Arsenal – Manchester City: Process Projects Success? (1-1, 4-1 After Penalties)

Manchester City are the bar against which every other team in England measure themselves. Arsenal could not even book their entry into this fixture with their own title, but their trophy cabinet was a little fuller at the end of this contest. Though the power still lies in the north east of the nation, its latest challengers are committing to stake their claims for the longer haul.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

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Both contestants of this fixture know all too well the most meaningful moments of a campaign lie in the future. Yet, the Community Shield can still reveal the beginnings of the path to that destination.

Manchester City’s loss to Liverpool last year brought one debate squarely into focus. How well did Erling Haaland fit into the system of Pep Guardiola? The star striker’s shooting boots were no less fierce on English shores, but the melding of machines took time. The doubters raged into the new year, but once this fusion was complete, its consequences were as devastating as many had feared.

One man’s joy is the suffering of another. A third Premier League title in a row, one third of the treble for City, would have been the first in 19 years for Arsenal. When history beckoned, Mikel Arteta’s men faltered in the final furlong. However, the mood at the club is much more bullish than at their last trip to the hallowed Wembley turf in 2020. Here was their first opportunity to warrant that optimism.

Over £200 million in investment has renewed the roster for Arteta. All three of his summer signings bring flexibility and earned spots in his starting eleven. He used Jurriën Timber on the left of the back four, and Declan Rice joined Thomas Partey to the left of the double pivot. Kai Havertz has been a left sided midfielder in other preseason outings but came in for Gabriel Jesus as a central forward.

Pep’s purchasing has been more modest. Ilkay Gündogan and Riyad Mahrez have left, while a pair of Croatians are now a part of his plans. Joško Gvardiol confirmed his signature on the weekend and was unavailable for selection, but Mateo Kovačić partnered with Rodri in the middle of the park. Kevin de Bruyne, on the mend, had not begun either game on tour in Asia. He watched again from the bench.

Robust recycling mechanisms dominate the start

City controlled the last clash between these two sides with a different layout than in previous matches. Instead of a 3-2-2-3 system, they pulled back a central midfielder to use an extra man in their buildup structure. Pep picked this shape once more. John Stones and Rúben Dias split to either side of Stefan Ortega, Kyle Walker, and Manuel Akanji were wide, and Kovačić created a double pivot with Rodri.

The response from their opponents was familiar. Havertz split to his left to Stones and could motion forward to encroach the space for Ortega. Martin Ødegaard split defensive duties between Kovačić and Dias while Rice jumped to Rodri. The scheme oriented itself to stifle City’s left. Ødegaard would block passing lanes from Kovačić to Dias, Partey screened behind, and Saka was near Akanji.

City immediately recognized where and how they could escape this trap. Dias might have been the free man, but Arsenal were ready to shut down any ball to feet options for the defender if he received a pass. On the other hand, once Havertz jumped to Ortega, Stones had time and space on the ball, Martinelli was distant from Walker, and the scheme needed to reset. Kovačić would often be the one to rotate the ball around to Stones, while Rodri could peel away from Rice to consolidate possession.

5th minute: offensive sequence from Manchester City. Kovačić recycled the ball to Stones as the third man and Arsenal must retreat. Havertz and Martinelli shift to access the options for Stones, while Rodri drops between the central defenders. If Rice chooses to follow him, there is more space between the midfield and defense for a dropping forward. Timber tracks Julian Álvarez, and Bernardo Silva is free on the right, but Rodri elects for a diagonal switch to Akanji to advance into Arsenal’s territory.

City claim control again

Their penetrating power, however, was under wraps. Kovačić’s punched passes into the final third rarely met their man, while Gabriel and William Saliba marshaled the forwards well in a 4-4-2 block. Once Arsenal had managed their way through the opening 25 minutes, they began to craft a threat.

Rice dropped between or to the left of the central defenders to generate a base of three in settled spells with the ball against City’s 4-4-2 shape, and Timber advanced. However, existing dynamics between Ødegaard, Ben White, and Bukayo Saka were most fluent. Breakthroughs from the right flank twice breached the penalty area to forge openings for Havertz, but he could not cap his display with a goal.

Martin Ødegaard’s delicious pass finds Bukayo Saka in behind & he crosses for Kai Havertz, who, once again, is denied by Ortega. #afc pic.twitter.com/c1WphPYxkX

— afcstuff (@afcstuff) August 6, 2023

Pep’s men responded in the second half. Walker advanced on the right flank, and Bernardo moved into the center of the field. Adjusted width from the central defenders, depth from Álvarez from the inside left channel, and new support structures in the middle of the park pulled apart the double pivot. After the hour mark, Bernardo moved back next to Rodri, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden flanked Álvarez, and de Bruyne was in the number ten role. However, City continued to infiltrate spaces.

The new energy and decisiveness in dribbling made a difference. Foden swiveled away from Partey in his half of the pitch and carried the ball into the center circle. Rice powered back into position to close him down, nearly sending his pass astray (with the help of Kieran Tierney). The ball deflected luckily into the path of Palmer, and his whipped strike flew beyond Aaron Ramsdale in the 76th minute.

49th minute: offensive sequence from Manchester City. Grealish rotated inside, pinning White and Álvarez’s deep movement had drawn Partey deeper. The triangle of Kovačić, Rodri and Bernardo in the center of the field overloads Ødegaard, and Akanji’s width can escape any pressure from Saka.

Building belief

Arteta exhausted all of his other substitution slots at this stage. Rice made way for Nketiah, Emile Smith-Rowe came in for Gabriel, and Fábio Vieira entered the fray. The manager switched to a 3-4-3 formation, in which Tierney dropped to the left of a back three, with four men in the midfield. City have been secure weathering onslaughts in a low block and backed themselves to edge to victory.

Arsenal engineered one last set-piece in a prolonged period of injury time. Blue shirts crowded out Saka’s cross from the right flank, so they carried the charge from the second phase. Leandro Trossard showed for the ball at the edge of the penalty area, sold a dummy to Álvarez, and opened some room to shoot at goal. His effort cannoned off Akanji, wrongfooting Ortega to level the score at the death.

The stalemate signaled a shootout rather than any extra time. Ødegaard opened the battle of nerves with a successful strike, but de Bruyne hit the crossbar. The next mistake would be decisive for the momentum, and it was City’s: Ramsdale dived to his left and smothered a shot from Rodri. The trophy would belong to the North Londoners if Vieira buried the fourth penalty for Arsenal, and he obliged.

𝗪𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘆 🟰 🔴⚪️
The Community Shield 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝘀 in London 🏆#ARSMCI pic.twitter.com/aORGXOnsyL

— Jurrien Timber (@JurrienTimber) August 6, 2023

Takeaways

If Arsenal aspire to compete at the highest level, savoring silverware is a suitable place to start. The camp must have the courage of its convictions to succeed, and maybe old hoodoos in the head will hold them back no more. It is only the second time Arteta has beaten Guardiola in 11 clashes and the first time in over three years. The new names in the squad are already adding options to Arteta’s armory, and he must be the one to refine relationships to maximize its potential out on the field.

The defeat will not fluster Pep. Preseason preparations had been far less extensive than those of their opponents, and a part of Pep would have been using this fixture to ready his men for the season ahead. Indeed, they suffered some misfortune in a competitive contest where a win was only moments away. More to the point: City have lost the Community Shield for the third year on the spin, and these losses have only whetted the appetite for success in the past. So why should this campaign be any different?

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