A 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Tuesday night ended a pretty good run of form for Mikel Arteta’s side.
The Arsenal head coach has been one of the first to outline that he will need time to bring players in that will suit his system. 3-4-3 has been used frequently since lockdown and began to show signs of players developing to the precise instructions required.
Midfield has been an area of concern for the Gunners over a number of years and the new system ensures some much-needed defensive security. Both Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka have performed well recently and helped contribute to a far better defensive set-up.
However, Tuesday’s loss showed that there could be limitations to the midfield options at Arteta’s disposal from an attacking perspective.
The use of a 3-4-3 system prevents creative freedom to some extent in midfield given the emphasis on wing-backs to contribute in wide areas. However, Xhaka in particular offers limited abilities from a midfield position.
His long-range passing and ability to switch the direction of attacks can be valuable but the Switzerland international doesn’t possess the progressive capabilities in possession.
Ceballos is perhaps better versed in progressing the ball through carrying it towards more attacking areas, but a lack of options behind the on-loan Real Madrid midfielder highlights an area Arteta needs to address.
Lucas Torreira’s underwhelming first-half performance versus Villa did very little to convince Arteta that he can offer value next season and Matteo Guendouzi also looks bound for the exit door.
Therefore, adding to midfield options appears to be something that should be at the top of Arsenal’s transfer priority list regardless of how much there is to spend.
A key consideration to be at the forefront of recruitment should be to ensure that more progressive abilities in terms of passing and dribbling are added to the centre of the pitch.
As already mentioned, defensive structure is important and certainly welcomed but being able to add creativity in midfield would add more attacking threat.
Switching to other formations such as 4-2-3-1 would only be possible with a more obvious creative midfielder to fill the void of Mesut Ozil who is seemingly heading for an exit this summer.
As a result, finding a player that can provide tactical flexibility would be a valuable addition to Arteta’s midfield ahead of next season.
