HOW Arteta’s Safety-First Plan Almost Backfired for Arsenal Against City | OneFootball

It was one of those afternoons at the Emirates where every pass felt loaded, the crowd living on a knife edge. Arsenal against Manchester City is always framed as Arteta chasing Guardiola, the student versus the teacher, and for much of this one it looked like the story wouldn’t change. Erling Haaland struck early with the kind of finish we’ve come to expect, and City settled into a rhythm that felt designed to suffocate. They weren’t their usual free-flowing selves, but with Donnarumma solid in goal, they looked comfortable enough.

What Arsenal had was patience and grit. The game drifted, the crowd grew restless, with some even leaving, and it seemed to be slipping away until Eberechi Eze picked the perfect moment to show why Arteta brought him on at half-time. His pass opened the door and Gabriel Martinelli, full of pace and intent, didn’t hesitate. The finish was emphatic; the noise that followed was even more so.

While the Emirates erupted at the final whistle, the underlying story was one of missed opportunity for Mikel Arteta’s side. His conservative game plan backfired, with Arsenal looking short of spark until the introduction of their bench “finishers”. For City, the frustration will stem from conceding late after executing a disciplined, defence-first strategy – ironically uncharacteristic of Guardiola but brutally effective until the dying moments.

A draw was probably fair, but it carried a different weight. City, for once, looked cautious. Arsenal, for all their flaws, found a way back against the champions. It wasn’t vintage from either side, but it was compelling, and it left the sense that Arteta’s side are edging closer to where they want to be.

The draw keeps Liverpool firmly in control at the top, five points clear, as both Arsenal and City surrendered ground in the title race.

Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City

Erling Haaland 9’, Gabriel Martinelli 90+ 3’.

Arteta’s Overthinking and Arsenal’s Tentative Start

Mikel Arteta’s team selection raised eyebrows before kick-off. Despite investing heavily in attacking talent this summer, Arsenal lined up with a midfield trio of Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, and Mikel Merino-solid but conservative. Creativity was sacrificed for control, while dynamic options such as Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Eberechi Eze were left on the bench.

The logic was evident: Arteta and his staff believed City’s new pressing system had left them tiring earlier in matches, as seen in their defeat to Brighton. The plan was to wear City down before unleashing fresh attackers in the second half. Yet in practice, Arsenal looked inhibited. Their build-up was ponderous, their forward movements hesitant, and their play cluttered with overthinking.

This safety-first mindset contrasted starkly with City’s direct approach. When Tijjani Reijnders surged through midfield in the ninth minute and slipped a pass into Haaland, the Norwegian’s lethal finish underscored the difference. Arsenal had been overcomplicating their game; City, stripped down and pragmatic, struck with brutal simplicity.

Guardiola’s Tactical Pragmatism

Guardiola surprised observers by deploying what amounted to a defensive masterclass. Manchester City registered just 32.8% possession – the lowest of Guardiola’s managerial career – but their compactness suffocated Arsenal’s attack. At times, nearly the entire Manchester City XI was stationed behind the ball, evoking memories of José Mourinho’s Inter side against Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2010.

The defensive trio of Josko Gvardiol, Nico O’Reilly, and Ruben Dias were immense, repeatedly throwing themselves in the way of shots and crosses. Behind them, Gianluigi Donnarumma dominated his box, his saves and command at set pieces frustrating Arsenal to the point of psychological disruption. He was even booked for time-wasting, a Mourinho-style dark art uncharacteristic of Guardiola’s teams but perfectly suited to this game’s demands.

In possession, City’s plan was stripped back: launch it long to Haaland. It was an approach that felt almost countercultural in an era defined by Guardiola’s short-passing dominance, but it worked. Haaland caused chaos whenever isolated against Arsenal’s defenders and nearly doubled City’s lead in the second half, only denied by David Raya’s reflexes.

Arsenal’s Second-Half Adjustments

Arsenal were chasing the game from the moment Haaland scored. Despite increased possession after the interval, the absence of incisiveness persisted until substitutions changed the equation. Recognising the lack of creativity, Arteta withdrew the ineffective Merino and the industrious but ultimately limited Noni Madueke, introducing Eze and Saka.

The change added urgency, particularly through Eze, who immediately began threading passes through City’s tiring defence. Still, Arsenal’s attacks largely broke down against the resilience of Donnarumma and his back line. When Haaland went close again midway through the second half, the Emirates grew restless, and fans began filing out in frustration.

But the decisive moment arrived in stoppage time. City, for the first time, left space behind their backline. Eze spotted Martinelli’s diagonal run and floated a perfectly weighted pass over the top. The Brazilian, introduced in the 80th minute, showed composure to lob Donnarumma and send the Emirates into delirium.

Key Tactical Themes

Arsenal’s conservatism: A midfield trio designed to stifle rather than create left Arsenal sterile in possession. Their best attackers on the bench was counterintuitive in a fixture demanding ambition.

City’s pragmatism: Guardiola abandoned his principles in favour of compact defence and direct play to Haaland, with Doku also being a focal point of the attack with his direct running and play, an approach that unsettled Arsenal.

Finishers vs starters: Arteta’s reliance on “finishers” worked late on, but the question remains: should they have started? Martinelli’s goal papered over what had been 90 minutes of ineffective structure for Arsenal.

Set-piece struggles: Arsenal, usually strong from dead-ball situations, were nullified by Donnarumma’s authority. Corners and free kicks lacked their usual bite, it’ll make teams consider playing taller players and their more dominant goalkeeper in the air against Arsenal to nullify them.

Psychological edge: Liverpool’s dominance so far this season casts a shadow for both of the sides. Both Arsenal and City looked like teams playing not to lose ground, rather than sides ready to seize control of the title race. While Liverpool, are winning while each week psychologically gaining an advantage due to the manner they’re winning in.

Conclusion

Those who were in attendance left the ground unsure whether to celebrate or sigh. Arsenal had rescued a point, but the mood wasn’t one of triumph. Gabriel Martinelli’s moment of brilliance gave the night its spark, yet it also highlighted a team still unsure of itself in the biggest moments.

For Guardiola, this will be remembered as one of his more pragmatic outings. The man usually associated with control and invention set his side up to survive rather than dominate, a rare show of restraint. For Arteta, the questions cut deeper. Faced with a game that demanded boldness, he seemed to lean more towards caution. Martinelli’s goal masked those doubts for now, but they remain.

Declan Rice was right to frame the performance as progress, pointing to the way Arsenal forced City onto the back foot and even into a defensive shape rarely seen under Guardiola, but the bigger truth lingers: they still didn’t win. For all the control and authority on the ball, for all the energy Rice himself brought in midfield, Arsenal came away with a point that feels more like a missed chance than a statement. In a title race where Liverpool are moving forward with purpose, calling it a small victory won’t disguise the fact that the real victory slipped through their fingers.

Arteta’s safety-first plan almost cost Arsenal the game, and while Martinelli’s late strike spared him from a damaging defeat, it also masked the hesitation that ran through his side. Liverpool aren’t waiting around, and neither will City once Guardiola decides caution is no longer required. Arsenal can take pride in pushing the champions back, but pride alone won’t win a title. If they want more than respect, they’ll need to risk more than safety.

That’s why nights like these matter. Football isn’t only about who gets the result, but also how they go about it. At the Emirates, there was no neat ending, just another reminder that the season’s biggest questions are still waiting to be answered. Maybe Arsenal should be willing to step outside their comfort zone if they want to win it all this season.