Ways Column: Not Like Us

Psst, I see lifeless individuals.

There have been 5 targets for Arsenal on Sunday after which, a number of hours later, 5 GRAMMYs for Kendrick Lamar, together with Document of the Yr, for his Drake diss-track ‘Not Like Us’. Kendrick was in all probability too busy to pay attention to occasions in north London, the place his 2017 track Humble performed the Arsenal gamers off the pitch and the Arsenal followers into the evening after a cathartic 5-1 win over Manchester Metropolis.

Finally it was the methods Metropolis had been (and are), properly, Not Like Us, that decided the sport.

This season’s drop-off from the champions has been characterised by an absence of legs in midfield and Arsenal had been all the time going to be extremely properly suited to use simply how a lot Metropolis have missed Rodri and the extent to which Father Time has come for the remainder of their midfield.

The onus was on Arsenal, for as soon as clear favourites on this fixture, to make the sport occur, however for all Metropolis’s woes this season, they nonetheless have the world class particular person high quality to punish any group that doesn’t get issues fairly proper. Arsenal suffered from the devastating menace of the lengthy ball to Erling Haaland repeatedly in April 2022 and there was a handy reminder provided by Chelsea final week. Press by all means, however don’t go away yourselves uncovered to that once more.

Arsenal pulled that off fantastically with a press that concerned the entrance 5 however left a ‘again 5’ on the midway line, man-marking Metropolis’s choices to disclaim them a straightforward, lengthy route ahead. Particular person high quality was in fact vital right here too: Arsenal have high class centre-halves who can compete with Haaland one-on-one and didn’t thoughts an excessive amount of if Metropolis needed to search for Matheus Nunes on the suitable flank.

The guests usually opted to play by way of the five-man Arsenal press reasonably than take their possibilities with the five-on-five the lengthy ball out could have provided. One of many centre-backs stayed on Haaland, Thomas Partey dropped alongside the opposite to man-mark both Foden or Marmoush.

With out Ederson in purpose, Metropolis had been robbed of a world class potential to hit correct lengthy balls out from the again and had been unusually predictable, with Mateo Kovacic splitting the centre-backs and the build-up receiving little assist from the full-backs, nor Bernardo Silva.

The Arsenal press paid off throughout the first 100 seconds, with the Gunners chopping off all choices by way of the center and Leandro Trossard pouncing when John Stones regarded for Manuel Akanji.

The press ought to have led to a second purpose, too. Odegaard pressured Metropolis all the best way again from the midway line and continued his run from Akanji to Ortega, chopping off a ball again to the Swiss. John Stones was not a lot of an choice both, carefully adopted throughout purpose by Kai Havertz, and Ortega opted to not go lengthy as Arsenal once more squeezed Metropolis with 5 males throughout the again.

As a substitute the Metropolis goalkeeper performed the dangerous ball into Kovacic, who was beneath stress from maybe the very best ball-winning midfielder in the complete league and duly conceded possession. We all know what occurred subsequent with Havertz in entrance of purpose.

What was actually uncommon, although, was seeing a Pep Guardiola group immediately lined in these areas and doing nothing to rotate or add our bodies in there so they may escape the stress. It’s one factor that they don’t have the legs to compete however alone that ought to not trigger a lot hurt to their build-up play and it was peculiar to see Bernardo Silva mainly go away Kovacic to fend for himself. Time and time once more the Croatian had no actual midfield accomplice and Metropolis’s play out from the again turned predictable, taking part in into Arsenal’s fingers.

All of that was made attainable as a result of Arsenal, in addition to generally taking over the choice to go lengthy, performed with fluency and understanding, purple and white shirts swirling round and swapping positions seamlessly. It was the positioning of the Arsenal skipper specifically that will have prompted some eyebrows to rise.

Metropolis’s predictable build-up helped the effectiveness of the Arsenal efforts to press and create harmful conditions. Arsenal’s unpredictable however completely performed rotations had the alternative impact and the guests couldn’t get near profitable the ball excessive up the pitch.

On the different finish, taking part in out from the again, Arsenal had been extremely versatile. The place 61% of Ortega’s accomplished passes had been to his beginning centre-backs, Raya had choices and located Partey with 34.6% of his accomplished passes, Havertz with 23%, whereas 30.8% of them discovered the Arsenal centre-halves. There have been a few Martin Odegaard and Myles Lewis-Skelly alongside the best way as properly. Arsenal blended issues up in build-up, Metropolis couldn’t get close to them. Metropolis had been surprisingly static and apparent taking part in out from the again and Arsenal took benefit.

They Not Like Us.

Metropolis’s form was predictable, Arsenal’s was fluid, particularly with Odegaard dropping deep but additionally additional ahead, with Gabriel Martinelli and Jurrien Timber chopping and altering when it got here to holding width on the suitable, and Leandro Trossard, Declan Rice and Myles Lewis-Skelly doing the identical on the left.

