Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta made a key decision regarding his preferred formation for the new season and it's been a successful change so far.
The Spaniard has moved away from his previous 4-2-3-1 formation in favour of a 4-3-3 to offer more control in midfield by dropping club captain Martin Odegaard into a central midfield role alongside Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka. The new system offers the option for more flexibility with Partey able to sit as a holding midfielder whilst Xhaka and Odegaard press forward and get involved in attacking moves.
This has been highlighted by the improvement in Xhaka's performances with the Swiss midfielder enjoying a brilliant spell of form, scoring two goals and providing a further three assists in his first nine appearances of the new campaign. The 30-year-old was once close to leaving the Emirates Stadium before Arteta convinced him to stay and turn his career around, a decision that is now paying dividends for the Gunners.
