Artetaball Tactics Thread

banduan

Old tactics thread was too old.

I'll start with a vid on the quintessential Artetaball goal, the cutback, which we try a lot of but are unfortunately not too good at scoring (compared to Citeh who are just much more effiicent).

Nice note about our variant of this that we've started doing this season, the cutback to Partey against deep blocks.

Claudius

Saw this article and was a bit sad that this type of reporting wasn’t around earlier. The originator of the cutback in Premier League was Wenger. He used to talk about the importance of patience in creating high quality chances. And the cut back was an important tool for him.

Kel Varnsen

Everything seems to be about making the angle between the ball and the two goalposts as big as possible (maximizing xG).

https://soccermatics.readthedocs.io/en/latest/lesson2/GeometryOfShooting.html

flobaba

Mirth

Pepe LeFrits

Some interesting analysis of our press plus some more obvious observations

TambourineMan

A team of technical giants. I love it.

Mirth

After 3 seasons of insisting we need to have left footed CBs in the back line, Arteta played a backline of only right footed defenders.

Pepe LeFrits

Interesting

goon

Saw that this morning. Pass map was interesting, they didn’t touch upon it but it confirms my sense that Eddie isn’t really combining with the team compared to Trossard’s map from last season.

I actually think they’re reading too much into it. The Palace pass map was semi-horseshoe and I don’t think that’s ever deliberate. I think it’s more a sign that we’ve struggle to click so far.

Pepe LeFrits

Yeah, sample size and the nature of the game and opponent is obviously a huge factor. I thought the observation about Rice picking up the ball outside the block was interesting though. Will be keeping an eye out for that today to see how we shape up.

Burnwinter

Pepe LeFrits I thought the observation about Rice picking up the ball outside the block was interesting though

This was the bit that sounded most plausible, Rice might be doing it intuitively but more likely is under instruction not to take risks.

The point that players change structures and Havertz is distinct from Xhaka is well made, the claim about "connectivity" is a bit different, not sure Arteta would see it the same way.

It's educational being a gooner at the moment, there's a lot of cool, enlightening content of this kind due to Arsenal's hordes of online supporters, our nerdy manager and our challenger status. Makes the footy more fun.

Kel Varnsen

Biggest problem has been that we've not been able to set up Martinelli and Saka 1v1. The other teams have quickly doubled up on our wingers, which in turn results in horseshoe passing.

Big Willie

Kel Varnsen The other teams have quickly doubled up on our wingers, which in turn results in horseshoe passing.

Never liked the idea of bringing Partey to right back to play some inverted role whilst benching Gabriel just to fit Havertz into the team. It makes us lose a few of our stro gest partnerships from last season in the connection that Saka and White have down the wing that opens space for Saka to come inside, the partnership between Saliba and Gabriel which was one of the best in the whole league, and moves Partey from his best position which allowed him to break through the lines with a shoulder drop or pass that turned the opposition midfield back towards facing their own goal instead of being behind the ball.

Think if we keep playing this formation we'll end up with many more matches with the horseshoe of death. White needs to be at RB to support Saka, Partey needs to be at our midfield base, Gabriel needs to be back alongside Saliba. Let Trossard, Rice, and Havertz fight for that 8 position and see if Rice can win the position from Partey by the end of the season.

Burnwinter

Inverting Partey has got to stop.

Last season with the "Zinchenko role", Zinchenko and White didn't have to check on other players much to roam forward when we were on the ball, it was all quite organic.

With this Partey at right back schtick, Partey and White almost have to hold a meeting to make sure Partey is ambling inboard so it's safe for White to scout forward to the right in support of Saka. The shape transition is clumsy as hell. The decent aspect of it is that Rice gets to roam forward where he looked quite good in the first half, and Havertz becomes a free man. I like Havertz as a concept but he wasn't good enough today.

I counted White getting forward exactly once before the subs happened. And Partey is clearly under instruction to sit, but by the time he drifts into that right pivot area, the ball is already far ahead of him so his passing is worthless.

Sicario2 - Tier 1

Big Willie

Good post and agree with all of this but I would definitely play Rice in the number 8, that’s his best position. Then you simply put Partey in the number 6 as you said. Problem solved.

James

Big Willie White needs to be at RB to support Saka, Partey needs to be at our midfield base, Gabriel needs to be back alongside Saliba

Think this would all be our preferred option at the back, but who plays left back whilst Zinchenko is unfit? We can’t just sit still and use this system forever though either. We have to evolve. Timber was a huge part of that.

Big Willie

Sicario2 - Tier 1 Good post and agree with all of this but I would definitely play Rice in the number 8, that’s his best position. Then you simply put Partey in the number 6 as you said. Problem solved.

Yeah that's my thinking. Not that it's his best position, but that it might be best to play him there for the time being whilst we integrate him into the team. Either that or have him and Partey rotate with one another and play Trossard in the 8 position whilst keeping the tried and tested backline.

James Think this would all be our preferred option at the back, but who plays left back whilst Zinchenko is unfit? We can’t just sit still and use this system forever though either. We have to evolve. Timber was a huge part of that.

Yeah I know what you're saying. Zinchenko is a huge miss when he's not playing. Even if Timber was fit. But the thing is, we were playing Partey at fullback even with Timber in the team so it seems like Arteta wants to go that route this season with White and Saliba at CB and Partey at RB. I don't like it but not much I can do about it.

Clrnc

James Kiwior.

Pepe LeFrits

James Think this would all be our preferred option at the back, but who plays left back whilst Zinchenko is unfit? We can’t just sit still and use this system forever though either. We have to evolve. Timber was a huge part of that.

Not mine. I'd rather Rice at 6 than Partey and I don't think Havertz really has much to do with Partey being played at RB. It could just as easily be Trossard at 8 and Arteta would still be playing Partey there.

I'd like to see last season's back four against United though.

James

Clrnc So we play with a back four in possession as opposed to the three we played the entirety of last season with?

James

Sorry yeah, I was disregarding Partey with my “at the back”.