23 years ago yesterday, we lost the footballing great that was David Rocastle. He was famous for his wonderful skill, his indomitable spirit, his boundless tenacity. It was somehow fitting that Arsenal should be playing one of the biggest games of the season, in which we would need to exhibit all these qualities, on the anniversary of his passing.
Pre-match I must confess to being surprised at seeing Stones on the bench and Walker completely missing. Football managers can tend to be economical with the actualité and I had assumed that their early removal from England games and statement of their lack of fitness had been part of the well-known City approach to a certain amount of, shall we say, obfuscation. Conspiracy theories be damned…. For our part it was a surprise to see Martinelli on the bench rather than the pitch.
The game started as expected with City dominating both ball and territory. It was immediately noticeable that Arsenal were quite willing not to press and be moved out of their shape when the City keeper in particular had the ball. This was clearly a planned approach on the part of Arteta. And it began to reap rewards as we were beginning to win the ball back high up the field as a result of not being a man down through not pressing the keeper, when in the 7th minute we broke their possession in the final third as they attempted to play out from the back, resulting in a super cross from Ben White to find Jesùs who chested down and got his shot off, just pass the post. In response on 15 minutes a City corner resulted in Ake managing to misconnect with a header and the ball dribbling to Raya. Replays clearly show Ake pushing his marker, Jorginho, in the back in order to win the space needed but as we know from the other petro-financed club, some pushes are more equal than others so I wouldn’t have expected any resulting goal to have been overturned.
Having weathered the initial 25-minute onslaught, Arsenal began to grow more into the game, still from the security of the compact, disciplined tactical approach. The game slowed down to the extent that it rather more closely resembled a Serie A game than the usual blood and thunder of the Premiership. Arsenal were winning the psychological battle and the noise from the home fans was noticeably diminished.
The second half began and it immediately became apparent that Arsenal had decided that they could now put the press into effect. Arteta had clearly figured out that you can’t press City for 90 minutes and so, in true George Graham-Anfield ‘89 style, elected to keep it tight until half time and expend the energy in the second half. On 51 minutes, the change in approach nearly yielded a reward when the pressing from Havertz, Odegaard and Saka resulted in a loose pass played into the midfield from Dias. Finally, the ball was won back by White and Saliba, who had run as far as the edge of the City defensive third in order to press Gvardiol and Foden respectively. Saliba’s immediate pass forward to Ødegaard allowed the Norwegian to slip in Saka, who had made an excellent run in between Foden and Dias in the inside right channel. Saka hit a low first time cross towards the far post and Jesùs slid in but was a couple of feet from putting the ball into the net. Slick, quick, crisp passing. From the quick goal kick City tried to break but first Jorginho, twice, and then Ødegaard made tactical fouls to ensure that the forward momentum which had resulted in us being momentarily out of shape could not be pounced upon by City. Unsurprisingly, the City players complained in unison in the petulant manner one might expect employees of a club with 115 financial irregularity charges hanging over it to do. But the referee, probably inured to seeing City perform the same trick many times over recent years, took no further action than awarding a free kick.
On 60 minutes, Guardiola brought off Kovacic and Foden and replaced them with Grealish and Doku in a signal of attacking intent. Normally we are used to seeing Doku deployed on the left, where his lack of faith in his left foot noticeably results in him having to cut inside. Today he was positioned on the right and it very much looked as though the Arsenal defenders had been given detailed instructions to try to show him inside onto his left, as, one magical shimmy aside, he was shepherded expertly by the Arsenal defence,.
In response to these changes, Arteta acted quickly and on 65 minutes replaced Kiwior, who to my mind had been very good, especially bearing in mind he had played 120 mins for his country in midweek, with Tomiyasu in order to assist with keeping Doku quiet, and Jorginho with Partey. Earlier in the season there was some disquiet around the perceived unwillingness of Arteta to make substitutions in a timely manner. Here he acted calmly and decisively, spotting exactly what was needed. Jesùs was booked for stupidity shortly after and again Arteta acted promptly by substituting him with Trossard, a clearly tiring Saka also being replaced by Martinelli minutes later. Saka had bust a gut in acting as back up for Ben White to ensure City could not overload down his wing, as indeed had Jesùs on the opposite flank. Attention to detail is a cornerstone of Arteta’s management and we are all the better for it.
