Manchester City Pass Major Psychological Test with Gritty Win over Arsenal

Manchester City have worked “two-and-a-half hours per day” in training on winning second balls, according to manager Pep Guardiola.

By full time of their 2-1 win over Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon, it had become clear there was something different about the home side—and their ability to pick off the visitors on the break was what turned a game they were losing into a victory.

Talk of a crisis at the club has been near for some time. It began during their downturn in form after winning their opening 10 matches—dubbed Guardiola’s worst run of his managerial career after going six without a win—and has carried on since. City have been patchy in that time, sometimes blowing teams away and, on other occasions, succumbing to defeat without a fight.

They needed to beat Arsenal. Having lost to Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur already this season, it was important Guardiola’s side proved they could be successful against one of their rivals. City haven’t beaten a team that has gone on to finish in the top four since November 2014, an underwhelming 1-0 success over a 10-man Manchester United.

In the two years since, they failed to beat the clubs around them, and that put paid to their title challenges in Manuel Pellegrini’s final two seasons in charge.

Assuming Arsenal don’t capitulate on a grander scale than they usually do, City should have their latest success against a side that finishes in the Champions League spots. It’s been far too long.

The game also proved that, psychologically at least, City are up for a fight. It’s the first time they’ve been losing at half-time and gone on to win a Premier League game since Roberto Mancini was the manager, beating Tottenham 2-1 in 2012.

7 – Kevin De Bruyne created seven chances (including an assist) against Arsenal; his most ever in a game for Manchester City. Virtuoso. pic.twitter.com/s7ePZiciIo

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 18, 2016

By half-time of Sunday’s match, though, the City fans could have been forgiven for thinking they’d seen it all before. They’d certainly seen the opening goal a number of times this season, as the defence was again split open far too simply, just five minutes into the match. It’s happened often under Guardiola.

Nicolas Otamendi, still struggling to impress, was caught stepping out of the line of defence, leaving acres of space for Theo Walcott to slip in behind and for Alexis Sanchez to find him. When one-on-one with Claudio Bravo, the England international didn’t fail, and the goalkeeper had no chance of keeping the effort out.

The groans and grumbles of the home support were understandably getting louder. Their team hasn’t responded well to setbacks in games for some time, so falling behind in the opening …

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