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Can Arsenal play in Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 system?

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Is 3-4-3 becoming en vogue?

In the process of being spanked 3-0 by Arsenal back in September, Antonio Conte made a tactical change which did not change the course of the game, but changed the course of the season. Switching from the Premier League favoured 4-2-3-1 to 3-4-3.

Chelsea still lost 3-0, but since the tactical change, have won 7 Premier League games in a row, seen the team concede just once, scoring 19 and conceding just the one. They have also gone top of the league.

3-4-3 was Conte’s favoured formation at both Italy and Juventus. Pep Guardiola occasionally played it at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. The turn around in fortunes at Chelsea under this formation are remarkable. It is incredible to think that after the defeat to Arsenal, Conte was the bookies favourite to be Next Manager Sacked.

Tactics are a bit like clothes, they come in and our of fashion.

Up until the mid 00’s, you would struggle to find a team not playing 4-4-2. Then Jose Mourinho came along and started to play 4-3-3. He won the league and suddenly 4-4-2 was dropped, with every Premier League side mirroring Mourinho’s tactics. This formation then evolved to the 4-2-3-1 that nearly every Premier League side now plays.

It is usually a case of following the best side in the league. And it extends further. Look how many times tried to copy Barcelona and Spain with their Tiki-taka football. The trick is you can only mimic a formation or tactic if you have the players to do so. Like England showed, there is no point trying to play possession based football if you do not have the players good enough to pass.

Germany and Bayern Munich under Guardiola saw a slight move away from Tiki-taka and a return slightly to the power and pace of the 90’s. This was of governed by the players he had at his disposal. Whilst Bayern did play possession based football, it was not as strict as Barcelona and they often made use of the pace and power of the likes of Robben, Muller, Lewandowksi and Ribery. Guardiola adapted his own tactics to the players he had at his disposal.

And now we come to 3-4-3.

Chelsea are already using it to good affect. We have seen Liverpool, Spurs and Manchester City all have minor spells where they switched into this formation. One thing is for certain, if Chelsea continue to be successful with the formation, more teams will follow.

Over the next 18 months, if Chelsea clean up at home and in Europe, 3-4-3 will spread like wildfire through the continent.

Without going into the tactical positives and negatives of the formation too much – there are a lot more knowledgeable and better tactical bloggers out their than me (go to The Highbury Library to read them) – the only thing I will say on it is it is a misleading formation.

By having just 3 defenders, many will think it is a more attacking formation than the 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 that many sides currently play. This is often incorrect.

The way Arsenal currently line up, the full backs are often pushed past the midfielders auxiliary wingers. This often leaves the side with just 2 defenders, the centre backs. So whilst in 3-4-3 you usually have 3 staying back, in 4-2-3-1 at Arsenal it is often just the 2. So do not think “3 defenders means more attacking” it does not.

A few years back now, many Arsenal fan’s were calling for the side to play with 3 at the back. This was back in the day of us having Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker and Thomas Vermaelen in the squad.

The rationale was simple. We were struggling to keep clean sheets, all 3 were decent defenders with strengths, but all had their weaknesses.

You play Mertesacker in the middle of the 3 with his height, leadership and organisation skills. Either side of him you have Koscielny and Vermaelen. One naturally right sided, the other naturally left sided. Both weak positionally in defence, but both very good coming out with the ball. With Mertesacker leadership, it could have moulded, it could have worked.

Arsene Wenger stuck to 4 at the back, and probably rightly so. At the time it was when we only had those 3 as centre back options. There was no back up to them. Had one got injured, which they so often did, it would have left us relying on the likes of Bacary Sagna or Nacho Monreal as the back up centre backs. It would have meant that we would have gone to the market and signed at least another 2 centre backs.

Roll forward a few years and 3-4-3 could be back on the table.

Should Arsenal follow Chelsea and change up the formation? A lot depends on whether we have the players.

Defence

The biggest argument a few years ago against 3-4-3 was that we did not have the strength in depth to play with 3 centre backs as we only had 3 of them.

In 2016 it is a different story. Arsenal have Koscielny, Mertesacker, Shkodran Mustafi, Gabriel, Rob Holding and on loan Calum chambers.

In the current 4 set up, Mustafi and Koscielny have looked good, but they do tend to give opponents a chance. It seems very easy for a striker to find space between the two. Arsenal are 5 games without a clean sheet.

