Arsenal Vs Manchester City: Be careful to press

Arsenal host Manchester City on Sunday afternoon. While Freddie Ljungberg would like his team to press high, against this brilliant City team, great care must be taken.

The high press is sweeping — and has now largely swept — through modern football. From Pep Guardiola’s relentless Barcelona teams that played in the attacking half and then hounded the ball whenever they lost it to Jurgen Klopp’s athletically superb Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, almost every successful team over the past decade has implemented a cohesive and containing high press.

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During that time, Arsenal have rarely defended in such an offensive and aggressive manner. Whether it was Arsene Wenger and his attack-first mentality or Unai Emery and his confused efforts or organise his players, the Gunners have never really executed a vaguely capable high press. However, now under interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg, that is beginning to change.

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Joe Willock started Ljungberg’s first two games in charge as an energetic, hard-running midfielder, his impact on the game as valuable off the ball as on it. Similarly, Gabriel Martinelli was introduced on Monday, his high-intensity style critical to hound and harass opposing defenders. Lucas Torreira has been reintroduced to the central midfield, while even Mesut Ozil has been tasked with imparting defensive pressure.

But when Arsenal host Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, knowing that an unlikely victory thrusts them right back into the top-four race and then some, they must be careful not to press too vigorously. Ljungberg’s side cannot completely veer away from ever putting pressure on the ball. It would be suicide to give such offensive talent time and space to pick their way through. But they must be timely and cohesive when they push high up the pitch, understanding the perils if just one player misses their cue.

City are so calm and progressive in possession, sometimes they invite opponents to press high, looking to then burst in behind the midfield and drive at an exposed defence. How many times do you see Ederson clip a 30-yard pass into Kevin de Bruyne who is suddenly bursting past the opposing midfield with Raheem Sterling on one wing, Bernardo Silva on the other and Sergio Aguero through the middle?

Where other teams lack the composure and quality to deal with receiving the ball under pressure in deep areas, City are more than adept at passing through pressure. They have terrific awareness, understanding the time and place to slide balls into midfield to evade the first line of the press, and there are always options for the man in possession, their movement relentless, especially from de Bruyne and David Silva.

With Arsenal already vulnerable in defensive positions, especially at centre-half and now full-back with both Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin absent through injury, City might well flourish when they are pressed, knowing that it will isolate Sterling, Bernardo and Gabriel Jesus against substandard defenders.

Ljungberg must not completely abandon his natural game, and if Arsenal never put any pressure on the ball and City’s distributors, they will be in for a very long 90 minutes indeed. But they must also be extremely careful when they choose to press. Get it wrong, but just half a yard or half a second, and the ball will be in the back of your goal.