Arsenal have been dealing with a similar problem for some time now. In games against low block defences like Newcastle, Everton and Brentford the Gunners struggled to create chances, and ultimately failed to claim victory.
"When they block everything and the ball doesn’t go into the net it’s great if you win 2-0 then you played the low block really well," Mikel Arteta told football.london when asked if his side had been figured out. "It is always going to depend on certain things, there are always things that we have to improve and our efficiency in the box has not been as good as it was to win football matches and tomorrow it will have to be really high to beat them."
As they were faced up with yet another deep defence in a crucial match against Leicester on Saturday, there were some fears that they may surrender the lead they had re-established at the top of the Premier League table only last week. This time though, the Gunners found a solution.
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Much of the issue up against deep blocks for Arsenal has come from their predictability. Eddie Nketiah has done a superb job stepping in for Gabriel Jesus since the Brazilian's injury, but his tendency to stay central has created something of a problem.
With Nketiah carrying a slight knock though, Arteta decided to try something different at the King Power Stadium. The Spaniard opted to use January signing Leandro Trossard up front for the first time, and it worked a treat. Rather than sticking through the middle, the Belgian was constantly looking to move into different positions and interchange with Gabriel Martinelli. It was this that led to the only goal of the game.
In the still below we can see that while possession is being contested in the middle of the park, Trossard is standing in the typical number nine position. The gap between Leicester's centre back pairing of Wout Faes and Harry Souttar is small as a result, and the Foxes are well set to deal with any Arsenal attack.
As the ball is played forward though, Trossard darts out to left wing. This drags Souttar out wide with him, meaning that there is now a huge gap in between him and Faes. Martinelli - who had been even deeper than Granit Xhaka in the first picture - now races in to the space between the Leicester centre backs.
He is then found by Trossard who adds insult to injury by nutmegging Souttar, and finishes brilliantly past Danny Ward to put Arsenal 1-0 up. It was this movement from the Gunners' false nine that ultimately won them the game, and unsurprisingly Arteta was delighted with how his experiment had gone.
"I think he was really good," Arteta told football.london in his post-match press conference. "He got involved in many situations that could have led to many more big chances. He was involved in that incredible goal that he scored that was disallowed. He was involved in the goal of Gabi with the pass that he played to him. He’s so good in tight spaces and small spaces with that creativity to open people up. I’m really happy we have him."
This is exactly what Arteta wanted when it came to January recruits. "The opportunity came and we had the necessity for a player in the front line who is versatile enough to play different positions," he said after the Belgian's arrival last month. "He knows the league, he has enough experience here and I think he can have an immediate impact on the team."
That instant impact from Trossard leaves Arteta with a decision to make though as Arsenal host Everton on Wednesday night. Having played Sean Dyche's side only a few weeks ago, Arteta will know all too well that the Toffees will set up at the Emirates Stadium in a low block.
Nketiah is available for the game despite his knock, but the Hale Ender struggled against Everton's defence at Goodison Park. This was largely due to the fact that he chose to stay central for much of the game as his heatmap shows.
This made it relatively easy for James Tarkowski and Conor Coady to mark Nketiah out of the game. Defending the 18-yard-box is an undoubted strength of the Everton defensive duo, but if they are dragged out of position by smart movement then it's likely that they will struggle.
This is what Trossard will offer, leaving Arteta with a huge dilemma. For the first time since Jesus' injury there is a genuine debate over who should play in the number nine position for Arsenal. It will be fascinating to see what Arteta chooses to do.
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