In Manchester, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed contentment with his team’s ability to prevent Manchester City from scoring at the Etihad Stadium. However, he was frustrated that they were unable to capitalize on their chances to reclaim the top spot in the intense Premier League race. The 0-0 draw on Sunday marked the first time Pep Guardiola’s side failed to score at home in the league since October 2021, following eight consecutive wins over Arsenal at the Etihad since a draw in May 2016.
“Very tough match against a very demanding opponent,” Arteta shared with reporters regarding the latest encounter with his friend, fellow Spaniard, and former boss Guardiola. “We defended really well. We were really good … The first time they haven’t scored at home in three years. The downside is that we had some big situations to score and didn’t make the most of it .. No way can you be fully happy.”
One notable missed opportunity came from former Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus, who squandered two prime chances to score against his former team. He also narrowly failed to connect with a tempting cross from Bukayo Saka.
“You want to win the game, you prepare to win it. If we don’t win it, make sure we draw it. You have to continue to make steps as a team and try to improve, and today we’ve done that,” Arteta reflected. Despite a 4-1 loss in the league at the Etihad last season, Arsenal managed to win the earlier encounter this season in London.
“They are the best team in the world in my opinion by far … and we have to catch up and try to be better than them,” Arteta acknowledged.
Discussing their strategy against Manchester City, Arteta revealed that he had prepared his team to anticipate prolonged periods of ball possession by their opponents. “I said to them – ‘Are you ready to follow 30 passes? If yes, then you are ready to play Manchester City. If you are not ready for that, you cannot play against them,'” he explained.
With only nine games left in the season, Arsenal currently sits in second place in the league with 65 points, one ahead of Manchester City but trailing leaders Liverpool by two points. “It generates belief and continues momentum. We are improving, we are competing better,” Arteta commented on the outcome of Sunday’s match, refraining from speculating on their title chances.
“We will try out best to continue what we are doing … Today we were able to draw, and we still have to improve a lot,” he emphasized. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard echoed Arteta’s cautious stance on discussing the title race, emphasizing the need to focus on one game at a time.
“We want all the three points obviously, and we tried our best to get the win, but we’ll take the point and move on,” Odegaard stated. “We had to defend a lot, a bit more deep than we would have liked. It was a tight game and a tough one.”
(Reporting by Andrew Cawthorne, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
