Arsenal, the secrets of success

Raphaël Pazuelo

Feb 4, 2023

11 min read

The more the weeks go by, the more we see Arsenal preventing the Citizens from going for a third consecutive title. The Gunners, who have been leading the Premier League since matchday 11, have continued to impress football fans with their consistency, but also with their play. With a style of play that combines speed, possession, technical quality and efficiency, the London club has practically become a reference in Europe. But how can this success be explained from a tactical and statistical point of view? We will try to find some answers...

NB: The many figures and statistics mentioned were taken obtained from WhoScored.com and the official Premier League website.

Talent, from players to coach

Arteta, the perfect man?

Arteta arrived from Manchester City in December 2019 when Arsenal were 10th in the table after 17 games, and he had his work cut out for him. Yet the Spaniard's recipe has taken time to prove effective. In the season he arrived, the club finished 8th in the table. Nevertheless, the Gunners started the 2020-2021 season on a high, winning the FA CUP against Chelsea and then the Community Shield against Liverpool. After two wins in the first two league games, the Gunners were expected to have a great season. But then came a terrible period and a catastrophic start to the season (15th after 15 games), the club's worst in 46 years. Arteta was criticised for his handling of the Özil case, but the club's directors kept him in charge and he finished in 8th place once again.

The 2021/2022 season then seems to be a continuation of a transition period between the former Arsenal and Arteta's. Indeed, the Spanish coach, having already dismissed several major players and former managers in the 2020/2021 season, continues to shape his own team. In the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons, for example, the club will part with Aubameyang, Lacazette, Bellerín and David Luiz. At the same time, Arsenal have been active in the market, recruiting intelligently and focusing on youth. Whether it is Ødegaard, Ben White, Ramsdale or G. Jesus and Zinchenko more recently, the London club relies on talented youth to regain their success. At the end of the 2021/2022 season, Arsenal are in 5th place and Arteta can finally start 2022/2023 with a team that suits him...

A team found

Between the new recruits, the return on loan of some (Saliba) and the revived old players (Xhaka), Arsenal and Arteta have built a balanced and talented team, both technically and physically. But what also makes the strength of this team is its regularity, partly due to an XI that rarely changes, with always the same managers and the same system. Arsenal play in a 4-3-3 (or 4-2-3-1) with an attacking midfielder, the Norwegian Ødegaard. If the latter can express himself so much, it is because he is supported by two complete midfielders, Xhaka and Partey. Up front, we find the triplet Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus (or Nketiah who replaces him), and Saka. The Gunner defence, although less in demand, remains the same, game after game. There are Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel and Zinchenko. With the exception of Zinchenko who was injured several times, the defence has been used in every Premier League game, as has Ramsdale, the English goalkeeper. Arsenal is of course the only team with so many players who have started every Premier League game (7). In comparison, both United have only their respective goalkeepers who have started all the games. The youth of the Gunners (2nd youngest average age at 23.42), is probably not a factor.

Some may point to a lack of bench depth compared to other teams (Manchester City), but why would you change a team that has been performing well? And what's more, playing admirable football?

Tactical domination

If you've never watched an arsenal match, I advise you to drink some water before doing so. Because it's fast, very fast. So yes, most English games are fast paced compared to other leagues, but what's impressive is that technical waste is rare. As well as being Spanish, we know that Arteta learned a lot with Man City as assistant coach to Pep Guardiola. And it's hard not to notice. Because the game adopted, especially in the recovery, is similar.

Ball recovery is key

One of the great strengths of this team is the recovery of the ball. When the ball is lost, they press high, quickly and try to provoke the opponent into making a mistake. In the last ten Premier League matches, Arsenal have won more balls than their opponents in the opposition half eight times. An example of this can be seen below. Their willingness to press directly after a loss of ball in attack is impressive.

Let's take one of the many examples that exist. It was during the match against Newcastle which ended in a 0-0 draw. On the clip, at no point does the team go backwards. It even moves forward. Here, Ben White is the key element, who will follow the Magpie and prevent him from turning. Once the back pass has been provoked, the hardest part is done. All that is needed is for everyone, as a block, to go up and prevent any throw-in. The defender can only give the ball back.

We can also observe, during the match against Tottenham, the position of the balls lost by Spurs. Eleven balls were lost in their own half... The same goes for Brighton, who lost 12 balls in their own half.

