Emery's AMs absolutely move out to the wing to create overloads. Also, if one fullback starts an attack there's no problem with the other playing the final ball. Literally every half-penny pundit harps on about how much FBs have to get up and down in the modern game, Emery is nowhere near the only manager doing it. The idea that this is some kind of extremist wing play is overstating, I think. We played a fair amount of combinations down the middle that just weren't coming off. Mostly because of Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang.
Quality in the middle third is what we lacked most against Newcastle, though, and that was on Xhaka and Willock mostly. Guendouzi was playing a different role, and he did ok. Thought Willock was quite poor, apart from a few bright moments, and Xhaka was ponderous and made errors. He always starts going short to the fullbacks when his mid-range passing deserts him.
It puts them under pressure and allows the opposition to press us into a corner. His pass and move isn't sharp enough so we can't get out, and Monreal is slow on top of that. Douzi at least looks to open up play by carrying the ball or switching play, it just comes too early half the time and stifles the attack.
Emery wants to play the quick combinations that Wenger liked at the top of the opposition box, except he wants to do it just behind the halfway line. It's like 1/6 of the way further back than a Guardiola side, which is also why the double pivot makes some sense, which necessitates overlapping fullbacks that almost never underlap. I can understand not liking this tactic, but it's not something totally out there. There is a consistent logic to it, because when it works it really compresses the pitch for the opposition, and opens it up for you, and the chances you create are theoretically easier to score.
That a fullback might start a move and then provide the final ball is pretty much the point of overlapping fullbacks. I actually think Emery wants an AM/Winger to drop into the hole between FB, CM, and AM/Winger to do this sometimes, which we've seen with limited success. Pepe is supposed to be good at this, so we'll see.
