"Surprised? In football? I don't think I'm surprised by anything. I don't read it but if you tell me that this is the main one [narrative], I'm surprised, I would be extremely surprised with my knowledge and my know-how and how I analyse a football game. Because it was impossible for somebody to predict such a dominance from Arsenal throughout 96 minutes, because it never happened in 17 years of Pep (Guardiola) as a manager."
"So if the narrative goes somewhere else and we're talking about dominance, how can you be dominant against such a team if you have, what was the word? Handbrake."
Mikel Arteta defended tactical choices after Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Manchester City, rejecting claims that cautious selection was derailing the club's Premier League bid. Arteta argued Arsenal dominated for 96 minutes and that sustained control against Pep Guardiola's teams is rare. Eberechi Eze began on the bench while Martín Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino formed the starting midfield; Eze and Bukayo Saka were introduced at half-time after Arsenal trailed 1-0. Noni Madueke suffered a knee injury and faces a spell on the sidelines. Arteta reviewed the match statistics and expressed surprise at the 'handbrake' narrative.
Read at ESPN.com
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