How Jurrien Timber changes Arsenal’s tactics

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Mikel Arteta has added yet another signing to his Arsenal squad in the summer transfer window. Jurrien Timber has joined the Premier League runners-up for €40 million from Ajax.
At just 22-years-old, the Dutch defender back brings impressive experience to North London with 15 caps for the Netherlands and 2 Eredivisie titles to his name.
Operating primarily as a centre-back, he can also slot in as a right back. Arsenal already have decent depth in their defence, so JJ Bull is here to ask the question - how does Timber fit into Arteta's plans for the coming season?
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#arsenal #premierleague #transfers

[@dss5295]

Not too long ago we were starting with Kolasinac, Holding, Chambers, Bellerin. Thank God for Arteta!

[@raghavtaneja13]

I was questioning my sanity watching that every week

[@user-hd6ii3my3t]

​@@raghavtaneja13lol 😂😂😂

[@roninx7530]

Mustafi😂

[@helltothesexy123]

amen

[@geraltnroach]

We once have niles, mustafi, sokratis, kolasinac and play short build up from the back

[@SunnyDispossession]

Just to be clear - Gabriel Magalhães did not miss 15 games through injury, that was Gabriel Jesus (it would be impossible for Magalhaes to have missed 15 and still played 38 games in the league) Edit: great vid as always besides that!

[@Reez_100oC]

I was so confused thinking when the hell did Gabriel miss that many games

[@kazielbonn]

F'd the script up 😅 It's all good though, still a good video.

[@eddynovia3536]

I think he meant Jesus

[@arscora]

@@eddynovia3536 Surely, but he's talking about defenders' injury records, so Jesus is out of the point for that topic

[@funshocornelius6906]

I think he's not only talking about premier League games but all competitions

[@Jlau.]

Timber allows Tierney to fit into the team better because Tierney won't be pressured to replace Zinchenko's role as a midfielder-left back hybrid.

[@afanwithagun]

Arsenal are serious about their rebuild, and it shows in their defense. When Mikel Arteta arrived, the Gunners' backline was one of the worst in the top six. But now, it is full of young, big, and technically gifted players who can play in different roles. White, Tomiyasu, Kivior, and Timber can all play centerback and as full-backs. Timber, Kiwior, and Tomiyasu can also be used as inverted options. Tomiyasu can play anywhere in the back line: right-back, left-back, RCB, and LCB. And then there's Gabriel, who keeps getting better every season. With this new-look defense, Arsenal are making a step forward in terms of building an exciting squad. They have the potential to be one of the best defenses in the Premier League, and they could be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.

[@QuotidianStupidity]

Timber is not big

[@Joelgoalz]

​@@QuotidianStupiditydid we watch the same video 😂😂

[@QuotidianStupidity]

@@Joelgoalz yes, he literally says he’s not big and terrible in the air He’s 5ft 10

[@afanwithagun]

@@QuotidianStupidity just cos one player is not big it doesn’t mean I can’t refer to my defense as big. Saliba is big, Kiwior is big, Gabriel is big, Tomiyasu is big, Ben White is big. That’s 5 big players in my defense, that’s make it big..

[@QuotidianStupidity]

@@afanwithagun did I say you couldn’t?

[@mfundonkosi6927]

What a time to be an Arsenal fan. I truly hope we can win a major in the next 2 seasons. A league or Big Ears. 🙏🏾

[@arjunprabhune2353]

League this year, Big ears next year

[@mohammadhrajaeei8637]

​@arjunprabhune2353 yea keep dreaming

[@arjunprabhune2353]

What team do u support Tristan

[@26lekent]

JJ clearly didn’t watch Arsenal after Kiwior was played ahead of Holding. He was very good, despite having a rough first game.

[@davidmccann3695]

JJ is massively out of his depth in what he was talking about this whole video, Gabriel played every game, kiwior was really good when he came in, maybe instead of pre recording a video at least a month ago research the topic a bit more

[@jbb5544]

Yeah he confused Gabriel Magalhaes with Gabriel Jesus when talking about games missed

[@matheusjele9021]

also mentioned how Tomi is out until September... he just played the other day?

