The Gooner Fanzine's Alex Walsh explains the major tactical change Mikel Arteta has made this season that he hopes will fire Arsenal to the title 

Mikel Arteta seems to be insistent on his new system, which we saw for the first time against Nottingham Forest in the opening game of the season.

The main difference in this new system, compared to last season, is that a defender is dropped to accommodate another attacker.

This makes sense in games where Arsenal has the ball 70-80% of the time, as the extra attacker can help break down the opposition.

It specially makes sense when playing against teams that defend in a 5-back, which Forest did in the first game.

A significant part of Arsenal’s game is isolating Bukayo Saka and Gabi Martinelli on the wings, where they can take on a defender one on one.

Having players like Kai Havertz, Eddie Nketiah, and Martin Ødegaard occupy the three central defenders from the opposition, then allows for the isolation of Saka and Martinelli against their respective fullbacks.

This is how both goals were scored in the game against Forest. Martinelli created the first goal, and Saka cut in and scored the second.

How Thomas Partey fits into this new system 

If we take a look at Thomas Partey’s role in this new system, he is playing a hybrid role, similar to what John Stones has done at Manchester City.

When Arsenal is defending, Partey plays as a right back. However, as soon as possession is won, he seamlessly moves into midfield, allowing Ben White to shift to the right back position.

While some might consider Partey's role as wasted in this system, it's important to remember that when Arsenal dominates possession for 70-80% of the game, he won’t spend much time in that right back role.

Instead, he will be commanding the midfield. I don’t think we’ll see Arteta deploying this new system against any of the top sides in the league. However, against weaker opposition that tends to sit back, it simply makes sense.