The Ox Rocks Arsenal 3.0
In Arsenal’s 4-1 victory over Newcastle United, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s performance in midfield showed us the future.
Manager Arsène Wenger has said that Oxlade-Chamberlain would one day move from an attacking forward position to the center of midfield, and the 21-year-old’s display on Saturday hinted that this day may not be far off. That will also mark the fruition of Wenger’s vision for his third and final Arsenal team.
Wenger first built the title-winning sides of the early 2000’s, then turned to youth to negotiate the move to the Emirates Stadium. Having fulfilled the most burdensome obligations associated with the stadium construction, the club is poised for a third incarnation under Wenger.
The foundation of Arsenal 3.0
Broadly speaking, Wenger’s Arsenal 1.0 was driven by a strong midfield engine and accelerated by speed in the forward line. It comfortably and lethally sprang from defense into attack. Arsenal 2.0 under Wenger was a finesse side, characterized by short, quick passing movements.
The latest and last version of Wenger’s Arsenal, 3.0, is taking shape now. From the standpoint of personnel, it’s dominated by players entering their primes. (See “Arsenal’s Experienced Youth Movement” for my analysis of the approach.)
The qualities of speed and power, enhanced by tenacity, are coming to guide Arsenal’s style of play. This year’s headline acquisitions — Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez — bring speed, strength, and relentless drive. Their assertive attitude complements their own physical advantages and inspires teammates to overwhelm certain opposition.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has himself noted the influence of Alexis. He told BT Sport (quoted by The Guardian), “He has brought that winning mentality to the side, and I think it definitely rubs off on a lot of players.”
Principles at work against Newcastle
Recall the Newcastle game’s opening 20 minutes and the first 15 minutes of the second half. The seventh-place Magpies, just a week after vanquishing Chelsea, could not cope with Arsenal’s speed of foot and thought. All Arsenal’s goals from open play occurred during those periods, as did Welbeck’s lovely effort that was called back for a perceived foul.
Quick thinking and powerful running also helped Arsenal negate Newcastle’s tactic of pressuring the Gunners’ makeshift back line. Once Arsenal’s defenders or midfielder Mathieu Flamini had passed around the Newcastle forwards, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Santi Cazorla and even right back Hector Bellerin encountered light resistance.
Aggressiveness and speed delivered benefits in the offensive end as well, as Arsenal won the ball back in advantageous positions. The team won 11 of its 33 tackles in the Newcastle half and made five interceptions (of 16 total) there. That’s a lot of activity in the opposition half for a team that led after 15 minutes.
Oxlade-Chamberlain puts the desired qualities at the center of the action
As Adrian Clarke emphasized at the outset of his Breakdown of the match on the club website, Oxlade-Chamberlain was at the heart of Arsenal’s performance. He compiled 87 touches, highest on the team, made five successful dribbles, again a team high, and was second in tackles (5) and pass accuracy (86 percent). (Stats are from whoscored.com.)
These contributions surpassed most of those Oxlade-Chamberlain has made when he’s played a wide forward position, not only from a statistical perspective but also from the standpoint of the team’s flow. Fast transitions from defense to attack happen naturally with him in the midfield, where his speed and strength are on full, frequent display.
Yet many observers failed to recognize the vital role Oxlade-Chamberlain played. The player ratings compiled by whoscored.com ranked his performance seventh among Arsenal players, and The Guardian‘s Rob Bleaney wrote that it would be “a shame” if Oxlade-Chamberlain were “restricted” to central midfield (#5 among “Premier League: ten talking points from the weekend’s action“).
Implications
I suppose if you are interested in the occasional, eye-catching, individual run in open forward space, you’d regret Oxlade-Chamberlain establishing himself in Arsenal’s midfield. You won’t have an unobstructed view of an obvious, dazzling play there.
But if your priority is the effective functioning of Arsenal as a unit, you might soon prefer the Ox in the midfield. For one thing, it permits the deployment of Arsenal’s four fastest offensive players (Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez, Welbeck, and a returning Theo Walcott) along with a playmaker such as Santi Cazorla or Mesut Özil. Or it allows the manager to diversify the attack with a center forward target, Olivier Giroud, surrounded by three fast teammates.
Playing Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield also provides more vertical balance to the side. The strong pressing of the forward line can be linked with robust midfield pressing, given Oxlade-Chamberlain’s physicality. He’ll need to learn when to put that into action and when to take up station close to the defensive midfielder to protect the defense.
“Hold on,” you might respond. “Where’s Aaron Ramsey in this scheme?”
At his best, Ramsey also succeeds at this midfield remit. He tackles, intercepts, avoids opponents’ challenges (more through technique than through power), and runs without tiring. Ramsey scores as well. His goals and overall contributions made him Arsenal’s best player by a distance in the 2013-14 season.
When he’s not at his best or when he’s suffering a string of injuries, Ramsey risks being replaced in the starting XI. The same goes for Jack Wilshere, whose strengths don’t necessarily complement the speed and power of the forward line in the way Oxlade-Chamberlain’s strengths do.
Sunday at Anfield
The most immediate matter is the approach to last season’s disastrous fixture at Liverpool. The Reds without Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge aren’t the offensive juggernaut they were in 2013-14. Their midfield still relies on aging captain Stephen Gerrard, who, along with most of the club’s starters, got a stern physical test from Bournemouth in Wednesday’s Capital One Cup and face their fifth match in 15 days on Sunday.
Given those circumstances, there’s a good chance that Liverpool’s midfield will struggle to handle Oxlade-Chamberlain. He’ll have to be alert to Liverpool’s threats in a way he wasn’t in the 6-0 defeat at Chelsea last season. But his progress since then, his performances, his physical presence, and his logical role in this Arsenal side do inspire confidence for Sunday and the future.