[@davidmccann3695]

@@jbb5544 so he doesn’t watch football basically just incorrectly reads of stats

[@BukayoSaka7AFC]

Gabriel didn't miss any league games last season he played all but 4 minutes in the prem

[@LockonKun]

I thought the same, unless they're counting the FA cup, league cup and Europa league games

[@JoeSteele7]

Those were Gabriel Jesus's numbers I think

[@chrisfraser5088]

Great video. Just a quick note: Gabriel didn’t miss any PL games last season, he played every game. It was Gabriel Jesus that missed all those games. We have a lot of “Gabi’s” …so it’s an understandable mistake 😊

[@MuhitZ]

Ahahaa truu

[@user-lq5yx1ke5k]

Arsenal have an excellent squad now, especially with Declan Rice coming in as well. Title challenging team at least

[@ballas_13]

Arteta played Kiwior in Zinchenko's role in the first game of the preseason and I think he would be a good fit there. Obviously he is not as technically gifted as Zinchenko, but he is more defensively sound. He will be a great substitute in the latter stages of the game to give Zinchenko a rest and protect the scoreline.

[@victorkinyanjui7153]

Tierney?

[@hamgil]

@@victorkinyanjui7153 sold very likely

[@Zidanes_Hairline]

As soon at it got confirmed by sky sports lol

[@anthony6800]

They had the video ready waiting for the announcement lol

[@dequashonfontaloosi4229]

It's prerecorded lol

[@abiolaolayinka2023]

Sky sports confirmed it from them 💀

[@zZ_Sleeper_Zz]

Once he said 'if xhaka leaves' you should of known this was recorded a while back lol

[@maxtempany3058]

This guy is going to be the real gamechanger for this team. Midfield obviously bolstered but what let arsenal down last year was defence and defensive depth. When our backline went through varying form we didn’t have another serious option to challenge for any of their places

[@roshanp9840]

We have already bought players in defence, midfield and attack and signed extensions for all our main players. 😍

[@liamhinch1]

Yep, the depth added in our recruitment in January and this Summer so far has added some much needed depth. Hopefully Arteta can incorporate Balogun into the squad while keeping him happy with filling more of a backup role is key to strengthening up front which is an area Havertz wont/shouldnt be asked to cover. This is the key to genuinely challenging in the league and FA cup while going beyond the group stage in the champions league...not replicating the Manchester City method of squad management with more genuine starters sharing game time would be a big mistake. I know managing players expectations and egos can be extremely tricky but I'd love Arteta to have a proper crack at it.

[@xapetqa1595]

I thought Kiwior was decent last season. Just need the games to completely be comfortable in the premier league.

[@shamkawow1]

He was fantastic for someone playing in such a complex system in the prem for his first season during a title race forced to be a started due to injury. Keep an eye on him he’s going to be nuts

[@thomasmeier4399]

he’s a left footed CB so he won’t be competing with timber for minutes at CB

[@vws911]

He’s not that good in the preseason game tho …

[@nemui8327]

@@vws911 ? he was really good dunno what game you watched

[@xapetqa1595]

@@thomasmeier4399 yeah we know he won’t be competing directly with timber for game time. I was just confused as to why he kept on saying that Kwior wasn’t that good last season. We won’t stand for Kwior slander here 😂

[@maarsrvl]

The real game changer is an option we didn't see by JJ Bull as an example: using BOTH timber and Zichenko as nominal RB and LB. That would allow Timber to take an RCB position in possession, or even slot in md on the right of Rice (with Zichenko on his left) as RDM if I may say. Saliba - Gabriel(White) playing CB. That would be a game changer as it would allow Arsenal to build up with a 3-2-2-3(box in md) with Timber RCB, OR with a 2-3-2-3 (Timber as RDM), (Odegaard and Haverz as AMs) and apply a staggering control of the game and a suffocating rest defense forcing opponents in their box

[@rwinter13rw]

either your centre backs are going to be too for apart in a 2-3-2-3, or you're going to be too prone to long balls in behind on the side of the pitch

[@bentn13]

​@@rwinter13rwthe 3 would be ready to fall back, of zinchenko and timber are well balanced and don't run out too hard at the same time, basically they smother effectively and recover effectively. Though I think this would only work extremely situationally.

[@11tokajj]

@@rwinter13rw we practically played like this in certain phases of the game (against certain opposition) last season when our team was in the opponents half, Saliba and Gabriel were both generally stood on the halfway line or close to it, they defend big spaces really well with their recovery pace and with the addition of Rice our ability to counter press in the middle of the pitch before the opponent has a chance to spread play is just gonna be better

[@rwinter13rw]

@@11tokajj yeah fair enough it might work against some teams but teams like Liverpool would absolutely abuse it

[@Callumkloos]

JJ's energy is so good, just all over the place in all the right ways

[@arunnm24]

Really hoping the arrival of Timber allows Tierney to have a more prominent role in the team. My favourite player from the dark ages of 2019-20, who I'd hate to see leave the team.

