Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has given the "tactical key to preparation" for their Premier League title clash with Arsenal, and it appears to have caught the visitors off guard.
It was an energetic start typical of the defending Premier League champions, who dominated the game from the start.
In fact, with six minutes left, after a brilliant save from Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne could not help but hurl himself towards Arsenal's back line before slamming Aaron Ramsdale's net with a superb shot. hit the bottom corner of the goal.
De Bruyne, the player of great occasions, has scored eight times for Pep Guardiola's side this season. This will certainly remain one of the most important. Advertisement
Oh Kevin De Bruyne!
A great draw from Erling Haaland, who passes to De Bruyne for a great run and finish! pic.twitter.com/Ex4pyouHVJ
– Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 26, 2023
City were definitely the better side in those first 45 minutes, and as the EBL Twitter account points out, the element of unpredictability seems to have fooled the Gunners.
"Instead of building a 3-2-5 formation with an inverted full-back, Man City is building a 4-2-4 formation," this account wrote. "Arsenal plays with a 4-4-2, but the problem is that KDB will be free between the lines if he attacks."
De Bruyne made the most of these gaps, connecting the play as he always does. So how will Arteta react in the second half?
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Pep threw a tactical wrench at work. Instead of building a 3-2-5 formation with an inverted full-back, City are building a 4-2-4 formation.
Arsenal face a 4-4-2 formation, but the point is that KDB will be free between the lines if he is attacking, and if he is not a CB, he will be free. pic.twitter.com /PZGynmXMCw
– EBL (@EBL2017) April 26, 2023
Pep is a real genius, man.
Arsenal's only reasonable hope for a tactical advantage in this game is to nullify Man City's ability to build, but Pep has changed their system to prevent that and now City too many A) staging or B) in midfield if Partey presses and leaves KDB...
– EBL (@EBL2017) April 26, 2023
Before the game even started, Mikel Arteta suspected The Citizens were 'doing something' for the crucial clash. Asked if he thought Guardiola had planned any unusual tactics, Arteta told BT Sport:
"Of course it can happen in the first minute, the 20th minute or it can happen in the 60th minute.
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"It can happen with substitutes, it can happen with form. With Kyle Walker playing in the team, they are playing without any left foot in the back line. They certainly worked. something, like we did. In the end, it depends on the players."
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