Arsenal may man-mark Metropolis comfortably, the identical alternative was not provided to the champions, who had been dragged round by the rotations and as a substitute simply ended up wanting helpless and passive any time they regarded like they could press.

Now we have develop into used to seeing Arsenal’s fullbacks tuck in — Timber (or White) on the suitable becoming a member of the centre-backs, the left-back becoming a member of midfield — however they tended to maintain the width extra usually on this one. Odegaard would usually drop to develop into the deepest midfielder, Trossard would drift inside to take up a extra quantity 10-like place. The Metropolis press was always outnumbered, Arsenal gamers persistently discovered house and had a spare man.

Even in possession additional upfield, Odegaard would drop into areas you’ll often count on to see Partey or Timber, with the Dutchman staying excessive and large to permit Gabriel Martinelli to float inside.

When Metropolis did power Arsenal again with the ball had been nonetheless no actual rotations and no actual menace out large. Arsenal completely happy to permit the change. Metropolis gamers accomplished two take-ons — one inside their very own field — in the complete match, with John Stones and Josko Gvardiol recording one apiece. Six totally different Arsenal gamers accomplished no less than one and the group registered 9 in complete.

They Not Like Us.

Extra fluidity would’ve carried out Guardiola’s facet some good: the purpose Metropolis did rating got here from Savinho vacating his place and overloading the alternative facet of the pitch, discovering house between the Arsenal block to obtain and cross for Erling Haaland. That in all probability ought to’ve settled Metropolis however the collapse from there was attempting to power the ball by way of the center of the pitch. Foden’s terrible go straight into Thomas Partey noticed the lead retaken nearly instantly.

A lot has been mentioned about Arsenal funneling issues large. It has been pointed at as a cause the group generally struggles to interrupt opponents down; only a couple weeks in the past, Jamie Carragher was on Monday Evening Soccer displaying how unusually averse Arsenal are to attacking by way of the center, and the information on Odegaard suggests this aversion is much more stark now than in earlier campaigns.

The long-held suspicion is that Mikel Arteta doesn’t wish to give the ball away centrally when committing gamers excessive upfield as a result of it could possibly result in extremely harmful counter-attacks. Funnily sufficient, Arsenal probed the center for the Myles Lewis-Skelly purpose that despatched everybody wild, with Rice brilliantly wrapping a ball by way of the traces and into {the teenager}. Enjoying by way of the centre with out taking too many dangers is a matter of how and a matter of when. In that scenario, Lewis-Skelly was in sufficient house to show comfortably and Rice made certain he actually rattled the ball into toes so there was no time to shut down the Hale Finish graduate.

If a worry of being hit on the break is why Arteta is reluctant to see his Arsenal play badly(!) by way of the center, Manchester Metropolis proved his level as the sport obtained away from them. Missing motion and concepts, looking for inspiration, Mateo Kovacic was the primary to attempt to drive on the coronary heart of the Arsenal defence. The house wasn’t there although and the Croatian had Kai Havertz making floor on him, the German pulled off an ideal sort out.

Metropolis’s deepest midfielder was fully out of the query and Rice may choose the ball up and drive by way of the center of the pitch. That is a part of the rationale Arsenal assault large so usually — no less than when you lose the ball, the opposition is trapped by the touchline, not operating by way of the centre of the park with choices to go in any route.

Right here, Arsenal may break proper by way of the centre of the pitch and did so in numbers.

Rice completely timed and weighted his go to Gabriel Martinellli on the suitable and the Brazilian ran on to power save from Ortega.

The warning was not heeded by Metropolis, who continued to power play by way of a packed center. Not 10 minutes later a go was drilled into Savinho, who regarded to show away from Rice and Gabriel however noticed a free contact snatched up by his fellow Brazilian, who instantly performed the ball into Thomas Partey. The Arsenal midfielder had no actual counter-pressure from behind and Kevin De Bruyne, 10 yards away, panicked and raced in.

The gap De Bruyne’s 33-year-old legs needed to cowl was far too nice and he left his team-mates uncovered as Partey comfortably shifted the ball out of his toes and performed a go past the Belgian into Gabriel Martinelli.

Appears fairly acquainted, doesn’t it?

This time across the of entirety was utilized by Havertz and any lingering considerations that Arsenal wouldn’t take all three factors had been washed away. At that time you’d have forgiven Man Metropolis followers for turning the TV off earlier than even having the chance to see Ethan Nwaneri’s left stroke go viral and put the icing on the cake.

After 12 league defeats in a row towards Metropolis, Arsenal have proven Guardiola to be a Mortal Man in spite of everything. It’s now 4 unbeaten within the Premier League for Arsenal when the edges have met — a nook had already been turned earlier than the weekend — however the method of this assured, dominant, and above all cathartic efficiency felt like one thing totally different altogether, it felt like the tip of one thing and like proof that one thing else has begun.

DAMN, certainly.