Formation 20/21 Season

I edited and switched Xhaka and El Neny around. I feel that El Neny’s mobility and dynamism is more useful in the press.

 

Probably the worst formation I've ever seen on this forum

 

Nice memes. Rather than seeing it as a joke, see it as a stroke of genius!

 

Xhaka and Ceballos as a pair of roaming number 10s for THE Arsenal...

 

————————Martinelli—————————
———Willian————————Pepe—————
—Saka——Partey——Ceballos——Bellerin—
———Tierney——Gabriel———Luiz————
——————————Leno——————————

Stop playing players who are bad on the ball/can’t dribble past players/not involving enough in the general play.

We need players who always wanted the ball, wanted to play patient possession football. Player who could keep the ball in tight space and like to make combination passes with their teammates.

We have to work the ball into the box through the middle. Not rushing to play counter attack, or rushing crosses into the box.

 

El Neny and Ceballos. What's bad about the idea? Bellerin and Saka cover the width of the pitch. Those 2 AM's can drift wide as well. Auba would not be isolated in the middle either. Between Partey and Xhaka one goes forward while the other sits. 3 CB's keep us solid at the back. I can see it working. I think it's a masterstroke of an idea.

 

i mentioned this in the match thread but-

it feels naïve as anything to think we can succeed without a midfield.

This system is a back 5 and a front 3.

That leaves a midfield of 2.

what do we expect from them.

One of them is elneny..scratch that...the best on is elneny...whose main attribute is his workrate.

it leaves us with a bank of 5 in front of our penalty box....and bank of 3 infront of their penalty box....and then eleneny running between them like some kind of mad egyptian bullet train.

as much as this system has worked in that it has the potential to be defnesively solid.

that is at the expense of everything...when we try to be more positive with this formation...it is undone by the complete lack of transition in midfield.

the success of this system appeaers to have been down to arteta motivating extreme workrate our of the players...to bring 2 of those front 3 into midfield and then relying on PEA's high conversion rate- but that isnt a plan?

If the answer to football was getting your hardest working 11 players on the pitch and then getting them fired up, someone would have figured that out before Arteta.

If that was the answer- then it would have worked for emery when he tried exactly the same thing- aside from clearly motivating the players better, almost everything arteta has done is **** that emery tried.

the system is a load of old balls.

when we have PEA as one of the best strikers in the world, Özil who could be playing behind him, Saka who seems like a once in a generation LW, Pepe who we just invested **** loads in to be a RW...why are we not running with that?

it seems so deliberate in that we are avoiding players with type of creativity about them. If we are shunning Özil, why is willock not there in that position being played- he's the best player on the pitch almost every time he plays and was out most consistent and used player last season- but isnt getting on the bench now?

we are completely ignoring having quality in midfield in order to get people who will press on the pitch.

it leaves us with an array of CBs, STs, WBs and Wingers all running round like idiots around the perimeter of the pitch- and then and couple of players left to deal with the entire rest of the game of football.

 

The system doesn't leave you exposed in midfield; many teams have had success using a 343 for example Chelsea under Conte.

It's important that players execute their roles more efficiently and more essential for Arteta to have players in their correct positions otherwise it'll never work. Partey-Elneny is an adequate pivot for a 343 but the 3 in attack must be more decisive in the final third!

Pepe should be given a run of games as it's the only way he's going to improve on his weaknesses,at least he brings a threat unlike Willian who is unfortunately a bit useless at present.

 

Can we see something like this please

Partey Elneny
Pepe Willock Saka
Auba

Something a normal team would do? Rather than insist playing unbalanced team.

 

Leno
Bellerin Holding Gabriel Tierney
Ceballos Thomas Maitland-Niles
Pépé Aubameyang Saka

Give up the ball, squeeze the opponent in the middle, press with the midfield, quickly get it to the attackers. What Arteta is attempting to do pragmatically, but doesn't properly commit to. Get the right personnel in there, fully commit to a fast-paced counter-attacking style.

 

Leno
Bellerin - Holding - Gabriel - Tierney
El Neny - Partey
Willian
Pepe - Auba - Saka

It really cant be that hard to sort this out. Pepe Willian and Saka can all interchange when we have the ball.

 

I'd replace Willock with Willian. Ideally Özil but that's no longer possible.

Willock won't help us as much as people clamour for him, he's just a kid. Even Saka who's levels above is starting to look flat nowadays.

 

Either can work. I think Willock at least deserves a chance based on his Europa League form. He has the energy to press from that area at least.

 

we know in modern football nobody playing with number 10 it's either 433 or 442 or 442 diamond or 343 handful of teams play 4-2-3-1 that's why i put Willock because he guy who can do both jobs.

 

433 or 4231
Leno
Bellerin Holding Gabriel Tierney
Ceballos Partey Willock
Nelson Auba Saka
The defence are in their best positions. Five of the front six have ball playing skills and five of the six have pace.
Or
Leno
Bellerin Holding Gabriel Tierney
Partey Ceballos
Nelson Willock Saka
Auba
The 3 are young, but they all have pace and technique and decent ball retention/retrieval out wide. They will also break into/near the box to add a goal threat.

Pepe, Nketiah, Martinelli, ESR and Balogun provide options up front. If we're pushed, only try Willian as a last resort if the kids look out of their depth. Laca is purely another body-just in case we replicate or better the Fulham scoreline.

 

Leno
Bellerin Luiz Gabriel Tierney
Partey Elneny
Saka
Pepe Auba Martinelli ​

Obviously once Martinelli is match fit. Could also swap Luiz with Holding or Saliba and Elneny with Ceballos, Xhaka or AMN!

 

Stop playing with f*cking three centre backs and five defenders.

 

That's not necessarily true.
There's just a dearth of true creative players, that's about it. Teams have adapted around it. Our late naughties teams with Fab,Rosicky,Hleb, Nasri would've had a field day under this sort of high press.