Mikel Arteta was not himself last evening at The Etihad as he was viewed as Jose Mourinho by many. Arsenal had to play the second half with 10 men. Their boss took defence to the next level and was very close to defeat Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta has definately given Pep Guardiola the flashbacks of the bitter memory he has in his brain. Some City players criticized Arsenal for their lack of winning intent. But, we must not forget that defence is part of the game. In addition, it is natural instinct to defend when you are ahead. Despite all the negative talks, credits should be given to Mikel Arteta for holding the best English team with 10 men.
Arteta channels his inner Mourinho
The approach shown by Arsenal in second half is very similar to that of Inter in 2010. Inter Milan were 3-1 up in the first leg of Champions League semi-final against Barcelona. They went to Camp Nou to play the second leg but Thiago Motta got sent off in the 28th minute.
Jose Mourinho was in charge of Inter at that moment. Furthermore, current City boss Pep Guardiola was leading Barca at that time. Mourinho put on a defensive masterclass and helped Inter to go through in finals and eventually won the UCL too.
Inter finished the game with only 13.6% possesion, 0 shots on target, 15 fouls, 5 yellow cards, 1 red card and 3 saves. Inter lost the match 1-0 but went on to finals with the 3-2 aggregate. Mourinho ran on the pitch of Camp Nou and even called it his best achievement. Stats of the game as per ESPN.
Mikel Arteta became Jose Mourinho in the second half yesterday. Gunners ended the second half with 12.5% possesion, 1 shot on target, 3 fouls, 3 yellow cards and 8 saves. They completed only 29 passes ou of which 19 were in their own half. Furthermore, Gunners made 6 tackles, 2 interceptions, 12 blocks and 24 clearances.
One thing is sure that Pep Guardiola revisited the memory of his team falling short in 2010 against Mourinho. Pep definately saw a reflection of his fiery rival in Mikel Arteta.
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