Some people saw the clash between Manchester City and Arsenal on Sunday as a highly interesting battle of wits between managers Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola. Others saw a snooze-fest, but which ever camp one belongs to, it was the first time in nine visits to the Etihad that Arsenal did not lose.
“Any team playing against Manchester City has got to be defensively strong and that was probably one of the best performances defensively against a top team, I've seen from Arsenal," says Arsenal great Nigel Winterburn when talking to Tribalfootball.com about a performance which reduced Manchester City to a single shot on target at home. The defensive solidity came at the expense of going forward, though, with the Gunners managing a meagre six shots in total themselves.
“The players talked about it themselves, how they would have wanted to try and use the ball a little better than they did and I agree with them. I think they wasted one or two opportunities, but sometimes that can be down to the amount of time you've got with the ball.
“Sometimes you get a bit hesitant. Do you want to play forward early and try and catch the opposition? Or do you want to try and keep the ball and catch a breath?" Winterburn asks rhetorically about a performance which saw only three Arsenal players on more than 29 passes. The Gunners goalkeeper even had the most passes with 35.
“Listen, Manchester City are the best in the league at keeping the ball and then they try and exploit your mistakes. If you switch off defensively or lose the ball in defensive areas, they exploit you. I think, Arsenal should have been a lot more aggressive going forward, but we were superb defensively."
A new legendary back-four shaping up?
Part of that superb defense was once again Jakub Kiwior who has emerged as first choice at left-back over the course of the season. A position Winterburn himself once made his own at Arsenal and he likes what he sees in the 24 year-old Polish international
“He's an interesting player for me because he's come in before where he had one or two games where I thought he looked a little bit shaky. But since he's come back in this time he's been very, very consistent. There have been one or two instances where I thought he could have done slightly better," says the man who once formed part of a legendary back four at Arsenal.
With Arsenal having so far faced the fewest shots on target in the Premier League this season (77), conceded the fewest goals (24) and kept the most clean sheets (12), is this perhaps shaping up to be a new legendary line of defense?
“Well, they'll have to play together for a long time," Winterburn initially offers with a laugh, before a more serious take on the comparison.
“You always have little blips. Even looking back on the teams, I played in, it didn't always work out, but we spent so long together and were fairly good defensively. The big question for me when comparing the current defense with the back four I played in would be; will that be the back four that starts next season?
“This season it has been mostly Gabriel along with Ben White and Saliba. The left back has changed a bit between Kiwior and, Zinchenko has changed a little bit. Tomiyasu can come in there as well, so I would suggest that the left back position is still the one position that may change," Winterburn contemplates while nevertheless offering some praise for Kiwior.
“When you're in charge of the shirt, you've got to make sure that you keep it on your back. Kiwior is doing that very well at the moment. He's asking all the other guys that could play in that position to challenge him and they haven't managed to take that shirt off his back. So fair play to the young man, he's doing a very good job."
Another one doing a good job is Jorginho, who once again lined up in central midfield alongside Declan Rice.
“He's been outstanding since he came to the football club. He's come in a lot for the big games and he allows Declan Rice to play a little bit more forward. He can pick out those crucial passes. He very rarely lets you down and I'm pleased that he's in our squad and available at the moment," Winterburn states of the Brazilian, who is looking to renew his contract at the Emirates.
- Nigel Winterburn was talking to Tribalfootball on behalf of www.newbettingsites.uk.
