Tactical Analysis: How did Brighton make Arsenal look so weak?
No, Brighton did not dominate Arsenal in open play chances created. No, they did not dominate Mikel Arteta’s men in set pieces either. In fact, Arsenal (1.08) created more than Brighton (0.75) in open play, and only created slightly less in set pieces (0.56 to 0.55 xG). What then went so wrong for the Premier League champions?
Two days after the resounding 3-0 Brighton win over Arsenal, many are still left wondering how. How were the seagulls able to make Arteta’s Gunners look toothless? How was Brighton able to make everyone think the away side never stood a chance? Let’s take a look at the numbers.
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Pressing: How Brighton dictated proceedings from minute 1-90
Brighton’s plan to press Arsenal was one that seemed to catch the Spanish manager off-guard. It was so bad that Arteta never quite recovered. It was wave after wave of attack from Hurzeler’s men.
From kickoff, the seagulls plan was to show the Gunners to one side of the pitch (usually Arsenal’s right) then press them heavily there. It worked brilliantly. The numbers indicate this too, as the Seagulls won possession in away side’s final third nine times. This doesn’t count how many times they won it in the middle third. Let’s look at other statistics that show how effective Hurzeler’s plan was.
Errors leading to shot
Arsenal made four errors leading to shots, and that was because of how much discomfort the Gunners had throughout the game. The defenders were all under severe pressure, and several of them made errors. Costly errors.
The areas they made the errors were indicative as well. Arsenal made big errors in almost every area of the pitch. Bruno Guimaraes made one in midfield that led to a shot. David Raya made one, which means it was close to the goal. Ezri Konsa and Riccardo Calafiori also made errors leading to shots. Interestingly, none of these errors resulted in a goal, an indication that Brighton should have scored a lot more than they did.
These errors show just how much pressure Hurzeler’s men put the Gunners under. In fact, Arsenal conceded as many errors leading to shots as they had in their previous four games COMBINED. This gives you an idea of the kind of night they had.
Shooting
Arsenal’s shooting had been poor, and so when they came up against a team with much better shooting, this kind of result was almost a guarantee. Arteta’s men are averaging an unimpressive 2.4 big chances per game, 1.6 of which they’re missing. They’re taking 13 shots per game, which is only good for 13th best in the league.
These poor shooting numbers were hidden by a strong defensive display up until this point, meaning that the Gunners only needed a few goals to win games. Of course, most people don’t look further in a game where you won with a clean sheet.
Brighton, on the other hand, are second best for shots in the league. Not only that, the seagulls lead in expected goals (xG) and big chances (22). Interestingly, their shooting, not quality of chances, is what got them this resounding victory.
Brighton (3) created one more big chance than Arsenal, but missed two of them. The Gunners also missed the two they created. Hurzeler’s men, however, scored two from outside the box, bringing some unwanted attention (from an Arsenal perspective) on Raya.
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Conclusion
This is not normal for Arsenal, and while they won’t have these kinds of games often, other teams are now aware that there’s a way to overwhelm the Gunners. The success of this blueprint would depend on the team implementing it.
Brighton was this successful because their pressing coordination is impeccable. At the same time, the seagulls’ shooting was top notch, making them able to score even without getting close to goal. Whoever decides to take this approach against the Gunners must remember they are solid defensively, and if you don’t play your cards right, you’d be open in transitions and would concede many high quality chances.