What's the deal with Arsenal?

The Arsenal of late is a mixed bag with lots to unpack. While there are many aspects of the club to be positive about, there are also plenty of red flags. Thirteenth place is not what you would expect from a team that won the FA Cup just five months ago. Yes, they won back-to-back games for the first time since September (which is a terrible stat in and of itself), but they aren’t out of the woods yet. Let’s take a closer look.

Tactical Style

When Mikel Arteta first joined Arsenal, he had plans for their future laid out. His 3-4-3 formation allowed for overloads, which led to progressive football on the attack, and quick reactionary compression on the defense. Flash forward a few months, and his system has gotten out of control. First off, counterattacking seems to have consumed all of Arsenal's play, where it once was just a single aspect of their game. Every play is now just Arsenal trying to absorb the attack, and then countering. While it may work a few times, this approach usually has limited success. For instance, Manchester United were heavily reliant on counterattacks in the ’19–’20 season, and they only created 58 great chances all year. For context, second-place Manchester City created 108 great chances. 

As effective as counterattacking can be, Arteta should know that it isn’t a sure way to score goals. I think that Arsenal should use their buildup from the back to their advantage. Kieran Tierney has stepped up a lot this season as a right mid/wingback, and we all know how good David Luiz is when he distributes. More focus on their passing will allow  the Gunners to take full advantage of the 3-4-3 system, because it can stretch opponents in certain areas. What Arsenal does in the final third, however, leads us into the next topic.

Attack and Defense

When Arsenal are on the attack, they don’t produce much. Arsenal currently have the third lowest expected goals of any team (1 per game), only beaten by relegation-destined Sheffield United and defensively minded Burnley. Those goals haven't exactly been convincing either. Until the game against Chelsea where they miraculously won 3–1,  Arsenal hadn’t scored from open play in SEVEN games. Funny enough, two of Arsenal’s three goals were from set pieces, meaning that they may have not won if they hadn’t been awarded the consequential free kick and penalty. Luckily for them, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is back from injury, meaning more threat from open play. However, the Gunners’ main man is 31, and it's in the team’s best interest to look for a young talent to become the new jewel in their crown.

In the past, Arsenal were very vulnerable at the back. I'm sure that having David Luiz, Shkodran Mustafi, and Sead Kolasinac as the back three would have been a nightmare for any manager. But this season, Arsenal have made some good defensive choices, completing the signing of Gabriel and soon-to-be starman Thomas Partey. These two players are young and will be great options for years to come. If Arteta were to form a solid back four and create a system that takes advantage of his players’ talents, then they could wave their defensive issues bye-bye. 

Transfers

Obviously, if you were Arteta, you would look to buy someone in the transfer market who is a creator, because that is what Arsenal seem to need right now. The thing is, they already HAVE one. Mesut Özil has been on the sidelines for a long time now, and when he is played, it's either for a friendly or a meaningless Europa League match. Arsenal needs his great progressive passes and goal contributions. Unfortunately, due to his unwillingness to accept a COVID-era paycut, resulting in the laying off of many Arsenal staff members, Özil has fallen out of favor with Arteta and the Arsenal board. 

If Arsenal aren’t going to bring Özil back, they need to find a really good midfielder. I would look into signing Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig. Olmo is a young, creative attacking midfielder who uses his vision and technical abilities to cut open defenses, much like Özil. We can already see how one great midfielder can bring so much to the table for a club—for example, Bruno Fernandes for Manchester United. Fernandes has completely changed the way Man U now plays. He is an established starter who scores or assists virtually every game. Arsenal NEED a player that will constantly contribute to goals, or they won’t challenge for Europe, let alone get out of their relegation fight.

Arteta is a young manager with his whole career ahead of him. His style of play has yet to solidify, so that is why the board is being patient with his shortcomings. That being said, there are high expectations for this Arsenal team, and sooner than later, Arteta will need to produce.