arsenal’s numerical advantage enables Martinelli to take a touch and fire a shot at goal because of Xhaka blocking Royal, thereby preventing the Brazillian from closing down the space.
Last season’s derby at the Emirates started in a similar fashion as White set the tone with a crunching challenge on Son which raised the decibels in the stands. This season’s energy levels rose through the above goal-scoring opportunity and it was a sign of things to come.
Arsenal continued to probe, shifting the Spurs block from side to side, with an effective repetitive process on display. Shown below is another instance in which Saka is given the ball wide, with White offering dynamism through his late run on the overlap.
The progressive action delivered by the former Leeds centre-half takes Clément Lenglet away from Saka, which allows the England international to move inside.
Arsenal’s number seven is a special player and one who must be tied down to a new long-term deal. All world-class outfits need individuals of his calibre to implement sustainable, fluid football. He strikes fear in the opposition, occupying two or even three players at once. In this instance, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg recognises that with White’s run, Perišić is isolated and therefore requires adequate support to mitigate the clear qualitative advantage Arsenal have.
Football, however, is all about trade off’s. Denying Saka space ensures the central option in Martin Ødegaard is free to receive the ball. Similar to the previous sequence, Xhaka effectively acting as a striker pins both Romero and Eric Dier, which not only pushes the entire backline closer to Hugo Lloris but also forces Rodrigo Bentancur to eliminate the passing lane to the former Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder.
It’s also worth mentioning the consistency in structure across the five lanes. Martinelli occupies the left half-space, keeping both Son and Royal engaged, thereby allowing Gabriel Jesus to occupy the far left zone, who was free to receive a pass from Ødegaard but the Norwegian skipper instead decides to have an effort on goal, which is comfortably dealt with by Lloris.
The best brand of football in the division has been played by Arsenal this season, something that not many would have envisaged prior to a ball being kicked. Many Gooners however have seen sustained progression over the years, which stemmed from Emile Smith Rowe entering the frame, allowing Arteta to deviate away from the hybrid 3-4-3 and move to a setup that is closer to his final version.
As time has passed, partnerships have developed, with chemistry levels increasing at an encouraging rate. A perfect example is the right side combination of Saka, Ødegaard and White. A trio that is growing in confidence, growing in potency, although this wasn’t apparent in the first two fixtures of the campaign, against Crystal Palace and Leicester City.
But in order for a cooperative advantage to arise, continuity in team selection is vital. The more games individuals play with each other, the stronger the connection becomes and Saturday’s clash was a great illustration to demonstrate the fluid nature of the aforementioned trio.
The previous two in-game examples have already illustrated the threat Arsenal posed through the right and it was the regular pattern which Spurs simply couldn’t contain, with the opener showing this.
The following frames provide the build-up to this well-worked goal, with Arsenal’s structure inside the opponents half clear to see. From the moment Arteta took over the reins at the Emirates, the former Manchester City assistant coach has adopted a 2-3-5 shape in possession. Minimal width is observed in the first two lines which offers many advantages, one of which is the tight, secure passing network it gives, ensuring that safe ball circulation is established, preventing players in the middle from feeling overwhelmed and in isolation.
Furthermore, in the event of possession being lost, Arsenal are in a good position to already counter-press because the distances are short and the half-spaces are protected by White and Zinchenko. As shown below, the narrow positions of the two fullbacks alongside Thomas Partey keeps both Son and Richarlison tucked in since the Spurs duo must be in a position to deny entry passes into the half-spaces.
The importance of compactness is even higher because of Jesus, who roams across the frontline, making threatening runs in between centre-backs and full-backs tirelessly (wingbacks in Spurs’ case). But as stated previously, football is about trade off’s and because Spurs are prioritising a narrow shape, spaces out wide are present for the two wingers (Saka and Martinelli) to receive and for the creators (Ødegaard and Xhaka) if they step outside of their markers’ cover shadows, which happens here with Zinchenko’s pass to Xhaka.
Arsenal continued to shift the ball from side to side and were able to do so because of the aforementioned structure and adequate spacing between individuals. Eventually, Saliba drills a delightful ball into the path of Saka. Same pattern, same repetition, with the 21-year-old yet again ready to take on Perišić in a one vs one.
Son is forced to support Perišić, as he was for the entire game, moving from infield to the outside in order to minimise the influence Saka could have directly. But notice the position of White. Instead of overlapping, as he did in the previous sequence, the 24-year-old stays deep and gives Saka an inside option. The reason for this is that the structure must remain intact. Both Ødegaard and Saka are operating in the front five, meaning that White must occupy the half-space so that transition control is provided in the event of a turnover as well as being in a position to combine with teammates within close proximity.
Whilst the persistent pattern of attacking down the right flank is well documented, the other crucial repetition on show was the consistent pinning from three forward players.
As shown, Ødegaard, Martinelli and Xhaka are occupying narrow positions. Arsenal don’t have a numerical advantage across the last line on paper since Spurs defend with a five and the Gunners attack with a five.