Mustafi is brilliant on the ball. He is the real deal. Twice the player of John Stones at half the cost (nearly). He would excel on the right side of the 3. The left side is a bit more problematic.

Koscielny is a right sided centre back. He is only playing on the left side as he is more versatile and senior to Mustafi. Could he do a job on the left hand side of a 3? Or should we look to purchase a left footed left book? For now Koscielny would play there.

In the middle, it is a straight choice. Gabriel with his aggression and lack of discipline. Mertesacker with his leadership, height but lack of pace.

Personally I think that Mustafi Gabriel Koscielny would be too similar. Mertesacker would give the side more balance. But it would also be about which of the 3 gels the best, which you will only discover in game situations.

For now, if everyone was fit, it would be:

Mustafi Mertesacker Koscielny

Midfield

Hector Bellerin would be the best right wing back in the world. It would not even be a debate. He has the pace, the composure in the ball, the ability to get up and down the picture. 3-4-3 would suit him down to a tee. The left hand side is a little bit of a worry.

Nacho Monreal is a left back, not a left winger, so he is out. Potentially relegated to a role of back up left sides centre back. Kieran Gibbs is a better option, and perhaps had he played as a wing back throughout his career, he might have had a more fruitful one. Going forward has always been his strength.

On the left you could also have the option of playing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Even more attacking than Gibbs, less of a defender, could he develop like Victor Moses did? The major question mark over him would be whether he has the fitness to get up and down.

In the short term, Kieran Gibbs would probably come in, but it would be an area of weakness and you would like to see Arsenal target someone like Ricardo Rodriguez.

The middle two are important. Chelsea play Matic and Kante in the middle of the park. Both are hard workers who cover the ground. With them often being 2 v 3, they need to be focused on keeping the middle strong. However with 3 centre backs behind them, you do have a little space to not have to play out and out defensive midfielders.

The most natural partnership would probably be Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka. Both very good central midfielder who can both defend and get forward. They would probably work well in the system, as the 3 defenders behind them would make up for any defensive frailties they might have.

In Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny, you have good back up for the 1st choice pair.

Where this would leave Santi Cazorla is unknown. He would struggle in the midfield two. He just does not have the legs to cover the full back and then get back inside to the middle of the park/

Bellerin Ramsey Xhaka Gibbs

Forward

Upfront is fairly interesting. If you have been keeping up, you would realise that we still have Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi at our disposal.

The common set up for a 3-4-3 sees the midfield and forward line make Herbet Champion’s famous M shape:

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3-4-3 would mean the death of the number 10. No more Mesut Ozil. No more Santi Cazorla. So how do you fit everyone in?

Alexis Sanchez starts. You make space for him and he is capable playing in any of the front 3 positions. The question is whether you try and accommodate Mesut Ozil by pushing him out wide?

He is a talented player, and I would try everything in my power to accommodate Ozil, but when I try too, it does feel a bit too much like putting a square peg in a round hole.

The best combination would be either Walcott Giroud Sanchez or Walcott Sanchez Ox. Personally, if we were keeping the M forward line, I would go for Walcott Giroud Sanchez, with Danny Welbeck potentially coming in, either as centre forward our wide left, when he is fit.

But then that leaves Ozil no-where. Whilst I am sure this will please a lot of our boo boys who are still moaning about him, even when Arsenal won 3-1, we could maybe try a spin on the forward line to accommodate him.

Rather than play the M we could like to play a dice like 5 formation.

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This would allow the inclusion of Ozil, given a free role to float left and right. Up top we would then play the two forwards narrower than they play in a free, with Ozil feeding them both. You would need the pair to be mobile as they will be expected to cover both the centre and drop out wide. It is for that reason that Sanchez and Walcott (or Welbeck) could be the ideal situation in my newly invented 3-4-DICE formation. An evolution on 3-4-3.

So how would Arsenal line up in Arsene Keenos’ revolutionary 3-4-Dice formation:

34dice

And if we went for a standard 3-4-3:

343

https://twitter.com/KeenosAFC/status/803546242546626560

Keenos

Should Arsenal Target Manchester United Trio

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So after the 1-1 draw with Man U, I kind of drifted off into a dreamy world where I pondered a lot of things. The majority of time was spent thinking about my own drinking problem, that for away days I really do drink too much, after work I drink too much, during work I drink too much, and that I really should stop.

