When Arsenal required a 96th-minute equaliser from Alexandre Lacazette to earn a draw against Southampton, it appeared that in deciding to switch to a back five, Unai Emery had gotten his tactics all wrong, confusing his players in the process.
He may not have masterminded a convincing performance using a 5-2-1-2, but Nuno Espirito Santo, a man who has been linked with taking the helm at Arsenal, has utilised a similar system to devastating effect.
During his time in charge of Wolves, Santo has preferred to line up with five defenders. A defensive system Matt Doherty has excelled as part of, with the licence to roam forward on the right, providing nine goals and assists combined while featuring in every single Premier League game last season.
Meanwhile, Conor Coady, a defender who had played three Championship seasons before Santo’s introduction, is now captaining the side in the Europa League. Coady’s transition highlights how much Santo has developed him as a player in such a short period.
Santo could have a similar effect on Arsenal’s defence, utilising the formation put in place by Emery. David Luiz is accustomed to sitting in the middle of a central defensive trio having reignited his Chelsea career there under Antonio Conte.
Having two players next the Brazilian accommodates for his occasional lapses in concentration. The extra man also gives him the time and space to play long raking balls in behind opposition defenders, averaging six a game last term, for strikers such as Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Alexander Lacazette to latch onto.
It is easy to see how Hector Bellerin would also be given plenty of cover so he could make darting overlapping runs to provide width. With the industrial pair of Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi making sure there aren’t too many gaps in a similar manner to the Portuguese pairing of Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves.
Should Santo get the job, he might be wise to try and tempt Neves to join him at the Emirates Stadium. Having played under the manager at Porto as well, he’s familiar with the system and was captain of the Portuguese giants proving his leadership qualities.
Despite making fewer appearances than he would have liked this season, Mesut Ozil could also feature within this system, between the central midfielders and the strikers. His playmaking abilities would be integral in insuring Arsenal were not just a one-dimensional counter-attacking side.
Emery failed to maximise the capabilities of the 5-2-1-2 formation against Southampton leading to his side requiring a last-minute goal to level proceedings. If Santo was to be appointed at the helm of Arsenal, with his experience using the formation, he could coach some positional discipline into their squad to ensure he maximised the potential of the formation.
