in

Emery unlikely to play Auba and Lacazette up front together

New Arsenal boss had laid out his thoughts on how he likes his teams to approach games tactically in a fascinating interview with a French Football outlet.

Sadly for Arsenal fans it seems their hopes of seeing star strikers Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang play up front together are slim, with their new manager revealing that he prefers playing with a lone frontman.

As we previously highlighted Lacazette and Aubameyang have a sensational goal scoring record when they are on the pitch together, but judging by Emery’s comments it seems one of them will have to settle for a place out wide when the new season begins.

“What I like is provoking the opponent,” Emery told Get French Football News.

“It’s a more aggressive idea, which exposes you more. Bielsa’s style, Guardiola’s style. When you lose the ball, you win it back as quickly as possible. Anywhere the ball may be, the team has to position themselves to press and win it back. If play stops, everyone goes back to their position. If the ball is in play, we press, all while remaining organised tactically.

“Those are my two outlooks from a defensive point of view. If the ball is in play, you press. If play stops, you reposition yourself.”

“For me, the 4-1-4-1 is the system which facilitates that type of pressing. The 4-4-2 is designed more and more for zonal positioning.

“It’s less aggressive, but is more difficult to get past. That’s the case with Marcelino’s teams, Quique Sanchez Flores’ teams, Saint-Étienne when we last played them…

“I am not ruling out the possibility of a 4-4-2. That’s not the idea that I privilege, but if it allows me to be more competitive, then I’ll go towards it without hesitating. We sometimes used it in Sevilla.

“I would put Banega in a playmaker position, and have him move to the second striker position without the ball.

“In my case, the idea was not to win the ball back and counter as quickly as possible, but rather to equip ourselves once we had the ball. What Guardiola’s Barcelona did magnificently.

“We win the ball off of them, but those bastards always won it back. And Pep is doing it with City now. High pressure and win the ball back to start again once in position.”

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments