When you think of Arsene Wenger, one of the first things that comes to mind is his trademark brand of football. Ever since he arrived in North London in 1996, a hallmark of Arsenal has been a fluid, attractive style of play. From the glory of the Invincible days to the modern era, Arsenal sides have been littered with some of the most technically gifted players in England. Lately however, the style of the personnel seems to have changed. The arrival of attackers such as Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Mesut Özil gives the Gunners a more pacy, direct feel. This begs the question: Is possession football really the way forward? The current attack seems suited to a more counter attacking style of play, and it seems Arsene Wenger may have to adapt in order to return to the realm of Premier League glory.
Contrary to past sides, the Gunner’s current front line represents a whole new breed of Arsenal attackers. While they may lack the fluidity and technical prowess of Wenger’s former teams, they make up for it with their boundless speed and skill. Forwards Danny Welbeck, Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain represent some of the most dangerous attackers in the league, repeatedly tormenting opposing defenders to no end. In addition to these attributes, all four represent something Arsenal haven’t had an abundance of in years – outlets. In seasons past, Wenger has gravitated towards playing creative wide playmakers such as Samir Nasri, Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky. While this has allowed them to dominate possession in the final 3rd, it’s also contributed to the lack of a cutting edge Arsenal have displayed countless times in recent seasons. Now however, this is no longer the case. Instead of cutting inside and focusing on the buildup play, this new set of attackers seem set on skilfully navigating through opposing defences, looking to breach the back 4 in the process. This new look forward line is direct evidence that Arsenal may need to evolve their longstanding style of play.
Taking all this into account, the emergence of genuine outlets directly affects the Gunners most creative player – Mesut Özil. The German playmaker started off his Arsenal career in flying fashion, yet he’s recently been forced to endure endless scrutiny by both the media and rival fans alike. While his form isn’t completely defendable, Özil’s struggles can largely be attributed to his surrounding players and the system. At Real Madrid, Özil acted as the creative hub of a counter attack based side, exploiting space in transition and playing world class forwards such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema behind the defense with his pin point through balls. At Arsenal however, this hasn’t been the case. A more possession based team coupled with a downgrade in the forwards meant that he was very often neutralised by the opposition. The addition of genuine outlets changes everything. Should Arsenal adopt a counter attacking system built around Özil, the German can absolutely thrive in the Premier League. He has shown glimpses of such in the past, however the conditions he finds himself in prevent him from doing so on a consistent basis. Mesut Özil is a genuine world class player, and a few months of poor play doesn’t change that. Arsene Wenger needs to play to his strengths in order for him to replicate the form that made him so revered at Real Madrid.
There is certainly evidence stacked in favour of Arsenal adopting a more counter attack based system, however the argument can be made that the need to simply modify their current brand of football is just as pressing. While a Barcelona-esque “titki taka” style may look good on the eye, Arsenal have proved that they may not posses the necessary mindset to succeed with it. Dominating possession is no use if the ball isn’t put in the back of the net, and Arsenal’s renown toothlessness in the final 3rd is largely a product of their current ideals. Last week’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United embodies this reality. Arsenal absolutely dominated large portions of the match, retaining almost 62% possession and tallying 9 shots on target. On the other hand, United struggled to keep the ball, tallying a measly 2 shots on goal. When you put these stats on the table, the fact that the Gunners managed to lose this contest is truly mind boggling. While United pounced on the few chances they got, Arsenal seemed spoiled for choice, wasting every single opportunity that fell into their lap. The aforementioned toothlessness was well on display then, with Arsenal’s seeming desire to pass the ball into the net acting as a massive hinderance to their overall level of play. Should Wenger truly want to challenge England’s other big clubs, he’ll need to instill a system that suits this current set of players. Doing so may entail manoeuvring from the brand he’s become so well known for.
In addition to their style of play, Arsenal’s level of performance could very well be affected by the formation they field. During Mesut Ozil’s absence, Wenger adopted a never before seen 4-1-4-1, with mixed results. The thought process behind it seemed to be integrating Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey into the midfield while retaining the support of Mikel Arteta, however most assumed that the Frenchman would revert back to a 4-2-3-1 as soon as Özil was deemed fit. Surprisingly, Wenger stuck with the formation, shunting Özil out on the wing in the process. Arsenal’s form has been sporadic ever since, dropping crucial points against lower level opposition such as Swansea, Hull and Leicester. Unless the players can click quickly in their newly implemented setup, it seems a return to the 4-2-3-1 will become a necessity. While doing so would hopefully help the Gunners undergo a more consistent vein of form, the formation would also be more conducive of a counter attacking system. With Mesut Özil pulling the strings in his preferred number 10 role behind 3 outlets, Arsenal can truly find their attacking groove once again. The 4-1-4-1 has not paid dividends as of yet, and Wenger needs to consider shifting back to his more proven 4-2-3-1 formation to get the season back on track.
The writing is on the wall for Arsene Wenger. While he has spent a good part of the last 20 years molding Arsenal into the fluid footballing machine that they are today, it may be time to finally shift direction.There are many factors that point to a new system being required in order to get the North London club back on track, and the pieces are all there for Wenger to transform this side into something truly special. In order to do so, he may need to evolve his values in ways he’s never before considered.
