Arsenal vs Norwich: Tomiyasu’s tactical freedom in 4-2-3-1

What a debut for the man from Japan! Only joining up with his new Arsenal teammates on Thursday following his international exploits, few expected to see Takehiro Tomiyasu thrust into the starting lineup against Norwich.

It’s a decision that might have been somewhat forced for Mikel Arteta with Thomas Partey only fit enough to make the bench on Saturday meaning Ainsley Maitland-Niles had to come into midfield (would he have started at right-back?), but everyone is glad it was made.

Coming in on the right side of defence as part of the desired back four moving ahead in the Premier League season, expectations were that Arsenal would build out from defence in the 3-2-5 shape they so often employ, with the new arrival making up one part of that back three.

Dubbed a centre-back who has filled in at right-back, the analysis of Tomiyasu isn’t off the mark: he is a centre-back who has filled in at right-back.

Takehiro Tomiyasu had a far more adventurous attacking role for Arsenal against Norwich as the right-back was given tactical freedom in the 4-2-3-1 system

Where he might have ‘filled in’ previously, it looks like being a position he can thrive in. This was not the defensive make-up of a defender expected. He got up and down that right flank (not a great deal), into that midfield and, notably, even into the box during his debut outing.

The plan was to attack Norwich. In other matches where the 22-year-old plays there won’t be as much free roaming, that’s for sure, and as an attacking outlet Tomiyasu gave a decent account of himself. Still a lot more reserved than Tierney, of course. That goes without saying.

Ignoring a usual left-sided bias, much of Arsenal’s attacking play was facilitated down the right side with Nicolas Pepe particularly lively in the first half.

Opting to stick with a two-man defence in possession with Ben White and Gabriel as the deepest options, Tomiyasu was allowed to feed passes infield that would move out to Pepe just as he sought to find him down the line on numerous occasions. There was a freedom to his play that still fell within the strict borders of Arteta’s vision.

He brought tactical variance to Arsenal’s play. Something sorely missed.

Kieran Tierney would often adopt the widest of the five lanes but the changes in point of attack, due to Tomiyasu’s versatility, meant that Arsenal could build up differently: tucking into midfield, dropping off in a back three and occasionally providing overlapping width to Pepe, his debut encompassed a plethora of desirable aspects.

Arsenal weren’t confined to predictable progression and while there was a noticeable drop off from the team midway through first half as passes went astray, Tomiyasu’s skillset means Arsenal can find routes to the final in a variety of ways. It was refreshing to see on Saturday.

As an actual debut, however, it was a brilliant afternoon for the new No. 18.

Continued…

<h2>Takehiro Tomiyasu had a far more adventurous attacking role for Arsenal against Norwich as the right-back was given tactical freedom in the 4-2-3-1 system</h2> <p>Where he might have ‘filled in’ previously, it looks like being a position he can thrive in. This was not the defensive make-up of a defender expected. He got up and down that right flank (not a great deal), into that midfield and, notably, even into the box during his debut outing.</p> <p>The plan was to attack Norwich. In other matches where the 22-year-old plays there won’t be as much free roaming, that’s for sure, and as an attacking outlet Tomiyasu gave a decent account of himself. Still a lot more reserved than Tierney, of course. That goes without saying.</p> <p>Ignoring a usual left-sided bias, much of Arsenal’s attacking play was facilitated down the right side with Nicolas Pepe particularly lively in the first half.</p> <p>Opting to stick with a two-man defence <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/09/12/arsenal-tomiyasu-tactical-freedom-arteta/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/09/03/arsenal-ben-white-tactical-role-tomiyasu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in possession with Ben White</a> and Gabriel as the deepest options, Tomiyasu was allowed to feed passes infield that would move out to Pepe just as he sought to find him down the line on numerous occasions. There was a freedom to his play that still fell within the strict borders of Arteta’s vision.</p> <p>He brought tactical variance to Arsenal’s play. Something sorely missed.</p> <p>Kieran Tierney would often adopt the widest of the five lanes but the changes in point of attack, due to Tomiyasu’s versatility, meant that Arsenal could build up differently: tucking into midfield, dropping off in a back three and occasionally providing overlapping width to Pepe, his debut encompassed a plethora of desirable aspects.</p> <p>Arsenal weren’t confined to predictable progression and while there was a noticeable drop off from the team midway through first half as passes went astray, Tomiyasu’s skillset means Arsenal can find routes to the final in a variety of ways. It was refreshing to see on Saturday.</p> <p>As an actual debut, however, it was a brilliant afternoon for the new No. 18.</p> <p><em>Continued…</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/2021/09/12/arsenal-tomiyasu-tactical-freedom-arteta/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Tomiyasu shines on his debut </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_119111" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-119111" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/09/12/arsenal-tomiyasu-tactical-freedom-arteta/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1339679975-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Tomi" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 11: Manager of Arsenal Mikel Arteta subs Takehiro Tomiyasu of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Norwich City at Emirates Stadium on September 11, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>Takehiro Tomiyasu Has Superb Debut for Arsenal Against Norwich</h2> <p>Post-match Arteta highlighted his deadline day signing’s ‘joy and happiness and good energy’. He’s spot on.</p> <p>Just in the way that Martin Odegaard’s outstanding work rate rubs off on his teammates, Tomiyasu’s energy has an infectious quality that helps get a crowd on board. To make such an impression on your debut with the minimal training he’s had with the group is a major positive.</p> <p>And that energy came in the form of strong running. Charging down his marker, the physical and battling nature of his display was the ideal measure of aggression without crossing the line.</p> <p>Clearly an intelligent footballer, to slot into a role that under Arteta is anything but simple – Bellerin was overburdened with the responsibilities the manager wants from his right-back – and even more impressive is to have done so with barely two days worth of preparation. He probably doesn’t even know everyone’s name yet.</p> <p>How he was in the duels is was stood out the most. Aerially he was a boss. How unbelievably refreshing it is to see a right-back winning header after header.</p> <p>Winning five of his five in the first half, Tomiyasu concluded the afternoon with seven out of eight successful aerial challenges. With a defender like White alongside him who isn’t renowned for this area of the game, it’s necessary scouting.</p> <p>With the quality of opposition caveat card needing to be dealt, what we can reservedly decipher from 62 minutes of action is that Tomiyasu has done as much as he possibly could in the circumstances get supporters excited.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Player ratings vs Norwich" data-url="https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/09/11/arsenal-player-ratings-norwich-auba/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/09/12/arsenal-tomiyasu-tactical-freedom-arteta/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/09/11/arsenal-player-ratings-norwich-auba/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Player ratings vs Norwich </a> </div> </div> <p>Great start from someone who fulfilled what Arteta wants from his right-back.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">