Arsenal’s Formula for Success: Containing Erling Haaland and Utilizing Kai Havertz as a Set-Piece Threat Against Man City | Football News | Football

September 22, 2024

Manchester City beat Arsenal to the title final season however no opponent made their life tougher. With a 1-0 win on the Emirates Stadium and a goalless draw on the Etihad Stadium, the Gunners had been the one aspect to take 4 factors off them.

Could they trigger extra issues for Pep Guardiola's aspect on Super Sunday? The champions have taken most factors from their first 4 Premier League video games of the season, placing them two forward of their title rivals on the high of the desk.

But Arsenal can be hoping to maintain them at bay for a third consecutive sport, taking encouragement from how they shackled Erling Haaland final season, and understanding they've methods of doing harm offensively too, even with out the injured Martin Odegaard.

Attacks and defences in contrast

Repeating final season's efforts is not going to be simple for Arsenal, significantly given the quick turnaround to the sport following Thursday's Champions League exertions towards Atalanta in Italy.

City have had an additional day to arrange, having hosted Inter Milan of their Champions League sport on Wednesday, and have began the marketing campaign strongly, significantly in assault. Having smashed 96 objectives on their method to the title final season, 5 greater than Arsenal's complete of 91, the champions have continued in the identical vein this time period.

With the nine-goal Haaland main the way in which, City have scored 11 objectives thus far – three greater than another aspect. They additionally rank high for anticipated objectives, pictures on course and probabilities created.

Their complete of 875 final-third passes is almost 33 per cent greater than another aspect's, underlining their dominance throughout their opening video games towards Chelsea, Ipswich, West Ham and Brentford.

Arsenal, in the meantime, have solely scored six objectives, from a comparatively low anticipated purpose complete of 4.99, which places them 14th amongst Premier League sides. Mikel Arteta's aspect additionally rank within the backside half by way of probabilities created and final-third passes.

Arsenal have in fact had the tougher fixtures, going away to Aston Villa and Tottenham whereas additionally taking part in virtually half of their dwelling sport towards Brighton with 10 males following Declan Rice's sending off early within the second interval.

The Gunners will probably climb up the rankings as the season progresses and the fixtures develop into kinder. Right now, although, City are method forward by way of attacking output and they're posting spectacular underlying numbers defensively too.

While they've conceded extra objectives than Arsenal, with three to the Gunners' one, they rank greater by way of anticipated objectives conceded and pictures on course conceded, with Arsenal indebted to some wonderful saves from David Raya for preserving out their opponents.

The Spain worldwide carried his fantastic type into the Champions League on Thursday, his gorgeous double save proving key in Arsenal's goalless draw with Atalanta, one other sport during which Arteta's aspect have proven spectacular defensive resilience.

Since the beginning of final season within the Premier League, they've conceded solely 30 objectives to City's 37. Arsenal cleared the path for clear sheets too, with 21 to City's 14.

How Arsenal locked out Haaland

Arsenal will purpose to copy final season's defensive shows towards City once they head to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

City, as nicely as failing to attain in these video games, struggled to even create probabilities as Arsenal's defensive power got here to the fore.

In reality, within the Emirates Stadium assembly in October, City registered solely 0.48 anticipated objectives, their third-lowest complete throughout Pep Guardiola's 308 Premier League video games as their supervisor.

The scatter graph beneath hammers dwelling simply how successfully Arsenal suppressed their alternatives. The Gunners had been the one aspect to carry City to underneath two anticipated objectives throughout their two video games, with City mustering a mixed complete of solely 16 pictures.

Haaland was fantastically contained by William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, who proceed to go from power to power as a centre-back pairing able to successful bodily battles.

Last season, City's away sport towards Arsenal was the one one all season during which Haaland was unable to register a single shot, subsequently scoring zero for anticipated objectives.

He had 4 pictures within the goalless draw on the Etihad Stadium however they had been price a mixed complete of solely 0.31 anticipated objectives, method down on his common, and none of them had been on course.

It was a sharp distinction from the earlier season, when Haaland scored in each video games towards Arsenal. That was, nonetheless, with Saliba lacking the 4-1 loss on the Etihad on account of damage.

The Gunners have improved immensely in a defensive sense since then, their success towards Haaland final season summed up by the viral clip of Saliba going shoulder to shoulder with the striker on the Emirates, sending him sprawling to the turf.

That incident befell close to the midway line, however Arsenal are prone to sit deeper on the Etihad Stadium, placing our bodies behind the ball, as of their away wins over Spurs and Aston Villa this season, in a bid to frustrate Guardiola's aspect and additional restrict Haaland's affect.

Arsenal's offensive system

Arsenal have proved their capability to close out Haaland and City, then, however how might they harm them on the different finish of the pitch?

The lack of Odegaard's creativity is a blow however his team-mate Kai Havertz is prone to play a key function as a goal for direct passes.

Last season, the Gunners made extra lengthy passes towards City than they did towards another opponent, utilizing Havertz's aerial and hold-up means to bypass City's press and get them up the pitch.

The effectiveness of the strategy shone via in Gabriel Martinelli's winner on the Emirates, with Havertz teeing up the Brazilian following a lengthy cross by Thomas Partey.

Arsenal may even look to trigger issues on the counter-attack.

City confirmed vulnerability on that entrance of their slender win over Brentford final weekend, and once more of their goalless draw towards Inter on Wednesday, once they gave up 10 pictures within the first half alone, with Simone Inzaghi's aspect in a position to trigger repeated issues from quick breaks, albeit with out capitalising.

Arsenal will purpose to be extra ruthless. Their counter-attacking means helped them win the nook for Gabriel Magalhaes' decisive purpose in Sunday's North London derby towards Tottenham and it's an space during which they've proven enchancment because the begin of final season, as is obvious within the graphic beneath.

In that timeframe, Arsenal have transformed 19 per cent of their pictures from counter-attacks within the Premier League, placing them forward of Aston Villa as essentially the most environment friendly aspect within the division.

Gabriel's headed winner towards Spurs was a reminder of one other of their greatest weapons: set-pieces. Since the beginning of final season, their complete of 24 set-piece objectives is unrivalled within the Premier League. So too is their set-piece conversion fee, as proven beneath.

Expect to see Nicolas Jover, the Arsenal set-piece coach poached from City by Arteta, orchestrating Arsenal's dead-ball alternatives from the touchline as soon as once more on Sunday. They can be a essential path to purpose with City prone to dominate possession.

Title-winning future?

Arteta insisted Arsenal are on the trail to successful trophies, in an interview with Sky Sports carried out forward of the north London derby. A optimistic end result towards City would gas that optimism.

There is encouragement to be discovered within the age profile of the present staff. A title triumph in both of the final two seasons would have been unprecedented with a aspect as younger as Arsenal's.

This season, although, their common age has crept above 26, their better expertise placing them in a bracket which is rather more in line with title-winning sides of the previous.

Their expertise shone via of their show on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, based on Gary Neville. “That was a team and performance of know-how,” he mentioned. “Wily, not naive, not immature – it was the opposite of that. It was experienced, mature and it was what a team who has won multiple titles would play like.”

Of course, it is not going to be simple towards the Manchester City machine. Arsenal haven't gained the Premier League crown in twenty years. They haven't gained on the Etihad Stadium since 2015. But they'll go there with better confidence than in earlier years, the teachings of final season's conferences contemporary of their minds.

Watch Man City vs Arsenal dwell on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 4pm; kick-off 4.30pm