Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted fatigue, injuries and Arsenal’s quality forced his side into an unusually defensive approach in their 1-1 draw.
City, who opened the scoring in the ninth minute through Erling Haaland’s precise finish on the counter-attack, were pinned back for long spells and managed just 32.8 per cent possession.
That figure is the lowest recorded by any Guardiola team in a top-flight match, underlining how deeply City were forced to defend.
Arsenal eventually found a way through in the 93rd minute when Eberechi Eze floated a clever ball over the visitors’ high line. Gabriel Martinelli latched onto it, racing clear before calmly lifting the ball over Gianluigi Donnarumma to level the match and deny City all three points.
Despite the late setback, Guardiola said he was satisfied overall with the resilience of his players. “We will take the point. Of course, we have to improve, but the game against Napoli was so emotional, and we had a lot of fatigue. We also have many injuries,” he explained.
The Spaniard admitted his team were forced into a pragmatic approach. “We do not try to be like this, but when the opponent are better, we defend deeper and counter-attack. I would prefer not to do it, but sometimes at this level you must adjust. In general, Arsenal were better,” he said.
Guardiola praised his players’ defensive effort, adding: “It is so difficult when you are not effective in the high press or in the build-up, but we showed resilience.”
He refused to dwell on fixture scheduling, noting: “If you want to bring that our complaint is the schedule, then okay, but many things can happen.”
The result leaves City ninth in the Premier League table on seven points after five matches, eight points behind leaders Liverpool. Arsenal, who sit in fourth place on ten points, continue to look competitive in the early stages of the campaign.
In the league, City will next host Burnley on 27 September, while Arsenal travel to Newcastle on 28 September in what promises to be another demanding test.
