Many Arsenal fans will look on at the group they were drawn in behind closed hands, however other fans will state that this is what the Champions League is all about. This is much more than “to be the best, you have to beat the best” but rather a celebration of what we strived to achieve last season.
Going in order from the teams drawn, this article will draw on each team’s style, strengths and weaknesses.
Club Name: Olympique de Marseille
League: Ligue 1 (France)
League Position Last Season: 2nd
Manager: Elie Baup
Captain: Steve Mandanda
Stadium: Stade Velodrome (60,031)
Marseille and Arsenal met two years previously, drawing 0-0 at the Emirates and winning a close encounter 1-0 at the Velodrome thanks to a very late Aaron Ramsey goal. A very competitive side, they a more than worthy of their place amongst the other talented teams within the group.
Transfers
Marseille saw minimal departures during the summer apart from Joey Barton, whose loan from QPR expired. However, Marseille have looked to strengthen their side to build on their fantastic position last season by purchasing Khalifa, Mendy, Imbula and most notably, Dimitri Payet.
Strongest XI
Playing Style
Since the departure of Dider Deschamps in 2012, Elie Baup as built Marseille into an effective, if not spectacular team. Last season, despite recording the 14th least amount of goals scored in the league, their defensive efforts were something to be marvelled at. They had the 4th best defence in Ligue 1 and that led them to recording the 2nd highest amount of wins, behind only the formidable PSG.
This season, Marseille have looked to be a lot more proactive in their approach. Despite only playing 3 games this season, two of them being away, Marseille have scored 6 goals and conceded just the 1. In their home game against Evian, Marseille took the initiative early on and scored in the first 20 minutes. This led to Evian having to open up in order to ensure Marseille do not become too dominant, however this played right into Marseille’s strengths from last season. Once Marseille scored their 2nd goal, Evian were forced to take opportunisitic attempts on goal in order to break down Marseille. Away from home, Marseille have looked to stifle the opposition attack by keeping possession in safer areas and create opportunities from the flanks. In their two aways games this season, they successfully crossed the ball 50 times, finding their target on 10 occassions.
In general, Marseille are a very competant outfit in possession, however many of their strengths lay off the ball. When in an attacking transition, many of their patterns of play utilise Gignac as the primary outlet with secondary outlets going beyond him and Valbuena coming short to receive the ball and distribute into space. Payet and Ayew offer plenty of width when needed but have different tendencies if left to their own intiative. Payet prefers looking to play beyond the last defender, continuously offering an offensive outlet, where as Ayew prefers dropping into deeper areas to pick up the ball and progress up the field with a combination of quick interchanges in passes and dribbles. Marseille tend to favour the left side of their attack when creating chances, this is due to Valbuena, the playmaker of the team, favouring drifting over to the left side in order come infield onto his stronger foot. His relationship with Gignac and Ayew is key to the Marseille attack, both in attacking transitions and when settled in possession (see Figure 1). The relationship between Romao and Imbula is developing, and by the time the group match between themselves and Arsenal comes about, they will undoubtedly have formed a cohesive relationship which will be difficult to penetrate.
(Figure 1: Marseille’s left sides attack)
Areas Marseille Can Hurt Arsenal
Marseille are comparable to Atletico Madrid, a difficult outfit to break down and lethal on the counter attack. They pride themselves on their clinical finishing, mainly because they are still not a team who conjure many clear goal scoring opportunities. In both home and away legs, they will look to Arsenal to be the proactive team and then counter using pace and width, there is little chance of Marseille looking to be more proactive then they need to be, but rather will know Arsenal’s susceptibilities to counter attacks and will look to prey on that.
Areas Arsenal Can Hurt Marseille
Marseille have looked quite suspect on set pieces, despite having a commanding goalkeeper and a relatively tall team, they often have failed to stick to their zone/man when defending corners and free kicks. They are yet to be fully punished on these situations; however with the right delivery, Marseille are more than likely to concede. Squawka states that Marseille have only been successful in 45 of 112 aerial duels.
