After winning the league, Mikel Arteta will be reluctant to change too much – especially after the example set by Liverpool last season in one of the worst title defences this century. However, in football if you stand still you go backwards.

What I think Arteta will do this season is more tactical tweaks rather than wholesale changes.

Arteta’s set up

Since coming in, Mikel Arteta’s tactics have been fairly static:

Starting ion midfield, Arteta has tended to play a single out and out defensive midfielder – firstly Thomas Partey and then Martin Zubimendi.

To ensure that man does not get over run in midfield, the fullbacks defend narrower, in the position that has become known as “inverted full backs”. First Oleksander Zinchenko, then Jurrien Timber, he has played with at least one of his full backs dropping inside to make the extra man in midfield.

Ahead of his sole defensive midfielder, Arteta has tended to play 2 central midfielders – Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard, with Xhaka then replaced by Declan Rice.

This hardworking midfield makes us hard to break down, allows us to press high, but also sacrifices some creativity to create defensive overloads across the pitch. It has also led to the misprofiling of Martin Odegaard.

The Norwiegian captain has never really played in the traditional 10 role for Arsenal – that being high up the pitch, behind a striker, playing centrally.

For much of his Arsenal career, he has played in that right hand side 6 pocket, coming deep to pick up the ball off the defensive midfielder, and progressing through the right hand side. You very seldom see Odegaard out on the left, our even central, and he rarely just loiters high up the field waiting for the ball to come to him in attacking positions.

I would argue that we have utilised Odegaard in his best position – he is more of a 8 than a 10.

On the right hand side, we then have Bukayo Saka who can go on the inside or out, creating an overload with Odegaard. That used to be a treble overload with Ben White acting as a more traditional overlapping full back.

Gabriel Martinelli tended to hug the touchline on the left, giving Declan Rice more space to play inside. Although recently we have seen Leandro Trossard play more in the inside pocket, with both Piero Hincape and Riccardo Calafiori playing as more traditional overlapping full backs – this was to be expected as the inverted full back began to be Timber of the right rather than one of the left backs.

So how do we move on from this set up, giving us more creativity, making use a greater threat, without an huge overhaul?

A return to 4231

I expect next season, Arsenal to return to the more traditional 4231 formation which worked so well for Jose Mourinho’s early days at Chelsea.

One reason I think we will see this change is due to two positions we look to recruit for – Morgan Rogers and another defensive midfielder.

Following the progress of Myles Lewis Skelly, I did not think we needed cover and competition for Martin Zubimendi anymore – the Hale Ender has shown on the highest level that he can compete with the best midfielders in the world.

Rice and Mikel Merino, Zubimendi and MLS, Odegaard and Eberechi Eze. I did not feel we need more than that. Two players for each position and plenty of options to either set up more attacking or more defensively. But we are still being linked to new midfielders.

Either journalists have not been updated by whoever provides their transfer gossip since the MLS breakthrough, or Arsenal are simply still in the market for someone. And I think it is still the latter.

The only conclusion, therefore is Arsenal are going back to playing two defensive midfielders. Think Petit/Gilberto and Vieira or Fabregas and Flamini. At Chelsea for so long it was Claude Makelele alongside Michael Essien. One player to sit, the other to drive forward.

Zubimendi and Rice will be out starters, and MLS is capable of playing both either the sitter role or in Rice’s driving role – however Merino is inefficient in the deeper role; to slow, doesnt cover the ground, not great driving with the ball.

The new midfielder, therefore, will either be a defensive minded passer like Zubimendi, or someone who can drive forward with the ball like Rice. I think it will be the later and we will sign someone who can put in the defensive shift of Rice, cover the ground, and be the line breaker in the middle. That would leave MLS to cover for Zubimendi.

But what for the defence?

Moving backwards, a two man midfield would mean we no longer need the full backs to drop inside to create the extra man. They return to being overlapping full backs, getting chalk on their boots and bombing forward.

This certainly suits Calafiori and Hincape as well as White, but not really Timber.

I still expect Timber to be first choice next season, but I think we can all expect us to sign a White replacement and have that option of a traditional full back to continue helping create an overload with Saka – and that will be especially important when you consider the future for Martin Odegaard.