[@matthewmccullough1359]

Mate Tierney's knees are made out of rumours and whisper at this stage

[@Glasstable2011]

I’m a big fan of Tierney, before Zinchenko moved he was one of the first names on the sheet. It would be a huge shame if he left, especially now they need greater squad depth for the champs league

[@khaeci_mario]

Tifo refused to do sensible transfers for Arsenal. Could it be our transfers are already too sensible?

[@me-now-]

Damn not even a sec after it was officially announced 😅

[@amernoori4157]

He has phenomenal potential in the Stones role, if arsenal invert him in midfield instead of zinchenko, that could be a very good move

[@shashankrawat735]

He is for that use only. Inverted Rb. When zinchenko not playing. Then he is the inverted one

[@amernoori4157]

@@shashankrawat735 he’s also used as centre back

[@floran8913]

@amernoori4157 he has actually only played as a centerback for ajax

[@amernoori4157]

@@floran8913 that’s the only team he’s been in 😂

[@gooner3681]

⁠@@floran8913he’s played as a RB and on the right of a back 3 for the Netherlands which is quite similar to how White plays as a RB if you think about it.

[@african.3431]

So you always have video ready for new signings, superb!

[@pee0plus]

Timber will invert from the right the same way Zinchenko does. Dribbles well, makes good decisions under pressure, can defend out of possession like a centre back.

[@ronaldoakum630]

we conceeded more goals this szn. zinchenko and inverter is not needed we need defense

[@Infimet]

@@ronaldoakum630 you have no iq. thats the way we play, thats how arteta tactically puts a team out, so thats exactly what we need - what works for the coach

[@me-now-]

I CAN SLEEP BETTER NOW THAT WE CAN PLAY HIM EVEN IN PRE SEASON INSTEAD OF CEDRIC SOARES 😂

[@snipedotgenius]

😂 forgot he was still here ffs

[@modini5089]

Cedric soares is so bad it’s actually disrespectful to us arsenal fans to see him in a arsenal shirt and it’s not only him but holding elneny nketiah Tavares Please bin these idiots

[@jason20880]

Are you sure you're not confusing Gabriel Magalhaes with Gabriel Jesus with those 15 games missed stat?

[@Robin_Dragunov]

FANTASTIC EXPLANATIONS 👏👏👏👏👏👏 THANK YOU

[@jayabalramasamy8880]

Thank you you have clarified many doubts i had

[@DJM3KS]

Mate we are DEEP now. Can't wait for this season to begin!

[@shikharutube]

Love the analysis. Thanks. I am becoming a big fan of this channel

[@ToddParker]

this is very well done. As an Arsenal fan, I have nothing to add.

[@sujayshetty3158]

Arteta said he doesn't like his central defenders dribbling. Timber will most likely play at RB and I think his dribbling will be useful in that position.

[@anthony6800]

He’ll definitely play rb

[@arsenal_84]

Could be an inverted RM that drift into RCM if the left back is not able to invert.

[@martytu20]

Ideally, your Center backs shouldn’t be dribbling, but if the defense is dropping deep and your passing options are limited, why not dribble up to force the defense to react? Timber’s decision making allows him to do that and get away with it.

[@roshanp9840]

I think he will play the zinchenko role from the right while Tierny plays on the left.

[@camdustin9164]

⁠@@martytu20in a situation where there is a limited passing option, the safest thing to do is to lump the ball up the pitch and start a counter press, your CBs should never dribble out from the back in any circumstances, especially when teams nowadays gonna press you every chance they get. Also, Timber doesn’t get away with dribbling out of the back since he never does it. Watch him a couple of time, he is very conservative in the defensive third and always looks for a safe option instead of doing something bold and risky. Only when he get into the final third he would show case his ability on the ball.

[@jackwoolford3560]

Incredibly well timed

[@XuSmA18]

Amazing content guys as always!! Keep rocking

[@babooo24]

Brilliant analysis. Love it

[@arjunarabindranath]

Great video thanks!

[@dr.football4662]

The depth is crazy for Arsenal. Rice amd jorginho as dm. Havertz, smith row and odegard the cams

[@toniozi666]

the athletic : we've got journalists dedicated to each premier league team so no one feels left out the tifo irl team : publishes videos on man city and arsenal every week (love the work they do btw)

[@thegoonerchannel]

Love your analysis!

[@mangoesboy]

I wpuld love to see Tierney as a 3rd lcb and Timber playing an inverted role in away matches. Suddenly Arsenal defence seems so good.

