Mikel Arteta. The Student has FINALLY defeated the Master! A perfect Tactical performance from Mikel, the training ground to the pitch everything was on point. Factor in astute in game management. Arsenal & Mikel finally are victorious against Man City.
The Lineup:
The lineup may not have been what we predicted in midfield and attack but the tactical strategy behind it was correct.
The backline these days AND Raya pick themselves its always our strongest back four and GK option at the moment. The midfield was a dynamic choice from Mikel a double CDM pivot with Rice and Jorginho. Where the Italian held in front of the back four allowing ball carrying and Declan roamed through the middle like a real general!
The double pivot not only allowed Declan freedom to influence play across the whole midfield. Btu the defensive ability of Jorginho allowed for Zinchenko to move across the left flank and even into LCM role, whilst being covered by Jorginho.
The starting front line… well they certainly were not as effective as the 2nd half. Trossard simply didn’t get into the game and Eddie floundered throughout. He didn’t perform but the magic came in the 2nd half with the HT sub for Gabriel Martinelli.
Gabriel Martinelli, who came on as a substitute at half-time, scored the only goal of the game. He transformed Arsenal’s attack with his direct running, something that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is well aware of. Guardiola has spoken highly of Martinelli in the past, even calling him an “incredible weapon.” It was a fine return to The Carpet for Martinelli. My god was he effect. Direct, pacey and lethal he was everywhere causing problems immediately for Man City and their defence.
In the absence of the injured Bukayo Saka, Martinelli proved that there is more to Arsenal’s attack than just one player. This is another significant achievement for Arsenal, as they have finally broken their hoodoo against Manchester City in the Premier League.
Tactical Teta & The Perfect In-Game Management:
Mikel was on fire this game. It all started two days before. With the mind games between Mikel and Pep both talking about players John Stones & Saka being fit for the game. Ultimately Saka wouldn’t feature in the squad at all whilst Stones, who Pep said was unfit started on City’s bench.
Mikel’s Tactics were abundantly clear once the team sheets were announced a double midfield pivot to secure the backline and allow creativity from inverting players such as Zinchenko and Rice floating from a 6 to an 8.
Perfect in game manage with his HT sub for Martinelli proved a masterclass. However at the 75th minute brining on Tomiyasu, Partey and Havertz is where Mikel really got it right. The creativity increased massively. Tomiyasu was able to deal with the new threat that Doku had presented. Whilst Havertz and Partey enabled a level of poise and control to really go to another level.
More importantly all of the substitutions were instrumental in the goal. Each involved in making a key pass, ending with Havertz creating the assist for Martinelli to smash it home.
All in all an excellence performance from the Manager.
Brick Walls. A Rolls-Royce & A Favela Hero:
Gabriel and William Saliba were both excellent in central defense for Arsenal, and their performances should not be overlooked, despite Manchester City’s lack of attacking threat.
Saliba’s injury at the end of last season was a major blow for Arsenal, and this performance showed how important he is to the team. He was dominant in the air and on the ground, winning all of his duels and completing 97% of his passes. He also did not commit a single foul or get dribbled past once.
It was a flawless performance from a world-class defender.
Declan Rice POTM:
“Every single player showed great desire and commitment to defending,” said Arteta, which has not always been the case with this Arsenal team. This time, though, they were more rugged than elegant, and that can be the difference in big, important games. This is also where a warrior like Declan Rice comes in, and why someone like the suspended Rodri is so badly missed by City. They have lost all three games without him.
In a week where Pep Guardiola revealed just how much he rated Rice and pushed for his City side to get the former West Ham captain. Declan showed in on the pitch on Sunday. He was everywhere a true Midfield General performance. Not only was Rice instrumental in securing the back line. He really put his body on the line in making crunching tackles right on the ball and avoiding fouls. He galvanised the team spirit at times really rallying both the players and the fans.
Rice has really become an interception machine in the Arsenal midfield. Stepped up to end long spells of seemingly infinite City possession. Good on the ball too and showed a forward desire befitting of his box-to-box role.
Conclusion:
We may have got the team sheet wrong. But Art of Analysis got everything else right in our Previews & Predictions we released on Friday.
With the scoreline being correct, the POTM being correct and the Bet winning too. It was a clean sweep for me/Art of Analysis and this is something to be proud of!
Ultimately this was the game to get the monkey off our backs. The curse broken. Without Saka Arsenal are still Arsenal. Finally Mikel has elevated himself from the Student role. Furthermore the team have got a boost of confidence rarely seen.
With key players also getting further rests during the international break. Now is time for Mikel to take stock, for the team to rest, and for the title push to really carry on in 2 weeks time!
Written by Reekesh Somaroo