Odegaard’s future

It will be harsh to “get rid of the captain” who has just helped his team to the league title for the first time in 22-years. Odegaard has been a hugely influential figure on and off the pitch. But this Arsenal team is about to outgrow him.

If we play with that double pivot of Zubimendi and Rice, we no longer need Odegaard to drop deep. Instead he will be expected to play that bit closer to the forward, and covering horizontally from left to right rather than vertically up and down.

That will mean less of a focus on creating the overloads with Saka (hence the importance of a right back that can get forward) and more sharing his support on both flanks.

Whilst still being involved in the defensive shape of the team – there is no point Viktor Gyokeres pressing if the midfielder behind him does not follow, the switch from two 8s to one 10 will mean that creating chances becomes that midfielders main job. And I am not sure that plays to Odegaard’s strangths.

It is interesting that this summer we are being linked with Julian Alvarez and Eli Kroupi. These are certainly forwards that prefer to play behind a striker rather than your out and out centre forward. You could certainly see the pair buzzing around Gyokeres, picking up on those knock downs and providing a goal threat from deeper.

And the wingers

If we do transition from 2 8s to an out and out 10, you then create a lot more space in the final 3rd. No longer will Saka and Martinelli have a midfielder within 10 yards almost every time they receive the ball.

Instead, they will look up and see inviting space inside them to drive into. And in turn, when they drag their full backs centrally it leaves the space for the overlapping fullbacks on the outside.

Saka is more than good enough playing in this sort of role – able to go inside and out he will thrive. But Martinelli is a speedster who does not look to go inside early and could not be involved in too much of the build up play. One man who would thrive is Morgan Rogers.

So you end up almost in the Arsene Wenger Invincible days, with two full backs looking to get forward (Cole and Lauren), a midfield 2 with one who sits and one who drives (Gilberto and Vieira), a second striker behind the centre forward (Dennis Bergkamp) and two wingers that look to get inside and support the second striker rather than hang on the fringes of the game (Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires).

Finally…

These changes are only subtle. Asking full backs to play wider and get forward a bit more, asking Rice to sit a bit deeper. All this will come naturally.

You then have the big evolution of the forward line with the recruitment of a left winger who can come inside, a someone who offers more than Odegaard behind a striker.

The changes will also suit the reserve players – Kai Havertz is an option both as the highest centre forward and someone to play just behind, Eze would be comfortable playing off that left hand side or as a back up 10, and Noni Madueke also offers a lot covering Saka.

It will be quiet evolution this summer rather than Liverpool-esque revolution. And this is the best way to make a championship winning team better!

Keenos

Everton have been ordered by the courts to pay Burnley nearly £40m in compensation following legal action being bought against them by The Clarets.

in Late 2023, Everton were deducted deducted points for breaches of the Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) in the 2021/22 season. This was reduced to six points on appeal in early 2024. The points deduction was applied to the 2023/24 season.

In 2021/22, Burnley were relegated, finishing 4 points behind Everton. Burnley’s claim was that had the deduction been applied in the season the offence took place, then Everton would have been relegated and Burnley would have stayed in the Premier League.

The difference in financial reward between playing in the Premier League and Championship is huge, with the play-off final often dubbed the “£200m game”. And it is based on that “loss of earnings that Burnley sued Everton.

The decision, which Everton plan to appeal, could have wider ramifications in English football. Most notably with Manchester city.

City face 115 charges, many of which are for financial misconduct between 2009 and 2018. Were they to be found guilty of the charges and be given a points deduction for the 2026/27 season, Premier League clubs could point to the decision in Burnley v Everton as a precedent that City should pay them financial compensation for any loss in revenue for those seasons they committed offences.

Premier League teams get “prize money” depending on where they finish. For 2025/25, Liverpool as champions earned £2.7m more than Arsenal in 2nd place. That might not seem much, but were Man City to be deducted enough points to have finished 2 or 3 places lower per season, across multiple seasons, the compensation would quickly grow to 8 figures.

The courts would then have to factor in loss of revenue from sponsorship and the huge one – Champions League football.

In 2015/16, Man City finished 4th, level on points with Manchester United but above them on goal difference. The next year they earned over £50m from being in the Champions League. Then in 2016/17, City finished 3rd, 3 points ahead of Arsenal in 5th. They earned over £60 million from playing Champions League football.

