Arsenal’s win against Marseille was convincing, even if it did lack conviction. There was positivity, there was fluidity. As bad as Marseille were, there was so much good that came out of that performance for the hosts.
Arsenal set up in that permanent template of a 4-2-3-1. With the unorthodox wingers of Jack Wilshere and Tomáš Rosický flanking Mesut Özil. The immediate thought is that there is a worrying lack of width, even with the full-backs given so much freedom. And to not appreciate that Arsenal do have a reliance on using the entire pitch is silly. That’s how they stretch games; that’s what made Özil so effective, particularly in the first half, against Southampton.
To inflict dominance in so important an area of the field, Arsenal tend to outnumber opposition. It’s this sophisticated set-up that Wenger seems to have created that is in fact quite straightforward. The players move in ‘hubs’, as you’d expect them to. But it’s consistent, and above all, intelligent.
These clusters of normally three move in and out of each other. Phasing from area to another. But what makes it coherent is that one ever-available option. Last night it was Aaron Ramsey. His sense of positioning when Arsenal are in possession is fantastic. The energy allows for the mobility, but so does Mathieu Flamini. Without the assurance of his presence behind every move the attacking line makes, there would be so much more reservation in the approach play.
However, let’s keep the focus on Ramsey for now. The man who made nine tackles and attempted 110 passes on Tuesday night. They are phenomenal stats, but something that might not shock the reader. So much of the game flows through him, as it does with Arteta.
But there is a fundamental difference with those two. The game forces itself on the Spaniard, whereas Ramsey forces himself on the game. Not that that is a bad thing, in the slightest. Last night it was evident how far forward he can get.
This Squawka heat map simultaneously indicates his importance in the transition of play – the amount of time he spends at the edge of his own half; and also how he supplements the wide areas. That imposition on the game makes the jobs of the offensive players a lot easier. But could make Flamini’s a lot harder. As much as Ramsey does defend – as the stats suggest – he can possibly get carried away with the attacking game. 78 per cent of his tackles were made in the final two thirds of the pitch, if that indicates anything. More importantly, there were times when Flamini looked exposed at the back, but Marseille just weren’t good enough to make that count. He had Özil dropping into his position to provide cover. And by that I mean the German was just occupying the space that Ramsey should.
Perhaps it was just the opposition, but Ramsey may need to tread a more cautious line. Which may prove detrimental, because he flourishes in that freedom.
But it is important to note that when Mathieu Valbuena and Florian Thauvin came on, Marseille did have a few chances to pull a goal back. They just needed the quality to exploit the spaces, which the 20-year-old did try do, with reasonable success too.
Moving on from one revelation this season, to another. Giroud’s role in this Arsenal team most certainly hasn’t been played down; but most are blowing that trumpet to the wrong tune. His touch, his finishing, his connecting of play have all been highlighted as being vastly improved – and rightly so. There is one area of his game that has helped the team more so than his game itself is his movement. We know he can turn his back to goal and involve his team-mates; and attempt delightful flicks on the edge of the box – that’s testament to his awareness.
Against Marseille he showed, perhaps more so than in any game this season, great spatial awareness. He was constantly moving along the attacking line, pulling wide, not just to attract defenders but as a channel to attack through. Wilshere’s second goal highlighted this particularly well. Marseille had bodies behind the ball, and Giroud went to support Sagna on the right. He pulled wide, and supplied Ramsey. It may not seem like much, but does make an impression on something that can grow as a source of goals for Arsenal. It allows for more creativity to occupy that attacking line and feed off each other.
So does a Theo Walcott fit into this? Supposedly you’d analyse last night’s cameo to assess that. But the game was buried and Jérémy Morel not being the most imposing of opposition full-backs it would be almost pointless.
And with Rosický, even if he wasn’t at his best, his gallivanting is too precious an aspect of the game to not attach considerable weight to.
Wenger has a wealth of varying options (when they’re all fit), but in their absence he has slowly been mastering a system that has seen Arsenal play badly and win, but also play well and win. That performance last night, even if it did boarder on wasteful at times, was one that the team needed.
