Man Metropolis vs Arsenal: Set-piece risk, utilizing Kai Havertz and shackling Erling Haaland key to Gunners’ formulation | Soccer Information

Manchester Metropolis beat Arsenal to the title final season however no opponent made their life tougher. With a 1-0 win on the Emirates Stadium and a goalless draw on the Etihad Stadium, the Gunners have been the one aspect to take 4 factors off them.

May they trigger extra issues for Pep Guardiola’s aspect on Tremendous Sunday? The champions have taken most factors from their first 4 Premier League video games of the season, placing them two forward of their title rivals on the high of the desk.

However Arsenal will probably be hoping to maintain them at bay for a 3rd consecutive recreation, taking encouragement from how they shackled Erling Haaland final season, and understanding they’ve methods of doing harm offensively too, even with out the injured Martin Odegaard.

Sunday twenty second September 4:00pm


Kick off 4:30pm

Assaults and defences in contrast

Repeating final season’s efforts won’t be simple for Arsenal, significantly given the quick turnaround to the sport following Thursday’s Champions League exertions towards Atalanta in Italy.

Metropolis have had an additional day to organize, having hosted Inter Milan of their Champions League recreation on Wednesday, and have began the marketing campaign strongly, significantly in assault. Having smashed 96 objectives on their solution to the title final season, 5 greater than Arsenal’s whole of 91, the champions have continued in the identical vein this time period.

With the nine-goal Haaland main the best way, Metropolis have scored 11 objectives thus far – three greater than every other aspect. In addition they rank high for anticipated objectives, photographs on course and probabilities created.

Their whole of 875 final-third passes is almost 33 per cent larger than every other aspect’s, underlining their dominance throughout their opening video games towards Chelsea, Ipswich, West Ham and Brentford.

Arsenal, in the meantime, have solely scored six objectives, from a relatively low anticipated objective whole of 4.99, which places them 14th amongst Premier League sides. Mikel Arteta’s aspect additionally rank within the backside half by way of probabilities created and final-third passes.

Arsenal have in fact had the tougher fixtures, going away to Aston Villa and Tottenham whereas additionally taking part in nearly half of their house recreation towards Brighton with 10 males following Declan Rice’s sending off early within the second interval.

The Gunners will likely climb up the rankings because the season progresses and the fixtures develop into kinder. Proper now, although, Metropolis are means forward by way of attacking output and they’re posting spectacular underlying numbers defensively too.

Whereas they’ve conceded extra objectives than Arsenal, with three to the Gunners’ one, they rank larger by way of anticipated objectives conceded and photographs on course conceded, with Arsenal indebted to some glorious saves from David Raya for holding out their opponents.

The Spain worldwide carried his high-quality type into the Champions League on Thursday, his beautiful double save proving key in Arsenal’s goalless draw with Atalanta, one other recreation through which Arteta’s aspect have proven spectacular defensive resilience.

For the reason that begin of final season within the Premier League, they’ve conceded solely 30 objectives to Metropolis’s 37. Arsenal cleared the path for clear sheets too, with 21 to Metropolis’s 14.

How Arsenal locked out Haaland

Arsenal will intention to duplicate final season’s defensive shows towards Metropolis after they head to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Metropolis, in addition to failing to attain in these video games, struggled to even create probabilities as Arsenal’s defensive power got here to the fore.

In reality, within the Emirates Stadium assembly in October, Metropolis registered solely 0.48 anticipated objectives, their third-lowest whole throughout Pep Guardiola’s 308 Premier League video games as their supervisor.

The scatter graph beneath hammers house simply how successfully Arsenal suppressed their alternatives. The Gunners have been the one aspect to carry Metropolis to underneath two anticipated objectives throughout their two video games, with Metropolis mustering a mixed whole of solely 16 photographs.

Haaland was fantastically contained by William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, who proceed to go from power to power as a centre-back pairing able to profitable bodily battles.

Final season, Metropolis’s away recreation towards Arsenal was the one one all season through which Haaland was unable to register a single shot, subsequently scoring zero for anticipated objectives.

