How Manchester City drew 0-0 with Arsenal in cagey Premier League match

Given how fine the margins are at the top of the table, Mikel Arteta will be acutely aware that the clashes against Arsenal’s title rivals are often decided by moments. So often it comes down to a set piece, a bounce of the ball, or a mistake — and it was clear that Arsenal’s manager had instructed his players not to mess about with possession at the back, ensuring any mistakes made were safely away from their goal.

This is evidenced by David Raya’s approach in possession. This season, Arsenal’s goalkeeper typically elects to play a long ball (passes of 35+ yards) with 43 per cent of his passes on average. Against Manchester City, that share shot up to 83 per cent — 29 long balls across the whole game. (The green arrows below indicate completed passes, while uncompleted are black.)

Only once — in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool in December (85 per cent) — did Raya have a higher long-ball share in the Premier League this season.

Arsenal are undoubtedly the league’s best out-of-possession side this season, but Manchester City’s ability to stop the opposition with their devastating high press will have been at the forefront of Arteta’s mind when curating his gameplay. No team averages more possessions won in the attacking third than City’s 7.1 per 90 this season.

A pessimistic view would be that Arsenal lacked the bravery to build out from the back, but their risk-averse approach was probably the best decision.

What is clear is that Raya’s decisions on the ball were not by luck, but by design.