Line-Ups
Aston Villa (AV): in-possession 4231 & out-of-possession 442 (high / mid) / 4411 (low)
Arsenal (ARS): in-possession 244 (build up) / 235 (final 3rd) & out-of-possession 442
More details on each team's shape, in and out of possession, and general observations below.
Aston Villa Observations
In-Possession:
In AV build up, middle / final third possession and attacking transitions, a clear pre-planned tactic appeared to be Traore coming infield from the right flank
The key benefits of Traore taking up a more centralised position when AV had possession were - 1) it helped pull Cedric (ARS left fullback) infield and out of position and therefore create space in AV's right channel to exploit (especially if Pepe, ARS left-sided attacker, did not track back), 2) it helped overload central, and even left-sided, areas of the pitch where AV could either look to combine to create attacking opportunities via those areas or, and as per point 1, they could work ball out to their right flank (ARS left side) where there would be space to exploit and 3) it allowed Traore to be in a better position to counter-press ARS when AV lost the ball
This tactic helped contribute to AV's winning goal in the 2nd minute and also multiple other attacking moments throughout the game
Firstly, looking at the goal - which given the first-time nature of passes and subsequent runs, it can be assumed that this was a pre-planned pattern of play
AV have deep possession (build up phase) via their defenders and goalkeeper so Traore takes up a more centralised position which allows Martinez to find him with a clipped pass over ARS's first line of defence
See visual below where Martinez has possession, he's seen Traore (not in shot) come infield which has helped AV overload central areas versus ARS double pivot and also pulled Cedric slightly out of position which has ultimately created space in the right channel where AV want to try and exploit
Traore cushions this ball first-time into McGinn who has already started to pull out towards the right half space / flank knowing that Cedric (not in shot yet) has been pulled infield and therefore when he receives the layoff, he can look to carry the ball into the right channel to find some space
McGinn carries the ball forward into ARS's half and due to Cedric initially being pulled out of position by Traore, the ARS backline has been disrupted and he can look to find a pass in-between Cedric and Gabriel and in-behind for Watkins to run onto
Whilst McGinn is unable to execute this pass (it gets cut out by Gabriel and then Cedric picks up the loose ball), Traore (due to his more central position) is able to begin AV's counter press high up the pitch (see below) and following an under-hit pass by Cedric, Traore is able to regain possession, carry the ball into the box and cross for Watkins who shoots and scores via a deflection
Granted that the eventual goal did not come exactly as AV may have planned but all of the individual actions
A second example of Traore's infield positioning disrupting ARS's defensive shape is detailed below - this was more final third possession
AV played a direct pass into the left channel behind ARS's backline for Watkins to run onto, once in control of the ball Watkins lays it back to Barkley who has also pulled over to the left-hand side of the pitch
As you can see via the visual below, Traore's central position helps give Barkley a passing option in close proximity and also, due to the gap which has appeared in ARS's backline, Traore is a good position to exploit the space which has been created between the ARS left-sided centre back and left fullback
Barkley feeds the ball into Traore (see visual below) where he controls and neatly turns in-behind the ARS backline where he gets into a 1v1 with the outcoming ARS goalkeeper but fails with his attempted dink
However, as you can see highlighted in the visual below, in this attack AV also had two players looking to exploit the space on the right-hand side in case Traore wanted to choose that option instead (note - the player trying to track these players was Pepe, who as earlier mentioned looks to have been identified as a defensive weakness for ARS)
As previously explained, one of the benefits of Traore coming infield was that AV could overload central and left-sided areas of the pitch, where they could look to combine to create attacking opportunities via those areas e.g. this specific scenario, OR, as per the secondary option identified above, AV could work the ball out to their right flank (ARS left side) where there would be space to exploit due to Cedric's narrow position as a result of coming infield to cover Traore
This second example was a good demonstration of how Traore's central positioning could help give AV multiple options in attack
A final example of how Traore's more central positioning caused ARS problems was in AV's attacking transitions
ARS had the majority of possession throughout the match (65% overall and 70% 2nd half) - note, a contribution to this would likely be the game state i.e. as AV scored after 2 minutes, they therefore a) had a lead to protect and b) it was in their benefit to concede possession to try and draw ARS up the pitch in an attempt to hit them on the counterattack
AV therefore relied on attacking transitions as their main source of generating opportunities in the 2nd half and they again used Traore coming infield as a tactic to disrupt ARS's defensive shape when defending transitions
