Arsenal Football Formation

Starting Lineup

(CF) Šeško (Havertz) · (RW) Saka (Madueke) · (LW) Leão (Martinelli) · (CM) Rice (Merino) · (AM) Ødegaard (Eze) · (RB) Timber (White) · (CB) Saliba (Mosquera) · (CB) Gabriel (Calafiori) · (LB) Lewis-Skelly (Hato) · (GK) Raya (Kepa) · (DM) Zubimendi (Nørgaard)

Arsenal aims to control matches through high pressing and rapid transitions using a 5-2-3 formation. This lineup seeks to dominate the pitch by squeezing the space in the opponent's half and using wide players to stretch the defence. The football played by the Gunners relies on winning the ball high up the pitch to create immediate chances.

David Raya operates between the posts to start play from the back. The defensive unit uses a back five featuring Zubimendi as the central man to anchor the line. Saliba and Gabriel act as the two central defenders, with Saliba providing recovery pace and Gabriel using his aerial strength to defend set pieces. Timber acts as an attacking wing back on the right to provide width, while Lewis-Skelly plays as the left wing back to cover the flank and support the attack.

The midfield functions as a double pivot in the center of the pitch. Declan Rice works to shield the defence and break the line through his ball carrying, while Martin Ødegaard operates as a carrier who looks to play through the lines. Rice focuses on winning the second ball and tracking back to protect the back five. Ødegaard uses his passing range to connect the defensive unit to the front three, ensuring the team can recycle possession when needed.

Arsenal utilizes three attackers across the front to pin the last defender. Bukayo Saka plays as an inverted winger on the right to cut inside and create, while Rafael Leão stays wide on the left to drive at defenders. Benjamin Šeško acts as a pressing centre-forward who looks to run in behind the defensive line. The front three work in combinations to create cutbacks from the byline or isolate wide players in one on one situations during the transition.

This formation offers significant tactical advantages such as wide overloads from the wing backs pushing high to support Saka and Leão. The team can also achieve compactness when defending by dropping into a low block if needed. The presence of Rice and Ødegaard provides numerical superiority in midfield during specific phases of play, allowing Arsenal to control the tempo of the game.

The 5-2-3 formation is built to overwhelm opponents through high pressing and wide attacking threats. It is best suited for matches against teams that struggle to play out from the back or leave space behind their full backs.