For years the long punt upfield was sneered at as the tool of relegation scrappers. Not anymore. Arsenal and Manchester City, two of the most technical sides in the league, are dusting off the long ball and making it their own.
Arsenal’s signings of Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres and City’s addition of Gianluigi Donnarumma to feed Erling Haaland point to a deliberate tactical shift. Both sides are mixing slick passing with route-one play, turning goal-kicks into a weapon and cutting through the pitch at speed.
This is no accident. The high press has changed football. Every side in the Premier League now swarms opponents with aggressive pressing drills. Pass it short in your own box and you risk disaster. Opta figures show that last season the sides who passed it short most often gave away more than 30 shots directly from errors. By contrast, almost none of the long-pass merchants made that many costly mistakes.
Arsenal have embraced this reality. David Raya sent over 42 per cent of his passes long last season, targeting the right flank where Kai Havertz would muscle defenders and bring the ball down. Arteta knows a turnover on the halfway line is far safer than one on the edge of his own area. When the ball does go out, it is usually a throw near the touchline, keeping Arsenal in control.
City, meanwhile, have been more daring. Against Spurs, Guardiola’s men lured the press towards their box, then clipped it long for Haaland isolated high up the pitch. Omar Marmoush lurked just behind, ready to pick up knockdowns. One such move ended with Marmoush firing just wide. This is City’s new trick: not just clearing their lines but creating immediate scoring chances from the keeper’s boot.
Guardiola has admitted he wants City to attack faster this season. After beating Wolves he said he relished using counter attacks as an extra weapon. The Reijnders goal in that game summed it up. Six seconds from turnover to net.
Arsenal are just as dangerous when they go direct. New arrivals Madueke and Gyokeres thrive on space and long carries. Odegaard and Zubimendi have the passing range to release them in behind. It creates chaos but Arsenal back their defenders one on one and know that spaces will open up against teams who dare push forward.
Both sides remain possession kings but mixing in the long ball makes them less predictable. With the league’s pressing machines growing sharper each season, Guardiola and Arteta are proving that the oldest trick in English football might just be the newest trend at the very top.
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