Match 2: Arsenal 4 - 2 Leicester City

Setting the scene

Arsenal played their first home game of the season against Leicester on the 13th of August. In our first home game of last season, Arsenal suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss to London rivals- Chelsea. This time round was a must win to set the tone for the early stages of the new campaign. With injured players such as Tomiyasu and Smith Rowe available, there was that extra bit of security we didn't have last season in our squad depth. Despite that, Arsenal decided to lineup in the same way they had done against Crystal Palace 8 days prior:

Lining up in the same way allowed all the starting players to build upon how they had played against Crystal Palace and develop the tactics that extra next step. One of the key differences this time was Partey's positioning whilst Arsenal were out of possession which entailed him dropping deeper towards the defensive line allowing a wide centre back to push wider into a fullback position.

Similarly to the match against Crystal Palace, whilst in possession Arsenal played in a 3-2-5 formation, which appeared like this:

The difference this time out was greater flexibility in the movement and positional interchange between Xhaka and Zinchenko. On the occasions where Zinchenko would underlap Martinelli, Xhaka would move to the outside and provide the width which in turn allowed Martinelli to play more central and get more involved in play down the left which was an issue pointed out here against Crystal Palace.

How it played out

From the start of the match to the end of the match Arsenal looked in control. Gabriel Jesus had a fantastic game looking dangerous whenever he was on the ball and for the first time since Aubameyang left, there was a sense of real excitement whenever an Arsenal striker was in possession. Despite Leicester controlling the central third, Arsenal were able to retain the ball well in the final third and were frequently able to nullify Leicester attacks. Despite one of the Arsenal goals being a result of poor goalkeeping and defending and Leicester's opener a result of poor decision making by Saliba leading to an own goal, Arsenal were able to create high xG chances throughout the match.

Arsenal were the dominant team throughout the match having 19 shots and 7 of them on target. The xG portrays a similar picture with Arsenal having a total xG of 2.96 compared to Leicester's 0.46. The average xG per attempt for Arsenal was 0.155 compared to Leicester's 0.076 meaning that on the whole, the quality of Arsenal's chances were better. Additionally, Arsenal had 5 big chances throughout the match whilst Leicester had only 1 (as measured by FotMob).

The best xG performer should come as no surprise- Gabriel Jesus. He had an xG of 1.91 showing that he really deserved his brace, however he had two big missed chances- A one on one with the goalkeeper had an xG of 0.33 which was subsequently saved and a missed chance in the 80th minute had an xG of 0.35. He could have very easily scored another one or two based off this and was understandably disappointed that he could not score a hat-trick which should give an idea of his determination and the kind of player he is.

Elsewhere, Zinchenko continued to demonstrate his midfield capabilities, having not only attempted the most passes out of any Arsenal player but having the best passing success rate out of anyone on the pitch. Additionally, William Saliba earned his place in the team, making double the amount of interceptions than anyone else on the pitch, which is extremely important when you are responsible for marking Jamie Vardy and being the furthest back defender.

Goal Analysis (not all of them)

23rd Minute: Arsenal 1 - 0 Leicester (Jesus Goal)

Snapshot 1:

For Arsenal's first goal, Martinelli has the ball on the left side of the penalty area, whilst Xhaka has assumed his role high up in the half-space and Jesus (right red circle) has come left to offer support close by. Tielemans is not marking Xhaka and so the Swiss man finds himself in space in the area.

Snapshot 2:

A difficult pass from Martinelli find Xhaka who is able to get a touch on the ball with Jesus as an option nearby as the Swiss international is pressed.

Snapshot 3:

Xhaka's pass finds Jesus who is able to take a shot despite having very little room and not being able to get the ball out his feet. The finish is fantastic and shows his quality with his first goal for the club.

55th Minute: Arsenal 3 - 1 Leicester (Xhaka Goal)

Snapshot 1:

Saka finds himself on the ball on the right side of the area with 2 Leicester players pressing him and a lot of space between himself and Ødegaard (left circle), leaving him with one option- A pass to Ben White.

Snapshot 2:

Ben White plays a cross into the area from deep and Arsenal have 3 players in the area marked by 2 Leicester defenders. Tielemans has not picked up the run from Xhaka, giving Arsenal a numerical advantage in the area.

Snapshot 3:

Poor communication and goalkeeping means Ward can not safely gather the ball and instead palms it down into a dangerous area. Tielemans has not made any attempt to fall back, leaving both Martinelli and Xhaka in a lot of space in the area.

Snapshot 4:

Jesus (leftmost circle) is able to contest for the ball and has Xhaka to his right in support if he is able to get a pass to him.

Snapshot 5:

What appears to be a poor touch from Jesus results in the ball ending up at Xhaka's feet with Tielemans nowhere near him. This allows Xhaka to have an easy shot with an xG of 0.34 which he is able to convert with ease.

