Anyone else quickly want to think about the Premier League again after Tuesday’s League Cup defeat? Good! We have just the thing for you.
Much has been said about Arsenal’s football over the past few weeks, but Saturday’s win over Everton was a clear step forward in terms of playing against a defensive setup and consistently getting into dangerous areas.
With no Bukayo Saka, who has been the team’s biggest goal threat this season, Mikel Merino came into midfield to play behind Viktor Gyokeres, allowing Martin Odegaard to roam deeper. It was Odegaard’s constant roaming in midfield, with Rice advancing ahead of the ball, and link-up play with Myles Lewis-Skelly, tucking into a midfield role from left-back, that helped stretch Everton and create plenty of opportunities.
With Declan Rice (circled) ahead of the ball, Martin Odegaard would often drop to find space and combine with left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly, who had tucked into midfield
Lewis-Skelly quickly moved the ball on to Merino and Rice (circled) and Odegaard swapped positions again, with the Arsenal captain making an undetected late run into the box
Having run off of his marker James Garner (circled), Odegaard arrives in space to receive Ben White’s lay-off in a good shooting position
Those combinations didn’t directly lead to a goal, but they helped Arsenal dominate and threaten throughout the 2-0 win. A PSG-like fluidity in midfield and plenty of vertical passing looks like a real step forward for this Arsenal side and should make the team a lot more exciting to watch.
We go into how those midfield rotations worked in the latest installment of Between The Lines, our new tactics-focused YouTube series. You can check out the video below, and be sure to subscribe to the Arseblog YouTube channel for more!
Wengerball is back