Could a return to three at the back be the answer to Arsenal's defensive woes?

After a shocking start to the season, could a return to three at the back be the answer to Arsenal's defensive woes?

By Oli Dickson Jefford

Expectations for Arsenal in pre-season were not exactly high, yet the start of the campaign has somehow been worse than anyone could have predicted.

The Gunners have just a 6-0 League Cup win over a second-string West Brom side to shout about, with opening league defeats of varying painfulness to Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City.

It is not the defeats themselves that are so much the problem, more of the manner of them. No goals scored, nine conceded makes for grim reading.

The lack of goals has attracted the most attention to date - debates about who should start up front have dominated the opening weeks of the season, and sub-par performances from the majority of attacking midfielders and forwards have earned criticism.

However, you could argue the greater issues are those at the back.

A case for the defence

Arsenal have been carved up easily by all three sides they’ve faced in the league so far, perhaps most concerningly against Brentford - a side making their Premier League debut - where the centre-backs were bullied by Bees striker Ivan Toney.

And now, questions are arising as to whether Mikel Arteta needs to shake up his defence.

Some are suggesting that a return to a back three may help the Gunners, but is this the right solution?

Arteta previously employed a 3-4-3 at the end of the 2019/20 campaign once the season restarted in June and at the beginning of the 2020/21 campaign, and it was successful at times.

However, it was by no means a foolproof tactic, with plenty of occasions where the Gunners were left exposed, and it is certainly won't be a magic bullet given the issues throughout the team.

Holding out for a Hiro

One reason why Arteta is believed to be interested in returning to that system is the £17m deadline day signing of Takehiro Tomiyasu - not quite a centre-back but not quite a right-back either - from Bologna.

Arteta is thought to be considering placing Tomiyasu straight into the starting line-up when league football returns, suggesting the Japanese has already impressed in his opening week or so at training.

And, with the return of Ben White after missing the matches against Chelsea and Man City due to Covid, Arteta may be keen to reset and help the former Brighton star settle with more matches in a different system.

White was not convincing in his sole appearance against Brentford and certainly needs more minutes, and it will be interesting to see how he and Tomiyasu would fare if paired together as part of a back three in their opening months of the club.

Tomiyasu's ability to tuck in would allow the Englishman to stride forward with the ball out of defence - one of his major strengths that is somewhat limited when playing at RCB in a back four.
Bigger problems than just formation

Though it is understandable to see why the idea of a three is tempting, whether it resolves any outstanding issues remains to be seen.

There is a strong argument that the players are simply not performing well enough, and that no system would resolve those issues, or that Arteta is simply not a good enough coach to make things work.

However, with his job already on the line, it is understandable why Arteta could roll the dice in such a way.

And with Norwich and Burnley - both matches Arsenal desperately need to win - up next in the league, this could well be the perfect time to try something new and help the likes of White and Tomiyasu grow in confidence. 

Testing the system out in matches such as those could be crucial with the North London derby looming after that, and there is certainly no doubt that something has to change at the club - perhaps a defensive shake-up could be just the thing?

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