But the spacing between players enabled a superiority in this aspect to be established. Ødegaard stays in front of Lenglet, Martinelli in between Romero and Dier, with Xhaka ready to run on the blindside of Royal, which allows Jesus to act as the free man.
Instead of executing a cross, White lays the ball to Partey who places his shot into the top corner, with Spurs midfielders unable to get out and close the Ghanaian down because of the role of Arsenal’s three forwards. It’s without doubt a very low xG (expected goal) chance however through the process of isolating and pinning, the opportunity to take aim arises.
This is where the importance of ball striking must be stressed. Manchester City have Kevin De Bruyne, Liverpool have Mohammed Salah, etc. Over the years, players of those two retrospective clubs, particularly the Cityzens have shown to punish teams in this aspect. Whilst Partey’s long-range shooting is heavily criticised, the 29-year-old seems to have found his range in recent times, as he nearly converted from a similar spot against Chelsea during pre-season.
Unsurprisingly, Spurs’ approach remained the same regardless of the goal but Conte still wasn’t able to react to Arsenal attracting pressure through the right and freeing up space for players within close proximity to Saka.
Below is another example of the home side producing a similar sequence, with White remaining inverted in this situation. Notice again the narrow front three. Ødegaard running in front of Lenglet, Jesus central and in between Dier and Romero, with Xhaka between Romero and Royal, leaving the spurs right wingback in an unfortunate position yet again.
Martinelli can gather momentum and arrive late at the back post because of Xhaka’s positioning, giving Arsenal both a dynamic and numerical cutting edge. Instead of shooting, White places a well-weighted cross towards the far area, with Xhaka winning the first ball but Spurs deal with the second although it’s far from convincing. It’s also worth noting the fluid nature of Arsenal’s five lanes. The previous situation saw Martinelli central, with Jesus out wide but the roles are reversed in the frame below.
“If X moves here, Y must respond. If A moves here, B must respond and so on and so.” Players across the entire team, outside of the two central defenders and the single pivot player are free to rotate, interchange and combine. But rigidity must stay intact within the 2-3-5 structure. Certain spaces must always be occupied no matter what but who fills in each zone is flexible.
A special mention should also go out to Partey’s work without the ball. In the above scenario and throughout the entire game the former Atletico Madrid talisman was positionally astute, smelling danger, cutting off first balls and regaining possession, which was key to Arsenal sustaining pressure and suffocating the enemy.
Individuals are closely connected, with variable levels of width present throughout the system as already described. This mitigates the distances players have to cover but nevertheless a midfielder who excels in stifling counterattacks, defends with confidence in isolation and offers a protective screen in front of the two central defenders is absolutely imperative in Arteta’s system, which is what Partey offers.
His influence in this department was even stronger after the interval, whilst also being an integral cog in playing passes with aggressive intent, as shown in the frames below. Notice the spacing between the lines and within the creative half-spaces. The numerical overload (three vs two) Arsenal have at the centre of the park gives the Gunners that positional edge, although they don’t use it in this situation.
Partey delays his action and waits for the passing lane to open on the far right, with Saka securing the ball with an excellent first touch and Arsenal are away again, utilising the exact same principles, with White’s decoy run on the outside allowing Saka to cut inside and have a shot at goal.
Lloris is unable to keep hold of the ball and both he and Romero are unable to deal with the second ball, giving Jesus the opportunity to pounce. But this isn’t by luck.
The entirety of this article has focused on how the three central Arsenal players pegging the backline deeper enabled advantageous pockets of space to open up just outside the box. But this process also gives those players a platform to capitalise on loose balls in the danger area since they are closer to the goal.
Tactically, this was the instruction set out but it’s then down on individuals to remain alert inside the six-yard area and there are very few in world football who are better than Jesus in this department.
The 25-year-old offers the Gunners a plethora of quality inside the box through clever movement and the ability to be one step ahead of the game both in the mind and also in his action against his marker (dynamic superiority). He senses a moment where a difference can be made and doesn’t disappoint.
Jesus’ ability to create separation through subtly peeling away at the last second enables him to fashion many chances, as shown below. Arsenal’s right side dynamic of White and Saka continued to create havoc, with the former this time given the chance to deliver a cross on the outside, with Jesus pulling away from Royal. His header is unfortunately a poor one.
Repeating the same sequences but with small variations initiating through the right flank between White, Saka and Ødegaard proved to be the difference once Arsenal progressed through the thirds and gained territory in Spurs’ defensive third. It’s the perfect example of how a low block can be disrupted without needing to thread defence-splitting through balls. Patience in approach, patience in principles and repetition. This was enough for Arsenal to carve openings and unsettle Conte’s men. A battle comfortably won by Arteta.
London is red and always will be RED!
I really hope you enjoyed the read and any comments would be much appreciated. If you would like to know more about me, follow my Twitter account @RjArsenalBlog, which is where you can access all previous articles.
25-year-old Gooner who loves talking and writing about football
Wow what a deep and insightful writeup. I through enjoyed it.
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Rohan, I so love your analysis This is really interesting and insightful. Could you be more frequent here please?
Great piece of thread.