Kolkata: Around the 70-minute mark as away fans la-la-ed to “Hey Jude” and were countered by the “Arsenal, Arsenal” growl that rose from the bowels of the Emirates and into the London sunshine, a piece of statistic flickered on the television screen. Arsenal, according to the official broadcasters, had made 33 entries in the rival penalty box, Manchester City five.
By then, City were playing five defenders with a bank of four in front. It was as low block as low block can be. As per The Athletic, City have been defending 26m from their goal this term, nine metres deeper than they were in 2024-25. Soon after, Erling Haaland, who had put City ahead in the ninth minute, was substituted by Nico Gonzalez. That meant shifting Jeremy Doku from being City’s player for the release ball to No.9.
It was not the only defensive change from Pep Guardiola. The Manchester City manager had replaced Phil Foden with Nathan Ake earlier and ended Sunday’s1-1 draw with a double substitution in the 87th with Doku one of the players going off. By then, City had Stones, Ake, Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias and Matheus Nunes at the back and Rodri, Gonzalez, Bernando Silva and Tijjani Reijnders providing further protection. City looked to defend their way to full points, something they almost did.
The possession percentage was even more intriguing. As per The Guardian’s minute-by-minute report, between the 27th and 37th minutes, Manchester City had 13% possession. They ended with 32.8% possession, the lowest ever in 601 matches for Guardiola as an elite club manager.
This was more Jose Mourinho, now back in business at Benfica, more anti-football, more smash-and-grab than anything Guardiola has been associated with. Had Doku been on target in the 82nd minute after City broke swiftly following an Arsenal corner-kick, it would have been 2-0 and, possibly, game over.
Guardiola said what happened at the Emirates was unusual. “We are not built for that but sometimes we have to accept it,” AFP quoted him as saying. Credit to Arsenal for making City play that way, he said. Guardiola has let Arsenal monopolise the ball once earlier, in February 2023 when City ended with 36.5% possession.
“Against top teams you have to defend and you have to grow as a team with the ball and as a team without the ball,” Guardiola has said. Especially if the team is in transition, he said. City have signed a raft of new players after releasing Ederson, Kevin de Bruyne, Julian Alvarez, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Guendogan and Jack Grealish. Playing the City way, as in regaining possession quickly, will take time, he has said.
If Haaland has made City more direct and quicker in their attacking play – it needed some getting used to but they did that with Rodri managing the midfield both in offence and defence – Gianluigi Donnarumma is providing assurance in goal. For a manager who opted for Claudio Bravo over Joe Hart and then Ederson because he needed a goalkeeper better with distribution, this feels like going back to go forward.
Ederson has the most assists (7) for a goalkeeper in Premier League history but City needed a goalkeeper who, as per their manager, is a “big presence on the big stages.” Donnarumma was not signed as a like-for-like replacement for Ederson, Guardiola has said. “He has other qualities.” Such as going long to bypass the press.
Arsenal are known to be dangerous from corner-kicks, they scored 33 goals from corners since 2023-24 till the end of last season, the most by any team in the Premier League – but literally and metaphorically, Donnarumma was a gigantic presence in his box. Like against Manchester United, Donnarumma made crucial saves to deny Mikel Merino at the near post and clear a Noni Madueke cross. It needed a moment of brilliance from Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Martinelli to breach Donnarumma’s defence.
But for that, Guardiola would have ended with full points. It is this ability to adapt that has fetched 18 trophies at City, three La Liga titles and two Champions League winners’ medals at Barcelona and three Bundesliga titles at Bayern. It is what makes him an all-time great.
