Arsenal Football Formation

Starting Lineup

David Raya (Illan Meslier) · Riccardo Calafiori (Piero Hincapié) · Gabriel Magalhães (Christhian Mosquera) · Jurriën Timber (Wesley França) · Martín Zubimendi (Adam Wharton) · Declan Rice (Bruno Guimarães) · Martin Ødegaard (Enzo Fernandez) · Bukayo Saka (Noni Madueke) · Gabriel Martinelli (Eberechi Eze) · Kai Havertz (Viktor Gyökeres) · William Saliba (Maxence Lacroix)

Arsenal looks to control games through high pressing and control in the middle third using a 5-2-3 formation. This lineup is built to win the ball back high up the pitch and use the wide areas to stretch the opposition. The Gunners aim to dominate territory by squeezing the space in the opponent half and using short passing to move the ball through the lines.

David Raya starts between the posts to play out from the back. A back five consists of Martín Zubimendi, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhães. Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães act as the central pillars, with Saliba known for his composure and ability to defend in one on one situations. Zubimendi sits in the middle to provide extra cover. Riccardo Calafiori plays as the left wing back to provide width, while Jurriën Timber operates as the right wing back. The defensive unit can shift into a back three when the team is out of possession to keep a compact shape.

The midfield operates as a double pivot consisting of Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard. Declan Rice is tasked to shield the defence and win the second ball, using his physical presence to break up play. Martin Ødegaard acts as the creative engine, looking to receive on the half-turn and play through the lines to find the attackers. This pair connects the defensive line to the front three, with Rice often dropping deeper to help the centre-backs while Ødegaard finds pockets of space between the lines.

Up front, Arsenal uses three attackers to pin the last defender. Kai Havertz leads the line as a pressing centre-forward, using his height to win headers and hold up the ball for others. Bukayo Saka plays as an inverted winger on the right, looking to cut inside and create chances, while Gabriel Martinelli operates on the left to run in behind the defence. This front line works together to press the opposition back line, creating runs in behind and pulling defenders out of position to allow for late runs from the midfield.

One major advantage of this formation is the ability to press high in coordinated waves, making it difficult for opponents to build play. The wing backs, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurriën Timber, provide wide overloads to create numbers in the final third. Arsenal also benefits from numerical superiority in the defensive zone, which makes them very hard to break down during transitions.

This 5-2-3 lineup is designed for a team that wants to dominate possession while remaining defensively solid. It is best suited for matches against opponents that try to play out from the back and can be punished by a high press.