Arsenal’s technical issue and Havertz’s fix vs Man City

Welcome to The Radar, Sky Sports’ column from Nick Wright using data and opinion on Premier League stories. This week: Arsenal’s attacking problem, Xhaka’s reunion with Emery, and a player to watch.

Arsenal’s technical issue
Arsenal leaned on their defence in the second leg against Sporting, using a first-leg lead to shelter a side that has looked vulnerable at times. The defensive solidity helped them into the Champions League semi-finals, but the tie also highlighted how blunt their attack has become.

Arteta can afford to prioritize a conservative approach—Arsenal still lead the Premier League by six points—yet against Manchester City they will need more invention in possession. Questions have been raised about whether a reluctance to take risks has cost Arsenal fluency and flair, whether open-play chance creation has been sacrificed for set-piece work, and whether the team too readily relies on its defence.

Injuries have narrowed Arteta’s options: Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard were doubtful for the trip to the Etihad. The need for changes in forward areas was exposed against Sporting. For the second successive match Arteta picked Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres as the front three — a combination that plainly struggles to provide technical control high up the pitch.

The trio have won only two of the last six matches they’ve started together; one of those required a late Kai Havertz winner after he came on. All three are dangerous when running at or beyond defences and have combined for 36 goals this season, but selecting them together leaves Arsenal short of players able to retain the ball in advanced areas.

Declan Rice said after the Sporting game: “It’s about doing the basics to a better level, just the five, 10-yard passes that we’re giving away a bit sloppily.” Martin Zubimendi added: “We have lacked a little bit of clarity in the final third.”

Ball retention is particularly problematic for Gyokeres. Opta data shows he has lost possession 246 times from 566 touches this Premier League season — a 43.5% rate of touches ending in turnovers, the second highest among outfield players. Martinelli and Madueke are also high on that list at 38.9% and 36.1% respectively; Manchester City have no player above 30%.

Against Sporting, Gyokeres completed only five of nine passes, while Martinelli and Madueke lost possession 12 and 17 times. Arsenal’s substitutions altered the balance. When Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard, Max Dowman and Gabriel Jesus came on they completed 89% of their passes, giving Arsenal enough technical control to play in Sporting’s half late on.

That passing quality could be crucial at the Etihad. In the Carabao Cup final last month Arsenal were pinned back by City in the second half, unable to progress the ball against Pep Guardiola’s front four, who sat off the goalkeeper and defenders to block channels into midfield and force long passes to a lone striker. Gyokeres struggled to hold those long balls.

Arteta may have to adjust his selection. Madueke is a doubt after Sporting and Saka is also carrying an injury. Havertz can offer the outlet Arsenal have lacked. The 26-year-old has had an injury-affected season and has been inconsistent in some of Arsenal’s recent defeats, but his presence against Sporting underlined his technical value.

Across 35 minutes in Lisbon, and after scoring in the first leg, Havertz won more aerial duels than anyone on the pitch (three), one of which created a clear shooting chance for Eberechi Eze. He completed 15 passes — three times as many as Gyokeres in the same game. Looking at his Premier League involvement across the last two seasons (allowing for this term’s limited minutes), Havertz’s duel-winning and ball-retention numbers mark him out as the superior targetman.

City know what Havertz can do: he scored the winner for Chelsea in the Champions League final against them and played a key role in Arsenal’s 5-1 win at the Emirates last season, setting up Ødegaard’s opener and scoring, while completing 26 of 28 passes and winning three aerial duels. Havertz has four goals and two assists in only 713 minutes this season — a reminder of his efficiency when fit.

Starting Havertz up front on Sunday would raise Arsenal’s technical level and provide a more reliable focal point. Gyokeres could then be used as an impact substitute against tired defenders. Arsenal will need to defend phases under City’s pressure, but improving the quality of their attacking possession, within the limits imposed by injuries, is likely to be decisive.

Xhaka’s Sunderland influence
Arsenal’s captaincy debate has continued after Declan Rice has worn the armband in recent matches. Meanwhile, former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka faces Unai Emery’s Aston Villa with Sunderland, the club where his return from an ankle injury has had a tangible effect.

Sunderland’s Premier League points-per-game rises from 1.0 to 1.5 when Xhaka starts. They have lost four of six top-flight matches without him, compared with six defeats in the other 26. Xhaka’s ball-playing ability has been obvious — last weekend he completed more passes and had more touches than anyone on the pitch — and he looks set to be influential at Villa Park as Sunderland chase another upset.

Player Radar: Who else to watch
Tyrique George (Chelsea loanee) has had limited minutes at Everton but his pace and directness from the bench helped them recover a draw against Brentford. David Moyes has suggested he will play him more; George could be a live option to exploit Liverpool’s counter-attack vulnerabilities in the upcoming Merseyside derby.

Weekend viewing
Spurs vs Brighton headlines Saturday Night Football. Super Sunday features Aston Villa vs Sunderland, Everton vs Liverpool and Nottingham Forest vs Burnley before Man City host Arsenal at 4.30pm. Monday Night Football sees Crystal Palace take on West Ham.

Read last week’s Radar for coverage of Alejandro Garnacho, Antoine Semenyo’s impact at Man City and Brian Brobbey’s importance to Sunderland.