Is anyone wondering why Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are suddenly scoring for fun? That’s supposed to be their flaw. Everyone is saying, ‘they have the best defence in Europe, but Kai Havertz can’t finish, and they need a new striker’, aren’t they? 

This was never so perfectly exposed as against Porto two weeks ago, when Arsenal saw all of the ball but managed zero shots on target and lost the game 1-0. Since then, we haven’t seen the same Arsenal, but let’s get a sense of what Arsenal’s problem was.

Like so many teams, Arsenal have been using a 3-box-3 formation in possession to load the midfield and dominate matches. However, this is no longer a new tactic; other teams are learning how best to defend and press against a 3-box-3.

One variation includes an inverted winger to track Arsenal’s inverted full-back and match them up with a four-man midfield. This way, Arsenal have been unable to build up through the centre of the pitch despite having total control of proceedings. So they’ve been forced into wide progression, then blocked in by neat man-for-man pressing in midfield. 

Arsenal needed to find a way of guaranteeing they could play through the centre. How have they done it? (Almost) a 4-4-2. 

By playing without a nominal striker and bringing in Jorginho to partner Declan Rice, Arsenal have created a midfield box solely made up of actual midfielders, while both full-backs stay wide in build-up. By creating deeper width in their shape with the full-backs, they have said to the opposition: ‘Now you’ve got to mark the full-backs and the midfielders at the same time because you don’t know where we’re going to play the ball.’ 

Other teams simply cannot do this, and this back-four with two holding midfielders in front is precisely how Aston Villa have been able to play out from the back so reliably this season. 

The other feature of this shape is the two wide No10s, without a striker. Positionally, this is a near-perfect role for a player like Havertz, who’s awkwardly caught between being classed as a striker and a midfielder. It also means Martin Ødegaard no longer has to drop so deep to get on the ball. 

Most notably, however, this confuses and frustrates supposition centre-backs, who will always be more comfortable when they know who to mark. If the centre-backs ignore Havertz and Ødegaard’s deep positioning instead of opting to hold their structure, they will concede a midfield box to Arsenal. 

Alternatively, any side who wants to disrupt Arsenal’s play from the front will be perceptive enough to realise that pressing man-for-man would look almost like a 4-4-2 shape. However, this would require the centre-backs to jump higher than their fellow full-backs, leaving a gaping hole behind the defensive line, which Arsenal can exploit.