What we've learned about each team's 2024/25 tactics

Football writer and former Arsenal player Adrian Clarke takes an in-depth look at the key tactical talking points from every team following the opening weekend of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta went with his familiar 4-3-3 against Wolverhampton Wanderers, using Oleksandr Zinchenko as a left-back that inverted into central midfield when the team had possession. This freed up Declan Rice to perform a more advanced box-to-box role.

Kai Havertz’s positioning as a "false nine" centre forward was especially interesting. When linking play, the German predominantly took up positions on Arsenal’s right, where he combined superbly with Martin Odegaard and man-of-the-match Bukayo Saka.

By staying away from the left Havertz also purposely created extra space for Gabriel Martinelli to stride into when using his speed to good effect on the other flank.

One other key tactical feature to note was Arsenal’s desire to restart the match quickly. A series of instantly taken throw-ins and free-kicks caught Wolves off guard, while simultaneously keeping the tempo high.

The Gunners’ crucial second goal came from a quick Thomas Partey free-kick that caught Wolves hopping with an overload down the right.

Aston Villa

It was not a surprise to see Villa line up in a 4-2-3-1 against West Ham United, but the use of Morgan Rogers as a roving No10 was a departure from what we saw from them last season. We are accustomed to seeing Rogers carry the ball on the left flank with purpose, but against the Hammers he played just behind Ollie Watkins down the middle.

Another subtle change from Unai Emery was the 3-2-5 shape his side morphed into inside the opposition half. Villa’s left-back supplied the width in advanced areas with right-back Matty Cash tucking around. This shape also pushed John McGinn into a more central position too.

There was also a sense that Villa had been instructed to show greater aggression than they did in 2023/24. Last season they ranked 19th for tackles made and duels won, but against West Ham their numbers were staggeringly high by comparison.

Villa tackles and duels won comparison

AFC Bournemouth

The Cherries began life without Dominic Solanke by playing without a recognised centre-forward at the City Ground.

In a familiar 4-2-3-1, Antoine Semenyo nominally led the line as a "false nine", but throughout their 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest we saw others temporarily play that role too. Dango Ouattara, Marcus Tavernier, Luis Sinisterra and Justin Kluivert all had stints operating down the middle.

Club record signing Evanilson’s impending debut should however, signal the end of this experiment.

Andoni Iraola’s men pressed with hostility, as they always do, recovering possession 64 times, a figure that only Manchester United could surpass across the opening weekend.

Interestingly it was Bournemouth’s athletic central midfielders who won the ball back most in advanced positions. On the chalkboard below, you will see where Alex Scott (No 14), Lewis Cook (No 4) and Ryan Christie (No 10) regained the ball in great areas.

Brentford

Thomas Frank flitted between a 4-3-3 and 5-3-2 for much of the previous campaign, and in their first fixture at home to Crystal Palace, we saw both systems make an appearance.

In possession Brentford had a flat back four, but in a relatively unusual move for the Bees, their midfield configuration had more of a double pivot (Vitaly Janelt and Christian Norgaard) this time around with Mathias Jensen (No 8) pushing on into pockets higher upfield. Could this be the way his side evolves tactically this season, with new signing Fabio Carvalho certainly capable of operating there?

In the second half we did see Frank revert to a 5-3-2 when Brentford sat back behind the ball in a defensive shape. This was an attempt match up and nullify their opponent’s bold five-man attack when the visitors had quality possession.

It feels like Brentford will consistently switch those two systems of play once again.

Brighton & Hove Albion

The Premier League’s youngest head coach, Fabian Hurzeler, kicked off with a 3-0 victory at Goodison Park that was brimming with high tempo, positive energy.

Ashley Young was sent off after 66 minutes reducing the hosts to 10 men, but even so, it was the visitors who ran an extra 12.6km during the course of this match.

Everton v Brighton distance covered

Not holding back at all, the Seagulls looked exceptionally fit and hungry on Merseyside, with wingers Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh key players in their approach.