Based on the Burnley judgement, both Arsenal and Manchester United could make the case that they suffered a loss of earnings due to Man City finishing ahead of them, if any points deduction relates to offences that season and would take Man City below them. And that does not account for any case which both clubs may be able to make from ticket sales and sponsorship.

The money will never soften the blow of being denied success due to a club financially doping, however collectively it could be a huge financial blow for City.

We all await with bated breath for the result of the Man City case, which has gone on far to long. But even when the verdict is announced, that will not be the end of it.

City will likely appeal and, depending on what seasons the point deductions are from, Premier League clubs will be lining up for their slice of compensation.

Keenos

A few days ago Arsenal were heavily linked with 18-year-old PSG defender Emmanuel Mbemba. At the same time, it was revealed that Arsenal also made enquiries for Elijah Upson and Sam Amissah.

This has got a few people head scratching as to why we are targeting 3 teenage central defenders.

Succession planning and harvesting teenage talents to profit off in the future seems to be the two main reasons why we are targeting the trio, but I actually think there is a much more reasonable explanation – the U21s lack decent defenders.

Per Mertesacker was recently let go as Academy Manager. After some initial great work helping to stabilise the club post-Arsene Wenger, the academy has stagnated.

Whilst we have had high profile players such as Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri break through to the first team squad, on the whole the academy is lacking,. We certainly do not produce the volumes of players to sell on that others do.

Considering we have the footballing breading ground of London, our Academy should be preforming a lot better than what it is.

This season we finished 14th in the PL2 – which was topped by Chelsea, with Manchester United coming 2nd and Manchester City coming 3rd. This is not a great showing for our U21s. We were also behind Fulham, Tottenham, Crystal Palace and West Ham.

The U18s did not fair much better, finishing 10th in the South league behind the likes of West Ham, Crystal Palace, Tottenham and Chelsea.

We have not won the FA Youth Cup since 2009 (Jack Wilshere’s year), and our last showing in the final saw us thrashed 5-1 by West Ham in 2023. Our only other final since we won saw us lose to Chelsea 7-1 in 2018.

We have one of the biggest football talent catchment areas in the world. London is huge and these days scouts from Liverpool, Man City and Manchester United are sent to the capital to try and capture talents. Whilst the senior team might be doing bits, the youth sides are not, and that is a big problem when trying to attract the best players of the next generation.

The issue of attracting the best young players is highlighted by the case of Josh Acheampong.

The 20-year-old defender played 30 games last season and is now being heavily linked to Arsenal as a replacement for Ben White, but questions should be asked why he was not part of the Hale End Academy – Acheampong joined Chelsea at the age of 8 (in 2014), but was born a stones throw from Hale End and went to school less than 2-miles away from our Academy.

16-year-old defender Marli Salmon is clearly a talent, and has been in and around the first team this season. But beyond him, there is not much in defence in the academy – in 28 U18 PL games last season, we conceded 57 goals.

Those currently in the U21s have shown themselves not to be up to scratch at that level and, beyond Salmon, the U18 crop have struggled at their level. Those U18s will struggle further when they go up an age group.

So we would be in a situation where no matter how good our midfielders and attack is at youth level, these players are being undermined and their development stunted by having a poor defence behind them.

With the cupboard so bare, the club has little choice but to go out to the market.

Emmanuel Mbemba is highly rate throughout Europe and will certainly be one that would hope to see some first team training time whilst playing for the U21s.

Meanwhile, Elijah Upson (son of Matthew) and Sam Amissah are both without a contract having decided not to renew with Tottenham and Fulham respectively – it is important to know that they were not released, but instead opted not to sign on. It is likely that Arsenal had a word, and they have decided to join us.

Both Upson and Amissah would be an upgrade on anything we have in our U21s. The pair have played through the England age groups and in Amissah’s case, have been on the bench for senior Premier League games. They would provide a good backbone alongside Mbemba and Salmon.

You never really know how a player might progress, but these guys are certainly being bought to bolster our U21 team rather than to come in for the first team. If they then become long-term options for the first team or generate cash by being sold on, then that is a bonus for the future.

Keenos