Going into the final 15 minutes, the game opened up as both teams somewhat released the handbrake. Space started to appear as the dominant defences tired. On 83 minutes, Haaland somehow failed to capitalise on a corner which resulted in him being free at the far post, looking to knock the ball back for the onrushing Dias to put into an empty net. However, he miraculously missed his kick, showing fine motor skills resembling those of a newborn deer. Perhaps it was as a result of him struggling to get accustomed to the bright light shining down in the spring sun, having spent much of the previous 80 odd minutes in the inside pockets of Saliba and Gabriel.
Almost immediately Arsenal had a wonderful opportunity to score. Partey received the ball facing the Arsenal goal in our final third, turned smartly, shaking off the attentions of the possibly still blinking Haaland, and played a delightful through ball to Ødegaard who passed it smartly on down the outside left channel to Trossard. The Belgian had timed his run to perfection to break the high line but needed to pass immediately to the far post where Martinelli was running in. Having not taken this option, Trossard managed to retrieve the situation partially and got a shot off, but in truth the save was comfortable for Ortega.
The referee blew and I imagine the deep breaths from the Arsenal fans felt like the first they had taken all match. Competitive spirit was still high and Gabriel, who was having none of the Norwegian T-1000 cyborg’s nonsense walked off still arguing the toss him. It was good to see.
Conclusions
The performance yesterday was full of the qualities so familiar to those us who had the pleasure of watching that great No. 7 of days gone by. – skill, spirit, tenacity. David Rocastle would not have been out of place on the pitch in this game. Look at the way in which Jesus and Saka sublimated much of their forward ambition in order to provide extra security for the full backs. Look at the way Foden and de Bruyne were shackled by a midfield which was resolute in understanding and sticking to a compact, disciplined approach. Above all, look at the way Saliba and Gabriel refused to be bullied by the huge physical presence of Haaland. City had not failed to score at home for two and a half years, a remarkable feat. We restricted them to a grand total of a single effort on goal and at the same time, to my mind at least, we had the better chances. For me, yesterday was the day that this manager and team truly came of age. We may not win anything this year, but even the most purblind pundit can’t fail to see the progress we have made and the inexorable upward trajectory of the club as a whole. David Rocastle would, I am sure, have been proud of the team and the manager and the way in which they refused to be cowed into submission against the team which is current holder of the Premier League and Champions League titles. We have a team once again capable of living up to that famous quote.
Excellent report and a set of conclusions that are spot on. Only their former employee Cole Palmer has managed to put the ball in our net for the 115ers after 300 minutes of football this season. The tide is turning against them and our future is bright.
Cheers CER!
Would only take issue with the description of the Gabriel / Haarland afters. Looked pretty good natured to me with hugs etc., which considering the intensity of their antagonism during the 90, was maybe surprising, but also nice to see really.
Nicely done CER thank you for a very fine report.
Going to be me here 😂 although it was nice not to lose, I honestly thought Raya helped city press immensely with his passing resembling what my kicking would look like, bear in mind that I need a walking stick most days and that’s how poorly I thought he did with starting attacks for Man Cheaty.
That aside I thought the team were bloody magnificent in stopping them almost cold and although our attack misfired somewhat we never appeared overawed or frightened of them, we do however now need to win every single game and hopefully Liverpool and Cheaty both drop points please.
That’s a damn good report of a damn good performance, nicely highlighting the thought and work that went into our game, though the report was a damn sight more pleasurable to read than the game was to watch in real time. That draw may not be enough to win us the league this season but the performance shows the giant step forward that this team and management team have taken since our visit to the Home of Creative Accountancy last season.
Hats off for the tribute to Rocky too.
Let me echo what others above have said of your most excellent match report and tribute to Rocky, CER.
Thanks for a truly excellent match report CER. I’ve now watched the game twice, once from the midst of tier 3 at the Etihad (where, for those fond of Arsenal celebrity spotting, we were quite close to Ian Stone) and once watching the Sky replay this morning, coffee and toast to hand.
