Last week in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg, Total Football Analysis called Arsenals away performance blunt, amongst other things.
Fast forward a week later, and they have cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with what looks to be a favourable draw, though the past week has been far from straightforward for them.
In a similar vein to how Max Dowman was the outlier who lifted Arsenals creative spirits against Everton on Saturday, their press and style of play at home did so against Bayer Leverkusen.
In this tactical analysis, we will talk about how Mikel Artetas men powered to victory by using intense pressing and capitalising on Leverkusens errors, with the two going hand in hand.
Arsenal Vs Bayer Leverkusen Lineups & Formations
Lets have a quick look at how both teams set themselves up for the match in London.
For Arsenal, David Raya started in goal behind the trusted centre-back pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba, alongside Piero Hincapie on the left and Ben White on the right as full-backs.
In a midfield three, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi played in the middle with Viktor Gyökeres ahead of them up front, flanked by Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard.
Meanwhile, Leverkusen lined up with Janis Blaswich in nets behind a 3-4-2-1 system.
The three centre-backs were Jarrell Quansah, Robert Andrich and Edmond Tapsoba.
As the wing-backs, Alejandro Grimaldo was on the left and Ernest Poku on the right.
Making up the central midfield pairing were Aleix Garcia and Ezequiel Palacios.
The forward line included Ibrahim Maza and Martin Terrier supporting Christian Kofane up front.
Screenshot 2026 03 20 at 07.06.15
Arsenal Out-Of-Possession Tactics
Arsenals press wasnt as intense as usual in this match, but it was effective enough to cause the German side to make a lot of unforced errors.
Emirates 1aIts difficult to press high up against a back five because gaps often appear, particularly between the wing-backs and centre-backs, where, if players are not tracked or covered, defenders can emerge with the ball.
As there are five defenders in the backline,
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