By Vinay Shankar (Tactical Analyst)
A dominant first half was followed up by an unnecessarily complicated second 45. It would be ideal to avoid such situations but minimising chances conceded bodes well for the long run.
This team has been on winning runs in the past but the key difference is the adaptation in the absence of key personnel without compromising on the style of play. The recruitment over the past couple of windows has been oriented in this direction but it's great to see only a relatively minor drop-off in quality.
The defensive midfielder in Arteta's system is a very specific role but when everything is going smoothly, the player merely has to keep things moving. This is exactly the kind of game Lokonga needed in that role to settle in and hopefully, the Villa match is just the start. The Belgian still needs to improve quite a bit without the ball but a promising display nevertheless.
Villa set up in a very narrow 4-3-3 without the ball with the intention of controlling the central areas. The lack of width meant that the long balls to Watkins in the channels were the only outlet to get out of their half. The Arsenal defenders seemed very hesitant to play the physical game against Watkins and try to dominate. It seemed like a planned tactic to not engage with the striker and also not commit fouls to relieve the pressure. But crucially, the commitment from everyone to win the second ball and stop any transition moments was on point in the first half.
After taking some time to figure out the away side's formation, the positions that needed to be occupied in the buildup became much clearer. The narrow setup meant that Saka and Martinelli could be isolated if the ball was moved out quicker against a weak pressing side. Alternatively, the long diagonals to Tierney were always an option to create the overload. Temp was crucial in these moments as Villa's midfield of McGinn and Ramsey were slow to support the fullbacks allowing a spare man inside in either Lokonga/Odegaard to keep the play moving.
Xhaka's unselfishness in the role keeps paying dividends for the team this season. He sat back to support Lokonga if needed while on other occasions, made the runs in behind to stretch the defence and take advantage of poor rotation from Villa.
Anticipating a second-half pushback after a dominant first half is normal but it’s crucial to keep doing the same things that were successful to keep pushing on as a team. This is kind of the problem right now for this team along with not being clinical with chances but the latter should balance out as the season goes on.
Racking up the goals early to capitalise on the domination would allow for a much calmer speed to the game as well as provide minutes to a hungry bench. Not doing this has caused unnecessary problems in the last few games and mistakes, loss of control, and dropping deeper become commonplace. Switching to 5-3-2 is rarely a good thing in these moments but the transition nature of the game is forcing Arteta’s hand at the moment.
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