OVERVIEW
Arteta finally ended Man City's 12-match winning streak against them as Arsenal beat the citizens for the first time since 2015. It was quite an end-to-end match. Both the teams were very disciplined with their defence. Man City recorded only one shot on target out of their four shots on goal, which is one of their poorest performances by far.
Arteta's substitutions made a huge impact. Martinelli scored the only goal of the match - it was good to see Partey back.
TACTICAL BREAKDOWN
Manchester City played a completely different formation from the one uploaded on the official EPL website before the match.
Bernardo Silva operated as an orchestrator at the heart of the midfield. Along with Kovacic, they played a double pivot. However, in some situations, Bernardo was also seen as a single pivot.
I have seen Guardiola using his wingers before, but I had never expected what he did in this match. With the likes of Grealish, Doku, Foden, and Mahrez -- we know Pep like to create opportunities with his wingers by either giving them 1v1 situations with the fullbacks or creating an inside channel with Kevin De Bruyne or whoever is playing.
In this match, Foden and Alvarez were at the centre of the pitch just behind Haaland, acting as two second-strikers.
In possession, Haaland, Foden, Julian and Rico Lewis moved up the pitch while keeping a very narrow shape. Bernardo and Kovacic were the pivot. Walker and Gvardiol gave them the extra width in the wings. It was a very high-line attacking play that City were playing.
Guardiola opted for a high press whenever the Arsenal goalkeeper had the ball at his feet. Kovacic marked Jorginho or Zinchenko, whoever was at the centre just in front of the goalie. the fullbacks were marked by Foden and Julian respectively. Rico Lewis marked Declan Rice. In this situation, the goalkeeper has no option but to launch the ball higher up the pitch. Man City recovered the ball easily in this fashion.
Off possession, Man City organised themselves into a 4-4-2 system. Rico Lewis was up there with Haaland in the final third due to his high work rate. Guardiola already appreciated Rico's determination. He is young and can run up and down the pitch with high intensity.
In the second half, after the substitutions, Doku took up the right wing: he was the one who kept the width down the right flank instead of Gvardiol. Walker moved higher up the pitch almost as a winger to provide support. Bernardo Silva and Foden were the second strikers now, while Nunes and John Stones held the midfield pivot.
VIDEO ANALYSIS OF SOME POINTS:
**NOTE: All the match screenshots are taken from the live stream of the match from Disney+ Hotstar. I have annotated them to provide my analytical perspectives.
Good job ....