Arsenal bounced back from their 1–0 defeat at Anfield with an emphatic 3–0 win over Nottingham Forest, now coached by Ange Postecoglou. It was a display of control and variety that underlines the Gunners’ intent to mount a serious title challenge this season. Here’s a closer look at how Mikel Arteta’s side set up.
Arsenal in Possession – Patience and Positional Versatility
From the first minutes Arsenal’s build-up emphasised control. Goal-kicks routinely began with Gabriel recycling possession to Raya before playing back out to bypass Forest’s press. Under Nuno Espírito Santo Forest sat in a mid-block; under Postecoglou they tried to press high from goal-kicks but rarely disrupted Arsenal’s rhythm and often looked uncomfortable.
In the second phase Mosquera, nominally the central centre-back, dropped slightly deeper to receive while Timber tucked inside from right-back, creating a situational back three and a 3-3 base that evolved into a 3-2-5 in the final third. Zubimendi formed the midfield triangle with Merino and Ethan Nwaneri, who replaced Ødegaard after the captain went off injured. Calafiori would also invert into midfield, allowing Merino or Nwaneri to advance and take up freer roles, creating numerical overloads in central areas.
On the left the rotation was striking. Calafiori and Eze regularly swapped roles, at times with Eze acting as a left No. 10 when Calafiori overlapped. If the Italian stepped into midfield Eze would hold the width; Merino alternated between holding midfield and the left No. 10 slot while the others adapted around him. This movement consistently outnumbered Forest in the middle, invited carries through central channels and overwhelmed their midfield.
High up Arsenal often shaped into a clear 3-2-5, outnumbering Forest’s back four. Madueke hugged the touchline on the right to stretch the block, while Gyökeres pinned the centre-backs with his runs in behind. Once Arsenal fixed play on one flank they overloaded it with the full-back, the attacking midfielder and a supporting midfielder, isolating Forest’s wide defenders before crossing or cutting back.
Arsenal Out of Possession – Mid-Block with Aggressive Counterpress
Without the ball Arsenal were compact rather than relentlessly high. They defended mainly in a 4-1-4-1 that sometimes resembled a 4-5-1. This structure limited transitions but still allowed a quick and effective counterpress immediately after losses, often with the full-backs in inverted positions ready to jump.
The wingers’ defensive work was essential. Madueke and Eze tracked back to support their full-backs, while Zubimendi and Merino squeezed central lanes. Forest found few options forward after regaining possession and were forced wide into low-percentage balls.
Key Players
- Martin Zubimendi impressed as the orchestrator of Arsenal’s possession game, dictating tempo and scoring twice to set his team on their way to victory.
- Christian Mosquera again impressed as the central receiver in build-up, calm under pressure and progressive with his passing.
- Riccardo Calafiori’s ability to switch seamlessly between overlapping full-back and inverting into midfield often created Arsenal’s left-side overloads and underpinned much of their attacking threat down that flank.
- Noni Madueke provided the true width, repeatedly taking on his full-back 1v1; his crossing remains an area for refinement, often hitting the first man or overhitting when cutting inside.
- Eze offered an extra creative link in half-spaces, sometimes drifting centrally to form a box midfield, sometimes stretching wide.
Takeaways
This was a display of positional flexibility and patient construction from Arsenal. Their midfield overloads in the 3-3 build-up and, in the final third, the box-midfield rotations within their 3-2-5 attacking shape consistently pulled Forest apart. A disciplined counterpress and compact mid-block prevented Forest from creating meaningful threats of their own. The next step will be to sharpen the final ball, particularly from wide areas, to turn such control into a higher volume of clear chances.
