How the Hornets gifted three points on a silver platter to Arsenal

After a convincing win against Napoli in the first leg of the Europa League, Premier League action beckoned for Arsenal in the form of an away match at Vicarage Road. Their opponents, Watford, had just come off the back of a stunning comeback against Wolves in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and would have liked to carry forward their momentum to the Premier League, upsetting the Gunners in the process.

What followed was a nightmare for the Hornets as they conceded a goal within 10 minutes before being reduced to 10 men as Troy Deeney was sent off for a late challenge on Lucas Torreira. In this tactical analysis, well look at how the match panned out and the interesting tactics employed by both of the managers.

Lineups

The home team lined up in an unusual 4-3-1-2, which was a departure from manager Javi Gracia’s preferred 4-2-2-2. The 4-3-1-2 had worked well against Wolves last Sunday at Wembley and he made four changes to that line-up. Ben Foster started in goal in place of Heurelho Gomes, defenders Adrian Mariappa and José Holebas were replaced by Daryl Janmaat and Christian Kabasele, and midfielder Roberto Pereyra was benched in favour of Adam Masina.

Arsenal lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Konstantinos Mavropanos starting for the first time this season. Granit Xhaka returned to the starting XI while Mesut Özil, Sokratis, Sead Kolašinac, and Alexandre Lacazette were all rotated, most probably with Thursdays away fixture in Naples in mind.

Watford’s attacking tactics

To all intents and purposes, the teams were well-matched before disaster struck in the form of a Ben Foster error in the 10th minute. Up to that point, Watford resembled a very-lopsided 4-3-1-2 in possession, often even becoming a 3-4-2-1.

When Watford had the ball, Daryl Janmaat didn’t move high and wide like a conventional modern full-back. Instead, he dropped back and formed a back three with the other two centre-backs, Christian Kabasele and Craig Cathcart. The left-back, Adam Masina, positioned himself high so as to stay in support of his midfielders.

Abdoulay