Why alter the formation when it’s all going so well? The last few games against Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have marked a change in the way Arsenal can afford to play, and it’s a compliment of how dominant they have been so far this season.

The rest of the league are now in fear of what Mikel Arteta’s side can do, and they’re taking emergency precautions. Arteta’s been able to capitalise on this.

The 3-2-5 formation Arsenal used in build-up at the beginning of this term served them very well indeed. Reminiscent of the Manchester City side of 2017/18, they used Ben White as a third centre-back, disguised as a right-back, and former City man Oleksandr Zinchenko as a left-back/midfielder hybrid.

Arteta’s formation was founded on the individual strengths of his players, and it gave Arsenal a high level of control in midfield, with Zinchenko joining the midfield-three to form a central box. It was one of the only ways to get Martin Ødegaard into favourable positions inside the right-half-space, and Granit Xhaka has also been given more freedom in his role this season, with greater licence to get involved in attacks.

However, in Arsenal’s last two games, they have changed from a 3-2-5 shape to a 2-3-5, with a view to involving their wide men more.

The wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are possibly Arsenal’s most creative and technically gifted players. In both the old and new shapes, Martinelli and Saka have been Arsenal’s widest players in attack. This is a very deliberate ploy to get them both on the ball as soon as possible, as their quality would be wasted on third-man runs within the half-spaces.

And yet the pair have not seen as much of the ball as they would have liked at times. The change in shape, however, has provided a closer ‘bridge pass’ into the wingers, with White and Zinchenko playing either side in a three-man midfield during build-up, similar to Manchester City’s Kyle Walker and João Cancelo. Previously White was less advanced and Zinchenko was too central to find the wingers with a short pass. This way, Arsenal can play through wide areas much more easily.

Not only is there a better passing option now, but the 2-3-5 has solved one of the big problems Arsenal were beginning to face against other teams. As opponents began to sit back more and more against Arsenal, the clever 2-v-1 created by Ødegaard and Saka on the right was being cancelled out by opponents adding a second wide player in defence. Formations like the 4-5-1 or 5-4-1 were often the best at doing this. This is why Arteta’s side struggled against Manchester United.

Changing to a 2-3-5 has allowed White and Zinchenko to advance to help out wide by creating a 3-v-2. Tottenham were not prepared for this, and Arsenal were able to exploit overloads on the flank frequently against them, as seen below.

The final advantage a 2-3-5 gives Arsenal is a more slick transition from attack to defence. With possession comes a risk. Arsenal are now a team who are susceptible to an opposition counter-attack and their defensive transition has to be well-oiled.

Previously, confusion occurred on the left side, as Zinchenko had the furthest to run of any player in order to get back into position. It was sometimes quicker for Xhaka or Martinelli to drop into a left-back position than the Ukrainian. However, with Zinchenko wider in build-up now, it means that a quick and simple transition can be made when the ball is lost.

Arsenal have created a reputation for being a dangerous side already this season. It’s always the hardest challenge for successful sides to evolve into a unit able to cope with a negative counter-reaction from opponents. Arteta is a clear tactician, and Arsenal have begun the next phase in this year’s journey in style.