Alright folks, buckle up because this tactical dive nearly drove me crazy yesterday. I sat down after dinner, fire stick ready, replay of that Arsenal vs Shakhtar clash pulled up. Only problem? Damn stream kept freezing every five minutes. Typical. Nearly threw the remote.
The Planning Mess Up Front
First hurdle: figuring out what the heck Arsenal actually started with. My first guess? Looked like a standard 4-3-3 to me, Saka wide right, Jesus central upfront. Nope. Got it totally wrong. Had to pause, rewind a hundred times during those shaky first 15 minutes. Was that Zinchenko actually popping up inside like a midfielder? And why was Partey sitting so deep? My scribbled formation diagram looked like chicken scratch – arrows going everywhere, positions crossed out.
- Attempt 1: Drew Jesus wide left, Martinelli high… but replays showed Jesus dropping deep constantly, confusing everybody.
- Attempt 2: Switched to a 4-2-3-1 on paper. Better, but still didn’t capture Zinchenko’s weird floating.
- Lightbulb Moment: Saw Odegaard drift right, Zinchenko tuck in centrally, Saka staying high. Finally clicked – it was some funky 3-2-5 when attacking. Took three cups of coffee to accept that madness. Revised the entire sketchpad.
The Midfield Puzzle Pieces
Okay, got the basic shape. Next challenge? What they were actually DOING with it. Arsenal moved the ball slow, like walking football at times. It was frustrating! I started shouting at the screen: “Move it faster!” Shakhtar just parked two big ol’ buses in front of their goal. Made Arsenal look stuck in mud.
Here’s what actually caught my eye on review:
- Double Trouble: Partey and Rice sitting deep together. Solid wall, sure, but felt like overkill against Shakhtar’s weak attack. Slowed the build-up way down.
- Lost Oz: Odegaard tried his magic passes, but with Shakhtar bodies everywhere, he kept hitting brick walls. Needed someone else drawing defenders away.
- Saka Show: Our one bright spark. Played super wide, stayed high, constantly tried taking his man on. Even the frozen stream couldn’t hide his work rate. If anyone looked dangerous, it was him.
The Realization Hit Hard: This setup was built for control, not cutting through packed defenses. Too safe. Too predictable. Needed way more zip, quicker switches. Felt like watching Arsenal try to unlock a door with the wrong key.
The Aftermath & A Big Question
Spent a good six hours on this, replaying key moments, redrawing formations, muttering at the TV. Was it perfect? Hell no. Did it work? Kinda. Got the clean sheet. Got the win eventually. But godawful to watch and way harder work than it needed to be. Seeing Trossard come on later and immediately liven things up proved the point: the initial plan lacked bite.
So the big takeaway scratching my head over? Did Arteta overthink it? Played Partey AND Rice deep for “control” against a team terrified of attacking. Sacrificed sparkle in attack for security that maybe wasn’t even needed. Feels like we got the points despite the starting plan, not because of it. Food for thought, people. Sometimes simpler is better. Now, where’s my paracetamol?
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