In AV's mid-block out-of-possession shape, they would get into a compact 442 with Traore as the right-sided midfielder, Grealish as the left-sided midfielder and Watkins and Barkley as the front two
When AV forced a turnover and were able to find a pass forwards, most likely into Barkley or Grealish, then AV would have four runners looking to exploit ARS on the counterattack - Watkins, Traore, Grealish and Barkley
To disrupt ARS when trying to defend these transitions, AV would get Traore to make diagonal inside runs from his initial out-of-possession right-sided midfield position
This direction of Traore's run would again help pull Cedric inside and cause ARS's backline to become narrower which helped create space again on AV's right-hand side (ARS's left) which Watkins could exploit with an opposite angled run, diagonally out wider
In the visual below, AV have just won a turnover, found a pass into Barkley's feet who has managed to turn Xhaka so is now running directly at the ARS backline - highlighted is Traore who as you can see is making a diagonal inside run
As you can see via the visual below, this run has pulled Cedric narrow to cover and therefore creates space on the right-hand side for AV to exploit with Watkins who has made an opposite angled run to Traore on the outside
Barkley, aware of these pre-planned opposite attacking runs, lays the ball into Watkins who shoots, and forces a save from Ryan
AV did also use this same tactic in attacking transitions via Barkley and Grealish making opposite inside and outside runs
Out-of-Possession:
In the first half, in particular in the opening stages of the game, AV executed an intensive high block against ARS in their build up play
McGinn would push up from his central midfield position which in essence gave AV five players to go and press high and then they had five players behind to cover
Barkley would pivot off Partey and go to press the right-sided centre back in the high press and Watkins would cover the left-sided centre back and goalkeeper
Traore and Grealish, AV's wide players, would position themselves so ready to press both inside (towards the centre back or double pivot on their side) and outside (towards the fullback on their side) depending on where ARS had possession
The five players that were behind to cover, had specific roles
Nakamba would position himself central and then shuffle across the pitch depending on which side of the pitch ARS were trying to build up so he could support and ensure there was cover behind the five players pressing in case they got played through
The fullbacks would cover the ARS wingers who would be hugging their respective touchlines and be quick to push out to deny the wingers any time once they received the ball - when ARS did play through the AV high block and get the ball to their wingers, AV relied on their fullbacks to win their 1v1 duel - which both fullbacks did well throughout the game
The centre backs would initially have nobody to mark, as a result of ARS positioning Lacazette and Smith Rowe in the two half spaces, whilst Konsa would tend to hold his position and expect Nakamba to cover Smith Rowe in ARS's left half space, Mings would jump out to engage Lacazette if he received the ball in ARS's right half space
Below is a visual example of AV's high block
AV's mid-block was 442 with the team trying to remain compact to block the centre of the pitch and avoid allowing space between-the-lines
Both Watkins and Barkley would drop to help AV block passing lanes through the middle and Grealish and Traore would drop to be on the same horizontal line as the two central midfielders and again, they would try to block the centre of the pitch and instead try to force ARS into passing wide
When ARS did play out wide, AV would aim to shift across as a unit
When ARS had sustained possession in the final third, AV would drop into more of a 4411 low block shape with Barkley dropping to help AV's central midfielders
Below is a visual example of AV's low block
In the 2nd half, AV predominantly got into their mid-block shape when ARS were building up, as opposed to their high block from the 1st half, and then into their low block as the progressed towards their goal which helped deny ARS space between-the-lines or in-behind
In the last 15 minutes of the game, as ARS were committing more players forward in an attempt to get an equaliser in a 226 shape, AV tweaked their mid-block shape to 4321 and then in their low block it was more 451 (see visual below)
These tactical tweaks allowed AV's central midfielders to cover the half spaces more, as they had an extra body in the middle to cover when they shuttled across - this also helped AV's back four to remain narrow and in-tact, prioritising defending the box and not being forced to jump out to engage any free players between-the-lines
Arsenal Observations
In-Possession:
In build up, ARS tried to play out from the back using seven players - their goalkeeper, four defenders and double pivot
They would position their wingers high and wide and Lacazette and Smith Rowe would take up positions in the half spaces
See the visual below for an example of ARS players predominant positions and movements in their build up play versus AV's high block
Xhaka and Partey would look to make angles to receive passes from their defenders and goalkepeer, Xhaka could also roll out into a position between Gabriel and Cedric to receive the ball in more space and then try to find a forward pass through the lines or over AV's press
