Arsenal under Mikel Arteta have gone through plenty of changes and improvements to reach the level the club finds itself at now. When the Spaniard first took over, many questioned what style of play he was implementing when it wasn’t immediately obvious.
These days, Arsenal have become arguably so identifiable that it has opened up new challenges as teams look to work out how to restrict the Gunners. However, one area of the pitch that Mikel Arteta has worked to use to the highest effectiveness is the half-spaces, which has the potential to be made even better by the impending return of Gabriel Jesus.
Firstly, to clarify what the half-spaces are, because the terminology can be easily used but often confused with something else. The below image shows these regions are defined by the space running between the centre of the pitch and the wide areas often bordered by the edge of the six-yard box and 18-yard box; effectively two 12-yard wide strips running the length of the pitch.
