Bernardo Silva admits surprise over Arsenal tactic in Man City draw | Football

Arsenal and City shared a point in a tight game at the Etihad Stadium as both sides struggled to create clear-cut chances.

A solid defensive display from Arsenal limited City to just one shot on target, while it was the first time since October 2021 that Pep Guardiola’s side failed to score at home in the Premier League.

However, Silva felt Arsenal would pose more problems to City’s defence, with the Gunners scoring 34 goals in their last 10 games in all competitions before Sunday’s stalemate.

Asked if he expected Arsenal to attack more against City, Silva told Premier League Productions: ‘To be honest, yes.

‘Because last season when they played against us and they always played very aggressive and very man-to-man and we won the three games.

‘This season, even when they played at the Emirates, they still played sometimes in a low block, very patient, they got their results playing like that.

‘So we were expecting them to play this way, to be honest.’

However, Ian Wright believes the goalless draw against City highlights how Arsenal have improved their game management under Arteta.

‘You have to understand where Arsenal is in the progression of what they’re trying to do,’ Wright told Premier League Productions.

‘What happened with them last year and how it really stung them to go to a place like this and lose and not get anything.

‘I think that’s what they were more afraid of than anything else, that’s why you heard Bernardo Silva saying he was a little bit surprised they were as deep as they were.

‘But I wouldn’t expect anything less, if [Gabriel] Martinelli was playing you’d probably get more on the break. But it was more a game management situation for Arsenal in the end – do not lose the game.

‘That’s where I think they’re progressing, that’s where I think they have to understand they’re not going to go at City, because City will play like that all day until they get a mistake.

‘But then what Arsenal have to do in the next game is that they’ve got to make sure they win those games, they have to win those games, you have to win the game where you’re under pressure to beat that low block, City have shown down the years they can do it.’