Five points on Arsenal 3-0 West Bromwich Albion
Arsenal crept out of the negatives for goal difference this season and into the positives for the first time, and for that they can say they have finally moved on from their disastrous start. The victory was more symbolic than being noted for the actual performance which was once again dominant without having to hit second gear. The Gunners added vigour to victory and while Robin van Persie was a major influence in all three of the goals, it was very much a collective endeavour.
West Bromwich Albion, on the other hand, looked a level below and they never got close to giving Arsenal a challenge. They had injuries but credit must go to Arsenal for suffocating the play and then giving themselves the comfort of a two-goal lead at half-time. The rest of the match was elementary as Mikel Arteta wrapped up the win.
1. “In the modern game, the only formation is 9-1″
The most impressive thing about Arsenal’s resurrection is not just how results have improved; it’s the way they have made visible steps to be more solid as a team. On Saturday, with the selections of Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny at centre-back as well as two attacking full-backs, it indicated Arsenal would attack as a team and defend together. In terms of physical make-up, the defence was barely indistinguishable to the attack – Gervinho and Vermaelen could easily mistaken for the wrong positions if you didn’t know who they were – and indeed, Vermaelen popped up with the second goal. Arsène Wenger knew he was going to face a defensive side (although he did expect West Brom to be more potent on the break) so he chose a team that he felt would stand the best chance of breaking them down. His team did and in comfortable fashion too.
2. Where would Arsenal be without van Persie Arteta?
Talks of a one-man team are unfair on an Arsenal side who are improving each week, even if they are reliant on Robin van Persie to finish off the moves. However, it might be fair to say The Gunners can as much owe their revival to the twinkle toe passing of Mikel Arteta as much as van Persie’s goals. Yes, van Persie’s goals are more tangible to the end result but Arsenal have markedly looked a better team since the arrival of Arteta from Everton. The Spaniard has helped bring stability in midfield, recycling possession expertlyto give Arsenal the control they were lacking in the earlier games and he has stoked up an excellent partnership with Alex Song and Aaron Ramsey. It’s argued his passing can often be too passive but in keeping it moving, he’s dragging opponents around to create space and to help sustain the pressure. He’s in the top ten of most passes per game in Europe – the only player in the league. Arteta’s played nearly ninety minutes every match since and he deserves a rest; it’s just as well there’s an international break around the corner….
3. The modern centre-back pairing
Arsène Wenger’s comments on the importance of centre-backs to Arsenal’s attacks before the game, more than just being very insightful, seemed to be a thumbs-up for Koscielny and Vermaelen as the first choice pairing. He officially put down the benching of Per Mertesacker as tactical, opting for mobility but Arsenal’s game relies on nimble movement and unfortunately for Mertesacker, he falls just short of his two team-mates. To be fair, the German has proved surprisingly adroit on the ball and in the games he has played, has had more passes than Koscielny. That may just be down to Arsenal’s bias down the right-hand side (see figure 2) but Wenger can rotate his centre-backs when the circumstances demand it, safe in the knowledge than any of his three can do a good job.
Against West Brom, however, Koscielny and Vermalen showed why they are Arsenal’s best partnership, aiding Arsenal’s possession game with precision passing into the midfield. But most impressive was their acute reading of play which helped squeezed the play in West Brom’s half. They constantly won the wall back quickly, helping to restart attacks as soon as they broke down, something arguably less achievable if Mertesacker had played.
<Figure 1> The urgency Vermaelen instilled in Arsenal's game is shown by his interceptions which were higher than any other Arsenal player. Two were in the opponents half and his impetousness is infectious.
NB: We didn’t see how Arsenal’s defenders cope when pressed because West Brom weren’t able to close them down up the pitch but it’s important to note Wenger’s tactics when that happens. He usually pushes his midfielders up at the start of the build up to give the centre-backs time and space on the ball. It’s worked to varying success, though; Arsenal do look better when Song and Arteta rotate to drop deep to pick up the ball rather than Song on his own because it makes them harder to mark. Nevertheless, Arsène Wenger has indicated what could be a potential strategy for clubs against them and is taking steps to ensure his team is fully prepared.
“[Traditionally] when you play against a 4-4-2 the two strikers stop your centre-backs so the full-backs get the first ball from the goalkeeper,” said Wenger. “If your full-back gives ball back to the keeper or cannot get out of a tight situation you have to kick the ball forward.
“Against a 4-5-1, the trend now, the two centre-backs become more important as the full-backs are ‘blocks’ and the centre-backs get more of the ball. So the quality of their passing becomes very important.”
