The momentum in the title race was always going to be affected by a Manchester City win, but their 4-1 triumph over Arsenal was so dominant that it may have shattered the challengers hopes.
Manchester Citys performance was spectacular, ending the game before the 60th minute and forcing Mikel Artetas team to slog through the rest of the match. After three draws in a row, Arsenal were crestfallen that such a critical game would have such bad timing.
Pep Guardiola has once again transformed his system this season, drawing inspiration from Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton to defeat Arsenal. In this tactical analysis, we will explain what Guardiolas new tactics are and how he got the best out of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland. Also in this analysis, we will discover why its probably the reason the pair had their best game of the season.
Lineups
In the match between Manchester City and Arsenal, Guardiola fielded a 4-4-1-1 formation. Ederson started in goal, with Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, John Stones, and Manuel Akanji forming the backline. Silva, Gündogan, Rodri, and Jack Grealish started in midfield, with Kevin De Bruyne playing just behind striker Erling Haaland.
On the other hand, Arsenal started with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Aaron Ramsdale was in goal with Ben White, Gabriel, Rob Holding, and Oleksandr Zinchenko making up the backline. Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka started in central midfield with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli playing behind striker Gabriel Jesus.
During the match, Xhaka wa
