How Arsenal can line up with new signing Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi

A new Premier League season has started and, for Arsenal, it brings the dawning of a new era at the club.

New head coach Unai Emery has to deal with arguably the toughest start to the Premier League, alongside Huddersfield Town, kicking off the new season with a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City before taking on Chelsea in their second game.

Arsenal’s summer transfer business saw them strengthen their defensive midfield options by bringing in Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi, but also saw the likes of Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla leave.

As usual, a new manager brings fresh systems which will take time to settle into but some Arsenal fans may hope for a more immediate impact given the competitive race for the top four.

With all of that in mind, here are five ways Emery can line up his midfield this season.

1. The Unai Special

How it works: There are many ways Arsenal could set up their team this season, but this may be the more balanced of all the options.

Lucas Torreira will be a certainty to start once fully accustomed to his new team, and alongside him Granit Xhaka provides the best partner defensively.

Arsenal’s new signing, Torreira, will be the worker of the two having averaged 2.9 tackles per 90 minutes for Sampdoria last season. Xhaka can do the same, while also moving the ball around with his 91.2% pass accuracy.

But ahead of them will be where the attacking magic happens with Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Henrikh Mhkitaryan causing opposition defences problems.

Ozil is Arsenal’s key attacking player and, when he can be given the space, especially from a wider berth, he can dictate how the Gunners move about the pitch setting off the runs of his teammates.

On the other wing, Mkhitaryan will provide a similar threat but with the ability to move inside and make the runs in the same way Alexis Sanchez did last season. Meanwhile, Ramsey will be required to both provide for and support the striker.

Best against: Top six opponents

Emery more or less tried this formation in the opening game at home to Manchester City, but came up against a superior team. But that doesn’t mean it cannot be a success against other similarly ranked sides.

Ramsey can be a danger in attacking midfield, triggering the press as he did against City, but this time with more impact.

2. Lucas Torreira anchor man

How it works: Another favoured formation of Emery at his former clubs was a 4-3-3, with the three-man central midfield.

In this formation, Torreira will be the anchor; the holding man whose defensive abilities will be vital to whether Arsenal make it or break it using this trio.

Playing slightly ahead of him in the trio, the pairing of Ramsey and Ozil offer an alternative aspect on either side.

Ramsey will be required to do a lot of the running in this midfield, pushing forward to join in the attack and latch onto the balls provided by Ozil, but he can also help run the show from a deeper position.

And the German will also have more freedom in the trio, able to drop deep and get a better view of the pitch for his game-changing balls while also moving up as the game dictates.

Both will be able to do this safe in the knowledge that Torreira will be there to cover the space left by either.

Best against: Liverpool

Liverpool will be a horrible team to come up against this season and no formation would truly be able to stop their attacking and midfield talent.

But this may be Arsenal’s best hope of matching up against the Reds, with Torreira holding firm in his position and Ramsey providing cover at times without fully restricting his creativity.

3. Flowing football

How it works: In their opening game against Manchester City, Guendouzi played the full 90 minutes in the absence of Torreira. And while the Frenchman may not start ahead of him again, he could play alongside the former Sampdoria man to improve both Arsenal and himself.

Guendouzi can sit back at times but also be the man to occasionally move up the pitch when the game allows it, adding to the attack with his defensive midfield partner providing the cover.

Ahead of them, Ozil will be at his peak in a central attacking role able to get a full view of the pitch around him, finding the best destination for his passes, whether forward to the striker or out wide to his fellow midfielders.

Though Ramsey is not a wide player by nature, in a 4-2-3-1 formation the Welshman will not be expected to act as a winger and can move about the pitch with freedom, while Aubameyang is more active on the other side.

Image result for guendouzi arsenal

Before making a name for himself as a striker at Borussia Dortmund, Aubameyang was a fine winger and still has all the attributes to cause problems from out wide. But he can also join the striker when Arsenal’s build up play dictates, moving the Gunners into a narrow 4-2-2-2 at times with Ramsey and Ozil tucking in.

Best against: Everton, Burnley, Leicester City

While Guendouzi will not be called upon to start against the bigger Premier League sides, the French midfielder has shown promise and should not be forgotten about completely.

He may get his best opportunities to learn alongside Torreira against those sides in the top half of the table, who will test Arsenal and apply pressure but not to a level where the Gunners are pinned under like they were against Man City

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *