Arsenal FC - The Potential Supersub Roles Of Arsenal's Attackers

We take a look at the possible roles of the attackers and the selection headache that Arsene Wenger will face following the arrival of Danny Welbeck at Arsenal.

With the signing of Danny Welbeck, the signing of Alexis Sanchez, and the arrival of Joel Campbell, Arsenal have added significant numbers up front. With players like Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, and Serge Gnabry already at the club, it appears that Arsene Wenger has some decision to make as to who he wants to start. It also gives Arsenal the ability to make more of an impact on matches with their substitutions.

In the heat and humidity of Brazil, World Cup 2014 saw quite a few clubs use substitutions to great effect. One example that stands above the rest is Belgium. No team scored as many goals late in matches. In fact, it seemed that the Belgians set out to keep the match tight before changing the game with their substitutions. Dries Mertens direct style helped Belgium claim all three points against a fatiguing Algeria. However, the use of either Romelu Lukaku or Divock Origi as a supersub paid off the most. Against exhausted defenses, the superior athleticism of either center forward often proved too potent.

While England does not have the climate to sap the energy of the players on the pitch like the climate of Brazil, Arsenal do have options that allow them to change matches. In fact, they have already done so this season.

Against Everton, down 2-0, Arsene Wenger brought on Olivier Giroud. While the Frenchmanai??i??s familiarity with the rest of the team helped the team perform better, he also did well to take advantage of a tiring Everton defense. While a fresh Sylvain Distin may have been more willing to pressure Giroud, forcing Arsenalai??i??s center forward into bad touches, misplaced passes, and ineffective play, a tired Distin did not look to close Giroud down with the same vigor. This allowed Giroud to easily hold up the ball and link up with teammates. Evertonai??i??s fatigue also saw them drop their defensive lines deeper, as the match progressed. This allowed a fresh Olivier Giroud to park himself closer to goal, physically dominating his opponent, and helped lead to his headed equalizer.

Danny Welbeck offers Arsenal an interesting and potentially effective player, both as a starter and as a substitute.

With Danny Welbeck in the side, Olivier Giroud could become a Plan B striker, when he comes back from injury. Against tired defenses looking to defend deep, a fresh-off-the-bench Giroud could bully his way into some game-changing goals and assists. So while Olivier Giroud may not represent the ideal center forward for Arsenal to play each game, shrewd usage of the Frenchman could lead to elite level production on a per 90 minutes basis.

Danny Welbeck also offers a useful option off the bench, in matches that Olivier Giroud starts. While Olivier Giroud may prove to be the better option when Arsenal are chasing a match, Danny Welbeck seems the superior option when Arsenal wish to protect a result. With his pace, Welbeck offers a threat on the counter-attack that Giroud cannot. In addition to his threat on the counter, Welbeck has shown an adeptness in disrupting the oppositionai??i??s attacking, especially when he looks to mark the oppositionai??i??s deep-lying midfielder, as he did for United in their Champions League tie against Real Madrid in 2013. Also, Welbeck can operate in a hold-up/link-up role like Giroud, although with less physicality. So unlike previous seasons, where removing Giroud left Arsenal devoid of a player who Arsenal players could play the ball into, buy some time, and find a teammate, Welbeck can allow Arsenal to have greater continuity in the match.

Outside of the center forward position, Joel Campbell, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Serge Gnabry provide supersub options that can affect games from wide positions. With fullbacks playing such a key role in how teamai??i??s attack, the ability to pin an opponentai??i??s fullback or exploit the space in behind can prove crucial. The ability to accomplish either goal increases as the fullback tires. A tired fullback has less of an ability to make the recovery run he needs to make in order to defend his position. This makes it easier to exploit the space behind the fullback. However, a fullback may recognize his inability to make that recover run. This may lead to him sitting deep, pinning him to the back four, and depriving his team of a crucial attacker.

Bringing on one of these three pacy dribblers could help when Arsenal look to chase a goal or secure a result. When chasing a goal, Arsenal could bring on one of these three to abuse a tired fullback. This may involve turning the game into more of a track meet, or it may involve Arsenal looking to isolate their impact substitute on the tired fullback. A tired fullback is an easier player to beat off the dribble and getting behind the back line can lead to shots on goal and potent cutbacks. In matches where Arsenal look to protect a result, a substitution like this goes more towards the goal of exploiting the space behind a fullback pushing up the pitch or changing the cost-benefit analysis for the fullback, leading him to stay put. The first case increases Arsenalai??i??s ability to score a goal that ices the match and the second case leads to Arsenal having an easier time defending a team desperate for a goal.

Finally, the option of Lukas Podolski can have some value for Arsenal, although in limited situations. While his lack of work rate, intelligent movement, hold-up ability, and technical ability (beyond shooting with his left foot) make him the wrong option at center forward, he can prove useful on the left, against side whose defense hangs by a thread or who recklessly bomb forward in an inept attempt to score. Against these disorganized or space-generous defenses, Podolski can utilize his best skill (striking the ball with his left foot) with great aplomb. So while Arsenal should have probably looked to move the German in this transfer window, they can still extract some value from him on the pitch.

Conclusion

Arsenal do not have a squad filled with stars like Manchester City or Chelsea. However, they can find a way to compete more fiercely with Englandai??i??s best by using their substitutions better. This way they can accumulate more points with less, and those 3-5 points can mean the difference between another Top 4 finish and a Premier League title.

Tags: Arsenal FC giroud Oxlade-Chamberlain Welbeck

Arsenal FC – The Potential Supersub Roles Of Arsenal’s Attackers

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