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While it is a perfect start to the new season, three league games are far from sufficient in determining how good the new Arsenal will turn out to be.

They have won all three league matches (scoring 6 goals and conceding only 1) as well as the Community Shield against Manchester City, giving them 4 wins from their first four competitive matches, with 9 goals scored and only 1 conceded.

The stats aren’t lying.

The more interesting thing to talk about, however, is why Arsenal have been so hard to beat.

There are some clues as to why that is.

They are very limited in what opportunities they are giving to the opposition to counter into.

Their press is designed to stop passing options rather than chasing down their opponents.

They have brought quality in their attack.

But there are also questions.

Can teams get through the press? What happens when Arsenal have to chase? And perhaps most importantly, will the recent change in referee rules concerning holding and blocking at set pieces impact their biggest weapon?

We can’t answer those questions with only three games.

We can, however, identify a few things to be on the look out for.

Arsenal’s shape when they have the ball

One of the first observations to make is what happens when Arsenal start building up from deep.

Declan Rice frequently drops into the box, allowing the centre-backs to move out wider, providing an extra man in the first line of construction.

It gives Arsenal a simple advantage.

If the opposition send one forward to try and press, they have multiple options at the back, meaning they can switch the ball around the first line, rather than looking to beat the player with the ball right away.

In front of that first line, Arsenal typically keep a player in the middle while the wide players and fullbacks operate in pairs.

One player can be drawn in on the touch line while the other swings inside, and then those positions can be swapped.

That creates a problem for defenders.

If they follow the player coming inside, the space can be exploited outside.

If they keep up with the wide player, Arsenal can find the player inside.

Martin Ødegaard’s movements make this even harder.

He will generally move into the side where Arsenal have the ball, presenting a further passing option in the area of the opponent’s block.

That can create a numerical advantage for Arsenal around the ball.

When the opposition move across to deal with that, the ball can be switched into the space on the other side.

Why Arsenal are difficult to counter

There is one other thing to note, which is easily overlooked.

When Arsenal attack, they are not leaving six players behind the ball.

They tend to keep six players behind the ball.

It gives the protection should possession be lost.

This is an important point since a good attacking structure is not necessarily just about attacking chances.

If a team is going to lose the ball, it needs to have the players in positions to recover it.

The position Arsenal adopt means there is typically little space for the opposition to work in.

That means, even when Arsenal’s attack fails, they can be in a position to recover possession straight away.

This is why their structure and their press are so interconnected.

Arsenal don’t always press the player

Another good thing to watch is their defensive work.

Against Aston Villa, Arsenal’s forwards didn’t necessarily simply sprint towards whoever had the ball.

They took up positions to deny passing options.

By approaching the ball at an angle, a forward can deny a defender the chance to pass to another centre-back.

A second player can also deny the route to the fullback.

Meanwhile, the striker can set himself up in a way that makes it difficult for the holding midfielders to receive the ball facing goal.

It means Arsenal don’t necessarily need to win the ball straight away, but they can make the next pass difficult.

It is important to note that a team can appear to be not aggressively pressing because the man with the ball has time.

But if three or four of his options have gone, the pressure is still working.

Arsenal are often pressing the pass as well as the man.

The new attacking question

There has been an interesting change in Arsenal’s attacking options.

Gabriel Martinelli’s departure has meant they have lost a player who threatened to get behind the defence and attack the space.

But Christos Solis’ arrival provides a different attacking profile.

Rather than staying wide, he is more comfortable coming inside, and working between the fullback and centre-back.

It means the relationships around him change.

A midfielder may come inside with him, opening up a different passing lane if the ball is played quickly forward.

It isn’t about whether Solis is better or worse than the player he has replaced.

He is different.

And that can have an impact on the entire structure of an attack.

It is far too soon to make judgements on the basis of the few games we have seen, but his positioning is worth watching as the season progresses.

Arsenal’s biggest weapon may be the one teams cannot prepare for easily

Set pieces have been crucial to Arsenal’s attacking success.

Last season they scored 19 Premier League goals from corners (according to the numbers in the analysis) with the focus on movement, blocking and timing.

The most recognisable feature of their corner routines is a group of Arsenal players getting close to the ball before suddenly spreading out in different directions.

