Arsenal will lock horns with London rivals, Chelsea, for the FA Cup crown on Sunday. It could be an important game for the Gunners, who are hoping to land their first silverware that would be seen as a step in the right direction. However, it will, no doubt, be a tricky encounter and in this article, we will talk about what Mikel Arteta must do to ensure a win over Chelsea this weekend.
Play a deep-defensive block
It is needless to say that Frank Lampard has turned Chelsea into a vicious attacking side. They have significant offensive firepower with players like Tammy Abraham, Willian, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and ex-Arsenal star Olivier Giroud leading the line.
The Gunners, in contrast, have embraced a more tactical, defensive approach under Arteta, especially in big matches. The Spaniard should opt for a similar tactic this time around in order to contain the Blues attack this weekend.
Indeed, a deep-defensive backline consisting of Rob Holding, David Luiz and Kieran Tierney should work wonders for Arsenal. The first two, in particular, are capable of dealing with any sort of physical or aerial threat provided by the likes of Giroud, while Tierney is more than capable of sticking to his task defensively, especially against the quick-feet of Willian.
Attack the left flank
Should Lampard opt to mirror Arsenal’s formation by employing a three-man backline, Arteta must favour the left flank, purely due to Marcos Alonso.
Although the Spaniard is capable of providing a lot of threat going forward, his lack of positional sense and defensive qualities are well documented. It was the case against Liverpool, where the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah simply dominated the flank, creating a lot of chances in the final third.
Arsenal could follow a similar tactic by deploying both Nicolas Pepe and Cedric Soares on the right flank. It should be enough to bombard Alonso, although the right wing-back must be careful and aware of his defensive chores.
Promote Dani Ceballos in the number ten role
Over the past couple of matches, Dani Ceballos, arguably Arsenal’s best player since the restart, has been assigned a more defensive role by Arteta. The Real Madrid midfielder has been seen operating in deeper positions and almost act as a deep-lying playmaker.
While it has given Arsenal better versatility when building up from the back, it has majorly affected their overall creativity in the final third, especially with the absence of a full-fledged number ten like Mesut Ozil.
Arteta, therefore, should look to reassign Ceballos in the false ten role, where he can distribute not only possession but also find defence-threading passes. It could work, especially against a Chelsea side which has shown a lot of vulnerability at the back.