But the feasibility of this pressing lies in the volume of the Gunners' runs. Indeed, they seem to run all the time, and everywhere. Whether it's recovering the ball or even with the ball at their feet, the players are active, moving, proposing, from the first to the last minute.

The Gunners' siege

Arteta is so concerned about getting the ball as high up the pitch as possible, so as to create a real siege around the opponent's area in order to suffocate the opponent and the defence. And this siege is found in the position occupied by the players during the match. Heatmaps can help us to see this better. The position of the Gunners' midfielders is of interest here. For example, in the match against West Ham, which we won 3-1, we can see that the area occupied by the three Gunners midfielders is very dense and surrounds the opponent's area. We have midfielders who move, mix and above all, project themselves. For comparison, I have selected West Ham's five central and attacking midfielders. The occupied zone, supposedly even denser, is split and largely in their camp. We have the perfect pattern of ultra-domination of the field with the midfielders suffocating not the opposing midfield, but the whole team.

It's still "only" West Ham you might say. Let's move on to a bit more adversity by looking at the match against Tottenham, won 2 - 0 by the Gunners. Here again, the heatmaps are clear. Once again, we see a Gunners midfield that is homogeneous, that passes most of the time in the opponent's camp, never hesitating to project itself and put pressure. The 4 opposing midfielders seem once again more dispersed and struggle to get close to the Gunner area.

There is a real desire not to let the opponent breathe, and this is also evident in Arsenal's direct passing game. We prefer to go and get a player forward in a gap than to come back and play with the defenders or Ramsdale. As a statistic, Arsenal are the 9th team with the most passes to the back... But we have to focus on the rate of passes to the back per game. And if we look at this statistic, we can see that the Gunners are the 2nd team with the fewest passes to the back per game (as a proportion of total passes). Indeed, 14.8% of Londoners' passes are made to the back, and only Newcastle does "better" with 14.5%. It is therefore this very direct play that differentiates Arteta's style from Pep's style. If we continue with the backward passes, Man City is the second team that makes the most of them (16.8%). The gap may seem negligible, but it shows Arsenal's willingness to not let the opposition back into the game, which allows them to keep the momentum.

Thus, this siege of the opponent's defence leads most of the time to a monopolisation of the ball. Arsenal is the fourth team with the most possession (57.2%) and the second with the most successful passes (85.2%). Most of the time, the ball is kept in the opposition's half of the pitch. Being the 2nd team to be the most inside the opponent's 30 meters (35% of the time), Arsenal confirms its domination of the field game after game.

An effective offensive arsenal

When a team manages to keep the ball most of the time, and moreover, in the opponent's territory, it is then - logically - easier for them to be dangerous in attack. However, this is not necessarily self-evident. Take a team like Spain at the World Cup. Unquestionable possession, clear-cut occupation of the field, and yet their chances and attacking threat are rare. But then how do you go from a statistically dominant team to a dangerous one offensively? Arsenal seem to have found the recipe.

Unpredictable attack

One of the elements of the answer is undoubtedly in the movements. We have already seen the high positioning of the midfielders among others, but in addition to this advanced position, we must look at their movements. When you look at the volume of the Gunners' play and their movements, you find players who offer a lot. The ball carrier has many options, as there are many different ways to get the ball. They don't hesitate to go off the ball, to break free in the middle, to split the ball and to offer a one-two. All this, at the same time, makes it difficult for defences, because the more solutions the ball carrier has, the more unpredictable he is. And it is this unpredictability that allows the Gunners to be dangerous in a thousand different ways. One-touch play in the centre, combinations on the flanks, long-range shots (Ødegaard, Partey), crosses, 1 vs 1... This variety in the Gunners' game is a nightmare for their opponent. They don't just pass the ball back and forth, they don't hesitate to take risks. For example, they constantly look for the destabilising pass, even if it seems less obvious, especially if it seems less obvious. I used the first Gunner goal against Manchester United as an example.

The example against Manchester United

First of all, the continuous movements of the players can be noticed, who are constantly proposing. After a corner played by two players, Zinchenko will, on two occasions, look for the interval, free up space and make the defence retreat. While most players would have played Martinelli on the left, Zinchenko surprised the defence by playing in the interval with Xhaka. Even though the latter was blocked and forced to come back to Zinchenko, it allowed the defence to retreat. The Ukrainian could then provoke and find a second gap with Ødegaard. The latter finds Xhaka, who was freed by Zinchenko's breakthrough. The Ukrainian then crosses and scores thanks to the large number of players in the area. This interval that Zinchenko finds is almost always sought after by the Gunners.

