SUMMARY
- Manchester City and Arsenal draw 0-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
- 'The Cityzens' have struggled to break deep defensive lines.
Manchester City has been the most dominant side in English soccer over the past few years. ‘The Cityzens’ have played some high-grade soccer in the past and have become a force to reckon with.
Apart from their soccer prowess, Manchester City has become a global commercial giant, generating huge revenue every season. A serial winner, ‘The Cityzens’ have won the Premier League in each of their last three seasons, including a treble in the 22/23 season.
CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!!! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/n8dXDvOZyp
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 10, 2023
However, in the 23/24 season, the club has become a shadow of its former self. Many teams, like Arsenal, showed on matchday 29 of the season that Manchester City is not invincible, and this might worry its coach Pep Guardiola.
Manchester City attackers seemed clueless in front of Arsenal’s low block
The two teams took on each other on Easter Sunday in 2024 for an enthralling Premier League fixture. Both Arsenal and Manchester City were part of a three-horse race for the Premier League title, which also included Liverpool.
‘The Gunners’ were hoping that they could at least avoid a defeat at the Etihad Stadium that would keep their title hopes alive. Arsenal had lost their home game in the 22/23 season against Manchester City around the same time, which cost them the title.
And that is exactly how Mikel Arteta set up his team against ‘The Cityzens’. Arteta was very smart at identifying his opponent’s weaknesses this season.
957 passes completed in total.
3 shots on target in total. pic.twitter.com/uCNx0qlaZP
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) March 31, 2024
Pep Guardiola’s former assistant, Arteta, knew that Manchester City’s attacking style was lacking creativity after the departures of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez. The only creative threat that Arsenal was going to face was from Belgian maestro Kevin De Bruyne.
But Arsenal had successfully isolated De Bruyne, who could not influence the game much. Mikel Arteta perfectly neutralized the De Bruyne-Haaland connection with a well-set-up low block.
The Gunners’ then tried to play the ball on the counter but were let down by their striker Gabriel Jesus, who missed some key chances. At the full-time whistle, the score remained goalless, with Liverpool finishing the game on top of the Premier League.
The game with Arsenal once again demonstrated that Manchester City has struggled this season against teams that defend very deep. But it seems Pep Guardiola is in denial of this fact.
Pep Guardiola had a snarky comment on teams with low blocks
The former FC Barcelona manager has been a very big advocate of the possession-based total soccer concept. For Pep Guardiola, his teams should rather focus on the way they play rather than merely playing for the win.
He comes from a Barca school of thought in terms of soccer, where they teach one how to keep and move the ball all the time. So, it comes naturally when teams like Atletico Madrid, who have mastered the art of winning games despite having low possession, are hated by people like Guardiola.
The Spaniard’s despise for low-block defensive tactics was evident in 2024, when he replied to a question asking how to beat a team with a low block. Pep Guardiola answered the question by saying, “Kill someone, maybe?”
🔵 What is the solution playing against an opposition with a low block?
Pep Guardiola: “Kill someone, maybe?”. pic.twitter.com/dtEkc1iJLR
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 31, 2024
Despite the former FC Bayern Munich manager mocking the style of play, he has to agree that Manchester City has struggled to break a low block in the 23/24 season. ‘The Cityzens’ could not defeat a mediocre Chelsea side at all in the season, who, despite having a poor season, was able to earn two draws against Manchester City.
Moreover, Atletico Madrid showed against Manchester City in the 2021/22 UCL quarterfinal first leg that the English club finds it very difficult to deal with a low block. Even though Manchester City won the game 1-0, the reigning Premier League Champions had a hard time breaking Atleti’s low block.
Pep Guardiola is one of the most revered coaches in the soccer world. Therefore, he should not pass any derogatory comments towards his opposition’s tactics, even if his ideology does not align with them.
Kevin De Bruyne on Atletico Madrid: “It’s the first time in my life that I’ve seen a team play in a 5-5-0 formation.” pic.twitter.com/amNrFABYBH
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) April 6, 2022
The Spaniard should rather coach his team properly on how to exploit teams that defend before it’s too late. Otherwise, many teams would want to make the most of Manchester City’s newly found weakness.
