Arsenal 3-1 Valencia: 5 Talking Points and tactical analysis

#4 Arsenal’s wing-backs flatter to deceive

Kolasinac's final ball left a lot to be desired

After playing four at the back against Leicester on Sunday, the Gunners reverted to a 3-4-1-2 system for the visit of Valencia. Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Sead Kolasinac took up their roles as wing backs and were expected to provide width on the flanks.

Though the pair did get up and down the wings with regularity, their final ball often went missing. Maitland-Niles had a better game than at the weekend but that isn’t saying a lot considering the Englishman was sent off at the King Power Stadium.

The defender also endured a few wobbly moments at the start with one inexplicable back-pass to Petr Cech quickly springing to mind. Apart from his defensive frailties, he wasn’t able to create anything substantial despite finding himself in promising positions.

Kolasinac, on the other hand, was slightly better than his English compatriot but his play in the final third still left a lot to be desired. Though he provided an assist in injury time, his deliveries into the box before that were pretty woeful.

On countless occasions, the Bosnian overlapped superbly and found himself in good crossing areas. Yet, none of his crosses dovetailed with the runs of his forwards.

While the Gunners eventually had enough in reserve to see off Valencia, a stronger team of the like of Chelsea or Eintracht Frankfurt might not provide Arsenal with so many opportunities to dent them.

Moreover, with Emery having stumbled upon the 3-4-1-2 system as the ideal formation, Kolasinac and Maitland-Niles are going to be accorded plenty of room on the flanks in the forthcoming matches.

Thus, the form of the hosts’ wing-backs would be a concern for the Spaniard as they gear up for the final sprint of the season.