[@mangoesboy]

Well, I also forgot how goodTomiyasu was. And even Kiwior looked really good in patches.

[@william_SMMA]

​@@mangoesboyin short, all of our defenders are good except for Holding on the ball And all are good defensively except for Zinchenko and Holding Good depth

[@mrwaltermathews]

With the exception of Zinchenko I would rate Tierney our worst defender in terms of actually defending

[@edenholt4394]

@@mrwaltermathewswhat’s he good at then?

[@mrwaltermathews]

@@edenholt4394 getting forward, overlapping and putting in crosses.

[@TheAthleticFC]

Small error - JJ has mixed up Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Magalhaes in the video. He is a silly boy, but is our silly boy

[@GSDhandler1]

Goldbridge for news, this guy for analysis. Fantastic stuff. Thanks!!

[@olamideoladoyinbo8220]

Amazing analysis thank you jj

[@finnmac_]

JJ bull explaining things makes me feel that life is all going to be ok

[@osobad1127]

“It’s going down… I’m yelling TIMBER!” - me as a Arsenal fan, every time Julian gets the ball

[@Sustructy]

Jurrien

[@ellleigh1216]

This channel is so good

[@bhagyeshkotian1747]

Impeccable Timing!

[@jordandavis3867]

Clearly an old video. Xhaka has already left and gone to Leverkusen.

[@Shaun-my4ft]

He will most likely play inverted Right back it would be the best position for him maximises his good passing in the final third and how he does like to carry the ball along with taking out his weaknesses like not being super strong and being quite scared to make those risky passes in his own third. It will also give Mikel a way to change around the team on the park pulling zinny into a CB and Timber into the box midfield and if he gets marked out change it around where timber plays as the right CB. It also may mean Tierney will stay Seen as Tierney is an amazing CB and good at getting up and down the park while play CB for scotland

[@bgorski6937]

Thats one of my favorite Arsenal kits. I still have mine.

[@brodaciousmax8025]

Great vid! This is what the gunners need is depth in the squad. If they wanna start winning trophies all over they need it.

[@SE3UPE3]

tifo usually spot on but there’s a lot messed up in this one tbf

[@user-nd3ks4mi7b]

Had this one in the drafts.

[@tashifjilani1732]

JJs energy is so good

[@Hieillua]

Flashback to Arsenal's defence a few years ago. I'm seeing players out of their depth and fumbling. What a change Arsenal has made.

[@watersingman2059]

Where can we but those kit prints in the background

[@zeinfahmidwireskiwibawa4329]

Tifo's been saving this up on draft

[@977Akhyan]

This video was ready to go for a long time.

[@sk2790]

whats the name of the software/app used for these tactics videos? anyone know?

[@Pikachu0071000CS]

Xhaka still in this video lol, guess when this video was made

[@yonh5350]

that kit JJ immaculate

[@MacrobianNomad]

Gabriel Magalhães missed 0 games in the league as he played all 38, which is apparent by your previous graphic that was only on for a second.

[@muhammedgamal5871]

Great one

[@minnumseerrund]

Holding was the one covering most of the games Saliba was out. It was only at the very backend Kiwior was given a shot at starting

[@aaronreichenberger2606]

Yes! From 09:30 on is why I’ve thought Tierney isn’t leaving since Arsenal agreed on this deal for Timber. Arsenal are no longer reliant on the right, but can switch their approach and attack the opposite side of the field when the game and opposition call for it.

[@mikevinsler6]

I love how Arsenal is making my Dad and big bro Happy , its been long since they were this happily optimistic of their team form

[@Squidward-jv7go]

So your dad and big brother are Arsenal fans but you’re a man City fan? Legitimately, absolutely, disgraceful

[@Clemzysmith]

Can’t believe I didn’t like JJ’s style the first time I watched him. He’s definitely grown on me a lot.

[@-abdalla6934]

I think he will be an excellent DM just like what Pep did last season with Stones

[@zeropluslessthan5126]

Would love for there to be a place for Tierney. What a legend.

[@DududududuSALIBA]

Brilliant as always and can see you are familiar with the Arsenal fanbase insecurities. Can't explain how much I enjoyed this. And the knowledge my word. Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant

[@BeatRoot14]

That yellow arsenal kit was too nice. Wish I had that one.

[@TetasGunners]

I have that same away jersey but long sleeve with Wilshere on the back I remember getting laughed at wearing that thing miss those days lol

[@jb1u23]

cant believe Tierney subbed on for 21 matches hes a real one for that teamplayer mentality

[@cellyszn20]

I aint even surprised the midfield and defence is so stacked, especially the defence. Thats been his focus since coming in. Knowing what tactics are needed and signing players to suit. I dont think you understand how important Mari and Soares was when he signed them when he did. They fixed up that defence, gave them a bit of depth that it helped them get the FA cup at the time. Arteta just knows what he is doing.

