There's a clear difference of purpose between the two sides in this game.
Arsenal (name)
Playing with a tweaked full lineup, this formation looks to be the same 11-man starter that will be used this year, with Havertz at center, Martinelli and Saka on the left and right wings, Rice, ThomasPartey, and Ødegaard at center, and Gabriel, Saliba, BenWhite, Timber at guard. Newcomers Timber and Rice are both in the starting lineup.
Manchester City football club
Instead, they played a different formation from last season's 343, which looked like a 4231, with Haaland in the center, B. Silva and Grealish on the wings, attacking midfielder Alvarez, Rodri and Kovacic at the back, and RubenDias, Stones, Walker, and Akanji put in at the back.
As opposed to a team that seems to be very motivated to win the Community Shield
Arsenal (name)
Manchester City football club
It's more of a test formation.
Arsenal (name)
Pressing forward from the start, the front three pair of
Manchester City football club
The backline of the defense was under pressure, while the
Manchester City football club
The backline was a little more cautious, not daring to press straight on, and seemed to be more afraid.
Arsenal (name)
Sharp two wings.
Manchester City football club
The game was played carefully, and in the 13th minute, Haaland pulled out of the box and played the ball to Alvarez, who flicked the ball to Rodri at the back, who drew the center backs away from the ball, and Rodri shot a beautiful, quick, low ball from 24 yards that was so close to breaking the game open, that it was considered to be the first goal of the game.
Manchester City football club
Pretty good fit in the first half.
Arsenal (name)
It is also equally important for the
Manchester City football club
Very alert, basically the Gunners' back four don't leave their defensive positions, and even the midfield is very close to the line of defense, which allows the
Manchester City football club
Haaland basically didn't have much of a chance, his central area was well guarded and he had to rely on his teammates in the back to try and attack, B. Silva was active on the right side but
Arsenal (name)
Has locked up the center and can't find a receiving teammate even when the ball is up.
Arsenal (name)
In the 27th minute or so, the Gunners started to attack forward, through Thomas Partey's forward passes, which created chances for Martinelli and Saka respectively, then the Gunners pushed their line forward slightly, and several passes could be clearly seen as the Gunners accelerated the impact of the two wingers.
Manchester City football club
Defense, though.
Manchester City football club
The four backs were pretty solid, and they were also very wary of the Gunners' offense, while the
Manchester City football club
Kovacic at the back was also on the defensive all the way through the midfield, and the Gunners didn't have that easy of a time getting in.
The Gunners' best chance of the game came on 39 minutes when Ødegaard picked up the ball on the right and suddenly sent a straight pass right through the
Manchester City football club
Two players allowed Saka to receive it, and this time Saka beat Akanji, who was opposite him, straight away, reaching the baseline to cross diagonally at 45 degrees back into the center of the box, a moment too sudden for the
Manchester City football club
The center back was also slow to react, allowing Havertz to fire a shot from eight yards directly in front of the goal, which was barely cleared by keeper Ortega, but the shot had already gone through the
Manchester City football club
Line of Defense.
The first half ended in a stalemate, but the
Arsenal (name)
Played several offenses that were significantly better than
Manchester City football club
Much more threatening. After the start of the second half.
Manchester City football club
After starting to press the attack and nearly scoring with a header, Guardiola replaced Grealish, who had been unable to break through on the left, with Foden in the 57th minute to strengthen the attacking force on the side, followed by Haaland and Kovacic in the 63rd minute, and Palmer and DeBruyne in the 63rd minute.
Manchester City football club
Going into attack mode, but rather surprisingly pulling Haaland and putting in junior Palmer.
Manchester City football club
The next formation was changed, with B. Silva dropping back from right midfield to work with Rodri at the back of midfield, while DeBruyne pushed forward to become a full attacking midfielder, with Palmer and Alvarez in front of him and even Foden for him to manipulate the attacking formation.
This operation began to have an effect very quickly, the
Manchester City football club
The run upfield became a forceful one, and on a pass from DeBruyne with a nice turn from Foden to split the side at the 69 mark, it immediately created a chance for Palmer to fire a 16-yard shot from the right side of the box, and that's when the
Manchester City football club
The warning signs that an offensive attack would be mounted were met by the Gunners, who replaced Martinelli for Trossard on 74 minutes and brought on Tierney for newcomer Timber.