Brighton set up in a nominal 4-2-3-1 but in reality, it was new signing Mats Wieffer who played the holding role in a 4-1-4-1 that saw James Milner push on as a twin No 10 with Joao Pedro.

Moving away from a clear double pivot is an interesting choice from Hurzeler, who looks set to place less emphasis on one of his midfielders dropping into his own box to help the side play out from goalkeeper Jason Steele. The Brighton 'keeper made only six passes to Wieffer, with the bulk of his distribution played to his central defenders.

Chelsea

Chelsea enjoyed a 48.2 per cent share of possession - significantly larger than they did when drawing twice with Manchester City last season. From a tactical viewpoint, however, Enzo Maresca’s side looked like a work in progress.

Out of possession their 4-2-3-1 moved to a 4-2-4 with Enzo Fernandez pushing on to take part in Chelsea’s press, but the Argentinian made no impact in that department. His defensive contributions inside City’s half were negligible, with only one tackle made.

Chelsea were also set up in a narrow manner, with Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku both coming infield as a matter of course. To compound the issue, full-backs Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella usually supported their wide men from inside areas too.

It should also be noted that Maresca did not start a single player over the age of 26. Their average age of 23 years and 180 days was the second-youngest to take the field on MW1 of a Premier League season.

Crystal Palace

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Oliver Glasner started the new campaign with the 3-4-2-1 formation which worked so well for Palace at the back end of last season. The only change saw Japanese attacking midfielder Daichi Kamada come in for the departed Michael Olise.

They confidently pushed Brentford back, boasting 59.6 per cent of possession in the second half. And reacting to the hosts’ decision to switch to a back five, Glasner cleverly targeted 2v1s out wide by pushing Eberechi Eze and Kamada closer towards the flanks.

The Eagles are sure to press more regularly than they have done in recent years, and there was evidence of that in this London derby, but it was the imbalance of their attacking play that stood out.

Keen to get star man Eze onto the ball as often as possible - he did fire off seven shots - Palace sent 40.6 per cent of their attacks down the left, which is where he almost exclusively operated in those half-space pockets.

Everton

There was no discernible difference between Sean Dyche’s Everton of 2023/24 with what was served up on the opening weekend in a 3-0 loss to Brighton.

The shape was a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 with Abdoulaye Doucoure supporting Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who was the target for several long, aerial passes from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. The Mali international wanted to get on the end of flick-ons, but  he strayed offside four times.

Everton attempted 82 long passes, the highest of any side in the division and 15 ahead of Bournemouth in second place, but they made little headway outside of a bright start.

A lack of pace at the back was ultimately their undoing against Brighton, but there was no shortage of effort or desire. Their game plan was to press the Seagulls whenever they played out from the back, but frustratingly, very few of the 90 pressures they exerted actually created turnovers.

Everton v Brighton pressures compared

Fulham

Losing a ball-winning machine of Joao Palhinha’s calibre was always going to impact Fulham, but Marco Silva’s response to that missing link was far bolder than anyone imagined at Old Trafford on the opening night.

Rather than playing a natural sitting midfielder alongside Sasa Lukic in his preferred 4-2-3-1, the Fulham head coach handed that responsibility to attacking midfielder Andreas Pereira. It was an adventurous ploy that helped his side on the ball, but without it, their depleted back four was regularly exposed by Man Utd. 

Fulham effectively switched to a positive 4-1-4-1 in possession that saw Pereira and Emile Smith Rowe enjoy plenty of the ball. Silva's side passed through the thirds with ease, but all of the big chances at Old Trafford fell to Man Utd.

Moving forward it will be a surprise to see Fulham start with such an attack-minded midfield against the division’s stronger teams.

Ipswich Town

Kieran McKenna promised his Ipswich side would stay true to the principles that have taken them from League 1 to the Premier League in two years, and the Northern Irishman was as good as his word.

During a frantic first 45 minutes, Ipswich pressed with huge amounts of aggression from their 4-2-3-1 base, unsettling Liverpool with their energised man-to-man approach.