4. Another word on Arsenal’s wing-play
It’s a little bit strange to say that the wide forwards have been crucial to Arsenal’s game because, at the same time, they’ve yet to deliver as it’s been hoped. That’s probably down to the nature of the wide player as they generally tend to flit in and out of games because their space is often squeezed. Wenger has tried to keep their involvement going at all times by swapping sides when their impact wanes but we should note the differences of Gervinho and Theo Walcott’s roles. Gervinho is almost expected to be a striker tucked in on the left therefore he’s often left up the pitch so Arsenal can knick a goal on the break (although I feel he’s actually better on the right). Walcott, on the other hand, is given a more orthodox box-to-box winger role with Wenger admitting he’s instructed to do more defensive work. In a sense it’s like the front three at Barcelona; Villa on the left plays more direct and closer to Messi while Pedro hugs the touchline and covers for the right-full back.
<Figure 2> Van Persie has admitted he has had to refine his game due to the increased number of crosses coming his way and against West Brom, The Gunners plundered in 34 crosses. Arsenal's play was also generally skewed towards the right - the first image showing the passing in the first-half. Overall this season, Arsenal attack from the right 35% of the time compared to 31% from the left but that figure increases to 37% at home, with attacks from the left going down to 29%.
5. West Brom offer limited threat
If there’s one negative from the game, it’s the way Arsenal dropped their intensity levels in the second-half. The lead never looked in doubt but Arsenal could afford to learn from Barcelona by taking the sting off games with their possession. That’s how they defended in the first-half, suffocating the play in West Brom’s half so much so they didn’t concede a shot. In the second-half, however, Arsenal relented and offered West Brom a small peek back into the game – The Baggies were allowed to get runners forward around the box – but their threat was minimal. The lack of a focal point may have affected West Brom’s game but this was Arsenal’s easiest opponent yet.
<Figure 3> West Brom had 10 shots in the game, all in the second-half. In the first-half they had none and you can see by the pass graphic how Arsenal squeezed their passing by not allowing them to penetrate the final third.
NB: A shout out also to the ever improving pair of Carl Jenkinson and Aaron Ramsey, who, due to time constraints, I couldn’t write about. But you can add your thoughts below should you wish.
Filed under: Match Analysis
Tagged: Match Analysis, WBA
Great article as usual. It is fantastic to see Aaron start to give more Cesc’esque passes these days. With the amount of pace in the squad this will be a huge positive for us if he can keep providing these through balls. Up the Arsenal..
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Great analysis. Really enjoyed reading it.
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nice read. thx!
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Terrific post. I always learn something here.
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It’s interesting how our wing-play has improved this season. It was rather bad last season, but has improved due to better left-back options and Gervinho. I think it’s fair to say Gervinho is by far the best direct dribbler at the club, with that almost Henry-like ability to go past his man. Nasri was a technical wonder, but was limited as a winger, because he couldn’t really do that. Gervinho has 2 key passes per game in the league, which means only Arteta create more chances for us. Further more he is our leading assist maker with 5 in 8 matches. He is as effective as he was in France, and he seems to be settling well.
Walcott were putting up great numbers last season, but is now struggling. We seem not to be able to exploit his pace as well without Cesc in the team. I felt we did that a little better today, and it was a lovely ball from Ramsey on the first goal.
Ramsey has really been transformed, and he is finally displaying the promise he showed when he joined to the club. He is no longer giving the ball needlessly away at an absurd rate, his movement is exceptional, and he is beginning to express himself in his passing. This is the player I remember.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Interesting stat on Arteta concerning on passes per game. Any ideas on the players that make-up the rest of the top ten list?
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ArsenalColumn Reply:
November 6th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
@MJN,
Europe’s Top 10 for Average Passes per game: Xavi, Thiago Alcantara, Alves, Xabi Alonso, Banega, Schweinsteiger, Pirlo, Arteta (76.7 passes per game), Lahm, Fabregas.
Via WhoScored.com
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MJN Reply:
November 27th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
@ArsenalColumn, Thanks for the stat and the site.
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Well written piece. Really enjoyed it!
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Great read. As much as football can be free flowing and creative, I really do enjoy reading a “cold, hard facts” type of tactical analysis.
Interesting comments on our wing-play. Do you think Walcott was being more of a “box to box” winger because Jenkinson is still quite raw? Would he have done the same if we had Sagna instead?
Also would like to hear some discussion on Song’s impact this season. I think he’s been a very important player for us, doing a rather unthankful job.
