Arsenal Football Club has grown and developed over the years. Its journey to glory began in Woolwich, then moved to Highbury, and now continues to grow its success and achievements at the Emirates. The Club has come a long way from Dial Square to Royal Arsenal, from Royal Arsenal to Woolwich Arsenal and, ultimately, to the Arsenal we know today.
As we travel through the pages of history, we have the opportunity to see the people who were innovators in their time and contributed to the growth and glory of the Club, the people who shouldered the responsibility for its prosperity and led the Red and Whites to glory that will last for centuries.
From the club’s inception in 1886 to the current Arsène Wenger, Arsenal’s history has seen some great tacticians and strategists. Among them, the ‘holy trinity’ of brilliant managers with a different, phenomenal mindset stands out. Herbert Chapman, George Graham, and Arsène Wenger have had a huge impact on the fortunes of the north London club. They changed the way Arsenal played, and the tactical evolution they brought about is astounding.
I invite you to study one of the tactics called W-M. This article will be helpful for those who need to write an essay or research paper on this topic. It was written by one of the experts who work at the essay writing service and who has in-depth knowledge of football. You can use this information to work on your paper.
The W-M Mystery
Herbert Chapman was one of the most influential managers of all time, and certainly one of the best in the history of football. He took over at Arsenal in 1925, the start of one of the most exciting periods in the club’s history. Chapman was not an immediate success, but he got the difficult task of rebuilding a team that had lost ground and was struggling to survive in the top flight of English football. He recruited the right players, reformed the system, and slowly but surely led the Gunners to the league title.
In the summer of 1925, the Football Association changed the rules for recording offside. Previously, at least three players of the opposing team had to be in front of the striker – now their number was reduced to two. These measures were taken in order to reduce the injury rate of the dynamically developing game and to make it more open and interesting. The changes, of course, had their consequences and primarily affected the tactical schemes of the teams. Chapman and his team were initially unable to adapt to the innovations and sank to the very bottom of the tournament table, showing terrible results that season.
While other teams across Europe were coming up with new tactical variations to suit the new rules, Chapman was still playing the old 2-3-5 system, or the “pyramid” as it was known. Charlie Buchan played a great role in the changes. The striker was Chapman’s first signing at Arsenal and a star player at the time. He argued with the manager, convincing him that changes in the formation were necessary to compete with other teams that had already adopted and succumbed to the changes. He even threatened to leave the club if Chapman did not listen to his opinion.
Buchan believed that the centre half should be more defensive and play man-to-man with the opposition centre forward. Chapman initially denied this, but during the match against Newcastle, he noticed that the Magpies’ centre half, Charlie Spencer, was dropping deeper and nipping in the bud any attacks from the Gunners. Spencer did not attack much, but his excellent defensive play ensured that Newcastle dominated their own half and also gave them an advantage in possession, which gave the Magpies a crushing victory over Arsenal.
Chapman finally realized that changes were needed at the back, and he also came to the conclusion that the midfield needed to be adjusted as much as the defence. Moving the central midfielder deeper into a more defensive position meant that the number of midfielders had to be reduced. He moved the inside forwards closer to the centre and the wing halves slightly higher up.
This meant that the free full-backs, who had previously played in the centre, were now moved further out to play man-to-man with the opposition’s wide midfielders. The team ended up with three defenders, two of whom were marking the wide midfielders and one of whom was marking the opposition centre forward.
Buchan, who had been playing as an inside wing, was moved up front because Chapman particularly valued his goalscoring ability, and Andy Neill, on the other hand, was called upon to provide support to the midfield. Jack Butler had to curb his creative impulses and take up a position at centre-back. This tactical scheme was called W-M. It allowed the team to restore the balance between attacking and defensive actions, maintain stability between the lines, and, surprisingly, immediately began to produce the necessary results.