Mikel Arteta’s importance to Arsenal has been spoken of to the extent of droning repetition, tweeted about iteratively and plastered on blog after blog. And rightly so. He’s an imperative piece to Wenger’s Arsenal.
So then why is it that his absence, through injury, has been a blessing in disguise?
It’s all about this new approach Arsenal have taken up this season. Wenger has been a 4-2-3-1 loyalist over the past couple of seasons but it seems, as with everybody else in football, his allegiance may be shifting. During pre-season there were signs of it at the Asia Tour and that carried through to the opening of the season-proper. But it was as though the idea was trying to escape the wisps of chalk lines on the tactics board and materialise into a masterstroke from the Professor, and Arteta just wouldn’t let it.
He was the constraining force. His immobility is what seemed to hold it back and prevent it transforming Arsenal’s game. The midfield played more as a trio than as a slightly more disjointed double pivot and roaming attacking midfielder. Automatically, it spread the creative and defensive responsibilities amongst the three players in more equal proportions than we had seen.
It’s not just Arteta – but his function. He’s become such a pivotal player that when he’s missing in action, his deputies are forced into that suffocating control-room which allows everybody else to breathe easy.
But now there is this sense of independence – and we’re playing to suit our current midfield.
What exactly is this ‘experiment’ then? It may just be the natural course of individual function taking over. But then you picture that wry Arsène Wenger smile and remember the esoteric mastery that comes with it. Okay, so this experiment: it’s a fully-flowing interchangeable mechanism that enhances reliance, communication and progression amongst the three midfielders. If Rinus Michels coached a three-a-side team, it would resemble that Arsenal midfield in terms of positioning – or lack thereof, even.
This triumvirate has mainly been comprised of Wilshere, Ramsey and Rosicky. They can all attack, and aren’t afraid of winning the ball back. This is why it has worked so well. They truly make the sum of the parts greater than the individual talent. Cringe-worthy, but correct nonetheless.
The ‘double-pivot’ – or at least that’s what it appears to be on paper – of Wilshere and Ramsey has arguably been the most refreshing sight for Gooners. It’s this intrinsic understanding between the two that has been mightily successful – one attacks, the other drops and vice versa. That is expected of any midfield. But this is stretched and involves another member. That is especially helpful when breaking on the counter.
Another facet of this rough diamond has been how it gets the best out each one of the three midfielders. It’s genius in its simplicity. By playing closer to each other they naturally provide cover for each other, to a certain extent. Hence when one of them feels like stretching their legs a bit, they aren’t shackled by the restraints of their position and role. That’s what Aaron Ramsey has used profitably to his advantage. It’s allowed him to exploit his impressive instinct to sneak in unannounced in the box and pick up crucial goals.
Wilshere can still draw the broadsword and puncture deep holes in the opposition when he carries the ball with high intensity through the middle. Rosicky or Cazorla can pull off and quill their rapiers, sliding passes through.
But collectively, what is it they do? They operate as a unit and move exactly as that. This allows them to outnumber opponents in deeper areas and makes permeating the first lines of defence much easier without having to positionally sacrifice their team-mates by means of support. With Cazorla or his Czech colleague comfortable to drop deep it pulls out opposing players and creates room for midfield runners – of which Wilshere and Ramsey both tick that box.
An additional key element to this is the resultant supplementing of the channels attacks come through. This is predominantly through the middle, from where nearly 78% of chances originate. A statistic that encapsulates their incontrovertible influence on the offensive side, especially with Cazorla – when he’s deployed wide left – drifting in and augmenting the attacking fortitude.
Now Mesut Özil decides to come in and ruin the party. The talented git.
With the German in the side, he will more likely than not play as the enganche which will push Santi to a position he’s familiarising himself with, as inside left winger. Özil doesn’t stay positionally still. He flits in and out from wing to wing, traversing the entire creative corridor. But one area he tends to neglect is the space in behind him. He isn’t one to collect the ball from deep and start moves.
This short-lived ‘experiment’ will go up in flames.
An alternative would be to have him play out wide, which would be blasphemous to say the least. He won’t have the freedom to create as much and as frequently as his astronomical stats suggest and doesn’t have the defensive discipline to track the modern marauding full-back.
But not to worry, he’ll compensate for this disruption a thousand times over.
With his tactical spark aglow, and with a near-enough perfect assassin to conduct his silent slaying of the league’s elite, Wenger’s popularity may be on the rise again.
