FA Cup 2019/20: Arsenal vs Manchester City – tactical analysis

This season’s FA Cup semi-finals were all played by strong teams in the Premier League. The first clash at Wembley Stadium was between Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. In the league match right after the lockdown, Manchester City thrashed three goals past Arsenal, and it seems the Citizens were a lot better.

However, Arteta’s men handed a very strong performance in this cup tie and with the quality of players at the front, they won the game by 2-0 and entered the final.

In this tactical analysis, we will show you the tactical battle between Pep and Arteta’s tactics. Both teams have sent the strongest available squad and this was an exciting game.

Lineups

Arsenal played in a 3-4-3, but the choices of players have changed. Kieran Tierney started as the left centre-back while Sead Kolašinac stayed on the bench. Ainsley Maitland-Niles was the left wing-back. Nicolas Pépé continued to play as the right-winger and his performance was impressive!

City made huge changes compared to the Bournemouth game, playing in a 4-2-3-1. Only Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy, David Silva, İlkay Gündoğan and Gabriel Jesus started the previous game among the outfield players. It was a very strong lineup from Pep.