Arteta Masterclass: Tactical Change Which Turned Fulham Game Around Explained

Arsenal put in a dominant performance against Fulham in the first half but the ball simply refused to go in and it was all square at the break.

Ten minutes into the second half, the Gunners conceded a goal after Gabriel's stupid mistake. The task of getting all three points against the low-block Cottagers side suddenly became more difficult.

Odegaard and Gabriel scored to win the game for Arsenal but their goals were precipitated by a tactical change Mikel Arteta made at the hour's mark.

He identified Arsenal's weakest link in the first 60 minutes and acted to change it. The gaffer understood that Kieran Tierney was a bit off the pace so he took him off, bringing on Eddie Nketiah.

The introduction of the young striker led to a formation change.

The shift to three-at-the-back increased pressure on Fulham. Basically, Arsenal committed another player forward.

A telling stat is that half of Arsenal's shots happened after Nketiah was introduced. It was not about Eddie's individual impact (although he did really well) but about a tactical change that allowed Arsenal to unlock Fulham's defence.

The addition of Nketiah saw Arsenal combine more freely in the opposition's final third as Fulham defenders could not contain the striker's runs. Tierney simply doesn't have the qualities needed to play against the low block: after all, he's a defender, not a forward.

Hats off to Arteta for his unusual substitution—replacing a full-back with a striker—and brilliant game management.