I think the result was fair. Both sides had just a couple of chances, neither managed to convert. It was a tight, tactical, at times physical, game and there will have been some sore bodies yesterday evening. Arsenal were quite superb defensively, channeling George Graham teams of yore. Four players had outstanding games, Saliba, Gabriel, Rice and White. I agree with DG about Raya’s kicking, which led to the ball coming back at us, more so than usual. Also, although our captain put in his usual effort, his passing was just a bit off.
The game was surely a great rehearsal for Bayern Munich away if we can take a lead back to the south of Germany.
Nine games to go. Can we win the lot? We could do, but all games can be banana skins (look at Fulham and West Ham). But we need fear nobody, either in the Prem or the CL. Great to see the rotational options of Tomi and Partey getting minutes in the legs.
Last night, driving backdown the M6, I was very, very proud of my team.
Fantastic report CER. Top notch, and a brilliant reminder of the continued relevancy of Rocky and his contribution to The Arsenal today.
Another piece of tactical minutiae, but I thought City were pressing Raya to kick with his ‘wrong’ foot or hurrying him into shifting to kick with his preferred right foot, which might explain why his kicking was sub-par, especially early on. That is the level of detail Pep tends to work at.
Cheers CER. Great report. I also agree with C100’s assessment.
Good piece by Jonathan Wilson on how the Prem elite are conceding fewer goals – with Arsenal leading the way.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/apr/01/arsenal-manchester-city-liverpool-premier-league-title-race
The GHF Predictathon Leader Board for Match Week 30 has been posted, plus an updated 10-week form guide. You know where to find them…
C100@10: Thanks for the Jonathan Wilson link. The key point to my mind is how chances are being snuffed out, which has been Arteta’s hallmark this season. What was most impressive on Sunday was to limit City to one shot on target despite them having 72% of possession. De Bruyne, Foden, Bernado Silva and Grealish, who you would expect to score a goal or two, had xGs of exactly zero on Sunday. Haaland, who is averaging an xG of 0.95 this season was held to 0.3. That is defending of the highest order.
Haaland looked like one frustrated fu**er. Man115ter City looked like they were wondering why they hadn’t thought of 116.
Thanks CER for your excellent and entertaining match report, which captures the game I saw.
A very fine report CER and thankyou for incorporating the references to Rocky, truly one of our own .
It wasn’t a game for the neutral but it was a superb defensive performance by us and as you say in the report, if there are Gooners out there who don’t believe in the Arteta project they really should wake up and smell the coffee. I thought the back four were all excellent and White dominated Foden . Interestingly Partey looked very promising in his cameo . I started to sense we may well meet again in the Champions League and Citeh will not relish that !
My sense with this team is that they learn very quickly . They were outsmarted at Lens but were much better against Sevilla away . They learnt how to deal with shithousing on an epic scale against Porto and turned it round on them and they really stood up to Citeh yesterday . Had Martinelli been fit for ninety minutes I think he might have turned the game but a point in those circumstances at the Emptihad was a fine achievement . Those who suggest these tiny points margins are significant with nine games to go are daft. It’s anyone’s title and it could definitely be ours
And congratulations to the ladies especially for winding up Emma Hayes !
A really good, enjoyable, thoughtful report, CER.
And a fine tribute to Rocky.
I agree with one or two others about Raya’s kicking which was quite poor yesterday.
It still bothers me too that he has no presence at our defensive set pieces. He got quite easily upset when crowded yesterday and looked like a boy trying to push men around to rectify the situation.
I said about 10 minutes from the end of the game that, whatever the final result, I would feel proud of our team.
€ity is a very hard place to play – they have scored in all of their last 57 home games – and we were superbly organised, disciplined and game wise throughout.
Manuel Akanji is apparently complaining about fouls not being given yellow cards yesterday. Maybe he should speak to gis mate Rodri.
Adam Clery’s tactical take:
Adam Clery is so good. Thanks for the link Ned.
Thanks for the link Ned.
As GSD says Clery is a brilliant ( and quick) reader of the game .
His point about our rotational fouling ( a normal City trait ) was interesting and was facilitated by a very laissez faire attitude by Anthony Taylor . If he had blown up for more fouls and booked more players the game would have been even less of a spectacle ! It shows how pragmatic we have become and how bespoke our tactics are for each game .
Thanks CER for an excellent report. Agree that either side could have nicked it with a bit of top class finishing but a draw was fair.
