Mikel Arteta has defended Arsenal’s defensive approach during their match against Manchester City, particularly after they went a man down.
The Gunners had to execute a defensive masterclass in the second half after Leandro Trossard was sent off just before halftime.
Arsenal has proven to be a challenging opponent for City in recent encounters, remaining unbeaten against the defending champions in the league last season.
Leading up to the match, Arsenal boasted an impressive away record in the league for 2024, built on solid defensive performances.
In the second half, they demonstrated their defensive resilience and nearly came away with all three points.
But critics have slammed them for being too defensive despite their disadvantage. Arteta has responded and said, as quoted by the Daily Mail:
‘Well, we had to play the game that we had to play.
‘The first 10, 15 minutes, we couldn’t with 11 vs 11. Then we got much better. Then we were thrown in a very different context and did what every team does.
‘They played 30 seconds with 10 men. Look what they did for 30 seconds. It’s normal what they did. We had to do it in a different way.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
We had to play defensively well in the second half of that game and it is ridiculous that anyone would expect us to remain open when we have a major disadvantage on the pitch in that game.