[@TheHalcyonShow]

The thing to notice about Jurrien Timber is, he's ace. I bloody adore JJ.

[@The_Dead_Zone]

This was quick 👍 I'm more excited for Timber than Rice or Kai because i know Timber fits us like a glove and now we have a very versatile CB who can cover Saliba or a inverted RB 👍Brilliant signing It's great now we can rest Ben White etc.

[@Jlau.]

I love the fact that he can be an inverted RB because then, you can play Tierney without expecting him to be an inverted LB

[@The_Dead_Zone]

@@Jlau. Exactly and resting White and Zinny in games etc.

[@Jlau.]

@@The_Dead_Zone yeah, Arsenal is looking very strong this season.

[@The_Dead_Zone]

@@Jlau. Agree

[@hanzosiku]

Ricardo Carvalho was known for his well timed trademark slide Tackles. So its not a bad skill to have.

[@ElModernGooner]

“Its going down, I’m yelling TIMBERRR”

[@en_gul_kaka]

time for a player profile on 23-year-old Emil holm who was rumored for Atalanta and Juventus and how he would fit into both teams

[@TJW-YT]

4:44 - "You can't sign a player for €40m and not really give them a starting place" Richarlison, Cucurella, Fofana, Sancho to name a few and that's not even mentioning the price of players on Citys bench - the team Arsenal want to be competing with. I'm not saying Timber will just be a back up, but signing a player for £30-40m to be a rotation/back up option is not all that crazy for the big Premier League sides.

[@william_SMMA]

I was looking for this comment! That was a really immature/FIFA kid type of thing to say lol All the best teams in the world - Madrid, city, Bayern - have £30m - £40m defenders who don't start every game

[@matthewfree7963]

I Love JJ Bull! He is the goat!

[@MADGUNSMONSTER]

Tifo IRL THANKS!!

[@christopherjarrett9067]

Love that jersey--have one meeself.

[@JR44444]

You should choose different colors for the tactics board.

[@raymanLENG]

TIFO THE GOAT!

[@Snorlaxxll]

How have you made this video about Kieran Tierney?

[@MacrobianNomad]

The Xhaka comment tells me when this video was made lool waiting in storage and the publish button ckicked today after the unveiling of Timber.

[@scraps7624]

I always think about our Gabi's as Big Gabi, Small Gabi, and Fast Gabi

[@nateboogie0217]

Greatest football top of all time! I love that version of the Arsenal yellow kits.

[@CatFuntCanton]

It reminds me of when we were a big club winning titles and not a small one bottling them

[@youngjed.i]

WHAT A VIDEO 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@merlinbotha363]

Man said Arsenal have Rob Holding as depth straight faced lmao

[@adamcrowther7251]

Need a vid on who replaces fabinho

[@t.robinson4774]

8:00 Your Granit comment’s odd. Did you record this’ll the weekend? Here Xhaka’s since been a Bayer Leverkusen player in the Bundesliga.

[@CarlinConnolly]

really good video JJ... signing Havertz kind of shows that Arsenal are not going to play with a full-on SK except when N'Ketiah plays but Arteta has 3 different types of No 9 now - Classic penalty area predator with pace and aerial ability, channel runner who is happy to drop into the hole with aerial ability, false 9 real 10 attacking midfielder who will naturally drop into midfield - and also with aerial ability1 Arsenal will score a lot of set pieces this year i think...

[@MrAdrien1999]

Kiwior is looking really promising right now! That JJ slander! (Love you JJ)

[@ezman212]

Name of the app please?

[@adventurerwannabe]

Slide tackling part is giving me mustafi nightmares

[@GeordieGunner96]

We need better than holding to win anything. Saw end of last season he just can't cut it.

[@azalikmar2]

White might just play the John Stones role

[@lilbitz17]

Lol Tifo had this video waiting for some time

[@bori5108]

😢you didnt even put Balogun in the squad. Hope he gets a chance in the premier league in the arsenal shirt

[@mujeebahmed7940]

Top signing for us. COYG!

[@mostafamohamed3758]

I think timber gives the flexibility and backup needed in Arsenal, but there's a point in comparing white and timber numbers because it's not fair comparing eredivisie with premier league so white is really good at carring ball but timber is more flexible and can cover many positions.