Pepe and Saka would position themselves on the touchline in an attempt to either 1) receive the ball and then force a AV fullback to push out and engage them - which meant that AV's backline could be disrupted or the winger could try and beat the fullback in a 1v1 situations - or 2) they could make diagonal runs in-behind, either from balls from deep or if Lacazette or Smith Rowe got on the ball in the half spaces
Lacazette and Smith Rowe positions in the half spaces in ARS's build up helped them 1) find space - as AV's fullbacks were pinned by the wingers, the centre backs ideally wanted to stay central and Nakamba was on his own in central midfield as McGinn would push up to press - and 2) it created a decision for AV's centre backs as to whether stay or go and engage because, as mentioned, they ideally wanted to stay in position, so if they got pulled out of position then ARS wingers could make a diagonal run in-behind
As mentioned in AV's out-of-possession section, in the first half when ARS did play through AV's high block and got the ball to their wingers the AV fullbacks did well in their 1v1 duels which helped prevent / slow down ARS's attacks
As ARS did progress the ball through the thirds and have controlled possession in the middle and/or final third, their shape would transition into more of a 235 shape
Cedric would invert and advance onto the same horizontal line as Partey and Xhaka in central midfield
Bellerin would advance on the right flank which allowed Saka to come inside at times into the right half space, but he could still attack on the outside
Lacazette would look for pockets of space between-the-lines to receive the ball to feet and then link with another attacker
Pepe and Smith Rowe would often interchange position - this looked to be because a) it allowed Pepe to position himself between AV right back and right centre back to offer runs in-behind and b) it allowed Smith Rowe to get on the ball in more space, as AV prioritised blocking the middle of the pitch the space versus their out-of-possession shape was on the outside
See the visual below for an example of ARS in middle third possession - as they progressed into the final third, Bellerin could advance higher on the right flank but he tended to position slightly deeper on the main
In the second half, ARS made a few tactical tweaks when in-possession
Saka tended to hold his width on the right flank and therefore Bellerin would advance more into the right half spaces
ARS would look to overload and build up via their left-hand side in an attempt to try exploit AV's right-hand side with Saka and Bellerin, specifically trying to exploit space behind Grealish - either trying to catch him not tracking back or getting into position quick enough
(This targeting of Grealish may also have been an attempt to tire him both physically and mentally and therefore potentially impact this attacking performance, as it would result in him needing to be switched on defensively)
Below is a visual example of how ARS would look to create and exploit the space behind Grealish - after overloading their left-hand side and getting Saka to hold his width on the right flank to pin the AV left back, there was an area of space which opened up behind Grealish which Bellerin could move into on Grealish's blindside
ARS would look to find Bellerin in this space either via clipped passes from Ryan, Gabriel, Cedric or Xhaka
Once Bellerin was in possession of the ball, it caused Targett a problem as he could not jump out to go and engage as this would leave Saka with a lot of space to attack in-behind on the right flank
Whilst this tactic did not lead to a goal for ARS, it showed how Arteta had recognised a potential opening / weakness in AV's out-of-possession shape that could be exploited
As mentioned above, in the last 15 minutes ARS resembled more of a 226 shape when attacking in the final third but as AV prioritised blocking the centre of the pitch and defending their box, ARS were forced into trying to generate opportunities via crosses (27 in total which was their 2nd highest in the league to date) but due to AV's centre backs aerial strength, this proved difficult to score from
In summary, whilst ARS had the majority of the ball throughout the game, AV out-of-possession shape(s), in particular their low block where they defended their box well, helped manage to deny ARS creating any real quality chances demonstrated by having 15 shots and a total expected goal of 1.1
Out-of-Possession:
Without the ball, ARS tended to get into a 442 mid-block with Smith Rowe positioned alongside Lacazette as the front two
However, ARS's main defensive actions throughout the game came from defending / preventing attacking transitions from AV - due to the fact that ARS had the majority of possession
ARS in-possession shape of 235 helped ensure they were in good positions in the event of a turnover, and they had five players behind the ball who were either able to counter press or be able to get back to defend
As mentioned in AV's in-possession section, ARS backline would look to stay compact so would shuffle across the pitch together - but as AV liked to build their attacks via their left-hand side using, in particular using Grealish, ARS often left themselves exposed on their right-hand side
Result
Half-Time = 1-0
Full-Time = 1-0
Thank you for reading.
Stats used in this piece were obtained from fbref.com and visuals from Sky Sports Premier League YouTube channel
Comments