This relentless risk-taking is also reflected in dribbling and shooting. Arsenal are the team with the most dribbles per game (8.1), the 3rd most shots per game (16.2) and the 3rd most shots on target per game (5.6). All this makes them the 2nd team with the most goals (45) behind Man City.

Balance and variety

Another factor in an always dangerous attack is balance! With Martinelli on the left and Saka on the right, it is difficult to lean to one side. Thus, the Gunners have an offensive balance that makes their attacks less predictable. In fact, they are the team that uses both flanks - almost equally - with 35% of the game on the left, and 36% on the right. By comparison, Man City lean 40% of the game to the left and 33% to the right. United are on the left 42% of the time and on the right 31%.

But another proof of the variety in their game is their ability to be dangerous in the build-up, but also on the counter-attack. With provocative wingers, who often find themselves in a 1 v 1 situation, Arsenal do not hesitate to project themselves very quickly during a recovery, with midfielders accompanying the attack to try to create an overhang. As a result, Arsenal are the second team with the most counter-attacking goals, behind Man United.

A strong and technical defence

Given the Gunners' dominance in most games, their defence is logically little in demand. But the fact remains that their defensive stability makes the club one of the most solid. Arsenal are the second team to have conceded the fewest goals (16), behind Newcastle, and they are also the second team, behind Newcastle, to have made the most clean sheets (9). Finally, it is, once again, the 2nd team that concedes the fewest shots per game (8.5). With a central hinge made up of Saliba and Gabriel, both of whom are having a great season, and full-backs with a large volume of play (Ben White and Zinchenko), the young defence seems to be well experienced. But what is interesting is their technical and offensive contribution. Indeed, the four defenders play an essential role. It is through their position that the team will settle on the field. A high defence brings everyone up, and vice versa. Thus, the two central defenders do not hesitate to be close to the midfielders and the strikers during phases of domination. But the most impressive thing is the positioning of the full-backs and of Zinchenko in particular. For almost 90 minutes, the latter occupies a very advanced zone. We have the impression that his position has changed. You can see the heatmap of two of his games, against Man United (left) and against Newcastle (right).

Also, the technique of the defenders allows them to launch counter-attacks quickly by sending balls to Martinelli or Saka. Even if they are in the shadow offensively (logically), they participate greatly in the gunner's seat.

Strong individualities at the heart of a collective

Talent, of course, but in the service of a team

Obviously, one cannot talk about the Gunners in the 2022/2023 season without mentioning the confirmation of some players or the blossoming of others. No one can deny the enormous individual quality present in this team. Whether it's Martinelli, the best dribbler in the PL, Saka, the second best passer in the league or Ødegaard, a genius passer with impressive vision, the Gunners are not short of talent. But one of the main strengths of this team is above all its collective. The players show an exemplary attitude, and seem to be able to get through seemingly difficult moments. A perfect example is the injury to G. Jesus, who has not been able to play the last 5 Premier League games and whose return date is still unknown. The Brazilian was a strong figure in the Gunners attack, with 10 G/A in 14 games and an important role in pressing. While the news was a blow to the fans, Eddie Nketiah didn't give them much time to worry. A regular substitute this season, he has scored 4 goals in 5 games since his return to the XI, including his all-important brace against Man United. So we have a real team, which seems to perform less thanks to their individuality than to their collective. The same example with the absence of Zinchenko, who was replaced by Tierney or Tomiyasu.

Thoughtful recruitment

Finally, one of the most important elements is intelligent recruitment. Recently, the Gunners went for Leandro Trossard, a promising Belgian, who showed good things in his first two games. While Martinelli has been a bit below his best since the start of the season, the Belgian is an excellent option, especially because of his versatility. Another more recent example is Jorginho. One of the areas where the Gunners lacked depth was in midfield. They went in search of the Italian European champion Jorginho, who was about to reach the end of his contract at the end of the season. Arteta likes him a lot, it remains to be seen how he will use him...

So all looks well for Arsenal, who are looking for their first league title since 2004. The team is solid, consistent and composed of unique players who seem to have a well forged mentality. They have also brought in some interesting new players to try and go all the way. Will the Gunners manage to keep their first place until the end of the season? Knowing that a champion is a champion on the field, but also in the head, nothing is done yet, even if we are getting closer game after game.