Getting back to London, I went to the pun to drink some more, and the pondering continued. This time my mind took me back towards Man U and the seemingly unhappiness of many of their players, and whether Arsenal should try and take advantage.

Jose Mourinho upsets players. He does it everywhere he go’s. Usually by the time he does it, a title is already in the cabinet, and he is already looking for his next job. This time it is different, however. He is upsetting players less than 6 months in. Could (or should?) Arsenal take advantage and launch bids for 3 of those alienated?

Luke Shaw

Still just 21, Luke Shaw is still an undoubted talented left back. Able to cover a lot of ground, good in defence, quick and able to put a ball in. If fit, he is England’s best left back. But then that is the problem, his fitness.

Since joining Man U for £30 million, he has started just 26 league games, having suffered a double leg fracture early on in his 2nd season.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 08: Luke Shaw of Manchester United in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on November 8, 2014 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

He has returned fit this season, but looked a tad over weight and was recently singled out for criticism by Mourinho which left the youngster baffled.

Arsenal have conceded a lot of goals this season from the left hand side, with Nacho Monreal looking a weak link.

Signing Shaw would see Arsenal have arguably the two best young full backs in the league, both home grown, and both set for a decade in the 1st team.

But then has he really recovered from his injuries?

Anthony Martial

Like Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial has struggled to nail down a place in the Man U first XI this season. A mixture between injury, poor form and Mourinho baffling preferring Jesse Lindgard over the Frenchman has seen the £36-50 million pound Frenchman have a difficult beginning to this season.

He has struggled to adapt off the field, reportedly finding living in the Manchester pressure cooker hard. This lead to him breaking up with the mother of his two children. It is a lot easier to be anonymous in London.

2303992_heroaLast season’s return of 17 goals in 51 games was a decent return for a 19 year old, despite his crazy price tag. This season he has been reduced to just 5 Premier League starts, playing just 385 minutes. He has also lost his number 9 shirt number to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

He could certainly put pressure on Theo Walcott on the wing and, at just 20, still has a lot of time to improve.

A long term replacement for Alexis Sanchez?

Memphis Depay

When Man U signed Memphis Depay in 2015, they were supposed to be getting the next big thing from Holland. I had seen him a few times whilst laying in a Thailand hotel room and he looked an exceptional player. Albeit flawed.

He had a bit of the Andros Townsend about him. His game was about cutting in onto his stronger foot and shooting. He would do it, every game, 5 times in 90 minutes. Odds dictated that a couple of them who force the keeper into a save, or go in the top corner, whilst the majority flew harmless over or wide, hit a defender, or pea rolled into the keepers arms.

In his last 2 seasons for PSV, he scored 42 goals in 83 games. Since joining Man U for £25m and he has been a massive flop. So much so that he is now being linked with a move to Everton.

memphis-depay-610683

He is a selfish player and suffered from anger issues early on in his career. He is arrogant and cocky, but the talent is clearly there. He just needs some direction, some proper coaching.

Strong, quick and with a trick, he can beat players in more than one way. More importantly, he once beat up Robin van Persie.

In his early days at Arsenal, Wenger gained a reputation for turning players struggling in a side to world beaters once more. Could he do the same with Depay?

Keenos

Arsenal’s far left problems

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There is currently a massive problem at Arsenal Football Club. One that is being quietly spoken about amongst friends. It has not yet reared it’s ugly head on the terraces, but it is getting to a point where the crowd are on the verge of turning. Arsenal have a problem with their left hand side.

The weakness on our left hand side is becoming more and more problematic. It is simply not working. From both a defensive side and an attacking side.

In the summer, there were massive reports linking us to many a left back. From reports that we were set to trigger Ricardo Rodriguez’s minimum release clause to interest in Leicester youngster Ben Chilwell and Celtic’s Kieran Tierney. In the end, we stuck with what we had, Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs.

Even reports that we were after a left sided centre back who could then cover full back failed to materialise as we ended up with Shkodran “I am still having to Google his first name” Mustafi – a right sided centre back.

So it left us exactly where we were last season. Two solid left backs of similar level.

Now it was easy in the summer to make a case of why we should not go for a new left back. A centre back, defensive midfielder, right winger / striker were more important. We signed one of each.

But 3 months after the window shutting, left back has now arguably become our weakest link.

I have been a massive fan of Nacho Monreal in an Arsenal shirt.

