Football’s elite are tightening up – and Arsenal lead the pack

Football is often seen as a fun and exciting sport, but that wasn't the case during the Manchester City and Arsenal game on Sunday. The game was hyped up as an important match that would determine the league title, but it turned out to be quite underwhelming. There were only a total of three shots on target, which is equivalent to the amount Brentford had against Manchester United during a two-minute window. Even though the tactical aspects and level of planning may be admirable, the lack of action made it a boring experience for the younger generation who are used to more fast-paced and exciting gameplay.

Actually, it was even more dreadful in several aspects. Jorge Valdano, the renowned former Argentinian striker, coined a phrase in Marca about the second leg of the 2007 Champions League semi-final between Liverpool and Chelsea. He said, "Even if you hang a crappy thing in the midst of this ardent and insane stadium, some individuals will consider it a masterpiece. But in reality, it's just a crappy thing on a stick." At least, he was attempting to portray a decisive match.

During the Liverpool-Chelsea match in 2007, the tension was high. One mistake could have meant elimination for either team. However, Daniel Agger scored a goal in the middle of the game, which evened out the score after Joe Cole had given Chelsea the lead in the first leg. In the end, the match was decided by penalty kicks. On Sunday's game at the Etihad, there wasn't any real threat of an immediate consequence for either team. Both Liverpool and Manchester City still have nine games left to play, so the stakes weren't as high. Although Liverpool's victory over Brighton wasn't entirely convincing, they still have a two-point lead over Arsenal, with Manchester City trailing closely behind by just one point.

The City side might believe that the draw is a decent result, taking into account the injuries encountered during the game. Ederson, Kyle Walker, and John Stones were unable to play, and Nathan Aké was substituted in the first half due to injury. Moreover, City has an easier run of games ahead when compared to the other two challengers. Liverpool can also be content with the result since they are now in the lead for the title. All they need is to win every match from now on, and Jürgen Klopp's last season as the club's manager will end with his second Premier League title.

Despite facing tough competition, Arsenal managed to achieve a great feat on Sunday by beating Etihad. They had previously suffered seven continuous defeats at the hands of the rival team. Additionally, Arsenal has struggled in away games against top-notch teams in recent years. Nevertheless, they managed to prevent City from playing their best and score only one shot on target. This season marked the third consecutive game where Arsenal emerged as the unbeaten team against City. Among the top three teams, Arsenal leads with eight points, while the other two are tied at three points.

It's interesting to note that there were only 11 goals scored in the six league games played between the top three teams. Even though this season might be the highest-scoring season in Premier League history with an average of 3.23 goals per game, it's a different story among the elite teams. This trend is also noticeable in the Champions League where the goals per game during the knockout stage have been under 3.0 in the past three seasons. This has only happened once before since 2008.

In 2019, Klopp foresaw a shift towards greater defensiveness in football. For the past decade, teams had been focusing heavily on attacking. However, the real competitive advantage now lay in an ability to defend effectively. Although high-scoring matches in the Champions League can be thrilling, they do not necessarily indicate a healthy game. In fact, they often reveal teams that struggle to stem the tide when the opposition gains momentum. These teams are too reliant on the resources at their disposal and have become used to dominant performances in domestic fixtures. As a result, they have neglected to develop their defensive capabilities. The teams that can re-establish their resilience will have a significant advantage moving forward.

Right now, Arsenal is doing really well in the Premier League. They have let in fewer goals than any other team this season - only 24, compared to Liverpool's 27 and City's 28. In fact, they're doing so well that their xG (expected goals) against is the best in the league too, with only 20.4 compared to City's 28.2 and Liverpool's 34.9. Of course, things might change a bit after they play some tough away games against Brighton, Tottenham, Wolves, and Manchester United. But for now, it's clear that Arsenal is really good at stopping the other team from getting chances to score.

They are leading the charge towards not using full-backs in their team. Instead, they opt to have four central defenders on the field. This allows Ben White to occasionally move forward, while also allowing the team to play in a more compact style. They can have their wingers drop back as makeshift full-backs if needed, as was seen in their game on Sunday. This tactic also prepares them to better defend against the opposing team's counter-attacks when they lose possession of the ball.

City was unable to score in their home match for the first time in 58 matches, which is a notable accomplishment. However, it remains to be seen if this alone will be sufficient to secure a league victory.

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