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ArsenalColumn Reply:
November 6th, 2011 at 9:39 pm
@Irony,
Perhaps but I think it’s a purposeful ploy by Wenger to open one side up. It can work because there’s a midfielder slotting in towards the left – Arteta has done that really well recently – and if Santos gets forward too.
On Song, Arteta (him again!) seems to have liberated him and that means, for one, he’s not alone in bringing the ball out from the back. That makes it harder to press Arsenal even if in the Champions League they have found it tougher. His drive is a huge plus up the pitch and it seems he has a bit more freedom to exert his presence. His defensive acumen means he’s a must in the starting line-up.
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I think similarly that it’s our fullbacks dictating the differences in the wide forward play. Santos received (72 to 44) and passed (79 to 45-don’t ask me how you can pass the ball more often than you can receive but that’s OPTA’s numbers) the ball almost twice as often as Jenkinson and those numbers are reversed comparing Theo and Gervinho. Jenkinson’s offensive game right now is based on energy and pace and he is most effective when he overlaps and receives the ball with space to run into. He is not, however, the most technically proficient player and Walcott is dropping deeper than Gervinho to help in the buildup play.
Santos is technically proficient enough to participate in the buildup play from the back and through the midfield and it shows in his greater passing and receiving numbers. This allows Gervinho to stay higher up the pitch. Interestingly, despite being the more technically accomplished player with the ball, Santos’ average position is actually deeper than Jenkinson’s and the number of crosses he puts in is half what Jenkinson does, 4 to 8. I suppose the difference in crossing numbers could reflect English vs Brazilian sensibilities and not how often they get forward but my impression is that Santos, for all his on the ball skill and “Brazilean-ness”, is reasonably selective about going forward and doesn’t bomb up and down the flank with the apparent zeal that Jenkinson does.
I would love to see Theo and Gervinho switch flanks and roles more often. I think Theo especially would benefit from having a more technically accomplished fullback behind him so he could stay higher and receive passes in more dangerous positions around the penalty area. It will be interesting to see how our wide forwards benefit from having Sagna back on the right.
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ArsenalColumn Reply:
November 6th, 2011 at 11:34 pm
@Tee Song,
Hmm…that’s an interesting one. I’d like to see the stats on who the full-backs pass to. Because, there is definitely a bias towards Arsenal’s right so Santos has less options down the line – Gervinho likes to stay up the pitch. On the other side, Ramsey and Song are attracted to the right in particular so Jenkinson has more options. (That, in a way, also explains why Santos avergae passes are deeper).
I think you are right that the technical ability of Santos allows Gervinho to play higher, however, Wenger has stated Walcott is told to do more defensive work while Gervinho can take more risks.
There’s another intrigue to the bias to the right and that is that it can open up play to switch it to the other side. Note how Walcott was open two or three times against Marseille on the left but was ignored and similarly Gervinho had lots of space to run into.
On the whole, I agree with your thinking; the differences in the two sides – and that begins with the full-backs – governs how the flanks function.
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Tee Song Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 12:39 am
@ArsenalColumn, It’s a bit of chicken or egg type of question. Is Walcott (and Ramsey and Song) being asked to drop deeper and function more and more as an outright winger to help Jenkinson defensively? Are they trying to make up for a young player who isn’t as as accomplished or confident on the ball yet? Or is Arsene trying to push Jenkinson higher up the pitch to take advantage of his crossing ability? It’s probably some combination of all three. I don’t see it as a bias towards one side or the other, per se. I just think that the buildup play is structured to go through different players on the different flanks trying to take advantage of different skill sets (or lack thereof).
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Tee Song Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 1:17 am
@Tee Song, Well heck. Just checked the stats and their IS a definite tendency to attack on the right, 41% vs 28% on the left in this game and 35% vs 31% overall. I never really noticed. I still maintain that buildup play is different on each flank due to personnel.
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Diaminedave Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
@Tee Song, Presumably the differnce in being passed to and passing is due to a player making an interception or tackle.
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Good read. I was a little worried about our sluggish tempo at the start of the game, and I’m a little concerned Arsenal have had tempo problems this year – I feel like Fabregas could slow down or speed up the game when he was the playmaker as necessary, but I don’t feel like Ramsey (or perhaps this Arsenal team overall?) does this as well as Fabregas did. A lot of these games, I get the feeling that we play with one gear only. Am I just paranoid and reading too much into it? Or is this actually an issue with the team?
