Manchester City vs Arsenal: Set-piece threat, use of Kai Havertz and restraining Erling Haaland are key football news for Gunners formula

Manchester Metropolis beat Arsenal to win the title final season, however having no opponents makes life tougher for them. The Gunners gained 1-0 on the Emirates Stadium and drew 0-0 on the Etihad Stadium, turning into the one crew to attain 4 factors.

Will they trigger extra issues for Guardiola’s aspect? tremendous sunday? The Championship aspect have taken most factors from their first 4 Premier League video games of the season and are two factors forward of their title rivals on the high of the desk.

However Arsenal shall be hoping to cease them for a 3rd recreation in a row, taking a lift from the way in which they restrained Haaland final season and understanding they’ve the means to trigger injury in assault even with out the injured Martin Odegaard.

Sunday, September 22, 4:00 pm

Begins at 4:30 pm

Assault vs. Protection

It will not be straightforward for Arsenal to repeat final season’s efforts, particularly given the brief turnaround following Thursday’s Champions League tie towards Atalanta in Italy.

Manchester Metropolis have an additional day to organize as they host Inter Milan within the Champions League on Wednesday and have began the season strongly, significantly in assault. They scored 96 objectives on their method to the title final season, 5 greater than Arsenal’s 91, they usually have continued the identical momentum this season.

Led by Haaland, who has scored 9 objectives, Metropolis have scored 11 objectives thus far, three greater than every other crew. They’re additionally tops in anticipated objectives, photographs on the right track and probabilities created.

Their whole of 875 passes within the closing third was nearly 33% greater than every other crew, which highlighted their opening video games towards Chelsea, Ipswich, West Ham and Brentford. Dominance within the recreation.

Arsenal, in the meantime, have solely scored six objectives and have a comparatively low anticipated objectives whole of 4.99, which places them in 14th place amongst Premier League groups. Mikel Arteta’s aspect additionally rank backside when it comes to probabilities created and passing within the closing third.

Arsenal have harder video games, in fact, with video games away to Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur and at dwelling to Brighton after Declan Rice was despatched off early within the second quarter He additionally performed almost half of the video games, with 10 gamers taking part.

Because the season progresses and the schedule turns into extra pleasant, the Gunners will undoubtedly climb the rankings. Nevertheless, Metropolis at the moment cleared the path when it comes to offensive output, they usually’ve additionally posted spectacular underlying numbers defensively.

Though they’ve conceded extra objectives than the Gunners and three lower than the Gunners, they rank increased when it comes to anticipated objectives conceded and objectives conceded on the right track, with Arsenal having some nice saves to thank from David Raya , solely to dam the opponent.

The Spain worldwide continued his wonderful kind within the Champions League on Thursday as his beautiful two saves have been key in Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Atalanta through which Arteta’s objective The crew additionally displayed spectacular defensive resilience.

Because the begin of final season’s Premier League, they’ve conceded simply 30 objectives to Manchester Metropolis’s 37.

How Arsenal dominated out Haaland

Arsenal will purpose to duplicate final season’s defensive efficiency towards Manchester Metropolis once they journey to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Not solely did Manchester Metropolis fail to attain in these video games, they even struggled to create probabilities when Arsenal’s defensive prowess was highlighted.

In truth, on the Emirates Stadium assembly in October, Metropolis’s anticipated objectives ratio was simply 0.48, the third-lowest whole in Guardiola’s 308 Premier League video games.

The scatter plot beneath illustrates simply how successfully Arsenal suppressed their probabilities. The Gunners are the one crew to have allowed fewer than two anticipated objectives to Manchester Metropolis in each video games, with Metropolis having simply 16 photographs in whole.

Haaland was contained brilliantly by William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, who continued to construct energy as a centre-back partnership able to successful bodily duels.

Final season, Manchester Metropolis’s away recreation towards Arsenal was the one recreation all season the place Haaland failed to complete, so the anticipated objectives have been zero.

He had 4 photographs within the 0-0 draw on the Etihad Stadium, however was solely price a complete of 0.31 anticipated objectives, nicely beneath his common, and none of them have been on the right track.

That is in stark distinction to final season, when Haaland scored in each video games towards Arsenal. Nevertheless, Saliba missed the 4-1 defeat on the Etihad Stadium on account of harm.

The Gunners have improved defensively since then and their success towards Haaland final season will be summed up by video footage of Saliba working alongside the striker and pushing him to the turf on the Emirates Stadium.

The incident occurred close to the midway line however Arsenal are more likely to sit deeper and put their our bodies behind the ball on the Etihad Stadium, as they’ve achieved in away wins towards Tottenham and Aston Villa this season, to frustrate Guardiola. Diola’s aspect additional restricted Haaland’s affect.

Arsenal’s attacking components

So, Arsenal have confirmed they’re able to holding Haaland and Manchester Metropolis at bay, however how can they harm them on the different finish of the pitch?

The lack of Odegaard’s creativity is a blow, however his teammate Kai Havertz is more likely to play a key function because the goal of direct passes.

The Gunners performed extra lengthy balls towards Manchester Metropolis than towards every other opponent final season, utilizing Havertz’s aerial and ball-carrying talents to bypass Metropolis’s press and permit them to push ahead.

The effectiveness of this method was on show with Gabriel Martinez’s winner on the Emirates Stadium, Havertz establishing the Brazilian after a protracted ball from Thomas Partey.

Arsenal can even trigger issues on the counter-attack.

Metropolis confirmed their vulnerability in final weekend’s slender win over Brentford and in Wednesday’s goalless draw with Inter, conceding 10 photographs within the first half alone to Simone Inzaghi’s aspect Continuously inflicting issues on the quick break, albeit with out capital letters.

Arsenal’s objective was to be much more ruthless. Their counter-attacking prowess helped them win a nook for Gabriel Magalhaes’ decisive objective in Sunday’s north London derby towards Tottenham Hotspur, an space through which they’ve improved because the begin of final season. Progress, as proven beneath.

Throughout this era, 19% of Arsenal’s photographs within the Premier League got here on the counter-attack, making them essentially the most environment friendly crew within the league above Aston Villa.

Gabriel’s successful header towards Spurs reminded individuals of their different greatest weapon: set items. Because the begin of final season, they’ve scored a complete of 24 set-pieces, which is unmatched within the Premier League. The identical goes for his or her set-piece conversion charges, as proven beneath.

Arsenal’s set-piece coach Nicolas Joffe, who was poached from Manchester Metropolis by Arteta, is predicted to as soon as once more create set-piece alternatives for Arsenal on the touchline on Sunday. They are going to be a key avenue for scoring objectives for Metropolis, who’re more likely to dominate possession.

Profitable the longer term?

Arteta insists Arsenal are on monitor to win trophies in interview sky sports activities Performed earlier than the north London derby. A constructive outcome towards Manchester Metropolis will gasoline that optimism.

The age construction of the present crew is encouraging. For a crew as younger as Arsenal, title wins in both of the previous two seasons can be unprecedented.

Nevertheless, their common age this season has exceeded 26 years previous, and their wealthy expertise places them at a degree extra according to previous championship groups.

Gary Neville says their expertise confirmed of their efficiency at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. “It is a present of crew and experience,” he mentioned. “Crafty, not naive, not immature – fairly the alternative. That is an skilled, mature crew and that is what a crew that wins a number of titles must be like.”

After all, it will not be easy towards the Manchester Metropolis machine. Arsenal have not gained the Premier League title in twenty years. They haven’t gained on the Etihad Stadium since 2015.

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