One of our readers posted this response to a post two days ago. I think it is really worth the read.
Thanks for sharing Sam.
Sam says:
I have a simply brilliant and logical idea. That’s the very reason this is unlikely to be adopted by Arteta as he likes complicated tactics.
Anyways, my idea is that instead of playing Gyokeres in the center and Martinelli in the left, Arteta should play Gyokeres in the left wing and Havertz as the center forward. I will explain my reaspons.
Havertz is not clinical in the box, but very good at holding the ball and laying it out to others and dropping back to create space for others. I heard that has previously played on the left wing and likes to move from left to center of the box. So the above approach plays to both players strength. Against long ball teams, Havertz wins the ball in the air against opposition CBs and lays it off to Gyokeres who has moved in to the space in the box now vacated by Havertz, with Lewis Skelly taking up the space on the left flank vacated by Gyokeres.
I think this would create lots of chances on the left flank which would be as predictive as the right flak trio of Saka, Ben White and Odegard.
If Arteta adopts this, I’m sure it would be a big success.
Not a bad idea, right?