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Irony Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 10:50 am
@William,
I would like to believe it’s down to the new midfield. I think we got a really good glimpse in the first 25mins of the Blackburn game at just how good this Arsenal side can move the ball, but I don’t think we’ve hit that level again. For now it can probably be put down to Ramsey’s growing confidence and how this Arsenal function as a unit.
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Scott Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
@Irony,
Agree that Ramsey’s improving confidence and play are leading how the midfield attacks and plays right now. So what do we see happening in January/February when Wilshere is beginning to come back? Really I can’t him replacing Arteta, but if Ramsey keeps developing into the driving attacking force in the midfield he may be undroppable in January. Just food for thought
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david seago Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
@Scott,
what about having Arteta drop into the holding role, and playing Wilshere and Ramsey in front of him?
We’d lose Song’s ability to break up play, but we’d gain better possession of the ball probably, meaning we’d have to defend less.
I think Arteta is a very experienced guy and could play there no problem. Just a question whether we could have them as a three in Midfield.
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Scott Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
@david seago,
I like that idea and share your thoughts that Arteta could adapt there nicely. However I do love Song’s resolve on the ball and think he’s largely underrated (though perhaps not on this site). Ultimately I feel some sort of rotation will be employed- hopefully in February we’re still alive on all fronts with many games to play and many chances for all!
What really intrigues me are how Wilshere and Ramsey will grow into a partnership… they have excelled individually but not yet had the chance to gell together. I still think Wilshere will be more like the Xabi Alonso “deep lying playmaker” and Ramsey more of the advanced creative mid… but I think Wilshere’s talented enough to play that role as well with ease. It will be fun to watch them together.
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Eurazian Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 4:01 am
@david seago, Song is pretty much undroppable right now; as well as his defensive work, he’s offering a cutting edge offensively that he lacked earlier in his career.
I think Arteta, Wilshere and Ramsey will rotate. In the long term, Arteta will give way to Wilshere; Jack played more or less the same role as Arteta is playing now.
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Arsenal Column Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
@Eurazian,
The stability that Arteta brings, for me, makes him hard to drop. Harder, arguably than Song it would be if, he wasn’t our sole quality defensive midfielder. But Arteta has brought something that no-one else previously had in that three-man midfield; the ability to recycle the ball and defensive help. Jack Wilshere, though, is too talented to miss out.
There’ll be a lot of rotation and, like you, I can see it being Ramsey, Wilshere and Arteta, but Wenger will find out that Arteta will be the hardest to drop.
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david seago Reply:
November 11th, 2011 at 10:40 am
@Eurazian,
I respect your opinion on Song, and i know you speak for a lot of people about him. But although i know he has great ability in breaking up the play he is sloppy in his passing at times when he needs to be solid, for me he attempts passes he shouldn’t, he gives possession away too much. You could argue that he wins it back again but i’d rather he stopped being so ambitious. his passing % is 85% which should be higher for a player in his position. Arteta, Ramsey, Vermaelen, Rosicky, Santos, Koscielny, Gibbs, Sagna, Mertesaker etc all have higher percentages than him, i think he needs to realise that this: – “Last season I scored five goals and this time I’d like to score eight or ten – it would show that I’m improving a lot in that area” – is not his job. I don’t he should be thinking about scoring more goals, i think he should be thinking about protecting his back four and letting the othere in front of him deal with the more creative side. Once he’s nailed this responsibility, then he can join the attack occasionally.
I’m not sure about other players in similar roles in the premier league, Mikel, Barry, Scott Parker, Fletcher etc, but i bet they have higher pass %, lower Assists, less key passes, cos they know it’s not really their job. I know Arsenal have a more fluid midfield but i’d just like him to be more solid (and a bit quicker) in possession.
Watch again the barcelona game at the emirates last year and he looks like a little boy lost, cos he can’t think quickly enough. whereas Fabregas/Wilshere/Nasri around him coped very well.
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Arsenal Column Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 10:06 pm
@William,
As displayed by WBA’s lack of adventure, I think the “sluggishness” can partly be attributed to our opponents. But there are a couple of issues that spring to mind;
Firstly, the change of emphasis this season has meant the wide-forwards contribute less to the build-up. For example Nasri would drop deep to not only help the central midfielders but to also take the ball off the full-backs, which as Tee Song highlights, is not happening as often.
As a result, you can see a dis-attachment between midfield and attack; essential, the central midfielders supply the forward therefore the rotation is all the more important.
