Arsenal's midfield needs reconfiguration

Today at 12:58 AM

Arteta's lineup choice on Saturday left much to be desired

Obviously, William Saliba's red card changed the game for Arsenal, and any match with 10 in the Premier League is tough. But in Arsenal's 2-0 loss, there were a couple of avoidable elements that went against them. First, there was the composition of the midfield to begin the game. Without Martin Ødegaard, and with Mikel Merino to start, Mikel Arteta started Merino, Declan Rice, and Thomas Partey. The issue with that midfield three is that while it's physically imposing, the creativity is lacking, especially in advanced areas.

This was compounded with the absence of Bukayo Saka. In truth, it was always going to be hard for Arsenal to create many chances without Ødegaard and Saka. But in naming the midfield three, it feels as if Arteta forewent the final ball altogether. While there were obvious fitness issues with Gabriel Martinelli, Arteta went away from what had been working in Ødegaard's absence. With Trossard on the left, he and Havertz were separated, with Havertz creating space that was never well occupied. There was a paucity of attacking options, but Arteta could've started Gabriel Jesus, either on the left with Trossard playing centrally, or upfront, and pushed Havertz into midfield.

The problem that Arsenal had with 11 men is the lack of verticality in midfield. There were moments where Merino and Rice received the ball and went square, when you could envision someone else looking for White on the overlap, or a slipped ball through for Sterling.

This was compounded when Arsenal went to ten and Arteta removed Sterling. Without Sterling and with a midfield lacking creativity, Arsenal's game became ponderous; the best chance created came from counter-pressing, a strategy harder to carry out with 10 players.

This is in contrast to how Arsenal have been without Ødegaard, where there's been more verticality, even in games Arsenal have controlled. The verticality has replaced some of the precision as a necessity. But on Saturday, it was lacking and then gone, leaving Arsenal in a place where they can't have too many more mistakes.