FINE margins were all that separated Manchester City and Arsenal in their title race last season.
That was the closest that the North London club have come to winning the league under Mikel Arteta so far, but this weekend sees the two sides meet again in an early but potentially crucial match-up.
Arsenal actually fared better across their two games against City last season, winning the first meeting 1-0 at the Emirates before securing a 0-0 draw at the Etihad.
Despite finishing in second position at the end of the season, the former Arsenal captain came under criticism from sections of the Gunners fanbase for playing too defensively in some matches.
Now, with Arsenal and Arteta preparing to face off against their biggest challengers, the Spanish coach will be preparing a game plan that he hopes can result in them drawing first blood in the title race.
We have taken an in-depth look at three of the key tactical points that can help Arsenal achieve that goal against Pep Guardiola’s side on Sunday.
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Arsenal need to put City under pressure
There are really no secrets around the way Man City will approach this game, as it is the same they will approach every game this season.
A 4-3-3 shape will be partnered by them looking to dominate possession of the ball as they play forward through the thirds and dominate the attack in all areas of the pitch.
However, their possession game is not based on passing for the sake of passing.
Instead, they pass with a sense of purpose as they look to move the ball into dangerous areas and create opportunities for talismanic striker Erling Haaland.
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In order to combat this approach, Arsenal cannot afford to be passive out of possession.
There can be a temptation for teams, even those at Arsenal’s level, to look to sit back and be strong and compact against the ball when they face City’s metronomical passing.
Despite Arsenal having the players to be successful in this approach, they will be better suited to pressing high and trying to disrupt the City build-up as early as possible.
There is, of course, a risk in choosing to press against City in this manner and if the champions are able to play quickly and break the pressure then they can have space to play into.
They also pose a real risk when playing more direct passes into the body or feet of Haaland on the highest line.
Despite this potential risk, putting pressure on City and being more brave and aggressive against them will pay off for Arsenal.
If you put City under pressure high then you can force mistakes in their passing game, which in turn can create chances to turnover opportunities and yielding high-quality chances at goal.
The likes of Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka will be key for Arsenal in terms of leading and coordinating the press.
Arsenal cannot afford to sit back and be passive against the ball this coming weekend.
Play quick combinations in the attack
Under Arteta, Arsenal have developed a reputation for being relatively slow and very structured in how they build the attack.
They have a lot of size in the team with a preference for at least three players on the first line as they build-out, typically with Ben White holding a deeper line at right-back and making a line of three with the two central defenders.
In order for them to be successful against this City side, however, they will need to ensure they play at tempo with quick combinations as they move into the middle and final thirds.
Arsenal will be boosted by the return of Declan Rice, their key player at the base of the midfield, and his presence likely alongside Thomas Partey will allow Arsenal to play with more control in the midfield.
Having Havertz as the central striker also allows Arsenal to overload opposition midfields as the German will drop back into the midfield to join with the build-up phase.
City are very good in possession, but out of possession, they can leave gaps between the lines of their units that can be exploited by good technical teams who move the ball with speed and precision.
It is in these positions Arsenal cannot afford to be passive or slow with the ball.
They need to be able to move the ball quickly and to look for ways to combine and free up attacking players moving into pockets of space.
If Arsenal are able to achieve this as they build and attack in possession then they will force City into a more defensive shape as they look to defend the threat of the transition.
Arsenal need to find movement from their advanced central midfielders and from their striker to get into these pockets of space to force City to adopt a more defensive mindset.
To defeat City this weekend Arsenal need to be brave and bold when they are in possession of the ball.
Be aware of the threat in wide areas
While the onus for Arsenal is for them to be expressive and brave when they have the ball, there is no doubt they will still need to consider the threat City pose when they are attacking.
Haaland, of course, brings real threat with his performances as the central striker already getting him nine goals in four games.
But so far this season it has been their ability in wide areas causing real threat.
Exciting Brazilian talent Savinho is already playing a key role in this regard following his arrival in the summer.
City like to build the attack in a structured manner through the thirds until they reach the final third and release the wide players, such as Savinho, to attack their fullback 1v1.
The key for Arsenal and for Arteta will be to ensure that when City are attacking and are building into the wide areas in this manner they maintain a strong and compact block defensively.
This actually suits Arsenal and part of their success to this point under Arteta has been their dogged ability to defend in a deeper block.
This is part of the reason that their recruitment has tended to centre around taller and more physically dominant players.
There is no doubt Arsenal will have to be strong and secure defensively this weekend to prevent City from being able to easily break them down.
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Conclusion
The game this weekend against City represents a difficult balancing act for Arteta, with discipline against the ball set to be key in achieving victory.
However, there is a real sense it is time for Arsenal to be more creative and open from an attacking point of view in order to break City down.
Arsenal ratings vs Atalanta as Raya saves uninspiring Gunners in Italy
ARSENAL had some David Raya heroics to thank for a points in the Champions League opener.
Raya’s stunning double save just after the break spared Thomas Partey’s blushes after the midfielder gave away a penalty.
And that was the closest either side came to a goal in the 0-0 draw.
Here’s how SunSport’s Joshua Jones rated Mikel Arteta’s men…
David Raya – 9
Produced a simply stunning double save to stop Mateo Retegui’s penalty and then flung himself across to push away the follow-up rebound header – even better than his effort to deny Ollie Watkins.
Robbie Savage labelled it the “best save I’ve ever seen” while Gunners fans lauded their Spanish hero, who has conceded just once in five games so far this term.
Ben White – 7
Given the daunting task of trying to keep Ademola Lookman quiet inside a rocking Gewiss Stadium but completed the job with his classic relaxed, languid demeanour.
William Saliba – 8
One of the world’s top centre-backs but did not need to be anywhere near his best – solid enough when called upon, including excellent late sliding tackle in own box.
Retegui showed great movement but Saliba will have far sterner tests this season, none more so than up against Erling Haaland on Sunday.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 7
Like his partner Saliba, Gabriel helped ensure the Arsenal defence came out on top.
Starting to run out of words to say about this pair who just concede so few chances.
Jurrien Timber – 7
Adds an extra dimension to this Arsenal side – showing just how much he was missed when sidelined last season.
Arguably had the easiest evening’s work of the four defenders.
Thomas Partey – 4
Martin Keown described the Gunners’ retraction en masse during the transition as Arteta putting up his own “Thames Barrier”.
But Partey nearly allowed the floodgates to open by giving away the penalty three minutes into the second half – only to be rescued by Raya’s heroics.
Declan Rice – 6
Top awareness to sniff out the Atalanta danger and help control midfield.
But squandered a great chance to drive Arsenal forward when he won the ball on the halfway line and could have launched a potent counter.
Kai Havertz – 6
With Jesus starting up front, Havertz dropped into a deeper role – but he is perfectly comfortable there, too, and can carry the ball forwards.
Little to show for his evening, though, but continued to put a shift in defensively until the final whistle.
Buakyo Saka – 6
Drew the foul from Ederson who collected an early yellow and from the resulting free-kick almost squeezed a low effort into bottom corner but for top save.
Given a breather for final 20 minutes with an eye on Sunday.
Gabriel Jesus – 5
Captain on the night was his typical busy self early on getting himself around but virtually all of his involvement was outside the Atalanta penalty area.
Withdrawn before the hour mark.
Gabriel Martinelli – 4
Struggled to get in the game and then when he did get in, squandered a really good chance when he blazed over.
Definitely not hitting top form so far this season and may well find himself among the subs against Manchester City.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
