There was a familiar feel about Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in Premier League in more ways than one. Firstly, Arsenal’s dour defensive performance almost earned it all three points once again. Then, there was the last-gasp equalizer from Manchester City, proving once again that champions need to have survival abilities just as much as they need panache and class. Finally, there were a number of questionable refereeing decisions that seem inevitable in a big Premier League match nowadays.
Regardless, John Stones’ equalizer not only salvaged a point from the match, but also kept the Cityzens as the favorites in the title-race. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, meanwhile, let go of a great opportunity to rise to the top of the league table. Manchester City now has 13 points from five matches, while Arsenal has 11 points from the same number of games played.
Arsenal’s Ultra-Defensive Approach
It was quite expected and did not come as a surprise that Arsenal parked the bus in front of their goal for the majority of the match. In fact, after Leandro Trossard’s sending off just before half-time, the match was virtually played completely in Arsenal’s defensive third. In the second half, Manchester City had 87% ball-possession and 28 shots at the Arsenal goal.
The Gunners, meanwhile, almost became successful in their über-defensive strategy after Riccardo Calafiori’s wonderful debut goal and Gabriel’s customary header from a corner had given them a 2-1 lead at the break. The Gunners applied the same tactics against the Cityzens last season. So did Real Madrid in their UEFA Champions League semifinal with City last season, grinding out a win in the end.
Pep Guardiola’s team, meanwhile, were a bit too intent on creating their moves through the right flank. Savinho, the right-winger who registered a brilliant assist in the first half, was City’s primary creative outlet in the first half and then Bernardo Silva became so after Savinho was switched to the left flank.
However, City’s equalizer only happened thanks to Jack Grealish, the left-winger who came in as a substitute. Grealish’s short pass from the left paved the way for Stones’ goal that cancelled out Arsenal’s lead. The reigning Premier League champions had a lot of difficulty in breaking through the forest of legs the Gunners had inside their box almost all the time.
With 10 men behind the ball almost always, Arteta’s team made it difficult for Manchester City, who were missing Kevin de Bruyne and Rodri, their two most influential players, for the majority of the match. The Cityzens will have to be prepared for more such challenges in the future, as a lot of teams will likely imitate what Arsenal did against them.
Granted, not all teams have the defensive fortitude that the Gunners have. Still, Manchester City will have to build up faster against such teams and will also need a ball-carrier down the middle, who can set the wingers free by playing passes to them from an advanced position in the final third.
Main Image sourced via Flickr