Tactical Analysis: Arsenal vs. Watford

In their final match of the 2019/20 Premier League season, Arsenal took on Watford, who were in dire need of a victory in order to stay up. But Arsenal’s attack proved to be too strong for Watford’s helpless defence, and the Hornets themselves 3-0 down within half an hour.

The game eventually ended up 3-2 in Arsenal’s favour, with Watford dropping down to the Championship and Arsenal finishing 8th in the table. In this article, I will be taking a look at the tactics deployed by both the managers and how ultimately it impacted the game.

Line-Ups:

Mikel Arteta decided to line up Arsenal in a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 (with Joe Willock playing in a hybrid 8 role), diverting away from 3-4-3 which had been used in recent weeks. On the hand, Watford lined up in their standard 4-4-2/4-2-2-2 formation.