He had 4 photographs within the goalless draw on the Etihad Stadium however they have been price a mixed whole of solely 0.31 anticipated objectives, means down on his common, and none of them have been on course.

It was a pointy distinction from the earlier season, when Haaland scored in each video games towards Arsenal. That was, nevertheless, with Saliba lacking the 4-1 loss on the Etihad attributable to harm.

The Gunners have improved immensely in a defensive sense since then, their success towards Haaland final season summed up by the viral clip of Saliba going shoulder to shoulder with the striker on the Emirates, sending him sprawling to the turf.

That incident occurred close to the midway line, however Arsenal are more likely to sit deeper on the Etihad Stadium, placing our bodies behind the ball, as of their away wins over Spurs and Aston Villa this season, in a bid to frustrate Guardiola’s aspect and additional restrict Haaland’s affect.

Arsenal’s offensive formulation

Arsenal have proved their capability to close out Haaland and Metropolis, then, however how may they damage them on the different finish of the pitch?

The lack of Odegaard’s creativity is a blow however his team-mate Kai Havertz is more likely to play a key position as a goal for direct passes.

Final season, the Gunners made extra lengthy passes towards Metropolis than they did towards every other opponent, utilizing Havertz’s aerial and hold-up capability to bypass Metropolis’s press and get them up the pitch.

The effectiveness of the method shone by in Gabriel Martinelli’s winner on the Emirates, with Havertz teeing up the Brazilian following an extended move by Thomas Partey.

Arsenal may also look to trigger issues on the counter-attack.

Metropolis confirmed vulnerability on that entrance of their slender win over Brentford final weekend, and once more of their goalless draw towards Inter on Wednesday, after they gave up 10 photographs within the first half alone, with Simone Inzaghi’s aspect capable of trigger repeated issues from quick breaks, albeit with out capitalising.

Arsenal will intention to be extra ruthless. Their counter-attacking capability helped them win the nook for Gabriel Magalhaes’ decisive objective in Sunday’s North London derby towards Tottenham and it’s an space through which they’ve proven enchancment for the reason that begin of final season, as is clear within the graphic beneath.

In that timeframe, Arsenal have transformed 19 per cent of their photographs from counter-attacks within the Premier League, placing them forward of Aston Villa as probably the most environment friendly aspect within the division.

Gabriel’s headed winner towards Spurs was a reminder of one other of their largest weapons: set-pieces. For the reason that begin of final season, their whole of 24 set-piece objectives is unrivalled within the Premier League. So too is their set-piece conversion price, as proven beneath.

Anticipate to see Nicolas Jover, the Arsenal set-piece coach poached from Metropolis by Arteta, orchestrating Arsenal’s dead-ball alternatives from the touchline as soon as once more on Sunday. They are going to be a vital path to objective with Metropolis more likely to dominate possession.

Title-winning future?

Arteta insisted Arsenal are on the trail to profitable trophies, in an interview with Sky Sports activities performed forward of the north London derby. A constructive end result towards Metropolis would gas that optimism.

There may be encouragement to be discovered within the age profile of the present workforce. A title triumph in both of the final two seasons would have been unprecedented with a aspect as younger as Arsenal’s.

This season, although, their common age has crept above 26, their larger expertise placing them in a bracket which is way more in line with title-winning sides of the previous.

Their expertise shone by of their show on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in response to Gary Neville. “That was a team and performance of know-how,” he stated. “Wily, not naive, not immature – it was the opposite of that. It was experienced, mature and it was what a team who has won multiple titles would play like.”

In fact, it won’t be simple towards the Manchester Metropolis machine. Arsenal haven’t gained the Premier League crown in 20 years. They haven’t gained on the Etihad Stadium since 2015. However they are going to go there with larger confidence than in earlier years, the teachings of final season’s conferences contemporary of their minds.

Watch Man Metropolis vs Arsenal reside on Sky Sports activities Premier League and Predominant Occasion from 4pm; kick-off 4.30pm