What a start to the FAWSL season it’s been for Arsenal Women. Five games played, five games won, 27 goals scored and top of the league.
That impressive start continued on Sunday when Joe Montemurro’s side breezed past Reading Women in a 6-0 victory. However, in this tactical analysis, I’ll take you through the trends of the game that ensured Arsenal kept their 100% record intact.
4-4-2 Off The Ball
Reading were the team to kick the game off that this made something clear immediately. When out of possession, Arsenal were going to press them in a 4-4-2 shape.
With the primary formation a 4-3-3, the 4-4-2 was formed by wingers Katie McCabe and Beth Mead dropping off and Jordan Nobbs joining Vivianne Miedema as the first line of defence.
This style was used throughout the match but had a clear impact in the first-half which was played mostly in the Reading half as a result. Here’s an example of how turning to a 4-4-2 worked well for Arsenal on Sunday.
Why this was such an important aspect of Sunday’s game was that it kept Arsenal on the front foot throughout. Reading were able to fashion the odd attack but for the most part, the game was played with Arsenal in control.
With such good field position over the course of the game, Arsenal could put Reading under real pressure both on and off the ball.
Lia Walti
As aforementioned, when in possession, Arsenal usually set up in a 4-3-3. The most important part of this formation is the midfield three. Usually consisting of two more advanced midfielders and one holding.
That holding midfielder is Lia Walti whose role can help Arsenal immensely. At the base of midfield, she can dictate the way the game goes, especially if the opposition are chasing. This is exactly what we saw on Sunday as she continued to impress since arriving this summer.
Here, we see how valuable Walti can be for Montemurro’s side. Taking the pressure off herself and putting it on the opposition almost instantly.
Since Montemurro came in as Arsenal Women’s manager almost a year ago, they have dominated games. It’s likely that’ll be the case for the foreseeable future too. With Walti in midfield, against frustrated teams, she could be a great player to pick them apart as they become more disorganised.
Fluidity
Another key aspect of Arsenal’s play this season has been their fluidity in attack. Players are able and more importantly, comfortable with rotating positions on the pitch when going forward. This allows them to be as unpredictable as possible and adapt to whatever the game needs in the moment.
Also key to Montemurro’s style of play is playing out from the back. We saw this in a goal which started from the defence and flowed all the way into the back of the net:
Total football at its finest, the free-flowing football being played by Arsenal Women at this time is simply great to watch. From back to front, every player seems to be playing with unrivalled confidence.
That confidence will only bode well for Montemurro, who signed a contract extension last week, and everyone involved with the club going forward.
That fluidity in attack also resulted in yet another Miedema hat-trick, taking her into double figures in all competitions this season.
Summary
Arsenal Women have won five games by a minimum of a five-goal margin this season. This tells us is that these results are anything but flukes. Joe Montemurro has brought a clear identity to the way Arsenal Women play and they’re reaping the rewards weekly.
From the discipline and intensity off the ball to the flexibility in attack, everything is looking up. There are various aspects to Arsenal’s play that makes it clear that the work being done at the training ground is of top quality.
Standing top of the league with a game in hand after five games is massively encouraging, but as everyone always says, let’s hope we see this at the business end of the season.
