IT was a year ago this week that Unai Emery first came up with the idea of playing five at the back to give his Arsenal team a bit more defensive security.
But when they were ripped apart by Chelsea in May’s Europa League final in Baku, most supporters assumed that was the last we’d see of that failed experiment.
Unai Emery’s men have won just four times in 13 attempts in the Premier League this seasonCredit: AFP or licensors
Yet here we are, back at Groundhog Day as the gormless Gunners continue to struggle to get to grips with the manager’s tactical masterplan.
Emery had assured us at the start of the season that he would be reverting to the traditional back four which had served the club so well for the best part of 30 years prior to his arrival.
But that was before his team started letting in goals like there was no tomorrow and the under-pressure boss decided that drastic action was called for.
You might be able to understand his caution against high-flying Leicester or even away to Vitoria Guimaraes.
But at home to struggling Southampton? Surely not.
Ralph Hassenhutl’s team had managed just one point from their previous seven games and hadn’t won away to Arsenal in 32 years.
Yet Emery still opted to play Calum Chambers, David Luiz AND Sokratis in the middle, which meant there was no room for £72million record signing Nicolas Pepe against the team with the worst defensive record in the Premier League.
And even that wasn’t enough to secure a first clean sheet in eight games as the Emirates hate mob turned on Emery yet again.
There were just eight minutes on the clock when Chambers was caught dozing by Ryan Bertrand’s quick free-kick as Danny Ings was left unchallenged to fire the visitors ahead.
Stuart Armstrong had already fired a first minute warning shot narrowly wide and when Ings came within a whisker of doubling Southampton’s lead furious Gooners let Emery have it with both barrels.
But the one advantage of playing with three at the back is that it frees up the wing-backs to get further forward and provide attacking width.
It was Kieran Tierney’s cross which eventually led to Alex Lacazette’s equaliser and the Scottish international looks far more comfortable going forward than he does when he has to defend.
Yet is still no surprise when Emery abandoned his creaking formation at half-time and sent on Pepe to chase the victory in place of the labouring Chambers.
The switch almost paid instant dividends when the young Frenchman sent an acrobatic volley against the bar from another Tierney cross.
But nothing could remedy the continuing chaos at the back as Sokratris lost possession in his own area before Tierney hauled down Ings after failing to track the striker’s run from deep.
The Gunners managed to scrape a 2-2 draw after Lacazette doubled his tally in the dying stages of stoppage time.
Three, four or five at the back, nothing is working for Arsenal. Time is running out for Emery and he will be lucky to survive to Christmas.
Nicolas Pepe did not make the starting XI against SouthamptonCredit: AFP or licensors
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
