Arsenal's Counter-Attack Threat Shows Arsene Wenger Is Implementing a New Style

Arsenal are changing before our eyes. While they were once a team obsessed with possession, they are now adapting into an efficient counter-attacking unit.

The recent wins over Manchester United and Bayern Munich are perfect examples of Arsenal’s new strategy being implemented. It’s a more dynamic style, one based around the explosive pace of Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott. Arsenal sit deep and then press in the middle third, hoping to force errors from the opposition. When possession turns over, they have the players to counter at breakneck speed. It’s exhilarating to watch and appears to be devastatingly effective.

Those last two home fixtures make for a fascinating case study. Not too long ago, the idea of Arsenal surrendering possession at the Emirates Stadium was unthinkable. However, it now seems to suit their purposes. The BBC suggested Arsenal spent just 23 per cent of the match with the ball but still managed to get more shots on target than their opposition.

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Speaking to the club website after the game, goalkeeper Petr Cech confirmed Arsenal had employed an alternative approach:

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I think we did well in a different type of game. Usually we have more possession than our opponents and we control the game and today was more them as they used the ball really well and opened up space so we had to be very disciplined and organised which is not easy at times but I think we have done remarkably well.

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Cech’s performance was admittedly key to this victory. There is an inherent risk in this kind of strategy: When you sit back against a team as brilliant as Bayern’s, you know you will have to rely on your goalkeeper and centre-halves to be at their very best. Arsenal kept a clean sheet in the Champions League clash, but only thanks to six saves from the Czech Republic international.

One interesting question is to what extent this new tactical setup is a deliberate ploy. Both United and Bayern are experts at retaining possession. Was Arsenal’s counter-attacking style the plan all along, or was it simply a response to the opposition’s ability to dominate? In his post-match press conference after the Bayern game, Arsene Wenger said:

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It is was not deliberate from the start but I thought when we played very high up we stopped them from playing. When we were playing halfway they opened us up too much so I decided to drop Ozil a bit deeper and to make it tight around the box and catch them on the break because we have the pace to do it and to find some space with the game going on.

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That suggests it was not necessarily always the plan to hit Bayern on the break.

However, that does not discredit Wenger’s strategic ability. In some respects, showing the flexibility to adapt during the course of the game shows a greater degree of tactical intelligence. Wenger saw a problem, analysed it and implemented a plan that would allow Arsenal to overcome their opponents’ strengths.

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It’s rare to hear Wenger talk openly about tactical decisions, and that can sometimes lead to the assumption that these fine details do not form part of his managerial technique. However, the precision with which he has outlined the way he fine-tuned his team’s setup during the game shows he is more tactically astute than he gets credit for.

The genesis of this new style was at the start of 2015. It was particularly noticeable in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in January. According to the BBC, Arsenal had just 35 per cent of possession in that game, yet they mustered nine attempts at goal. That match formed a template for Arsenal’s subsequent success against the likes of United and Bayern.

In his analysis of the Bayern match for BT Sport (h/t the Telegraph), Glenn Hoddle argued the new approach is the way forward for the Gunners: "Arsenal have to become a counter-attacking team. They have pace with Walcott, Chamberlain, Sanchez, and Welbeck when he gets back, If they can counter well and keep things tight at the back they could go a long way at this tournament."

However, Arsenal won’t play this way in every game. Against more limited teams, they will still attempt to suffocate the opposition by controlling the ball for long periods. In Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil, they have players capable of passing teams into submission. It would be foolish of Wenger to forego that approach entirely.

However, this new approach has transformed Arsenal’s ability to cope with big occasions. This year alone, they have picked up wins against Chelsea in the Community Shield, City, United, Bayern and Liverpool. A bit of tactical tinkering has made Arsenal a force to be reckoned with in these elite clashes.

By letting their opponents have the ball, Arsenal effectively set a trap they can spring as soon as they regain possession. Having a team with the likes of Alexis, Francis Coquelin and Aaron Ramsey ensures they have players with both the desire and ability to close down the opposition. For this system to work to the maximum of its capability, Arsenal need every player to buy into that ethos. That’s why Theo Walcott’s shuttle runs and closing down were so important in the victory against United.

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Then, when Arsenal get the ball back, the threat is immediate. Arsenal will tend to look first for Ozil, who in turn will try to release one of the two sprinters up top. There is no defence in world football that is not worried by the prospect of Alexis and Walcott running at them at full speed.

Crucially, Arsenal are now being efficient in attack. When they do burst forward, their finishing is far more accomplished than it was at the start of the season. That enables them to punish even the slightest lapse in concentration from their opponents.

Arsenal have found a new way to prosper. A manager who has previously been criticised for being tactically stubborn is showing that, aged 66, he can adapt.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.