"Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was full of pride at the way his team performed against Arsenal, though acknowledged it was not a sustainable approach. City, who led through Erling Haaland's ninth-minute opener, were pegged back by Gabriel Martinelli in second-half stoppage time at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, as Arsenal salvaged a 1-1 draw. Guardiola's team had just 33.2% of the ball as they aimed to play on the counter and frustrate Mikel Arteta's team."
"Of course, we cannot sustain all season to play in the way we played, and we don't want to, but I give incredible power to the opponents. Arsenal, for most of their games, are able to do that to other opponents, and I want to learn to celebrate when we draw a game in the way that we did away against Arsenal, who are a big contender and reached the semi-final of the Champions League. I want to celebrate that point."
Manchester City adopted a low-possession, counterattacking strategy against Arsenal, keeping only 33.2% of the ball while aiming to frustrate the opposition. Erling Haaland opened the scoring in the ninth minute, but Gabriel Martinelli equalised in second-half stoppage time to secure a 1-1 draw. The performance recovered aspects lacking from the previous season and showcased strong team spirit. The approach delivered a hard-earned point against a top contender but was acknowledged as not viable for sustained use across a full season. The team will return to different tactics for upcoming cup commitments.
Read at Soccer News
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]