How Alex Pritchard made Sunderland tick in the first half at Arsenal despite tactical switch

For opponents Sunderland, Lee Johnson’s side had been punished for some lapses in concentration, yet the League One club had made a decent fist of things against Premier League opposition at the Emirates Stadium. Suddenly, their confidence had gone up a notch.

After Nathan Broadhead had reduced the deficit to make it 2-1, the Black Cats went on the attack. The wing-backs pushed higher up the pitch and they had options in the final third.

The orchestrator for most of the visitors’ offensive play was Alex Pritchard, operating just behind strikers Ross Stewart and Nathan Broadhead.

Not only did Pritchard’s agility allow and attacking instincts allow the visitors to press from the front in the first half, his composure in possession also gave Sunderland a chance to hurt Arsenal.

It’s been said over the last few weeks that we are now seeing the best of Pritchard after a challenging start to his career on Wearside.The first half at the Emirates Stadium was perhaps the biggest demonstration of his technical ability.

With Stewart and Broadhead for company, Pritchard often had two options in front of him when he received the ball in the first half.

Playing centrally also allowed Pritchard to gain possession in dangerous areas, as shown by Figure One, which shows Pritchard received the ball 14 times in the first half.

Pritchard’s heatmap in the opening 45 minutes (Figure Two) shows how the playmaker was able to stay high up the pitch when Sunderland looked to press and try to win the ball back.

While there were times when the visitors were ultimately exposed, it was far from one-way traffic. In fact, it felt like Sunderland could equalise before the interval.

The dynamic changed after half-time, though, as Broadhead’s forced withdrawal caused a change of shape for the hosts.

Pritchard was moved up alongside Stewart in a 4-4-2 system, yet the playmaker’s influence diminished.in wider areas, where his options were limited – plus there was one less attacking player on the pitch.

Still, this was another promising showing from the midfielder as he continues to improve week by week.

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