Arsenal will have to be very wary this weekend against a very similar team in Swansea City.
The Gunners and the Swans have very similar statistics in several areas, which means it’s going to be down to the finer tactics as to which side comes out of this match on top and with three points in the bank.
Both teams like to dominate possession, both teams like to pass the ball around and both teams like to play attractive football so what do Arsenal have to be wary of in this game?
An interesting stat shows Swansea in the top six teams in terms of getting caught offside so far this season.
They average 2.6 offsides per game and that suggests their attack plays right on the shoulder of the opposition defence.
Arsenal need to be wary of that because they do play a high defensive line, which means space in behind for the likes of Michu and Wilfried Bony to exploit. They’re not going to get it wrong every single time.
Swansea have scored all of their goals from open play this season, not showing any pattern in terms of set pieces and counter attacking football.
That means two things for the Gunners with the first being that they shouldn’t be afraid for their midfield and attack to press the ball high up the pitch.
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If the defence retains a decent position, not too high then the midfield can try and win the ball back quickly without worrying about being caught on the counter attack, leaving the back four exposed.
Secondly, it means the Gunners can be more aggressive in certain areas of the pitch.
If there is less of a threat from Swansea in terms of set pieces, Arsenal can break up the play, be aggressive and commit the odd professional foul, which will have the effect of disrupting Swansea’s flow and rhythm.
Arsenal can also afford to be very narrow because while the distribution of attacking play from Swansea is even across their team, the vast majority of their shots come from central positions with 48% of efforts from outside the penalty area.
Arsenal should have plenty of faith that their back four can stay in control and staying narrow gives the defence the best chance of nullifying the main threat that Swansea can put forward in this game.
Arsenal will be desperate for the three points as they look to stay at the top of the Premier League target and they can be much smarter than simply using fire against fire.
image: © cpjobling
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