Another point is that this is still a relatively new midfield so they are still adjusting and getting an understanding. Wilshere is more progressive so his drive is missed although Song is trying to recreate it in his own way. When Fábregas plays, the rest of the team knows how he plays and even if he dominates the build-up, they make movements to accommodate him. Notice how van Persie says he’s changed his game due to the wide-forwards crossing more but also, he hasn’t the close support that Cesc provided.
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“It’s a little bit strange to say that the wide forwards have been crucial to Arsenal’s game because, at the same time, they’ve yet to deliver as it’s been hoped”
Quite right, they are crucial to our game, whilst not getting on the score sheet as much at the moment. But i’m confident this will change in the future now we seem to be gelling more and more.
Good Article.
Would like to see some statistical comparison with Ramsey and Cesc in Feb/March time when Ramsey has had a few more months to improve: Assists, pass %, Key Passes, average position, that kind of thing.
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Arsenal Column Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
@david seago,
Will do!
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well.. i see a lot of positive comments and everyone in the arsenal camp is happy but even so we shouldnt get carried away. van persie is still such a fragile footballer and is making the team look good. we can only hope that the streak carries on. the international break could not have come sooner. things are looking good but not great.
theo is still rough around the edges but seems to be more effective in a more subdued role where he has to track back to defend. perhaps that will bring out more creativity in him if he has more duties to do. perhaps if he gets on a scoring streak it has a higher chance of happening but its just more time and effort wenger has to spend on him.
i just hope theo can keep up the good work,and the assists because oxlade and ryo are rotting in the reserves.
RVP actually held the ball up for arteta and helped in giving TV a goal too after scoring the first goal. Isn’t this team over reliant on van persie who hasnt signed new terms yet?? its just our luck that just when he is really hitting his stride his contract runs out soon.. why doesnt wenger fix crap like this before hand? maybe before contracts have 2 years left to run out he can do something about it.
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ANON Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
@vei, IF he had done that you would have been saying at that point”Why does Wenger do crap thing’s like extending the contract of a forward who is always injured?”..
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vei Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
@ANON,
well please dont say that ur happy that his contract is up soon
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Tee Song Reply:
November 10th, 2011 at 1:58 am
@vei, Wow. Exactly when should Arsenal have started to negotiate a further contract extension? Currently, RvP is beginning the third year of his four year contract, barely halfway through the deal. Are you actually advocating that we should start negotiating contract extensions in the SECOND year of a four year contract? Heck, maybe we should start negotiating new terms as soon as the ink has dried on his signature! Perhaps that’s even too late.
I’m certainly not happy at RvP’s public stance. At the same time, I don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors. Quite frankly, given his injury record, the club have reason to be cautious about building a team around a player who in the previous two seasons has been available for less than half the teams BPL and Champions League games. If the club have good medical evidence that he’s over his injury difficulties, I certainly hope that they come up with the funds to pay him what he’s worth. A fit van Persie is as good a reason as any to break your wage structure.
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david seago Reply:
November 14th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
@Tee Song,
what about the fact that RVP will be close to 30 when he signs his next contract, he will want to be sure he’s in the right place as it will be the last big contract he will sign. also will Arsene break the rule of only offering 1 year deals to players over 30? Arsene will fairly soon have to think about replacing him as he gets older. I would say RVP has 5 years left at the top level, and if he can stay fit then possibly even longer. I think RVP will be rewarded for his loyalty by giving him a great contract, but will it be enough? time will tell.
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I touched on Arsenal’s pressing with the last image (WBA’s first half passes – the other image is their shots in second-half; they had none in the 1st) but a word or two doesn’t do justice to how well we got tight to West Brom.
This season, we’ve had some problems with getting this part of our strategy right; we push up but don’t press up the pitch, which allows the opponents at us. Admittedly, WBA were poor but in the first half we got it right by, not pressing intensely, but by getting tight. That’s the final balance if we are to be more solid in our own half; the “through-marking” came back.
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So we all know Ramsey is a different player to Fabregas – but I’m interested to know what exactly makes him different.
I tend to think he offers more of a goal threat and is better at playing closer to van Persie. I don’t have any data to back this up, however. That’s why I’d like to throw this over to you guys.
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@Irony,
Fabregas is a false #10, his position when playing for Barca is practically on top of Messi in the no man’s land between Villa (who is usually the furthest forward if not a classic #9) and the midfield proper.
Ramsey is a central midfielder, what might be termed a traditional playmaker in a 4-4-2. His natural position is more akin to where Xavi plays.
Ramsey’s style is more suited to a league where fouls on defenders in possession are less likely to be given because it keeps men back rather than committing players forward.
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