In possession their short, sharp passing caught the eye, and just as it was in the Championship, Ipswich’s left winger Omari Hutchinson regularly moved inside to play as a No 10, freeing up left-back Leif Davis to attack.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the promoted side could not sustain the pace they set early on. Their pressing game faded, allowing a rejuvenated Liverpool side to push them back and control the match.

Leicester City

Based on the evidence of Monday night’s match at home to Tottenham Hotspur, new manager Steve Cooper is not going to rip up Leicester’s tactics and start afresh.

He encouraged his side to pass through the lines with confidence in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but we did not see the best of his team until the second half, when they brought significantly more aggression to the table.

From half-time onwards, Leicester's players stepped 10-15 yards higher up the pitch to engage their Spurs counterparts, and once they started to win more duels it gave them a foothold in the match.

It was no surprise that the Foxes' equaliser came from a cross. In open play they delivered an impressive seven successful crosses - all in the second half - which was a Premier League high across the weekend. (see below).

Liverpool

Speaking after Liverpool’s 2-0 win at Ipswich, Hungarian star Dominik Szoboszlai explained one key difference in their midfield configuration under Arne Slot.

“We played differently a little bit because [before] we played with one No 6 and two No 8s, with one of the No 8s dropping as a No 6," Szoboszlai told the club's official website.

“Now we play with one No 8, one No 6 and one No 10, and I had the role of the No 10, but still sometimes I can drop, sometimes I can stay.”

This change was evident at Portman Road on the opening weekend, especially in the case of Ryan Gravenberch who was moved back to play as the side’s principle defensive midfielder, shining in that position.

Other key observations are that Liverpool played in a slightly more structured and narrow shape than they did under Jurgen Klopp and that Trent Alexander-Arnold will still be given the freedom to drift into midfield areas, when Liverpool have quality possession.

Alexander-Arnold's highlights v Ipswich

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola sensed a weakness in Chelsea’s full-back areas and adjusted his tactics accordingly in their 2-0 success at Stamford Bridge.

City’s shape was classified as a 3-2-4-1 but in possession, Mateo Kovacic was their sole central midfielder, with Rico Lewis asked to occupy wider positions on the right, and Kevin De Bruyne performing a similar brief on the left.

Knowing that Palmer and Nkunku are naturally drawn towards the centre and not accustomed to dropping in to protect their full-backs, City created a stream of 2v1 situations.

The champions wanted to empty central areas, and this freeze frame (below) shows that in the build-up to Erling Haaland’s opener.

Just 18 per cent of the champions’ attacks came down the middle.

This tactic felt designed to hurt Maresca’s style of play, more than something we will see each week from City.

Manchester United

Man Utd began their campaign with a striker-less 4-2-4-0 formation, before switching to a more recognisable 4-2-3-1 from 61 minutes onwards - a move that ultimately helped them take all three points against Fulham.

Out of possession, Erik ten Hag’s men were excellent for much of this match, pressing well in packs and holding a higher line that helped to congest space for the visitors inside the middle third.

This helped them make more interceptions than any other top-flight team across the weekend.

They also topped the charts for ball recoveries and possession won inside the final third.

Most possession won on 2024/25 opening weekend

Later on in the match, after the shape change and when their midfield tired, Fulham did slice through the thirds much easier, but new striker Joshua Zirkzee offered United a physical presence they lacked in the first hour.

Newcastle United

It is hard to gauge too much from Newcastle's resolute 1-0 win at home to Southampton as Fabian Schar’s 28th-minute red card altered their game plan completely.

In Eddie Howe’s trademark 4-3-3 shape, Newcastle had been forced to play on the counter-attack prior to the sending off, averaging only 33.8 per cent of possession in the opening 30 minutes.

With a man disadvantage, they retreated into a 4-4-1 low block formation, giving up even more of the ball to Southampton.

Individually, Joelinton’s colossal performance is also worthy of mention. He scored the winning goal, but it was the Brazilian’s resolute defending inside his own box that caught the eye.

