“Clarity, before the game: are you ready to follow 30 passes? And after following the ball 30 passes, lose the ball and follow another 30 passes? Yes, then you can play Manchester City. It’s very important – if you are not ready to do that, you cannot play against them.” (Arsenal FC)
30 passes. That was Mikel Arteta talking and he will go down in coaching lore for that quote.
On the weekend, the Arsenal manager used his understanding of Manchester City’s tendencies and traits to create the correct mindset for his team in their recent 0-0 draw with Pep Guardiola’s champions.
That mindset expressed itself in a tactical response as well but it was Arsenal’s absolute determination to stick to their tactics that indeed enabled them to “play City” for the full 90-minutes.