It means the defenders must make quick decisions about who they follow, who stays and who tracks their striker.

That can open up space for Arsenal.

Declan Rice has been involved in taking a number of their corners.

The issue is that the rules and emphasis around set piece holding and blocking have changed.

Premier League referees have been instructed to take a stricter approach to these situations and penalties will be given if the specified offences occur inside the penalty area.

It could impact Arsenal more than most because set pieces have been so important to their attack.

Once again, we can’t really make any definitive statements about that based on the few matches we have seen.

That is something we’ll only be able to assess after a lot more games.

There is another Arsenal question: the bench

The strength of the Arsenal squad could become a factor.

They have invested heavily this summer and added players who can change games from the bench.

That gives the manager options that weren’t necessarily available to him last season.

The entire nature of a match can change depending on the substitutions made in attack.

A fresh winger can stretch a fatigued fullback, a midfielder can alter the tempo, and a player comfortable receiving between the lines can give Arsenal another option to get into the box.

This is important because Arsenal haven’t really had to chase a game yet.

They have been behind for only around 23 minutes of their matches, all at Chelsea.

That is such a small sample size.

We really haven’t seen what this version of Arsenal is like when the game plan isn’t working and they have to force the issue for an hour or so.

There are already small weaknesses

The clean sheet record looks fantastic, but Arsenal have given teams a couple of glimpses.

Chelsea’s goal came early.

A free kick was cleared but the ball dropped around the edge of the penalty area, where Arsenal’s midfield structure was high and narrow, leaving space.

Chelsea were able to attack it.

They also found themselves in a similar situation later in the match, with an effort hitting the post and forcing a save.

Then there was Aston Villa.

Despite the early goal, they managed to get behind Arsenal’s press with a long ball into a wide area.

For a few seconds, Arsenal were exposed because the winger was wide and high while Saka had come forward to press.

Villa briefly had a four-against-four situation.

But Arsenal recovered quickly and they weren’t able to replicate it.

That may be the key takeaway from those moments.

The vulnerability is there, but the question is whether teams can exploit it.

The unanswered questions

We don’t know a number of things.

William Saliba hasn’t played a minute this season, yet Arsenal have only conceded once.

Rice and Lewis-Skelly have done a large portion of the midfield work, while one of the most important players they bought in the summer has yet to establish himself in the XI.

And Arsenal have not had to chase a match for any length of time.

That last point is particularly significant.

A team can be very different when it has the lead and can play with time to think, compared to when it is 1-0 down in the 70th minute and the opposition decides just to sit and defend.

We haven’t really seen that Arsenal yet.

So, can Arsenal be stopped?

Of course they can.

Every team can, but the early signs suggest that it will require opponents to solve a number of issues simultaneously.

They have to find a way to get around the press.

They have to deal with the way Arsenal rotate in possession.

They must prevent Arsenal from controlling the space behind the first press.

And the need to defend set pieces without getting drawn all over the pitch.

There are problems there as well.

The space left behind an aggressive press can be exploited with accurate long balls, as Chelsea demonstrated.

There can be space around the edge of the box, as Arsenal showed.

And the new rules around set pieces could force them to modify some of their routines.

But four competitive matches are far too small a sample to make any definitive statements.

Arsenal have had a perfect start and so have Manchester City (who have also won their first three league matches), and right now City are above Arsenal on goal difference.

The real test will come when teams have had more time to study these patterns, injuries change things, and Arsenal have to adapt to a difficult game.

For now, the early signs are encouraging.

Arsenal are not simply winning, they are forcing their opponents to work very hard to find a way in.

Watching football and analysing football are quite different things.

When watching a match you might pick up on who scores, misses, has a good game etc. But a deeper look allows you to understand why a team is creating chances, why they are struggling to play out and what the players are doing without the ball.

A good structure to break down a match can be split up into four main phases (in possession, out of possession, attacking transition and defensive transition) with set pieces studied separately as well.

This first section focuses on what happens when the team has the ball.

Start with the Build-up

The first part to study during a match is the build-up, and what a team does when they have possession in their own half.

Don’t focus too much on the formation they’ve written on the team sheet, but watch the positions they actually take up.

