Jamie Carragher has explained how Manchester City got the better of Arsenal on Saturday evening.According to former Liverpool defender turned Sky Sports pundit Carragher, City decided to play a number of different formations against Arsenal, ensuring the Gunners were in a constant battle to keep them contained.
Jamie Carragher said “I thought it was fascinating watching. I don’t think it was a great game in terms of chances and goals like we have seen in other games, but only Pep Guardiola knows how his team was set up and what he was trying to do. But what I would say is that he was up against Mikel Arteta, who knows him inside out, Arteta obviously won the FA Cup semi-final, and we obviously know Pep doesn’t do the conventional. I was fascinated and didn’t really know what was going on in terms of positions. I looked at the game again this morning and tried to work it out, and City actually played different formation based on whether had the ball, if they were without the ball or based on where they were on the pitch. They were not going to let them get out, and that’s why he went with a front four – you never see that with Pep – this team always play out from the back, and we’re going to push in, maybe leave ourselves exposed and I’m going to back my defenders.”
The defeat leaves Arsenal in fifth with nine points from five games, while Man City are up into 11th and within two points of the Gunners with a game in-hand. Pep Guardiola got one over on his former apprentice Mikel Arteta as City defeated the Gunners 1-0 thanks to Raheem Sterling’s first-half effort. But the win took something special from Guardiola, who is, of course, renowned for his tactical genius.