74th Minute: Arsenal 3 -2 Leicester (Maddison Goal)

Snapshot 1:

As Ilheanacho comes one on one with Zinchenko on the edge of the area, Zinchenko is on the back foot and must get goal-side. Meanwhile, Maddison makes a run towards the ball running past Xhaka without him noticing the run.

Snapshot 2:

Maddison makes an overlapping run past Xhaka and Zinchenko has committed to Ilheanacho, leaving space open for a reverse pass to Maddison. Arsenal's failure to reform a defensive shape allows Leicester to have greater numbers in the wide spaces.

Snapshot 3:

Xhaka is nowhere near Maddison who he should have been tracking and the Leicester number 10 is able to take a low, driven shot from a tight angle. Ramsdale should have done better as the shot rolls through his legs earning Leicester their second goal of the game.

Prominent Arsenal Performances

MotM- Gabriel Jesus:

In his home debut for Arsenal, Gabriel Jesus was the star of the show. He was involved in every goal for Arsenal netting 2 goals and providing 2 assists. His work rate in the final third put the Leicester defence under a lot of pressure and his positional awareness to drift left to be one on one with Jonny Evans allowed him to utilise his pace and technical ability to beat his man. His first gaol demonstrated what it is to be a world class striker, creating a shooting chance with the ball barely out his feet, whilst his second goal, showed he knew exactly when and where to be. It was a dream home debut for the new Brazilian and he will be hoping his form can continue.

Key performance- Granit Xhaka:

The use of Granit Xhaka in the central-left half-space further demonstrated his tactical maturity and his familiarity with Mikel Arteta's positional play system. Both his goal and assist were a result of his late runs into the box off the back of Youri Tielemans who would often be caught ball watching or working under the assumption that someone else would pick up Xhaka's run. Working in tandem with Martinelli and Zinchenko, when one of these two took up a more central role, Xhaka would fill in the wide position. However, it was when Martinelli or Zinchenko would provide the width that allowed Xhaka to make the late, lateral runs, whilst Jesus would stay left, causing a numerical advantage on the left side. Xhaka was instrumental to ensuring dominance on the left of the pitch and he was well deserving of a goal and an assist.

Disappointing performance- Bukayo Saka:

For the second match in a row, Saka looked largely ineffective down the right-hand side. He made two good crosses into the box, most noticeably one which reached the head of Granit Xhaka and subsequently hit the woodwork before Arsenal's first goal. However, much of the focus of Arsenal's tactics and play occurred on the left side of the pitch, thereby not bringing Saka and Ødegaard into play as often as they might have liked. Saka had the fewest touches of any starting outfield player and attempted one dribble compared to Martinelli's 4 during the match. Much of this issue can be attributed to the fact that Tomiyasu has been recovering from injury and does not currently have a starting place in the squad resulting in a less attacking fullback on the right, causing Saka to provide the width and be isolated from much of the team. These issues could change when the Japanese international returns to the starting lineup, but it is uncertain whether or not that re-introduction will also create a change in tactics.

3 Areas to improve

1. Saka Involvement: Due to the style of play implemented by Arsenal, one of our most talented players frequently looked isolated again. In the previous match against Crystal Palace this applied to Martinelli too, however against Leicester, this was largely negated by Xhaka's tendency to push even further up the pitch and Jesus playing on the shoulder of the right centre back, creating numerical advantages down the left and thereby allowing Martinelli to be more involved and constantly supported by 2-3 players whilst in possession. Down the right side however, Ødegaard stayed central and high, meaning there were no late runs on the inside of Saka allowing him space to cut inside into. It is unclear what the remedy to this issue is, but perhaps with the re-introduction of Tomiyasu in the team, Arsenal will have greater options for width down the right and allow Saka to move into more central positions and get more involved in play.

2. Vulnerability against wide runs: Zinchenko being the attacking an inverted fullback that he is frequently leaves Arsenal vulnerable against wide runners especially when Arsenal are being counter-attacked. Leicester were frequently able to make wide runs either exploiting the space left open by Xhaka's lack of pace and tendency to push high as well as Zinchenko playing high and central. When Leicester played down their left side, Patson Daka was able to beat Ben White on many occasions and Leicester were able to play balls into the box causing Arsenal issues. This could be remedied by a more conventional back-4 with two natural fullbacks in Tierney and Tomiyasu but this would in turn require a tactical change whilst attacking. There is a tradeoff to be made here and only time time will tell how Arsenal can cope with wide runners when utilising more conventional fullbacks.

3. Defensive decision making: Albeit a rare occasion and on individual bases, Arsenal with the young squad they have will be prone to errors and a wrong decision or two. This was the case for Leicester's opening goal caused by a poor header from William Saliba. At only 21-years-old, this is to be expected and he will only get better at this over time as he gains more and more experience at a top level.