Man Metropolis vs Arsenal: Set-piece menace, utilizing Kai Havertz and shackling Erling Haaland key to Gunners’ method | 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 had 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 shall be hoping to maintain them at bay for a 3rd consecutive recreation, taking encouragement from how they shackled Erling Haaland final season, and figuring out they’ve methods of doing injury offensively too, even with out the injured Martin Odegaard.

Assaults and defences in contrast

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

Metropolis have had an additional day to arrange, having hosted Inter Milan of their Champions League recreation on Wednesday, and have began the marketing campaign strongly, significantly in assault. Having smashed 96 targets on their strategy 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 targets to this point – three greater than another aspect. Additionally they rank high for anticipated targets, pictures on course and possibilities created.

Their whole of 875 final-third passes is sort of 33 per cent greater than another 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 targets, from a relatively low anticipated purpose 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 possibilities 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 virtually half of their dwelling recreation towards Brighton with 10 males following Declan Rice’s sending off early within the second interval.

The Gunners will probably climb up the rankings because the season progresses and the fixtures turn out to be kinder. Proper now, although, Metropolis are method forward by way of attacking output and they’re posting spectacular underlying numbers defensively too.

Whereas they’ve conceded extra targets than Arsenal, with three to the Gunners’ one, they rank greater by way of anticipated targets conceded and pictures on course conceded, with Arsenal indebted to some wonderful 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 wherein 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 targets 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 purpose 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 possibilities as Arsenal’s defensive energy got here to the fore.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 happened 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 method

Arsenal have proved their capability to close out Haaland and Metropolis, then, however how might 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 function as a goal for direct passes.

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

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

Arsenal may even 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 pictures within the first half alone, with Simone Inzaghi’s aspect in a position to trigger repeated issues from quick breaks, albeit with out capitalising.

Arsenal will purpose to be extra ruthless. Their counter-attacking potential helped them win the nook for Gabriel Magalhaes’ decisive purpose in Sunday’s North London derby towards Tottenham and it’s an space wherein they’ve proven enchancment because the begin of final season, as is obvious within the graphic beneath.

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

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

Count on 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 purpose 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 carried out forward of the north London derby. A constructive consequence towards Metropolis would gasoline that optimism.

There’s encouragement to be discovered within the age profile of the present staff. 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 rather more consistent with title-winning sides of the previous.

Their expertise shone by way of of their show on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in accordance with Gary Neville. “That was a team and performance of know-how,” he mentioned. “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.”

After all, it won’t be simple towards the Manchester Metropolis machine. Arsenal haven’t received the Premier League crown in twenty years. They haven’t received on the Etihad Stadium since 2015. However they’ll 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 Essential Occasion from 4pm; kick-off 4.30pm