Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lukas Podolski ran riot against Reading, and their ability to swap positions was a key part of the threat they posed.
For all the focus on Theo Walcott, it was probably Lukas Podolski who made the clearest case for being played as an out and out striker in Arsenal’s first team, with the German looking more clinical in taking his chance than Walcott looked throughout the match.
However part of the strength of both Walcott and Podolski’s game is that they can move out to flank and provide goals as well as scoring them, and Arsenal’s formation was ideally suited to this against Reading.
Granted that Reading look simply appalling at the back, Arsenal still did well to put them to the sword in such an accomplished manner. Whilst both Walcott and Podolski have made noises about being played as a central striker this season, they should be focussed on the extra threat they carry by being able to swap out to the flanks.
With Oxlade-Chamberlain and Cazorla also able to move out wide or burst through the centre, Arsenal have four players who can swap positions at will, a terrifying prospect for any defence.
With Gibbs and Sagna also charging down the flanks, there is tremendous pace in the Arsenal attacking unit. When given the space they were granted by Reading last night, they look completely irresistible.
A greater challenge will be when they set up like this against better organised sides that park the bus against them. Then the flexibility of Arsenal’s forwards will have to come to the fore. With Walcott, Podolski and Oxlade-Chamberlain as their front three, they lose the aerial threat Giroud provides, but gain the option of rotating players in and out of their positions to drag the defence out of shape.
In this formation both Podolski and Walcott have to put their gripes about playing as a centre forward to the back of their minds. Each will have plenty of opportunities to move into the centre throughout matches, and their ability to play on the wing is what makes them such threatening players.
If they can grasp that this is a strength of their game, rather than grumbling about their position, they will likely find they get plenty of opportunities to impress as part of a free-flowing interchangeable attack.
images: © Ronnie Macdonald, © Ronnie Macdonald
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