And thanks for the links folks – will find some time to read while getting over some jet lag.
But my own tuppenceworth on the situation is we aré favourites for it now. We have taken 8/12 points out of 115 and the Mugsmashers. As there is not a lot in it between the top 3 teams I hope that performances against the rest will even out over the season……leading to the inescapable conclusion that the title is ours!
That’s my logic anyway and I’m sticking to it until whatever end 😃
I like your logic, Matt. It’s sound (if one ignores the remaining fixtures’ list).
Anyway, I’m still massively hopeful.
For those who are not regular Gooner readers but may be at the match tomorrow, C100 and I have written a piece about our Prostate Cancer experiences which has been covered in detail and also contains a picture of the lissom BTM !
The main point is- get your PSA checked if you are over 50 .
Thanks for informing, TTG. Well done, both. I’ll make sure I buy it…
Mike McDonald on Sunday’s game
COYG
Thanks for the link c100. I’ve also been badgering on about Gyokeres since he was at Coventry. Think he would be a fantastic signing. 60 million though. He would have been half that from Cov.
C100
Thanks for the link to Mike’s blog. There’s a huge amount of content this week and much to ponder. It’s particularly brilliant this week.
Particularly note his comments about Dowman and Chido-Obi . Jack Wilshere referenced Dowman this week saying he could be fast-tracked to the first team—he’s 14!!! Imagine how good he must be. But the world is full of prodigies who didn’t train on. It would be great to have some special home-grown players in our team
This is wonderful. If you look carefully you can see a 35 year old TTG in the crowd at Highbury.
https://x.com/hente_afsc/status/1775198095539646632?s=61&t=cVFjCyGkt4y-Ne45LtfqkQ
Superlative review CER! Sorry it took me a while to catch up.
So many insightful comments, and wonderfully articulated guarded optimism here. I don’t think I have much to add.
Two minor things I will mention — with a fully fit Martinelli starting this match on the left instead of his senior compatriot may actually have gotten us the three points. His speed at transition and his relentlessness wit or without the ball was missed. Jesus played well enough, and he is technically superior, but he doesn’t quite attack the space in behind or run with the ball with the intensity and single mindedness of the junior Gabi.
About Ødegaard — we have had so many great creative technical players in our recent history, even when the overall team became a bit unbalanced and in other departments of the game lacking, players from Cesc to Rosicky to Arteta to Santi to Özil. All with their unique strengths and in cases of Arteta or TR7 or Santi defensively disciplined as well. However, the player in my experience of following Arsenal since the early Wenger years who Ødegaard can be compared to is Bergkamp, and since Bergkamp the only player who I felt that could ever get close to those heights is Martin. There is just this combination of silk and steel — Dennis had a very capable hard tackling physical quality to his game — and an incredible awareness of everything that’s happening on the pitch that really sets our captain apart from players of his technical quality. Football has changed a lot since the early 2000s, and a lot more is demanded of creative players now, but even then I find Martin is singularly unique in how intelligently, efficiently and tirelessly he applies all facets of the game on both ends of the pitch.
Come on you Irons!
C100@27: Thanks for the Mike McDonald link. He is spot on about the UK media’s coverage of football being so poor because they do not understanding the modern game. The high-profile pundits have their highly paid jobs on TV and in the red tops because of their playing experience, but the game they knew and, fair play, mostly excelled at, is not the one played today.
I think I know the tactics against Spurs. Stick it high into Vicario. He’s a fine shot stopper but he’s crap on crosses.
Got to admit I enjoyed that West Ham/Spursgame. Don’t get the fat Aussie taking off Maddison with 20 minutes to go. We hammered West Ham 6-0 at the London.
Mike Mcdonald is so often excellent, and he nails this post. Thanks Countryman for the link.
I don’t even watch the half-time ‘analysis’ on the TV because it is so bad and because there are so many other excellent resources out there. Good to see this fact alluded to by one of these very people who is so consistently excellent at writing about Arsenal/football with deep understanding.
A mash-up of data visualisation and game footage should make for engaging television. There is lots of scope for on-screen pyrotechnics like on election night, although you’d have to have rock-solid analysis underpinning it. I would be surprised, though, if the broadcasters weren’t scouring high and low for telegenic football data analysts like the NFL’s Cynthia Frelund.
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