UK Edition
Should Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger now stick with his three-man defence after Chelsea draw?
It is something that was seriously raised after the debacle at Liverpool and again on Thursday night when Arsenal transformed a one-goal deficit into a 3-1 win with a simple half-time change of formation.
Arsène Wenger’s squad have also been back using their old 4-2-3-1 system during regular periods of training, with the manager describing his players as “better balanced and equipped” after Thursday’s change. He had a point but, against a team of Chelsea’s quality and physicality, this was still further evidence in favour of the additional security that is provided by the 3-4-2-1 formation with which his team ended last season.
It is true that there are moments when Arsenal still look more disorganised and lacking in clear purpose about their system than a team that is clearly so obsessively drilled as Chelsea but that is more a consequence of the respective personalities of the managers than tactics.
Whatever the system, Wenger will always afford his players some licence to roam from predetermined jobs and it is therefore even more essential against the very best that the odds of additional defensive reinforcement are at least further in his team’s favour.
Chelsea began here quickly and, while Pedro’s missed chance was a critical let-off, they would surely have made their early pressure count against an Arsenal team with only two centre-backs. It was not always pretty but Arsenal largely had that one extra body just often enough to frustrate and crowd out Willian, Pedro and Álvaro Morata. It also made them far less susceptible on the counter-attack.
An extra centre-back and the defensive solidity of Sead Kolasinac added to the pace of Héctor Bellerín really is a big change from the seemingly endless examples of Kieran Gibbs leaving a whacking great hole that no midfielder or centre-back would cover.
One thing that does not change whatever the system is Arsenal’s ability to create chances and, once they absorbed Chelsea’s early pressure, they threatened regularly. Indeed, there is an argument that an increasingly secure defensive platform will actually help players attack with greater certainty and confidence. That was evident when Aaron Ramsey dribbled through much of the Chelsea defence and was denied only by the post.
The wider evidence in favour of 3-4-2-1 is also convincing. Arsenal ended last season with 10 wins in 11 games once the change was made but especially significant in all this was how those matches included the sort of big games in which they have previously failed habitually. Like Manchester City and Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final and final or Wenger’s very first Premier League victory against Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United.
Those who remain understandably sceptic about Wenger’s ability to oversee change will naturally point to the Liverpool game but that was surely more about a duff team selection in terms of personnel rather than tactics amid the looming closure of the transfer window. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sánchez should have been no-where near the team that day.
None of this is to say that Arsenal should not sometimes switch formations. That they maintain their familiarity with 4-2-3-1 can be hugely beneficial at certain moments of matches, especially when they are either behind or trying to unlock a stubborn but more technically limited opponent. It effectively means replacing a centre-back with an attacking midfielder and Arsenal are always well stocked with those.
What Sunday showed, though, was that Arsenal have evolved and, while the basic philosophy of their team guarantees a certain vulnerability, they are not the soft touch of earlier this year.
The verdict
Moment which changed the match: Petr Cech’s early save from Pedro
There is no telling how Arsenal might have reacted to falling behind at that stage of the game but Cech’s intervention was critical.
Most influential player: Laurent Koscielny
Arsenal’s best defender organised his team-mates effectively, stood up to the physicality of Morata and also played on with bravery after taking a boot to the face from David Luiz.
Crowd rating: 7
The atmosphere was lively, with Chelsea soon demanding to know “where were you on Thursday night” and again urging Wenger to stay but the Arsenal fans also more vociferous than at the Emirates.
Referee rating: 7
The big decisions for Michael Oliver were Luiz’s two tackles. On the overhead kick to Koscielny’s face, the question of consistency again emerges following last week’s straight red for Sadio Mané.
The subsequent studs up challenge on Sead Kolasinac probably deserved a second yellow rather than a straight red – but it was borderline – and Luiz could hardly feel too aggrieved to end his game early.
Match rating: 7
It was a quality and entertaining match played at a high tempo between two obviously good and committed teams. The final touch in front of goal was simply the missing piece.