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Arsenal were extremely resilient in the 0-0 draw with Chelsea yesterday and might have even left thinking they should have won after an impressive display upfront as well.
Many pundits were writing Arsenal off just a few weeks ago after a 4-0 loss to Liverpool. They had conceded eight goals in three games, winning only once. However, Arsene Wenger has managed to turn things around using the exact same 3-4-2-1 formation in the huge loss at Anfield, albeit switching a few things around, all of which were on full display at Stamford Bridge yesterday.
1. Playing Lacazette upfront allows Arsenal to have a better defensive shape
In the 4-0 loss to Liverpool, Danny Welbeck started upfront, with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez playing behind him. This immediately created a gap between attack and midfield which Liverpool duly exploited. Every team needs a focal point to aim towards and the forward also needs to start defending from the top. Welbeck could not offer that in the centre-forward role, drifting too deep and too wide and messed up the defensive shape. Lacazette knew how to defend from the top and dictate the direction the Chelsea defenders played the ball out from.
2. Mustafi-Koscielny partnership crucial
The transfer rumours surrounding Mustafi early on in the season prevented him from starting. Now that the transfer window is closed, Wenger has been playing Mustafi regularly with captain Koscielny. The pair played in Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Bournemouth last week and kept another clean sheet yesterday. While Rob Holding is an exciting prospect, Mustafi is a lot more experienced and his partnership with Koscielny will bring that level of consistency needed in Arsenal's defence.
3. The importance of Sead Kolasinac
One of the major head-scratchers after Arsenal's loss to Liverpool was Wenger's decision to leave out Kolasinac, a pure left-back, for Bellerin, a right-back, while Oxlade-Chamberlain played in the Spaniard's natural position. Wenger finally corrected that and has played the big Bosnian in the last three games, in which they have only conceded one goal. His surging runs forward add another dimension to Arsenal's attack but his ability to track the likes of Pedro yesterday shows why he should be starting week in week out. Bellerin is also allowed to play in his natural position on the right, allowing the formation to function properly.
Written by Sharhind Singh
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