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Leandro Trossard: Why Belgium playmaker is key to how Mikel Arteta can improve Arsenal attack
Arsenal's open-play dip could be the fine margin that costs them another title tilt. Ninad Barbadikar believes the answer is already right under Mikel Arteta's nose.
- Published prior to Arsenal's 3-1 win over Burnley
Flying high in Europe, cruising at a pretty decent altitude domestically too, surely all is well at the Emirates?
Well, you might think so at first glance but there might be more work to do in the Gunners' cockpit than at first appears.
Arsenal suffered their first league defeat of the season at the hands of Eddie Howe’s Newcastle last weekend, as a solitary goal from Anthony Gordon was enough to dent the quiet hopes of another Invincibles year for the Gunners' faithful.
It was also the third time in 11 Premier League clashes that Mikel Arteta’s side lost the xG battle to their opponents. Though the margins haven’t been significant, they’ve counted all the same.
The Newcastle result was the only one of those that resulted in a loss - however, the elite sides don’t deal purely with results, it’s also about processes and how you get the results you want.
For Arteta, after leading the title race for much of last season, this year has to be about going one step further.
Going one step further also means nipping issues in the bud, such as, most recently, Arsenal’s chance-creation troubles.
Why is this a worry for a team three points off the top? Fine margins, that’s why. Let’s take a closer look.
What’s the worry?
Arsenal’s start to the season has been perfectly fine. Big wins against the likes of Bournemouth and Sheffield United have been a huge boost to the +14 goal difference accumulated across 11 games.
Not only that, the Gunners have scored two or more goals in seven of their league meetings, so all’s merry, yes? No.
Arteta’s side rank 11th for open-play xG as per Opta (11.36), just above the likes of Wolves and West Ham United, sides with ambitions that are in stark contrast to the Gunners.
They are also 11th when you look at npxG (Non-penalty expected goals) per90 (1.34), a significant drop-off from the strong rate of 1.82 per90 that they finished with last season.
Though they rank fourth for goals scored overall with 22 in the league, the Gunners have actually been somewhat underwhelming in converting from open-play, scoring just 10. That figure puts them 11th again.
The curse of 11 is holding Arteta’s team back, but there is a solution that can be revisited to possibly resolve matters.
The curious case of Arsenal’s attack
First-choice forward Gabriel Jesus has only started four games this season, returning one goal during that time. Injuries have hampered his early momentum but back-up striker Eddie Nketiah has shown that he’s got the tools to step up to the plate.
A tally of five goals overall from 11 games means Nketiah has already equalled/bettered each of his returns from the past two seasons. The Englishman has played alongside Jesus and been used in different combinations, forced upon Arteta by injuries to key personnel.
What’s become apparent this season is that whilst Nketiah is improving on his all-round play outside the box, he isn’t likely to bring that element of chaos to the frontline that Jesus does. Furthermore, Arsenal are just approaching chance creation differently this season.
Let’s look at Martin Odegaard - the Gunners captain has three goals and one assist this season, and whilst the shooting numbers are healthy, Odegaard’s underlying numbers are a concern.
An xA (Expected Assists) per90 of 0.08 so far this season is a dramatic fall-off from his excellent return of 0.20 or above consistently over the past few seasons. The Norwegian playmaker is at the end of sequences, instead of being the one to play the killer pass and perhaps therein lies the issue.
Another factor is that when someone like Oleksandr Zinchenko is unavailable, Arteta loses a key component aiding central progression from the back to the final third. Declan Rice, as good as he is, isn’t someone who can do it all on his own.
Look at progressive passes received for example – the two leaders in the Arsenal squad for the metric? Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. Martinelli and Saka are seeing the ball a lot more than they used to in wide areas and it’s stifling the Gunners’ ability to build through the middle.
A possible solution? Leandro Trossard.
Trust in Trossard
Since joining Arsenal back in January, the Belgian has been in and out of the starting XI. The former Brighton player’s versatility in forward areas was a huge reason behind signing him and it’s that exact versatility that may be the answer again for Arteta in this spell of games without Jesus.
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time that the Spaniard has relied on him to improve dynamics in attack. Last season, Trossard settled into the starting line-up straight away and had a positive effect on Martinelli, whose form picked up alongside the Belgian.
Arsenal’s goals against Sevilla are a perfect example of what the Belgian brings to the table. Firstly, an effective presence between the lines, Trossard’s off-ball movement means that he can be annoying to contain and when he breaks free into the box, he can be devastating as he was for the opener.
The second goal from Saka was set up by Martinelli, with the Brazilian having the freedom to roam inside into central areas before finding his fellow team-mate in space ahead. Trossard was the one occupying the width this time instead of Martinelli.
Though he lacks the direct top-end pace of Nketiah, Trossard more than makes up for it with his creative ability on the ball and versatility in movement.
Especially now when Arteta is faced with a difficult spell having Odegaard and Jesus sidelined, Trossard’s inclusion is a necessity.
Nketiah still remains an important asset in attack for Arsenal and will continue to see significant game time.
However, as he continues to keep on an upward trajectory in his growth, an increase in Trossard’s involvement will only serve to improve the Gunners.
Arteta must trust in Trossard once again.
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