Key Players
Souleymane Diawara – Many would point to Nicolas N’Koulou as being the key defender in the Marseille team, but like Arsenal, they struggle with their organiser, Arsenal’s being Per Mertesacker, Marseille’s being Diawara. N’Koulou is a proactive defender, he looks to intercept danger becomes it becomes a significant threat, however Diawara commands his backline and midfield pivot according to the situation. A tall, powerful defender, he covers N’Koulou brilliantly and offers great protection to his side.
Some Numbers (Averages): 1.7 tackles per game, 2.7 interceptions per game, 1.7 fouls per game 0 dribbled past.
Mathieu Valbuena – The diminutive playmaker is at the heart of every Marseille attack. He demands possession, he possesses incredible control, skill, technique and passing range. Comparable to Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta, he glides in possession and despite his small stature, his ability on the ball makes him rise above everyone else on the field. A key part to their attack in every form, stopping him will be key to winning the match.
Some Numbers (Averages): 85% pass success, 5 key passes per game, 100% accuracy in long passes, fouled 5.3 times per game.
Andre-Pierre Gignac – The tall striker has started the season excellently for Marseille, scoring 3 goals in his 3 games this season. Gignac plays in a style resembling an attacking midfielder at times, rather than your typical target man. He prefers playing facing the goal rather than his back to it, always looking for shooting opportunities and finding space when the ball is in wide areas. A key weakness of his, however, is his tendency to break down potential goal scoring attacks by going for spectacular attempts himself. He doesn’t often see player in better positions than himself.
Some Numbers (Averages): 73.4% pass success, 21.3 passes per game, 2 shots per game, 2.3 offsides given per game.
Club Name: Borussia Dortmund
League: Bundesliga (Germany)
League Position Last Season: 2nd
Manager: Jurgen Klopp
Captain: Sebastian Kehl
Stadium: Westfalenstadion (80,720)
Like Marseille, Arsenal have a history playing Dortmund two years ago, drawing 1-1 at the Westfalenstadion and Arsenal winning 2-1 at the Emirates. Many football fan’s second favourite team, they have gathered admirers from across Europe due to their fans, manager and playing style.
Transfers
Dortmund were very busy this summer in both departures and acquisitions. They lost star player, Mario Gotze, to rivals Bayern Munich as well as letting Felipe Santana leave for a nominal fee. In order to replace Gotze, Dortmund looked to Ukraine as they bought Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk as well as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from St. Etienne. Papastathopoulos, otherwise known as “Sokratis” was bought in order to strengthen their defence due to the departure of 3rd choice central defender Santana, as well as injury to first choice right back, Luka Piszczek.
Strongest XI
Playing Style
Dortmund is known for the speed of which they play. Everything they do, whether it is keeping possession, counter attacking or pressing, everything is done at an intense tempo. Dortmund faced a crossroads after the Champions League loss last season at the hands of their Bundesliga rivals, Bayern Munich last season. They could either improve despite the loss of their best player or begin a decline in which they faze out as steadily as they became a European force once again. The season has started well for them, racking up an impressive 7 goals in their first 3 games, conceding only 1. The new signing, Aubameyang has seemed to settle in quickly as he netted his first hat trick against Augsburg on his debut in a 4-0 win. Dortmund have a similar approach in the way they play, whether it be home or away, Jurgen Klopp has always preached a “no fear” approach to playing regardless of opposition, venue or circumstance. The main focus being with an increased concentration of players in the middle areas, and a tight, structured pass and move attack which looks to disjoint the opposition defence and create as many 1 v 1 opportunities as possible (see Figure 2).
