Nick Wright’s column examines Arsenal’s recent technical problems, Granit Xhaka’s influence at Sunderland, and a player to watch this weekend.
Arsenal’s technical issue
Arsenal defended their first-leg advantage to progress past Sporting, but the tie exposed a familiar weakness: a blunt attacking presence when possession needs to be controlled high up the pitch. Mikel Arteta can afford conservative choices while leading the Premier League, yet against Manchester City Arsenal will need more precise, inventive possession to break down a team that thrives on controlling space and blocking channels.
Injuries have narrowed the manager’s options — Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard were doubts for the trip to the Etihad — and selection in forward areas has been telling. For two matches in a row Arteta started Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres. That trio offers pace and direct threat, and together they have contributed 36 goals this season, but they lack the technical control to sustain attacking sequences in advanced positions.
Those limitations are reflected in the numbers. Gyokeres has lost possession 246 times from 566 touches in the Premier League this season — a 43.5% turnover rate, the second highest among outfield players. Martinelli and Madueke are also high on the list, with turnover rates of 38.9% and 36.1% respectively; by comparison, no Manchester City player exceeds a 30% rate. After the Sporting game Declan Rice criticised sloppy short passing and Martin Zubimendi warned of a lack of clarity in the final third.
The match in Lisbon illustrated the difference substitutions can make. When Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard, Max Dowman and Gabriel Jesus entered the game they completed 89% of their passes, giving Arsenal the ball retention needed to operate in Sporting’s half and create late opportunities. Havertz in particular demonstrated what the side have been missing: across 35 minutes he won three aerial duels (more than any other player on the pitch), helped create a clear chance for Eberechi Eze and completed 15 passes — three times Gyokeres’ completions in the same fixture.
Havertz’s profile suits Arsenal’s needs against City. He has a record of scoring big goals against Pep Guardiola’s teams — notably the Champions League final winner for Chelsea — and he played a pivotal role in Arsenal’s 5-1 win over City at the Emirates last season, combining goal threat with high pass completion and aerial presence. Across the last two seasons his duel-winning and ball-retention metrics mark him out as the more reliable targetman compared with Gyokeres. This term Havertz has been limited by injuries but remains efficient: four goals and two assists in just 713 minutes.
Tactically, City pinned Arsenal back in the second half of the Carabao Cup final by sitting players off the goalkeeper and defenders to close passing lanes into midfield, forcing long balls toward a lone striker — a scenario that exposed Gyokeres’ difficulty in holding up lengthy deliveries. Starting Havertz would raise Arsenal’s technical level, offer a more secure focal point and allow Gyokeres to be introduced later as an impact runner against tired defenders. Given likely spells defending under City’s pressure, improving the quality of attacking possession within injury constraints will be decisive.
Xhaka’s Sunderland influence
Granit Xhaka’s return from an ankle injury has had a measurable impact at Sunderland. The team’s points-per-game rises from 1.0 to 1.5 when he starts, and Sunderland have lost four of six top-flight matches without him compared with six defeats in the other 26. His ball-playing and presence in midfield have been apparent — he topped his latest match for touches and passes — and he should be an influential figure as Sunderland travel to face Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.
Player radar: Tyrique George
Chelsea loanee Tyrique George has had limited minutes at Everton but his directness and pace off the bench helped them salvage a draw against Brentford. David Moyes has hinted at increased use, and George could be a dangerous option to exploit Liverpool on the counter in the upcoming Merseyside derby.
Weekend viewing
Saturday Night Football: Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton.
Super Sunday: Aston Villa vs Sunderland, Everton vs Liverpool, Nottingham Forest vs Burnley — and the weekend’s showpiece, Manchester City vs Arsenal at 4.30pm.
Monday Night Football: Crystal Palace vs West Ham.
If you missed last week’s column, it covered Alejandro Garnacho, Antoine Semenyo’s role at Manchester City and Brian Brobbey’s importance to Sunderland.