Not blessed with the extreme pace many a full back now has, he has always been more of a Bacary Sagna of the left. Or a Pablo Zabaleta. Someone who recognises their job is to defend, and understands how to go it. A strong defender, using positional and game awareness.

But this season he has had a bit of a shocker.

He has been beaten numerous times too easily on the outside. Average wingers seem to be blasting past him without much effort. And he seems to be diving into challenges with poor decision making. Perhaps a sign that he lacks confidence in himself. Committing early on to the challenge in the hope if he does not win the ball, at least he is being beat high up the pitch.

I do not know the stats, but I would hazard a guess a lot of our goals this season have come from our left hand side.

Of course, it is not just about the full back, you work in pairs, so some of the blame has to go to whoever has been ahead of Monreal for the season.

Against Manchester United, a game where their opener came from our left hand side, it was Aaron Ramsey. Not a natural left winger.

For the majority of the season, Monreal has played behind Alex Iwobi.

Iwobi offers little defensively. You rarely see him busting a gut to get back, chasing his opposing full back, leaving Monreal in a 2 on 1 situation too often.

Even when Iwobi get’s back, his lack of defensive positional awareness becomes exposed. He does not seem to know when to show a player outside or in, who to pick up, what run to follow, or where to stand to cut out the pass. He offers nothing.

Of course, he is just 20, so has a lot to learn, but with Monreal out of form, Iwobi needs to be helping his full back out more.

Football is all about partnerships. From centre backs, to midfielders, to strikers. Leicester City won the league last season because their team was greater than their individuals. Better players in other teams failed to link up with team mates as well as Leicester. We see that on Arsenal’s left hand side. Defensively, Monreal & Iwobi have no gelled.

Then we come to going forward.

Alex Iwobi has started 8 of 12 games in the Premier League for Arsenal this season, and 3 of the 5 Champions League games. Of those 11 games, he is still yet to scored, and has made just 3 goals.

Some would say he has gone backwards this season, that he has been ‘Wengered’ (what the hell does that even mean?), but the truth is expectation is now higher this season.

He has been a first team regular, and he has simply not done enough this season to justify his continual selection. He is not ready for week in week out at Arsenal’s level.

And as a partnership going forward, Monreal and Iwobi have not linked up.

Monreal is very different going forward to Hector Bellerin on the right. He makes shorter runs, hits the bye line, and gets dangerous balls in. He is also a very good passer, even in close situations. But Monreal has done little going forward this season. He has simply not been a threat.

Part of this might be due to his lack of confidence in his current defensive form, so he does not want to be caught out high up the pitch. But what this results in is the opposite of Iwobi not defending.

Monreal not attacking leaves Iwobi isolated. Often with the opposing full back and winger surrounding him. He cuts inside and has a central midfield in his face. 3 on 1. Normally, having dragged 3 players inside, he could flick the ball outside to Monreal in space. But Monreal is not there.

Nacho Monreal and Alexi Iwobi are not linking up. Not gelling. Not performing. They are playing like two individuals with no confidence. They are not a partnership.

And even when they have been rotated out, it is not much better. Kieran Gibbs has not done enough this season in his handful of appearances to usurp Monreal. But he does perhaps deserve a bit of a run in the team. Maybe start him against Bournemouth, mid-week against Southampton, and take it from there. It will then give him 3 games in a row, at least.

And then forward of Monreal, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been inconsistent, and the likes of Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey should not be considered on the left. So what options does this leave Arsene Wenger?

The most obvious one is move Alexis Sanchez back to the left hand side. He will give Monreal (or Gibbs) the cover they have missed. Also attack is the best form of defence. A full back will not be bombing forward when they are faced against Alexis Sanchez like they are against Alex Iwobi.

Of course, this then has implications upfront, where Sanchez has performed exceptionally so far. Return Olivier Giroud back to the forward line on a permanent basis.

The other option would be to give Oxlade-Chamberlain a chance on the left.

A new partnership of the Ox & Gibbs would be worth giving a go.

In the last few days, Arsenal have been heavily linked with Hull City’s teenage left back Josh Tymon and forever linked Julian Draxler.

Over the next 2 transfer windows, Arsenal need to sort out their hard left, before it plunges the club into crisis.

Note: This blog was written before the Bournemouth victory which saw us win 3-1 with Nacho Monreal crossing for one of the goals. He also gave away the penalty. We did however look a lot stronger with Monreal & Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Keenos