(Figure 2: Dortmund’s central based attack)
Dortmund’s system can be broken up into 4 sections when attacking, firstly, the goalkeeper and the central defenders. Usually in a possession based team, when playing from the back, the central defenders would split to the width of the box and beyond, encouraging the fullbacks to push up and one of the central midfielders would drop deeper. That doesn’t quite happen in this system. The central defenders tend to stay in a tighter triangle with the goalkeeper, this is the first stage of their possession build up and they look to keep it tight in case they lose it in a deep area. Secondly, the fullbacks, they provide the width of the team up and down the field. They are often the available outlet when in deep positions close to their own goal, as well as the unmarked attackers higher up the field. Thirdly, the two central midfielders, using the example of their “strongest XI”, Gundogan would control the game from a deeper position and allow the energetic Sven Bender to drive forwards to provide an extra body in attack whilst having the physical capacity to make the ground if they lose the ball. Every now and then, Gundogan would move forwards instead and Bender would sit, this resembled a more traditional style of play and encourages a lot more shorter passes around the box due to the technical superiority of Gundogan over Bender. Finally, you get the 4 attackers, each versatile and fluid in their movement and all possessing qualities that complement one another. In Reus, you have a pacey, versatile attacker who is equally capable of scoring as he is in creating, he’s excellent in 1 v 1 situations and is consistently looking to play into tight areas and move into space after. Aubameyang was a fantastic addition who combines the qualities of Jakub “Kuba” Blaszczykowski and incorporates his own style of dribbling, movement and finishing. Mkhitaryan’s influence within the Dortmund attack is yet to be fully realised, his style isn’t similar to Gotze, but rather has helped Dortmund evolve their attack into being more direct, fast paced and lethal and more focussed on scoring.
Areas Where Dortmund Can Hurt Arsenal
Dortmund’s strengths lay in their proactive approach; they look to win the ball high up the field and force the opposition into making risky mistakes. Although Arsenal have technically good defenders, should they target Mertesacker by pressing him, marking his short options and forcing him into playing a penetrative pass into midfield, they may see some success. Dortmund have a lot of ability in 1 v 1 situations, so players who are confronted with this will need to be able to move and feint as quickly as the Dortmund attackers.
Where Arsenal Can Hurt Dortmund
Dortmund has shown weakness when defending from the wide areas previously. Both central defenders, Hummels and Subotic, although terrific defenders as individuals, have a tendency to lose concentration and a player with movement from back post to front post can take advantage of this. Allowing Dortmund to take possession and slowing them down in midfield with a middle-low block and forcing the Dortmund fullbacks forward and countering could be another effective approach Arsenal take, especially in the away leg.
Key Players
Mats Hummels – Hummels has slowly developed into one of the best defenders in European football since he joined on a free transfer from Bayern Munich. Although he possesses key qualities of a commanding central defender, many of his strengths lay in his ability with the ball, often acting as another midfielder as he strides into the opposition half when the game is deadlocked or picking out long range passes for Lewandowski to knock down and build from. A threat in both boxes, Hummels will be a danger to Arsenal, wherever he is on the pitch.
Some Numbers (Averages): 81.2% pass success, 1.7 tackles per game, 1.3 interceptions per game, 0.3 fouls per game, dribbled past once per game.
Ilkay Gundogan – The midfield general of the Dortmund team. Since joining, Gundogan has established himself as one of the best deep lying playmakers in football, with an engine to match some of the best box to box midfielders in the game. Equally capable in both halves of the field, he consistently looks to dominate the game by taking the lead in the passing and pressing. Stopping him seems impossible, but slowing him down is crucial to nullifying Dortmund.
Some Numbers (Averages):73% pass success, 100% long pass success, 2 tackles per game, 2 interceptions.
Robert Lewandowski – The striker was touted to leave Dortmund for Bayern in the summer but the move never materialised. The list of suitors was long this summer and it is easy to see why. Equally brilliant with his back to goal and facing the play, he possess pace across the critical first 10-15 yards, strength, efficient finishing, world class link-up play, unbelievable movement and good aerial prowess. Putting it simply, giving him space in and around the box is asking to concede.
Some Numbers (Averages): 5 shots per game, 1.3 key passes per game, 76.5% pass success,100% through ball accuracy, 1.3 key passes per game.
Club Name: S.S.C. Napoli
League: Serie A (Italy)
League Position Last Season: 2nd
Manager: Rafael Benitez
Captain: Paulo Cannavaro
Stadium: Stadio San Paulo (60,240)
Napoli faced Arsenal this summer in the Emirates Cup, taking a 2-0 lead only to be pegged back to 2-2 come the final whistle. Napoli, under new manager Rafael Benitez, will look to impose themselves as a new European force with a squad capable of achieving success and a manager who has a rich history in the competition.
