By Vinay Shankar (Tactical Analyst)
A very comfortable scoreline at the end against tricky opponents with nothing to lose and rustiness after the international break.
Saka’s absences from the team this season have impacted the fluency of the team as his efficiency in the wide areas makes the team much more dangerous. A traditional right-footed winger changes the dynamic in the wide areas in terms of their body positions receiving the ball, natural movements, and tendencies.
For much of the first half, Trossard struggled in this role for the above reasons but a general sluggishness after the break did not help matters either. Leeds had a front four who were incredibly rapid from turnovers and piled on in numbers to cause a lot of problems. Odegaard’s advanced positioning resulted in Partey being overloaded in the right channel. Trossard and Martinelli were forced to track back diligently to cope with these situations.
Jesus looked to obsessively play on the left in the buildup in the first half and almost looked to take the ball off his teammates to make something happen and this seemed to disrupt the recent attacking dynamics and fluidity. Recognising the situations for these movements and figuring out the chemistry once again with the other players will take time.
Leeds used dual full-backs to counter any overload threat, especially on the left and Arteta changed things up in the second open the away side. Arsenal played Trossard and Jesus centrally in the half-spaces and pushed Odegaard a little deeper and it paid dividends. Trossard could come deep to receive the ball and link up and Jesus had a free role.
Leeds is not as Helter-skelter under Javi Gracia but their chaotic nature prevents the opposition from ever feeling settled and a 3-0 lead against them does not feel comfortable as against other teams.
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