LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 22: Gabriel Magalhaes of Arsenal celebrates with teammates after scoring their team's fourth goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at Emirates Stadium on May 22, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
3 ways Arsenal could line up in defence this season
by Adam Schultz
Ben White will be used at right-back at times. (Photo by Trevor Ruszkowski/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
2. White/Saliba/Gabriel/Zinchenko
We saw this used to devastating effect against Chelsea in the Florida Cup. William Saliba partnered Gabriel at the heart of the defence with Ben White and Zinchenko occupying the flanks.
This combination is likely what we will see against Crystal Palace, and it is superb. White at right-back adds to Arsenal’s technical security in the build-up, and he’s shown that he’s comfortable operating in more advanced areas. Saliba and Gabriel have already developed a good understanding, and Zinchenko could very well displace Tierney as the starter.
Ben White x William Saliba. 💫
[@Nomadic_Lens] #afc pic.twitter.com/jJ3qpMf895
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) July 23, 2022
This combination offers Mikel Arteta everything he needs. All four are superb with the ball at their feet, are sound defensively, and, depending on how the game is panning out, a shift to a back three can even come to fruition with White, Saliba, and Gabriel, while Zinchenko could move into a midfield role.
Continued on next slide…
the days of Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, and Martin Keown</a> would never come again. The consensus around the back four for the last however many years was that they were far too soft and never struck fear into any opposition they played against. Seems a bit harsh on Sebastien Squillaci, to be honest.</p>
<p>Anyway, that officially stops now.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">William Saliba £27m<br />Gabriel Magalhães £25m<br />Takehiro Tomiyasu £18m<br />Ben White £50m<br />Kieran Tierney £25m</p>
<p>That's how you build Chelsea.</p>
<p>— AFC Report (@afcreport14) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://twitter.com/afcreport14/status/1547453266652536833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>July 14, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>With the return of William Saliba and the signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko to combine with Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, Gabriel, and Kieran Tierney, what was once an Arsenal weakness can now be called a serious strength.</p>
<h2>3 ways Arsenal could line up in defence this season</h2>
<p>There are so many options as to how the back four could line up, and here are three combinations that are set to be popular throughout 2022/23.</p>
<h2>1. Tomiyasu/White/Gabriel/Zinchenko</h2>
<p>The standard order from last season except for Zinchenko. We saw last season how good the back four was for Arsenal when all were fully fit.</p>
<p>Tomiyasu often locked down the right-hand side and linked up well further down the pitch. His two-way running was a feature as he rarely got beaten.</p>
<p>White and Gabriel formed a formidable partnership as they were the two mainstays in the Gunners’ rearguard.</p>
<p>Then there’s Zinchenko. The Ukrainian will likely start the Premier League opener, possibly longer, given that Tierney has only played 30 minutes of football this pre-season. He can function as both an inverted and advancing full-back, but Tomiyasu’s presence means he’ll be tasked with providing width higher up the pitch and creating triangles down the left.</p>
<p><em>Continued on next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Arsenal's defensive lineup #2 </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-128025 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1066,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1410177687.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1066" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1410177687.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1410177687-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Ben White will be used at right-back at times. (Photo by Trevor Ruszkowski/ISI Photos/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>2. White/Saliba/Gabriel/Zinchenko</h2>
<p>We saw this used to devastating effect<a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/24/arsenal-4-0-chelsea-player-ratings-as-gunners-dominate/"> against Chelsea in the Florida Cup</a>. William Saliba partnered Gabriel at the heart of the defence with Ben White and Zinchenko occupying the flanks.</p>
<p>This combination is likely what we will see against Crystal Palace, and it is superb. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/26/ben-white-brilliant-option-arsenal-right-back/">White at right-back</a> adds to Arsenal’s technical security in the build-up, and he’s shown that he’s comfortable operating in more advanced areas. Saliba and Gabriel have already developed a good understanding, and Zinchenko could very well displace Tierney as the starter.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ben White x William Saliba. 💫</p>
<p>[<a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://twitter.com/Nomadic_Lens?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@Nomadic_Lens] <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/afc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#afc</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://t.co/jJ3qpMf895">pic.twitter.com/jJ3qpMf895
<p>— afcstuff (@afcstuff) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://twitter.com/afcstuff/status/1550881666817728517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>July 23, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>This combination offers Mikel Arteta everything he needs. All four are superb with the ball at their feet, are sound defensively, and, depending on how the game is panning out, a <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/06/06/william-saliba-returning-arsenal-play-3-back/">shift to a back three</a> can even come to fruition with White, Saliba, and Gabriel, while Zinchenko could move into a midfield role.</p>
<p><em>Continued on next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Arsenal's defensive lineup #3 </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-127591 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1407582666.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1407582666.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1407582666-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Can Kieran Tierney stay injury-free?. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>3. Tomiyasu/White/Saliba/Tierney</h2>
<p>The last one on the list, and there is a fair chance we will see this throughout the season. With Arsenal’s packed schedule, rotation will be essential.</p>
<p>Tomiyasu and Tierney have shown last year that together, they can be great full-backs and provide a good balance between attack and defence. White and Saliba have demonstrated good understanding and communication during the pre-season with White flanking the Frenchman at right-back.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mikel Arteta on injuries: </p>
<p>🗣 “At the moment [Kieran] Tierney and [Takehiro] Tomiyasu are not fit, we have other options, but I think it was good to try different things, to build some relationships in big matches, and I’m happy with the way they played.” <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://t.co/ItZ4QsHoDL">pic.twitter.com/ItZ4QsHoDL
<p>— AFCnewsroom (@TheAFCnewsroom) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://twitter.com/TheAFCnewsroom/status/1551117807164719105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>July 24, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Like the other two, this back four combination emanates security as all four are serious players for Mikel Arteta. The ball-playing ability is again high, and all can defend extremely well.</p>
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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="zRS07FOdYi"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/27/3-ways-arsenal-line-up-defence-season/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/25/5-players-arsenal-still-need-sell-summer/">5 players Arsenal still need to sell this summer</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>When all are fully fit, this could easily be a starting defence in the Premier League, and you would not have a single worry.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
