Tactics Explained | Arsenal's 3-4-2-1

Arsene Wenger, famously intractable where formational shifts are concerned, has moved Arsenal into a 3-4-2-1 formation. This video explores how the Gunners have adopted the style, and how the club's personnel are used to make it work.

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[ernestoyounes]

Arsenal Team Instructions
1. Playing players out of position
2. Direct short passing
3. Using creativity or playmaker as the team's primary outlet
4.Arsenal

[Benziiish]

For this formation to work your two central midfielders basically needs to be energetic box-to-box players, or at least one of them has to be whereas the other needs to have a good defensive positional awareness. Whereas Ramsey and Elneny are energetic box-to-box players and Coquelin with the good defensive positioning, Xhaka is neither or has neither of those qualities. Precisely because of that, in my opinion, you just cannot play a player like Xhaka in a two-man central midfield. Wenger needs to look for better box-to-box players if he wants to get the best out of this formation.

Check out Pochettino in Tottenham. His two-man central midfield consist of players like Wanyama, Dembele, Dier, and Winks. Conte plays with players like Bakayoko, Kanté, and Drinkwater. I'm not saying these are world-class players, some of them might be but thats not the point. Point is they're player suited for one of the two position in central midfield. Whenever Conte plays Fabregas in that position their team suffers defensively in midfield because his defensive qualities are basically non-existent. That's why Conte decided to push David Luiz in beside Fabregas and Bakayoko against Roma last week. In Juventus Conte would only play a playmaker like Pirlo alongside two other central midfielders. For more examples check out other managers that uses two central midfielders such as Marcelino in Valencia (Kondogbia and Parejo) and Simeone in Atl Madrid (Gabi, Tiago, Koke, Saul, Thomas).

Maybe you could get away with it back in the days, but not now. You get the best out of Xhaka, and Wilshere for that matter, in a three-manned central midfield. One would never play Busquets or Xabi Alonso in a two-manned central midfield without proper tactical instruction. Whereas their defensive positioning is typically good, the space that they would have to cover in a Wenger styled two-manned midfield would be to much and at the end of the day they would look like cones.

[vybhavbadri]

can you do Liverpool's defensive problems??? it would be so hilarious

[theyellowwall]

Really wish we’d change to a 3-4-1-2 or even a 3-5-2 with Özil free to roam at number 10 and either sanchez or giroud with lacazette. It’s obvious sanchez is a lot better as a striker than a 10

[ThatGooner]

Got the basics right but there are somethings here that I think are incorrect/go amiss. For example, Özil dropping deeper never creates a 3-4-1-2, mostly in part due to Ramsey's unique role in this system, which is the key point missed. With Alexis & Özil always hovering towards the ball, Ramsey's forward runs from midfield allow for him to play as the third man, create overloads in advanced areas and balance the lack of runners in behind.

[Staticspencer]

Genuinely my favourite YouTube channel right now, keep it up

[tiasbirgersson]

Explain the tactics behind Leicesters succes 15/16

[peterelmer]

Could you please do a video on the French National Team?

[kieran]

I'd love to see a video on Bill Shankly, please.

[zedtk]

Sean dyche burnley . They have done well. They lost players to the bigger clubs ings keane gray etc. low resources but dyche has done awesome job. Wonder if he will remain at the club.

[Benziiish]

Request - Marcelino tactics in Valencia. What a revelations he has shown to be this season!

[stephenbowden]

great concise breakdown as always lads

[randylamar]

Could you do a rb Leipzig tactics explained from Last season?

[MuhammadRaza-ydsg]

Cruyff's 343 diamond next please while you're doing these 3atb formations and that was the most different from regular 3atb formations

[VolleyballExplained]

Would it be possible to create some more Italian videos - especially for this season there is a lot of food for consideration of tactics.

[dgouilard]

Can you guys analyse Marcelinho's tactics at Valencia this season?

[freendysinaga]

please do a Steven Gerrard Tactocal Profile/A Brief History of....
love your videos so much, can't wait until it changed to Tifo Football

[TheBrass]

yes yes, 3-4-3 is all nice and fast with pretty triangle passing, but can they get a result on a cold, wet Wednesday night in Stoke.

[mrdavetherave]

Bill Nicholson, either a video on the double winning 60-61 tactics, or just one about him in general.

[JayJay-vzhm]

Do Sampdoria 2009/2010 season - Pazzini & Cassano lethal striker combination