He made six clearances, two blocks and an interception in that domain.

Joelinton's crucial interception

Nottingham Forest

Nuno Espirito Santo is looking for greater control in possession in 2024/25, and there were signs at home to Bournemouth that his side are making progress in that area.

Enjoying a 52.85 per cent share of possession, compared to last season’s average of 40.13 per cent, Forest made over 400 successful passes at the City Ground, against an opponent that prides itself on disrupting play.

Able to push the Cherries back for spells of the match, Forest’s 231 successful passes in the opposition half was ranked fourth-highest of all teams across the weekend. Just twice last season did they exceed that number.

Nuno’s 4-2-3-1 shape was a little unbalanced through, with most of his attacking players consistently drawn towards the left flank.

Ola Aina was the most advanced of the two full-backs, while Callum Hudson-Odoi was regularly joined on that side by Morgan Gibbs-White, with Anthony Elanga moving in from the right to central areas.

Southampton

While it was 11 vs 11 for the opening 28 minutes at St James’ Park, Russell Martin’s Saints showed that they have enough technical quality to cope with Premier League football.

From a 3-5-2 base, they confidently bypassed Newcastle’s press with some lovely pass and move football, coupled with smart movement, especially from midfielders Will Smallbone and Flynn Downes.

Playing out from the back did cost them the only goal of the match, when Alex McCarthy’s pass was intercepted, but there were positives to take.

Newcastle's winning goal

At half-time Martin switched to a 4-3-3 that helped them pin the hosts back, and with 77.8 per cent possession and 19 shots, they certainly asked questions.

We should expect Southampton to switch shape mid-match on a frequent basis depending on the game state, as they can perform both systems well.

Tottenham Hotspur

Ange Postecoglou’s side imposed their attacking force on Leicester during an impressive first half at King Power Stadium.

In possession they pushed both full-backs into high positions, while dropping Rodrigo Bentancur between their central defenders.

This meant their shape was akin to 3-4-3 with James Maddison and Pape Sarr joined by Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro in midfield.

Micky van de Ven regularly picked out Maddison, Udogie and Son Heung-min with passes to the left wing, where they threatened to overwhelm Cooper’s men.

Seven forward for Spurs' opener v Leicester 

It was right-back Porro who scored their goal, making a wonderful, unexpected run into the area to head home Maddison’s cross.

While Leicester were passive, this ploy worked well, but in the second half the hosts’ aggression and positivity did exploit some of the holes those advanced full-backs vacated. As a consequence, the Foxes had a lot of joy in wide areas.

West Ham United

Hopes were high among supporters that West Ham would be significantly more adventurous under Julen Lopetegui, but in defeat to Villa, we did not see a great deal of difference from the Hammers’ approach.

Setting up in a 4-1-4-1 with new signing Guido Rodriguez the holding player in midfield, the Hammers saw plenty of the ball, with 52.1 per cent possession, but they struggled to find space between the lines.

More familiar with their managers’ instructions, it was Villa who played through the thirds with a lot more style and comfort.

Only one of his three new defenders started this match, while forwards Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville also came off the bench, so we should not make any tactical judgements. They will look different in a few weeks time.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 

There was a lot of talk during pre-season that Gary O’Neil was intending to switch to a flat back four in 2024/25, and that was the case at Emirates Stadium where Wolves lined up in a 4-2-3-1.

Out of possession it was more of a 4-4-2 with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde stepping forward to press Arsenal’s central defenders. This was relatively ineffective though, with Partey often the spare man when the Gunners played out from the back.

On the ball, Wolves essentially reverted to a back three, with Mario Lemina (No 5) dropping between the centre-backs to become playmaker from deep. This transformed Wolves’ shape into a 3-3-3-1, with the two wingers staying high and wide.

It will be interesting to see how this fares against opponents who are not as dominant as Arsenal were on Matchweek 1.

Their best spell came in the second half when O’Neil’s side pressed with greater aggression. That strength of theirs will earn them turnovers in good areas this season.