Alexandre Lacazette
Tactical Switch? Deploying A Two-striker Formation Would Be A Shrewd Move By Arsene Wenger
Arsenal were always known for their fiery and penetrative attack but it has been a while since we have seen a forceful attacking performance from the club. That brings up the question of whether or not Arsene Wenger should experiment with a two-striker setup in the front.
The concept is certainly not alien for the Gunners since we have seen them employ a similar strategy numerous times in the past.
A long time back, Wenger rotated between the likes of Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo to form a solid centre-forward partnership up front. That did work wonders for them until a point.
In recent times, we saw a faint hint of a two-striker formation in the club’s recent win against Southampton. They lined up in a 4-2-3-1 and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang initially played as the sole striker. However, he started swapping roles with Danny Welbeck, who was deployed on the left-hand side.
They exchanged positions quite often, which provided a sharp attacking thrust, especially in the final third. It does seem unconventional when compared to teams playing out-and-out with two strikers but this is reminiscent of a time when Wenger deployed Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott in a similar fashion. Walcott played as the central striker with the Chilean attacker operating as his partner from the left-hand side.
More often than not, Arsenal look filled to the brim with playmakers, which diminishes their chances of scoring goals. Thus, with lethal strikers like Danny Welbeck, Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in the mix, adopting a two-striker formation could prove to be a shrewd move for Arsenal.
Their Premier League season has been drab so far but the club still has a good chance of winning the Europa League. Furthermore, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan injured, it is important for Wenger to make some changes to provide some much-needed bite and energy in the attack.
After a lacklustre season, winning the Europa League would certainly provide hope and a golden ticket to the Champions League next season.
If Arsenal are to ensure they do not end up trophy-less by the end of this season, they must rely more on their attack than their defence. Against Southampton, the Gunners fired at all the right times and maybe utilising either a conventional or an unconventional two-striker formation could save their season.
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