The main speaking issues of Arsenal’s season have been injuries, lacking opportunities at times and their attacks in the open, however, there is a constant patience in the background.
Despite property problems, Arsenal’s actions without the ball have been the elite and, along the coins, they have been the maximum side of their game.
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Out of possession, Mikel Arteta’s side are one of the best teams in the world — perhaps even the best — and in the north London derby that part of their game more than rose to the occasion.
Arsenal’s pressing smothered Tottenham Hotspur in the first half and when their intensity slightly dropped after the break, they still managed to win the ball in midfield and defend their own penalty area to see out a 2-1 victory.
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The north London derby, a control of attitude for Arsenal, is the one they went through
In general, urgent arsenal a 4-4-2 form or a 4-1-4-1 on safe occasions, but the dynamics of its urgent diagram in the opponent and the position where the appearance of Arteta needs them to play.
On Wednesday night, the design of the opposite press to Tottenham consisted of Martin Odegaard Yves Bissouma, Kai Hvertz Ugent Dragusin and Raaeem Sterling in close position between Archie Gray and Djed Spence.
When Tottenham tried to build the attack on his right side, Havertz pressed Dragusin of one who forced the central defender to play the ball in Antonin Kinsky . . .
. . . before preventing your career from blocking the pass lane for the center of the right of Tottenham as the goalkeeper.
Meanwhile, Sterling maintained his narrow position to press Gray if the ball played at Tottenham’s left defender, leaving Jurrien Timber to pick up Spence.
As for Odegaard, Declan Rice and Thomas Partey, they closely marked their midfield counterparts to limit Kinsky’s passing options.
In this example, the press forces Tottenham’s goalkeeper to go long and Arsenal regain possession.
On the other hand, the situation was different.
Here, Sterling pressed Gray while blocking the passing lane into Spence, which forced the centre-back to play the ball to Kinsky because Odegaard was covering Bissouma and Havertz was in a position to press Dragusin.
Unlike Havertz, Sterling did not press Kinsky and maintained his narrow position. This task went to the German striker, who first turned to Dragusin before adjusting his career to press the goalkeeper
… while blocking the passing lane into the centre-back. As that was happening, Rice, Odegaard and Partey locked onto Tottenham’s midfield three.
However, here, Partey exchanges markers with Timber because Spence moves inside and Lucas Bergvall is in a wider role.
Kinsky tries to the left lateral narrow . . .
. . . But Partey is in the best position to put pressure on him. Spence’s characteristics are limited: the scoring of rice and odeegaard Pape Matar Sarr and Bissouma, Hvertz is in a position to press the goalkeeper and Sterling is close to Gray.
The left side is forced to pass and exchange passes with gray, are encased towards the touch line through Sterling and Party, with Hvertz still in the goalkeeper and the carpentry that Bergvall marks.
Spence tries to bring down Bissouma, but Odegaard breathes his neck and prevents the midfielder from controlling the ball well, which earns a return from Arsenal.
In the example, Sterling, Odegaard and Hvertz are in their designated positions when Kinsky plays the ball for Dragusin.
Havertz then presses the central defender of a who forces him to recover the ball to the goalkeeper.
. . . while Rice, Timber and Party (out of shots) are in a position to put pressure on their markers.
Havertz continues his array.
. . . and supports Kinsky while blocking the crossing direction to Dragusin.
Tottenham’s marking of Tottenham’s midfield through Rice, Odegaard and Partey (off-shot) reduces Kinsky’s passing options, especially with Sterling in position to press Gray (off-shot) and woodwork in a position to move towards Spence.
Kinsky’s hesitation allows Havertz to close him down, and the goalkeeper is fortunate that the loose ball drops next to him.
When Tottenham built the upper attack in the field, Arsenal adjusted his urgent scheme: Leandro Trosssard continued marking the man, Pedro Porro, Odeegaard attached to Bissoum .
Here, Grise the ball to Dragusin and Hvertz throws the central defender . . .
. . . while Oldaard retains his role to Bissouma.
As Havertz closes down on Dragusin, the centre-back’s near passing options are marked: Rice is keeping an eye on Sarr, and the switch between Dejan Kulusevski and Porro doesn’t catch out Arsenal’s left side because of their man-oriented marking.
Dragusin tries to Kulusvski near the touch line, but Myles Lewis-Skelly roars him in the globe . . .
. . . and the left back dripping inside, before moving from the pound sterling of the goal.
Despite the version of the ball first, Sterling slipped.
In some other example of the first half, Odeegaard covers Bissouma, while Rice and Hvertz are in a position to press Sarr and Dragusin, and Sterling is in a narrow position, which persuads Gray to play the ball in the part rear left.
Once it happens.
. . . Sterling addresses Spence, whose anticipation option is Bergvall on the line. When the pass is played, Party presses the Swedish midfielder . . .
… who has no choice other than to dribble forward because Odegaard is marking Bissouma, William Saliba is tracking Dominic Solanke and Sterling is blocking the backwards pass to Spence — even the switch of play to Porro is covered by Trossard.
Bergvall is Dribling to Paryte, and Arsenal’s midfielder wins the ball for his side.
Urgent arsenal in the first part canceled Tottenham and created opportunities for the arteta team, adding the winner of Trosssard.
In the build-up to that goal, Tottenham are trying to move up the pitch, with Havertz, Odegaard and Sterling maintaining their pressing roles. When Dragusin plays the ball to Gray…
… Odegaard focuses on blocking the passing lane into Bissouma and Sterling’s narrow role persuades the centre-back to play the ball to Spence. When that happens, Sterling pounces…
… and because Bergvall is distant from the action and marked by Rice, Odegaard can move towards Gray and leave Bissouma for Partey.
Under tension and options, Spence plays the ball in Bissouma . . .
. . . He is in a hurry through the party and the Odeegaard. Party wins the ball and begins the transition that ends with the Trossard firing the back of the net.
Given the state of play at the time and physical effort made through Arsenal players in the first, their understandable intensity drop. Despite this, Arteta’s appearance still generated two opportunities through his superior press after the break.
The victory in the derby of northern London reduced the hole over the Liverpool to 4 points. If Arsenal needs to review the appearance of the ARNE groove, they will have to maintain their functionality without the ball when locating a more clinical merit in possession.