Transfers
Napoli had arguably had one of the most successful summers out of all the elite European teams. They let go a lot of the deadweight and began a shrewd, strategic campaign to replace the heavy loss of Edinson Cavani. Benitez used his contacts well in order to acquire Pepe Reina from Liverpool, Dries Mertens from PSV, Armero from Udinese, then raided Real Madrid to purchase Jose Callejon, Raul Albiol and notably, Gonzalo Higuain.
Strongest XI
Playing Style
Napoli are a very different outfit to last season, not only have they changed manager but they have also gone from a 3-4-3/3-5-2 formation to a more conventional 4-2-3-1. Napoli’s game plan last season was based on created overloads in critical areas of the field by using high pressing wingbacks and infield running wingers with an incredibly gifted striker capable of occupying two central defenders. This season, their game is far more structured, utilising the attacking tendencies of their fullbacks to build higher up the field, energetic midfielders whom are both capable of attacking and defending and technically gifted wide attackers who can defeat the fullback 1 v 1 as well as help keep possession high up the field as well as lots of short interchanging of positions in the final third.
Napoli’s defensive game is based on using the pace of their attackers to force the opposition to play long passes where Napoli can win the duels, once the second phase of defending begins, Inler and Behrami use their strength and running power to win the ball back as quickly as possible and launch a counter attack with their attackers still high up the field. Napoli’s attacking game is centred on their talisman, Marek Hamsik. In previous systems, Hamsik has played wide on the right and has looked to run infield and get in and around the box, however Benitez has given Hamsik full responsibility and placed him at the heart of every attack. Hamsik’s capabilities allow him to control the game high up the field and then make intelligent runs into the box or hang outside and look for the second ball. Higuain’s arrival has also meant an extra potency in the box, although he has yet to kick start his Napoli career, his finishing ability is undoubted and will look to finish the chances his creative midfield make for him.
Where Can Napoli Hurt Arsenal
Looking at their previous encounter during the summer, Napoli consistently looked to get Hamsik between the lines and have both wide players moving in and off the blind side of the defenders and trusting Hamsik’s final ball to create chances. In their encounter against Arsenal in the Champions League, Napoli should be expected to do the same, looking to invite pressure and release it when Arsenal have been slowed down by the Napoli block.
Where Can Arsenal Hurt Napoli
Both Napoli midfielders, although strong and energetic, can be bypassed if drawn out. A patient build up from the Arsenal defenders as well as the midfield pivot will likely draw out Behrami and Inler and it will be up to the likes of Cazorla to receive the ball in the spaces they leave behind. Walcott has the ability to take on Zuniga, as the Napoli wingbacks defensive abilities aren’t as competent as they should be.
Key Players
Pepe Reina – It is unusual for a goalkeeper to mentioned as a key player for a team, but in Benitez’s and Napoli’s case, it is. Reina is a key component for Napoli’s attacks, Benitez has always entrusted the Spaniard to distribute cleanly and effectively, starting attacks from either flank or looking to play a long through ball to one of the attackers whilst the opposition is disjointed. There isn’t much to stop Reina attempting to distribute, but Arsenal must be wary after corners and free kicks that have been claimed by Reina.
Gokhan Inler – The industrious midfielder has been brilliant for Napoli since joining, he holds an underrated technical ability which numbers and stats don’t justify. He possesses a fearsome long range shot and a strong tackle, he leads by example on the field and Benitez is quoted as being a massive fan of his while he was Liverpool manager.
Some Numbers (Averages): 90.4% pass success, 2 shots per game, 73 passes per game, 4 of 7 long balls were accurate.
Marek Hamsik – The Napoli attacking midfielder is one of the most under-appreciated talents not only in Serie A but in European football. He possesses all the key qualities needed to be a quality playmaker, a midfield goal scorer and slowly is becoming an inspirational leader at Napoli. The key to stopping him isn’t to stop him receiving the ball, but to react quickly once he has. He prides himself on being able to move into space that only the most intelligent players can find, and allowing him to turn into space can lead to devastating results.
Some Numbers (Averages): 79.5% pass success, 2 key passes per game, 4 shots per game, 2 dribbles per game.
Predicted Table
1) Arsenal
2) Dortmund
3) Napoli
4) Marseille
Written by Zaheer Shah
Thanks to Whoscored.com and Squawka for their data and images.
Follow me on Twitter! @ZazooFootball