Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta may be planning a tactical surprise when he prepares to face his mentor Pep Guardiola in Sunday’s clash with Manchester City. The Gunners are hoping to continue their unbeaten start and exact revenge on City after losing out on the title to them last season, but Arteta is likely to be without Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli due to injury problems. With two key players unavailable, the Spaniard may consider a daring experiment – and Express Sport have picked four plans to choose from for the grudge match at the Emirates Stadium.
Tried and tested
Why sway from a system that works because two players are missing? Guardiola wouldn’t and neither would Jurgen Klopp, so Arteta may decide to keep faith with his system that he has used for three seasons to increasing effectiveness.
Saka and Martinelli are superb players, but Arsenal have excellent depth in attack with Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz, Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson all ready to plug any gaps that appear. With that in mind, the former could replace Saka on the right-hand side, with Arteta simply continuing to use Nketiah and Jesus in the current setup.
Of course, if there was ever a time for an experiment, it would be when the pair are both injured. Arsenal haven’t got much change out of City since Arteta took over, but a tactical surprise could bamboozle the champions.
Havertz fills the gap
Arteta is adored by the fanbase but he is yet to win them over on Kai Havertz after his underwhelming start to life at the Emirates Stadium. The £65m summer signing may have scored from the penalty spot but his goal has done little to quieten his detractors. However, filling for Saka and impressing in his position would go some way to silencing his doubters.
After all, it is a position the German has played in before. His versatility means the 23-year-old has been used in just about every position in midfield and attack in his previous days as a Chelsea player. From the right flank, he can cut in and create havoc just like Saka does from the same position in a 4-3-3.
Trossard could then play from the left and switch around with Gabriel Jesus and Havertz, giving Arteta the fluidity he enjoys seeing in attack. Havertz can also use his height up against Walker, who can outpace anyone but often struggles against attackers with aerial prowess.
Two up top
It would be an extremely attacking move, but given City’ blasé approach to defending, it may be the right option to choose to prove they are willing to take them on and not bow in submission to the English champions.
For this experiment, he could line up in a 4-3-1-2, giving him the solidity of a three-man midfield against Rodri, Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic, or Bernardo Silva if he is fit. Trossard would work wonders in the No 10 role with his quick turns and excellent passing, with Havertz offering height and Jesus an all-round operator next to him in the two-man attack.
This new experiment has been used by other bosses to overload four-man defences, and sometimes City only leave two men back when attacking. That would play into Arteta’s hands if he is willing to play predominantly on the counter.
Three at the back
Arteta hasn’t won against Guardiola since a 2-0 victory in the FA Cup back in July 2020 on their way to winning the trophy. Since then, it’s been a string of consecutive defeats in all competitions with an aggregate scoreline of 23-5 in those nine games. If you don’t count the Community Shield, that is.
Perhaps the only way to outfox his mentor is to throw away his binder with Guardiola’s greatest ideas and focus on his own. A back three of Ben White, William Saliba and Gabriel may well be strong enough to limit the threat of Haaland and Alvarez, while Rice and Partey in the double pivot would prove to be a tough wall to breach. Odegaard can focus on playing as an inside No 10 with Trossard, with one of Jesus or Nketiah as the main striker.
Thomas Tuchel used it in the Champions League final and ended up with a 1-0 victory, and no one would blame Arteta for taking notes from that game to end his winless run against Guardiola once and for all.
