The moment I warmed to Arsenal’s tactics ...Middle East

Mansfield Town 1-2 Arsenal (Evans 50′ | Madueke 41′, Eze 66′)

FIELD MILL – It took 90 seconds for the first whistles of frustration, six minutes for the first audible shout of “Set Piece FC”, and seven for a cry of “Get up!”.

This spoke volumes about the Arsenal that most Mansfield Town supporters were expecting to witness in this FA Cup fifth-round tie, in what was one of the home club’s biggest games in their 129-year history.

And yet Arsenal largely abandoned their principles at Field Mill. The “boring”, set-piece focused tactics that have been thrust into the spotlight of late, particularly after Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler aired his frustrations in midweek, made way for an attempt to actually play some football.

It almost backfired. After two early corners, where Arsenal put just two players inside the six-yard box, it was Mansfield Town who created a flurry of chances.

So many in fact that Arsenal faced more shots inside the first 15 minutes, eight, than they had done all season – they’ve played Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Liverpool twice, and Chelsea four times.

That Mansfield would come to regret these missed chances was hardly a surprise. It would have taken a gargantuan effort to replicate their opening 15 minutes another five times, but they did roll over either, and it was not until the 41st minute when an England international broke their resolve, Noni Madueke curling in a fine opener for the visitors.

Arsenal’s patience paid off. They had weathered the storm. But Mansfield’s spirit was not diminished by the scoreline at half-time, and just five minutes into the second half Will Evans gave this crowd not merely a goal to remember for years to come, but actual belief in the moment that the cupset was doable.

The idea that it could be Mansfield’s day grew when they survived a five-on-two, Madueke almost blessed with too many options before the ball was cleared off the line.

With Arsenal’s quadruple dream on the line, on came Eberechi Eze and Jurrien Timber with half-an-hour to go, and it was the former who barely had an inch on the edge of the area when finding the top corner.

There's no stopping that! Eberechi Eze fires Arsenal back in front with a strike of real quality @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/zOpWUWTI8k

Two stunners. No set-piece goals here, with the manner of this victory only serving as a reminder of why Arsenal have typically adopted more divisive tactics this season.

Having asked Arsenal fans this week what they make of their “boring” label, the response was that beautiful football had got them nowhere for 20 years.

This tie underlined that. Arsenal played with more freedom and almost came unstuck. An undercooked side, with Mikel Arteta having made nine changes, pushed to the very end by League One Mansfield.

And so only when I asked myself one simple question are Arsenal’s usual tactics starting to make sense.

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Would I want my team to do anything it takes to win a trophy? Of course I would.

And bearing in mind Arsenal could silence rival fans after years of ridicule in the process, no wonder they are prepared to do whatever it takes.

So don’t expect to see an Arsenal display like this again this season. They’re playing for silverware soon, the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on 22 March, and the quad is only still on because of the football that got them here.

It is a position any club would love to be in at this stage of the campaign.

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