Are the centre-backs spreading out? Is a midfielder dropping between them? Are the fullbacks playing deep or getting up? Is the goalkeeper coming out to be an additional passing option?

All of these things can give you a good idea about what they intend on doing with the ball.

Many teams will look to play short passes in the build-up, but not simply for the sake of it. They may be trying to draw the opposition closer to the ball in order to create space elsewhere.

A typical example would be to be patient between their defenders and goalkeeper while the opposition’s forwards are sucked further up the pitch. This might create a midfielder to come in behind the press.

That’s a good one to pick up.

What is the team trying to do with the ball?

Look at the Numbers

One thing you will notice during the build-up is that teams like to create an extra man against the first press.

If the opposition is sending one forward to press, they might use two players to build up around that press. If the opposition is sending two forwards to press, they might build up with a first line of three.

This isn’t necessarily about having extra players. It’s about another passing option and being able to move the ball around and beyond the first wave of pressure.

However, not every team is going to follow this exact pattern. The key thing is to watch what they’re actually doing rather than trying to fit it into a certain mould.

Then Watch How the Ball Goes Through Midfield

So now the team has got out of their press, the question is how they progress into the attacking third.

This is where it’s worth looking out for any line breaking balls, and players moving out of position away from the ball.

A midfielder coming in between the opposition’s midfield and defence, a winger coming inside to create an extra man centrally, a fullback stretching the defensive line forwards are all good signs of progression into the attacking third.

Sometimes the ball goes through the middle, sometimes it goes around the outside, and sometimes a team simply plays over the midfield with a further pass.

So when looking at a team, you might want to consider;

• Do they like to go around?
• Through?
• Or over?

There is no rule that says a team has to pick just one, and indeed most teams will vary based on how the opposition is defending.

Pay Attention to Players Between the Lines

One of the simplest ways to spot attacking intent is to watch for what happens in between the opposition’s midfield and defence.

A player receiving there has the opportunity to turn and face the goal.

But it’s what happened before he received the ball which can be interesting.

Maybe a striker dropped towards the ball, dragging a centre-back forward.

Perhaps a winger came inside, occupying a defender in the process.

Perhaps a midfielder ran through the backline at just the right time.

These movements can link up, and a player is not always moving just to receive the ball. Sometimes they’re doing it to create space for someone else. That’s a good habit to pick up when analysing football.

Look for Rotations

Players are not always in their starting positions.

A winger may drift into the middle while his fullback runs outside him. A midfielder may move towards the wing, with another midfielder moving into the central position.

These rotations can cause confusion for defenders.

When you see this happening, you don’t want to simply describe it. Try to explain why it happened.

Was it to create a 2v1? To pull someone out? Open up a passing lane? Was someone trying to attack the space behind the defence?

The answer to these questions is key in understanding the team’s tactic.

The Final Third is Where the Plan is Revealed

Once the ball has got into the attacking third, watch how the team tries to create their final chance.

Some teams like to combine short passes around the box, others attack quickly from the flanks and throw crosses into the box. You might see a fullback constantly overlapping a winger, and another team will like to keep their fullbacks deeper, asking the wingers to attack the space inside instead.

There are a lot of things you can look for.

Look out for repetitions of these things. Does the winger keep cutting inside? Does the fullback always overlap? Does the midfielder always arrive late at the edge of the box? Does the striker always move towards the post? Do these attackers always look for cutbacks instead of high crosses? This one thing might not tell you much, but if you see the same thing occur several times during a match it will almost certainly be part of the plan.

Don’t Forget the Players Themselves

A team’s tactics are also affected by the qualities of the players involved.

A fast winger can force a fullback into moving into a new position, a striker comfortable dropping deep can cause problems for centre-backs and a midfielder with great passing range can allow the team to attack from further up the pitch.

That is why two teams with similar formations can look totally different.

The formation gives you the starting point, but what the players are doing and their qualities inform what the team is actually trying to do.

A Simple Way to Watch a Match

If you are new to analysis and don’t want to take on too much initially, pick one team and watch its possession.

First, observe their shape when the goalkeeper or centre-backs have the ball, then how the midfielders are positioned. Next, look at how the team gets into the final third. Finally, see what the attackers do once they have the ball. After a few attacks, you should start seeing patterns.

