Despite Kepa Arrizabalaga’s clanger and Rayan Cherki’s kick-ups, the rhythm of this year’s Carabao Cup final may have been down to a tale of two kick-offs.
Whether it is the one that starts a match, or a restart, the way a kick-off is taken often sets the tone for what follows. The moment when all eyes converge on one spot, differences in tactics become all the more noticeable — especially in a cup final at Wembley with more neutrals tuned in.
Those who have poked fun at Arsenal’s style of play would have felt vindicated when they began proceedings with a hoof forward, while Manchester City kept the ball on the floor at the start of the second half, but these two moments were telling.
Arsenal’s rugby-style up-and-under, with three players in the role of chasers, may have seemed unusual, but has become a norm for them.
The tactic was repopularised during the 2024 European Championship, but Mikel Arteta had been going direct from kick-offs before then. To use some rugby terminology, the idea of immediately gaining territory in the opposition half creates chaos and possibilities for incredibly quick attacks to start matches.
The method did not work against City, as Viktor Gyokeres fouled Rodri in the air.
It has worked previously, though.
For instance, last month, Arsenal generated a goalscoring opportunity within 21 seconds against Sunderland. Kai Havertz was the target for David Raya, won the first ball, and then made his way into the box, where he headed wide.
Two weeks later, away to Tottenham Hotspur, Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka were the runners. They did not win the first ball, but Arsenal had so many players around the second ball that they won it comfortably and could quickly settle inside the Spurs half.
Arsenal’s failure to make Kepa’s first long pass count was not the be-all and end-all, but it showed where their heads were at in the final.
They were hoping to disrupt City quickly. They did so for the opening 20-30 minutes, but a failure to capitalise on their chances gave Pep Guardiola the chance to turn the tide.
To start the second half, City not only kept the ball on the ground, but had it for 95 seconds. They made 27 passes in that time, and the tone for what would come was set. Their calculated kick-off forced Arsenal to retreat into a defensive shape immediately. From that moment, they had the game at their mercy.
Post-match, Gyokeres told Stadium Astro: “If you watch the game, you see how they keep the ball. Then it’s difficult. No matter who plays in their team, them keeping the ball made it difficult for us.”
That statement was reminiscent of one from Arteta barely a month ago. Days after conceding a last-minute equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Wolves, the Arsenal manager was asked how to keep players calm on the pitch.
His answer was: “Keep the ball. Play 20 passes. Play in the final third. Control the game, control the tempo and then ask them (the opposition) to come (out of position) and then punish them. That’s what you should do.”
That is exactly what City did, while also ensuring Arsenal ‘keeping the ball’ meant very little.
That 95-second spell of possession at the start of the second half ended with a Cherki pass running through to Kepa in the Arsenal goal.
Another 35 seconds passed between the goalkeeper recovering the ball and rolling it to William Saliba. City had stood off Arsenal, with four players cutting off passing lanes into midfield, and then went hunting for the ball. Unable to play forward, Piero Hincapie set the ball back to Gabriel, who hit it long.
As had happened throughout the game, City won the loose ball and quickly mounted another attack.
These moments occurring so often were strange for Arsenal. They are usually the team who force the opposition into hurried clearances that result in wave after wave of attack, but were on the receiving end.
City’s restart for the second half helped them gain that control, both with and without the ball, but the momentum had already started swinging towards the end of the first half.
Multiple Arsenal players were guilty of aimlessly hacking the ball away to try and survive for a second, before readying themselves for another barrage, but another short spell was critical just before half-time.
City took a corner with 42 minutes and 36 seconds on the clock, and maintained sustained pressure on Arsenal’s box for 96 seconds. Inside that period, Bernardo Silva recovered the ball around the edge of the box three times in 40 seconds, and Arsenal cleared straight to blue shirts twice.
The sequence ended with Erling Haaland heading over from an Antoine Semenyo cross but the warning signs were there, given the similarities between this chance and the goals Nico O’Reilly scored in the second half.
Arsenal were now on the end of the same suffocation they apply to other teams, even if they survived this moment to go into half-time level.
Bayern Munich experienced this at the Emirates earlier this season. They got to the break with a 1-1 scoreline, but their manager, and former City defender, Vincent Kompany made an interesting observation after that match in November.
“We had many reasons at half-time to think if we come out and improve a few things, we can edge it, but it didn’t happen,” he said. “They came out with more purpose and sharpness on the simple things in the game. They have the set plays to shift momentum, but at the same time, we allowed them to gain control of too many phases of play. It was too much resistance rather than trying to hurt them.”
This time, Guardiola’s side used a corner and a restart to shift momentum, and Arsenal were the ones resisting pressure.
City showed a collective maturity that took the ‘small margins’ that Arteta often talks about out of the equation. With those moments before and after half-time, they became the protagonists of the final in a way that seemed effortless.
Arsenal grew anything but that as the clock ticked further away from their own kick-off to start the game. City’s ability to change the temperature should stand as a lesson to them for the run-in. Not just in Champions League and FA Cup knockout matches, but the final stretch in the Premier League too.