Online Reporter
DECLAN RICE says the title race isn’t over — but it sure could have been if Arsenal hadn’t lost 2-1 to Manchester City at the Etihad.
Mikel Arteta‘s men were fantastic and went there with real intent, pressing higher and more aggressively than they have in a long time.
But Pep Guardiola and his tactical genius found a way to win a brilliant game of ‘chess press’.
It is just a hope now that it goes to the last hour of the league to see a repeat of an Aguero-like moment.
SunSport’s tactics guru Dean Scoggins has taken a look at how City broke the Gunners’ hearts in the latest episode of Tactics Exposed.
Bernardo key pawn in ‘chess press’
Bernando Silva was the key piece in the game of press chess alongside Rodri.
Arsenal showed real intent for the first time in a long time — similar to the first 20 minutes of the Carabao final — they went for a high press straight on that was more aggressive than City’s.
Arsenal figured out pre-game that City would split their full-backs and block the middle section, and their press was incredibly impressive early on.
But Silva and Rodri completely disrupted it.
They basically emptied the midfield and dropped in between to become the centre-backs, allowing City’s actual defenders to split out and the full-backs to push even higher.
It left Arsenal’s attackers totally confused. When Gabriel Martinelli came on, he had no clue what to do or who to follow because of Silva’s clever positioning. Silva’s work rate was phenomenal, running a quarter of a mile further than any Arsenal player.
He and Rodri were the absolute key pieces in bypassing the Arsenal press.
And when Rodri goes in on Gianluigi Donnarumma and Rice follows him, it pulls Abukodir Kusanov out to the right as the next passing option.
That then forces Marc Guehi to drop off to the left for balance, leaving space centrally.
Bernardo drifts into that pocket, and if no one tracks him, the passing lane opens up.
City can then play straight through into Jeremy Doku and Haaland on the front line.
Hulk Haaland
Gabriel Magalhaes probably should have been sent off, but on the balance of play, it was sort of one of the most entertaining bits about this game and Haaland did come out on top.
We are so used to seeing Haaland’s touch map confined to the penalty area, but on Sunday, he put in an all-action, centre-forward performance that battered Arsenal into submission.
Because of the Gunners’ aggressive high press, Haaland had to step up and take touches in the centre circle and around the halfway line.
He ran the Arsenal centre-backs horizontally and vertically, pulling them into areas they didn’t want to be in. It could be considered a bit of a shame Gabriel putting himself in a position sending off could still impact the rest of the Prem season with potentially a red card and a suspension.
Gabriel tried to muscle him, but Haaland did a fabulous job positionally and eventually won the physical battle in the end.
On the other hand, Kai Havertz missed two chances but did brilliantly in the air and got stuck in with the two City centre-backs.
But Haaland did it to the Arsenal back four and then won out in the end. While he was keeping the centre-backs busy, Rodri made the crucial unseen movement that unlocked Arsenal for City’s second goal. Starting deep, Rodri burst from the edge of his own box into the area and crucially left the Arsenal centre-midfielders behind him.
That forced Arsenal’s defenders, who had been doubling up on Haaland, into a split-second dilemma to stick or switch.
And that hesitation delayed play enough for Haaland to score. You cannot play with a target man like Haaland if you don’t get people in the box with him.
Roast Cherki
Rayan Cherki‘s goal was absolutely brilliant — the balance, the poise, and the composure in a tight area was nothing short of Lionel Messi-esque
He didn’t even think about going down to win a penalty. He just navigated Gabriel’s weird long-barrier cricket fielding stance and skipped past Rice‘s desperate toe-poke to score.
But his off-the-ball work was just as cheeky. Gabriel surprisingly decided to man-mark him out of his free role, leaving William Saliba one-on-one with Haaland. Cherki realised this and just took Gabriel for a little run around the pitch to wear him out, like a dog owner letting his pet off the leash at the park. That Messi-esque finish from Cherki doesn’t happen without City’s sheer, relentless intent to suffocate their opponents.
In the build-up to the goal, Arsenal tried to clear the ball multiple times, but City kept the attack alive on the edge of the box.
First, Silva flicked it over Rice. Then, Guehi was perfectly positioned on the edge of the box to keep the pressure on. Finally, Matheus Nunes stepped up to keep the ball in the danger zone, leading directly to the magic moment. If they don’t have that unified intent to be up in the faces of the opposition, their No10 never gets the ball in those lethal areas.
It was an absolute tactical masterclass. — Sun
Mathew Masinge