It may be superficially boring and overly defensive, but Mikel Arteta’s tactical philosophy is beginning to pay dividends.
There was plenty of cause for celebration as Arsenal picked up their first away win against a traditional top six side since 2015 with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United – though Thomas Partey stood out and caught the eye beyond the result itself.
While the Gunners had previously lost their last two Premier League matches, numerous Arsenal fans as well as Arteta had been impressed by the Ghana midfielder’s efforts, continuing his anchoring role superbly in the win at Old Trafford.
Arteta’s shift to a 5-2-3 system with more of a defensive emphasis has enabled the Gunners to appear to be far more disciplined and well-drilled, with a better ability to adapt to changing situations in games.
Indeed, Paul Pogba directly blamed Arsenal’s tactics for the defeat for United, a testament to the strengths that recent changes has provided. Pogba was at fault for conceding the penalty as he lunged at Hector Bellerin in the United box.
“We need to do more with the ball creating chances,” said Pogba.
“I think maybe we didn’t expect to be man for man, me and Bruno [Fernandes], but after this we can adapt, we have to find a solution but we didn’t.
“That’s why we weren’t dangerous with the ball.
“We keep a clean sheet in the first half, like I say, details made the win for Arsenal today, they were in shape, they were waiting for us to make the mistake.”
Arteta has been experimenting with his squad in a testing phase for the Gunners and opted to play a trio of Mohamed Elneny, Thomas Partey and Bukayo Saka against United. Revisiting the role of Partey, his partnership with Elneny was well-served.
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The man-to-man aggression commented on by Pogba is largely due to the role of the midfield pairing. A clean sheet is symptomatic of their effectiveness.
The system appeared vital in keeping United out and will likely continue to yield benefits. Moreover, it offers flexibility to the wing-backs and gets the best out of the likes of Bellerin and Bukayo Saka, who possess a pehcant for getting forward. Bellerin’s ability to win a penalty after Pogba’s lunge proved instrumental and is an example of the influence of attacking full backs.
No system is invulnerable – and recent defeats emphasise that – but Arteta set up against United with an efficient blend of defensive discipline and tactical flexibility which got the best out of the Gunners’ choice of personnel.
More of the same for the Gunners and there could be plenty more joyous days like Sunday.
