Arsenal flourish with newfound attacking freedom, can win PL title if Arteta allows it
Arsenal's response since losing their nine-point lead and briefly falling behind Manchester City in the Premier League title race has been impressive, and Mikel Arteta might have just found the cure to what ails the Gunners of late. As things stand right this moment, Arsenal are six points clear of Man City but City have two games in hand. It should be noted that Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Fulham did them a world of good in the goal difference column — now +41, to City's +37 — which is all the more reason Arteta must go away from what got them here, and embrace what could get them there .
As our very own Nicholas Mendola pointed out during this week’s PST video segment , Arsenal's imbalance between attack and defense largely comes down to one position on the field — one player. That position and player is defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who has had a fantastic first season in the PL, but isn't necessarily the type of player they need alongside Declan Rice. While watching Arsenal slice through Fulham like warm butter, it became very clear that what they have at the position is a very good (but very traditional) no.
6, and what they currently need is a bit of chaos. Zubimendi has appeared in all 35 of Arsenal's PL games this season (started 33 of them), yet he has only made 18 key passes (142nd-most) in the PL this season. Key passes is only one stat, of course, but when you play for a team that's almost always going to have more possession than your opponents, it's a fairly good indicator of whether or not you're a helper or a hindrance in the final third.
Arsenal need their third midfielder to create scoring chances and bring a measure of unpredictability in and around the box, and Zubimendi possesses neither. The last few years, it was Thomas Partey that partnered Rice and we know how those title bids turned out. Myles Lewis-Skelly was the chaos against Fulham on Saturday, likely as a matter of prioritizing the all-important UFEA Champions League semifinal against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday — and therein lies the problem.
The clearest solution is right in front of them — right there on the team sheet — yet the likeliest outcome is that Arteta goes right back to Zubimendi for the final three (must-win) league games. In those three games, Arsenal will play relegation-fighting West Ham, already-relegated Burnley and middle-of-the-table-with-nothing-to-play-for-on-the-final-day Crystal Palace. They will almost certainly have 55-65 percent of possession in those games and will find themselves having to pick their way through 10 and 11 men behind the ball.