Declan Rice claims Manchester City deployed never-before-seen tactic against Arsenal | OneFootball

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice believes Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City deployed a never-before-seen tactical operation against the Gunners on Sunday.

The weekend clash at the Emirates Stadium was a high-intensity affair that pitted two of the Premier League’s title favourites against one another early on in the campaign, with many debating whether the result could have any impact on the direction of the league crown.

Erling Haaland’s first-half strike gave Manchester City the advantage after a blistering counter-attack, before Gabriel Martinelli once again proved Arsenal’s super-sub, striking late to earn Mikel Arteta’s side a point.

It was the second game in succession that Martinelli had influenced from the bench, following up his goal and assist in midweek UEFA Champions League action away against La Liga side Athletic Club.

Arsenal’s dominance for large spells of the match marked a shift from previous encounters, where Manchester City had often dictated play, while Arteta’s record against Guardiola now stands at being unbeaten in his last five managerial meetings with his former mentor.

City will not see the result as wholly negative, as they remain unbeaten this month despite balancing a challenging fixture schedule, including domestic duties and their return to UEFA Champions League action.

Manager Pep Guardiola, who is often praised for tactical innovation and sticking to his principles, was forced into reshaping his side against Arsenal to manage the game state.

Speaking after the 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium, Declan Rice told reporters of his side’s performance against a resolute Manchester City rearguard, “We just couldn’t break them down, fair play to them.”

The England international continued, “We’ve gained the respect of the opposition, they know the quality we have, from back to front. In my time at Arsenal, we probably haven’t dominated a game like that against them as we did today.

“There was always that threat from them on the counter-attack, but in the end we thoroughly deserved the goal… In the end, a point’s probably fair.”

Rice also spoke about Manchester City’s tactical adjustments in the game, as he claimed, “In the end they changed to a 5-4-1 which I’ve never seen them do, obviously trying to hang on, so to get the draw at the end was good for us.”

Declan Rice’s comments shed light on Pep Guardiola’s flexibility, as the Catalan manager is rarely seen deploying a defensive shape such as a back five, and typically opts for control through midfield overloads.

With John Stones returning to training following injury, and subsequently on-field action during the final stages against Arsenal, and Mateo Kovacic still sidelined, Pep Guardiola may have simply been forced into a pragmatic setup to grind out the result.

Looking ahead, Manchester City are unlikely to continue to experiment tactically as Pep Guardiola looks to bring his side back to their usual possession-based, high-pressing principles seen in other contests this season.

However, Pep Guardiola will be buoyed by the fact off the back of the showing against Arsenal away from home, he can look to rely more on defensive resilience in big away games.