Last season heralded the introduction of the much-maligned 4-1-4-1; often criticised as being too rigid or not offering the defence enough protection, this opprobium has only been exacerbated by the use of two lynch pins in the common 4-2-3-1 system. Indeed, the season before last had not been especially disastrous – an FA cup and Champions League qualification – so why would Arsene Wenger alter this?
Interestingly enough, the experiment, while not debilitating, was far from a success – bar the Community Shield game, it is hard to remember a fluid yet disciplined performance.
Wenger attempted to change this up throughout November, deploying 3 strikers; again, this failed the side in wide areas, Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez attempted to overload the middle on far too many occasions.
It was Mikel Arteta’s injury and Francis Coquelin’s subsequent emergence that prompted a change in formation. Late December and the new year saw the deployment of two orthodox defensive midfielders. Dodgy wins over QPR and West Ham (ft. Coquelin- Mathieu Flamini) were followed by a 2-0 defeat at St Marys (Coquelin- Calum Chambers) – and Wenger recognised the importance of his holding midfielders doubling up as deep lying playmakers.
This again prompted a subtle change – to a 4-1-1-3-1, with Coquelin at the base, Santi just ahead, and Ozil at the top. It was the Spanish playmaker who held us together in the latter stages of the season, and while some may point that he was simply filling the ‘spare midfielder’ role utilised by Ramsey in 2012-14, his role was much more coy.
Cazorla’s quick feet and wider range of passing enabled a destroyer-playmaker relationship as part of the altered 4-2-3-1, and many a-time, most noticeably at the Etihad, his ability to wriggle past 3 or 4 players enabled the transition from defence to attack to be much more fluid.
We can also look at the use of Aaron Ramsey on the right wing – years ago, when he was seen in a much less favourable light, his position on the wing was much criticised, leading to much malignment directed towards the Welshman. However, maturing, Ramsey has learnt his role out wide – to cut inside and create an overload.
This was helped by the emergence of Hector Bellerin, whose forward forays juxtapose Debucy’s conservatism. In attack, Ramsey played the role of the floating playmaker to great effect. Next season, it seems fairly routine to carry on with more of the same – there’s no doubt that had the earlier part of the season matched the latter, the league would have been Arsenal’s.
It’s doubtful that any significant signings will be made that require tactical alteration – and with competition from a bench containing talents such as Calum Chambers, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck and the Ox, there doesn’t need to be.