You might notice that the right fullback always moves forward when the right winger cuts inside. Or the striker always drops deep to open a space for a midfielder. These repeated actions are the ones you want to pick up on.

The Biggest Mistake: Watching Only the Ball

This is probably the hardest habit to break.

When the ball is with the centre-back, it’s natural to watch it. But some of the most interesting things happen elsewhere.

Watch the midfielder.

Look at the winger.

What is the striker doing?

Is a defender getting pulled out of position?

Sometimes the pass that breaks a defensive line is only possible because of an action that happened several seconds ago, and away from the ball.

What Should You Write Down?

By the end of the possession phase you should be able to answer a few basic questions.

Build-up: How are they structuring themselves to deal with pressure?

Progression: How do they get through the midfield and into the attacking third?

Final third: How do they create chances?

Player movements: Which movements do they repeat?

Individual qualities: Which players are affecting their attacking approach?

You don’t need complicated terminology to produce good analysis.

If you can explain what happened, why it happened and whether the team repeated it, you’re already moving beyond simply watching the game.

The next step is to analyse what happens when the same team doesn’t have the ball. That is when you start to look at pressing, the defensive shape, tracking runners, and how a team tries to stop their opponent progressing.

An unusual incident occurred on a referee where a defender was warned for getting too close to the touchline and then deliberately blocked a throw-in after.

The incident began with a throw-in; as the defender headed towards the touchline the referee advised him to retreat. When the throw-in was eventually taken the defender headed towards the touchline once more and blocked the ball.

The referee stopped the action and issued the defender with a yellow card.

The situation became even more unusual when the manager appeared to express disagreement with the assistant referee and left the technical area. According to the Laws of the Game, to exit the technical area in order to express disapproval of a match official can be considered a send-off offence.

Why was the defender given a penalty?

The most important aspect of the incident is the code of rules pertaining to throw-ins.

When a player is defending a throw-in they must not unfairly distract or obstruct the player taking it; this involves moving to within two metres of the spot on the touchline at which the throw-in is being taken.

The defender had already been instructed by the referee to move away from the touchline; but when the throw was taken he returned towards the ball and interfered with it.

The ball was in play when the defender blocked it since the throw-in had already occurred.

That distinction is crucial.

Why was the free kick given indirectly?

After the ball has been returned to play from the throw-in, the offensive team are not dealt with by simply retaking the throw.

The referee has the authority to penalise the player should he or she unfairly distract or obstruct the thrower.

The restart in this case is an indirect free kick to be taken from the spot where the defender touched the ball, provided that the normal requirements of the Laws of the Game are satisfied.

If the player had committed the offence before the throw-in had been taken, the referee would have halted the restart, given her a warning and asked that the throw-in be retaken.

What makes the incident so interesting is the difference between the state before the ball begins play and after.

What concerning the manager’s red card?

The manager’s reaction led to another disciplinary matter.

When the defender was cautions the manager left the technical area and obviously expressed his disapproval of the assistant referee.

Team officials may leave the technical area in some cases, but if they intentionally do so in order to confront or show dissent towards a match official a red card will follow.

The referee therefore had two separate incidents to deal with:

The act of the defender obstructing the throw-in.

The manner in which the manager treated the match official.

Was the referee’s decision the right one?

The referee’s decisions are in line with the relevant Laws of the Game in the light of the sequence described.

The defender had been told to move away from the touchline but instead headed back towards the throw-in and got in the way of the ball after it had entered play.

It means that a restart is now given as an indirect free kick rather than a retaken throw-in.

The manager’s behaviour is also a separate disciplinary issue, and deliberately exiting the technical area with the intention of showing disapproval of an official is enough for a direct red card.

What at first seems to be an ordinary throw-in actually becomes a complex sequence comprising player positioning, interference with a restart, disciplinary action and technical-area misconduct.

Editorial Note

The explanation is based on the incident and the way it has been interpreted in the source material, and finally it is up to the match officials what refereeing decisions are made, taking into account the player’s actions, the timing and the intent.

Source

Source: The information regarding the match incident and the refereeing has been provided for publication.