Super Stina Blackstenius saves Arsenal again against Manchester City

Introduction:

Arsenal played the first of two final games this season chasing Manchester City’s title at the Stadium on Thursday. Arsenal looked to end the season on a high with little to play for but pride, with City hoping to take a huge step towards the title with a win here (based on Chelsea’s recent loss to Liverpool).

Formations:

Arsenal made four changes from the 1-1 draw with Everton – Frida Maanum for Stina Blackstenius, Cloe Lacasse for Caitlin Foord, Kyra Cooney-Cross for Kim Little and Laia Codina for Steph Catley.

Manchester City made just one change to their near-constant starting XI from the previous match, with Kirstin Casparij coming on for Alanna Kennedy.

Manchester City: Keating; Ouahabi, Greenwood, Aleixandri, Casparij; Coombs, Hasegawa, Park; Hemp, Kelly, Fowler.

Arsenal: Zinsberger; McCabe, Codina, Williamson, Fox; Cooney-Cross, Pelova; Lacasse, Maanum, Mead; Russo.

Arsenal in the first half:

Despite Manchester City’s pressing system looking to cover Arsenal’s midfield, Cooney-Cross did extremely well to recognize and move into space to receive balls between the lines. Space would open up for Cooney-Cross when the city fell deeper. This opened up space in midfield for Arsenal’s midfield players.

With City scoring extremely well down the flanks in the first half, Arsenal had few clear attacking opportunities out wide. Instead, Arsenal looked to play balls through the lines or behind City’s high line, using Leah Williamson’s powerful passing ability. Beth Mead would move centrally to receive these passes between the lines, with Emily Fox providing the wide-ranging option. This meant that Fox was often isolated out wide and Arsenal were forced back with no one to support them on the flanks.

Despite finding space to attack, some of Arsenal’s passing was sloppy and this possession given back straight to City.

Another real weakness in attack came from the runs, with Arsenal still being caught offside on more than one occasion. He could have tested City more had he timed his runs correctly.

Arsenal also failed to demonstrate a clear form in attack, meaning decision-making was slow or poor. Despite receiving the ball in promising positions, there was still a degree of uncertainty with their final pass or shot.

Out of possession Arsenal dropped deep, with Mead and Lacasse often passing into midfield, leaving Alessia Russo isolated. This allowed City to play a high line and have one of their CBs forward with the ball.

When Park looked to drop deep to receive the ball from Alex Greenwood, this would trigger Arsenal to press, giving Jess Park little time on the ball.

As Arsenal gained more possession and momentum in the game, they pressed higher, preventing City from getting out and trying to force them into hasty decisions. Arsenal were sloppy in possession at times, allowing City’s players to make runs into space with no one to track the runs down. Fortunately for Arsenal, City failed to capitalize on these runs.

Man City in the first half:

Instead of pressing Arsenal’s centre-backs directly, City’s priority out of possession was to cover the passing route to Victoria Pelova and Cooney-Cross. Fowler was responsible for pressuring Manu Zinsberger to make a hasty decision.

City won the majority of aerial duels from empty spaces, both in their box and Arsenal’s. They were solid defensively; winning loose balls and seconds prevented Arsenal from having more chances.

The front three for City had interchangeable positions throughout, but we most often saw Lauren Hemp on the left, Mary Fowler on the right and Chloe Kelly in the middle.

City looked to catch Arsenal as they pressed higher, exploiting the space at the back. When Fox was caught higher up the pitch trying to win the ball back, City were often able to escape through the space that opened up on the flank.

Coombs would move out wide to support Hemp, allowing him to make the run under or over. Laila Ouahabi could then move into Laura Coombs’ central position, providing another option in and around the box that Arsenal would have to defend against.

Man City’s positioning in the box was extremely effective when they were on the attack, with overlapping runs and withdrawals into the box enough to catch Arsenal off guard. When City got the ball in the box, Arsenal couldn’t close them down quickly enough and this gave City the first goal.

Despite trying to play balls in behind Arsenal’s high back line, most of City’s attempts were ineffective.

Arsenal in the second half:

Coming on at half-time, Little allowed Arsenal to hold the ball much more in midfield, giving them better overall control of the game. Throughout the second half, Arsenal’s substitutions were both well-timed and highly effective, capitalizing on their possession in an attempt to create more attacking opportunities from pressure.

Arsenal pressed City higher up the pitch, forcing them to make more mistakes at the back of possession. Their hasty clearances gave possession straight back to Arsenal. By bringing players higher up the pitch, they were also more likely to win loose balls.

With Kennedy replacing Casparij, Arsenal began to find more space on the flanks, an area they struggled to capitalize on in the early stages of this game. They often doubled out wide, with Hemp forced to defend; they have created a lot of opportunities through this route.

Out of possession, Arsenal defended their box much better than they did in the first half, preventing City’s players from converting set-backs.

Man City in the second half:

City failed to get into the final third early in the second half, with Arsenal able to keep the ball more often and improve their defensive stability. They were slow in their build-up, looking to play away from pressure and protect their lead rather than push for a second goal.

They were under a lot more pressure from possession than they were in the first half. Constantly playing at the back rather than looking to attack, they invited pressure from Arsenal. Despite doing well defensively in the first half, they struggled much more in the second half to win loose balls or seconds from empty plays – this allowed Blackstenius to get the equaliser.

Perhaps City’s best form of defense would have been to attack Arsenal more, looking to catch them when they moved higher up the pitch in search of goals.

City were unable to close down Arsenal on the edge of the box and ultimately this allowed little space on the edge of the box. Her brilliant pass and Blackstenius’ run caught City and gifted Arsenal a late winner.

Final Thoughts:

This was a huge win for Arsenal; despite having little to play for, it gives them a huge confidence boost and allows them to finish the season on a high. For Manchester City, however, this result is a huge blow to their title hopes, allowing Chelsea to close the gap with a win against Bristol City.

Manchester City will be hoping to get back to winning ways in the final game against Aston Villa, while Arsenal will play Brighton in their final game. Having already secured Champions League football next season, Arsenal will be hoping for a win to end the season on a high.