Leandro Trossard: a case to support Mikel Arteta's line-up decision

Ryan DeFreitas applies Kognia data to analyse the inclusion of Leandro Trossard in Arsenal’s recent draw with Manchester City.

Ryan joined Kognia as a Customer Success Specialist this summer from Derby County, where he was first-team analyst. Ryan has also worked at Manchester City and Leicester City.

This past weekend, title contenders Man City and Arsenal played out a 1-1 draw with Arsenal scoring a late equaliser through Gabriel Martinelli.

Despite both managers seeing the draw as a good result and happy how they controlled the opponent - albeit in different ways - there has been a lot of discussion around whether Arsenal should be more expansive in these games and set out to beat high level opponents rather than the first priority to stop their opponents winning.

In addition to the choice of Arsenal's midfield three, Leandro Trossard's selection was perhaps a surprise, especially after Martinelli's impact during the week in the Champions League.

The importance of a balanced line-up

Using both on-the-ball and off-the-ball data from Kognia begins to highlight some areas about Trossard’s profile (shown below) that Mikel Arteta might have felt could have positively impacted the game.

Trossard's threat coming into the box

Looking at Leandro Trossard’s data profile reveals that last season he was above the 90th percentile for Receiving after occupying spaces in to the box, Crosses in to the box finished and Third man support. The Belgian winger was also in the 84th percentile for Receiving after running in to the box.

Arsenal also selected Noni Madueke playing on the other wing, who brings creativity in the form of Progressive dribbles, Take on attempts and Crosses into the box.

Leandro Trossard provided the opportunity for great balance for Arteta’s team, complementing the progression of Madueke (particularly in the 1st half) with a profile that attacks and receives in the box from the opposite side of the pitch.

Further to this, when considering Kognia’s out of possession data, so far this year Trossard is in the 84th percentile for Pressures on the ball possessor, showcasing Trossard's impact on both sides of the ball.

Guardiola himself acknowledged after the game that Arsenal were the better team, so aggressive and so close together on the press they had to opt for a more transitional style and concede control of the game. This was made possible in part with the inclusion of Leandro Trossard and the combination of defensive intensity and attacking balance may have made him the perfect candidate for a starting role in the eyes of Mikel Arteta.