EPL Clubs 2013-14 Season Tactical Review : An array of styles in midfield

4. Arsenal

Transfers

In: Yaya Sanogo, Flamini, Mesut Ozil, Viviano[L], Kim Kallstrom[L]

Out: Frimpong, Squilacci, Arshavin, Mannone, Gervinho, Chamakh, Andre Santos, Denilson

Player of the Season: Aaron Ramsey

Arsenal stamped their authority on the transfer market with a 46 million move for Mesut Ozil at the end of the summer window, but the Gunners’ perennial problem of coinciding injuries snatching away the title from them after they had led the league for 128 days. Arsene Wenger has never been branded a tactician, and even more importantly, Wenger rarely ever changes any nuances of his system in the middle of a season (let alone a match).

Flamini and Arteta’s roles in midfield: Mathieu Flamini’s transfer was almost neglected after all the fanfare around Ozil’s arrival, but the French midfielder definitely left his stamp on the season. Wenger sees him as a man-marker when played as the holding midfielder and he was often preferred over Arteta in games where the opposition had an array of dribblers (like the Napoli clash in the Champions League).

Flamini’s main contribution from holding midfield turned out to be his tendency of covering for a fullback who had advanced into a forward position, a tactic highly significant considering Arsenal’s fullbacks. This was well justified in games where Wenger started Arteta in the holding role, as the Spaniard has repeatedly been seen rushing into tackles near the halfway line resulting in the opposition attacking via the channels vacated by the advanced fullbacks.

Wenger still considers Arteta to be a “complete midfielder” and despite the fact that Arteta has indeed improved his tackling, his lack of pace and the resulting getting away of the dribbler has directly affected the results of some games. This becomes an even bigger worry considering that Arteta’s weak positioning results in Mertersacker needing to step out of the back-line, which more often than not leaves absolutely no chance for the slow German to recover back into the defence line.

Weighing the pros and cons of the Olivier Giroud system: Despite crossing the 20 goal margin this season, Giroud has been on the receiving end of innumerable abuses from fans and pundits alike. Wenger describes Giroud’s role simply as the connect between the midfield and attack. This focal point is often a No.10 or midfielder in other teams, but it is Giroud who is the pivot at the halfway line for Arsenal, depending on whom the likes of Walcott and Ozil can run past. Giroud has played this role to perfection this season, and his touches and hold-up plays have been magical at times. But it has been the movement around him where Arsenal have suffered.

In the majority of the 128 days that Arsenal led the league, Wenger had the likes of Ramsey and Walcott providing the movement either wide of Giroud or rushing towards him. With Ramsey’s recurring knock and Walcott’s layoff, the only means to connect Giroud with the game were either the “yet-to-settle” Ozil or the tiring Rosicky. Though Giroud played his role as the connector perfectly, his responsibilities of finishing off a move left much to desire from.

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3. Chelsea

Transfers

In: Andre Schurrle, Marco Van Ginkel, Samuel Eto’o, Willian, Nemanja Matic, Mohamed Salah, Mark Schwarzer

Out: Kevin De Bruyne, Juan Mata, Michael Essien, Paulo Ferreira, Ross Turnbull, Yossi Benayoun, Jeffery Bruma

Player of the Season: Gary Cahill

Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge kicked off a long stint than usual going by the Portuguese’s own words. The task in his second spell at Chelsea is to build a team for the future, and from the looks of it, the process has already begun. The summer signings added depth to the squad, but a long term injury to Marco Van Ginkel limited the options in midfield. Chelsea started almost all their matches in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

With no Van Ginkel, Ramires and Lampard started almost every match in midfield in the first half of the season, restricting Mikel to the bench. This floating midfield was successful mostly because of Oscar’s discipline in the No.10 role. Once Chelsea started losing games at regular intervals, the need for a more robust midfield became even more evident.

Azpilicueta at LB serves Terry well: A change in approach in December saw Chelsea play a much compact style of football, demanding more defensive discipline from the wingers. The trend continued to the end of the season, and they conceded only 18 goals in 31 games, compared to 23 in 26 games in the pre-December period. The most positive points for Chelsea this season goes to their defending ability.

The use of Azpilicueta as a left back complemented John Terry very well, and kept pacy wingers at check. The Spaniard has excelled at the art of blocking shots and crosses, and exemplifies the kind of football Mourinho likes to preach. Equally important was the presence of Ivanovic on the other flank, with the Serbian acting as an outlet for goal-kicks, and strong presence in the air.

Nemanja Matic dominates the mid: January signing Nemanja Matic changed the team dynamic and beefed up the already organized defence setup. This solved the problem for a holding midfielder, but Chelsea still lacked that bite in midfield, as Ramires was having a very bad moment in the season. David Luiz was the answer to that crisis, and the Brazilian along with Matic became a mainstay in midfield for most of March and April.

The striker department still looks weak, with most of the goals coming from midfielders. Mourinho will be looking to get a good replacement for Ashley Cole at leftback, a world-class central midfielder and a prolific and in-form striker in the summer.