Arsenal’s Elite Squad Depth Powers Late Victory Over Nottingham

Modern football is a game of two parts: the first hour or so, dictated by carefully curated gameplans and training ground patterns; and the final half-hour when a flurry of substitutes come on, rigid structures fade away and a match opens at the seams. Arsenal were dire for most of this game at the City Ground, shut out by Nottingham Forest’s red wall. Arsenal, meanwhile, stay second, three points behind Manchester City and two ahead of Brighton. Who say it’s shackling ingenuity and entertainment, this first half was exhibit A, for those who rail against the hegemony of positional football. To tackling, to running, to winning duels, it was hard to tell the two sides apart, but when it came to the nuts and bolts of the game. The pair occasionally injected brief moments of speed into Arsenal’s game but no one else found their wavelength.

Arsenal had 74% possession and no shots on target for the majority of the encounter, struggling to break down a resolute opposition. “Arsenal have been the better team,” said Roy Keane at half-time, and he was right, in the sense that they were structurally dominant, yet they failed to create meaningful opportunities. Strength in depth may prove the difference between the champions and the rest, and even if Arsenal endure more struggles like they did for the majority of this game. Perhaps, better at that square pass Declan Rice makes to a centre-back after deciding against a forward ball, better at keeping the ball away from opposition’s prying toes. Rice was particularly impotent playing as the six at the base of midfield. They put like a Christmas tree [formation], there is no space to play, we were going to face a different Forest because they are extremely well coached. Whether that is an open play or with set-pieces, you have to generate a lot of chaos in the box. “At the end I had the belief that the physical level [of Forest] was going to drop, the spaces will be a little bit bigger, more time to be more efficient.

With 331 passes at a completion rate of 91%, Arsenal were better at maintaining possession than penetrating the final third, while Forest remained organized. With 331 passes at a completion rate of 91%, Arsenal were certainly better at fluffing their own statistics, although Forest didn’t help themselves: during one of many lulls, Ivorian centre-back Ousmane Diomande passed the ball straight off the pitch, chest high, nowhere near anybody, with the conviction of a man executing a plan only he knew existed.

Tactical Shifts and Substitutions

Noni Madueke was sent on at half-time for Eberechi Eze, who had been statuesque at his station on the left touchline, which, in fairness, is not his preferred position. Rinse and repeat, gabriel would pass the ball out to Eze on the touchline who would recycle it back into the middle. But Arsenal met the same problems, it wasn’t a great surprise to see Eze replaced by Madueke at half-time.

After Leeds last weekend and Lille in midweek, this was the third game in a row in which Arteta rang the changes in the second half as his team struggled to click.

No Premier League side has generated more goals and assists from the bench since the start of last season. Like Eze, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka had little joy, and Oliver Glasner took positives from a performance of cohesion and spirit. His athleticism, but with Lewis-Skelly on the bench, Guimaraes was given licence to rove forwards with Martin Odegaard, it is a role which showcases very little of his greatest trait.

Forest dropped deeper and on 71 minutes, Arsenal produced their best move when Saka played a short pass inside to Odegaard, who slipped in Timber running around the back of the Forest defence. Forest were excellent in their determination to blunt Arsenal’s attack. It was actually Forest who had taken five of the game’s eight shots, after 45 stultifying minutes in which neither goalkeeper made a save. Who slashed a shot over the bar from 12 yards, timber teed up Rice.

But yet again, the power of Mikel Arteta’s “finishers” decided a match.

Once again he made a triple substitution on 65 minutes, sending on Jurrien Timber, Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyokeres, and the stubborn Forest defence was eventually worn down in the final stages.

The Decisive Goal

With the clock ticking towards 80 minutes, Madueke did what his predecessors hadn’t and drove at Forest’s defence before unleashing a shot, which took a fortunate deflection off Jair Cunha on its way past the helpless Matz Sels.

It went down as Arsenal’s only shot on target, and in truth it might have been curling wide before the intervention of the Forest defender.

Madueke rode to the rescue, dribbling inside to score after Merino had first forced back the defensive line. “He’s a special character,” Arteta added of Madueke. “He’s someone who everyone loves in and around the club.” But I think it’s a massive credit and explains the kind of character that he is.

Squad Philosophy and Quotes

Madueke on squad depth: “If you look at the quality of our starting XI and bench, it’s absurd. All 20-something players are elite and of the highest level. If you are needed after 60 minutes, 45 minutes and sometimes two minutes, we have a squad now that can deliver in moments and we have to use that.”
Arteta on selection: “Some of them played three days ago and some of them will start the next game, and they know the competition is fierce.”

Match Media and Information

Arsenal coverage: Evening Standard
Arteta prediction: Mikel Arteta makes exciting Noni Madueke prediction amid warning to fringe players
Arsenal result: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal
Performance context: Liam Delap couldn’t breach Arsenal’s defence