Manuel Akanji Accuses Arsenal of Resorting to Dirty Tactics

In the aftermath of Arsenal’s hard-fought goalless draw against Manchester City on Sunday, defender Manuel Akanji has raised concerns about Arsenal’s defensive tactics.

Akanji accused Arsenal of using fouls to disrupt City’s attacking play and questioned why referee Anthony Taylor did not penalize them more frequently.

The result at the Etihad Stadium leaves Liverpool two points clear at the top of the Premier League table, with Arsenal in second place and City in third, trailing by a further point with nine matches remaining in the season.

Akanji Criticizes Arsenal’s Defensive Plays

Akanji was frustrated by what he saw as Arsenal’s frequent fouling, with the team committing 20 fouls compared to City’s nine.

This frustration was compounded by yellow cards shown to Gabriel Jesus and David Raya, hindering City’s momentum.

Despite the stalemate, Akanji felt that Arsenal’s defensive approach, characterized by a low block and physicality, often crossed the line of legality.

He remarked, “When we got through, sometimes they stopped us with the fouls. If there’s no action to it [from the referee], it’s hard.”

“One (foul) in the first half (from Kai Havertz) was a very late tackle on Stefan (Ortega).‌ For me it is clearly a yellow card. There are some rules, and I think there are clear yellow cards where it should be.”

Akanji expressed frustration at certain decisions made by the referee during the match.

“I remember the action with Jorginho when he’d already done a tackle foul, and did the second one, and he (referee Anthony Taylor) didn’t even give a yellow card for one foul.”

“I didn’t understand some decisions,” he added.

Akanji also highlighted instances where he felt the referees unfairly penalized City.

Despite these grievances, Akanji emphasized the need for his team to find a way to score goals regardless of the officiating decisions.

Bernardo Silva Echoes Akanji’s Concerns

Bernardo Silva backed Akanji’s remarks about Arsenal’s defensive tactics, acknowledging the challenge of facing a defensively disciplined team like Arsenal.

Silva highlighted the difficulty in breaking down Arsenal’s deep defense and aggressive pressing style.

“Tough to play against them because man-to-man when they were pressing high, defending low, their wingers were playing as full-backs almost in a line of six,” he said.

Silva described Arsenal as a top-quality team, well-organized, competitive, and playing with a high tempo.

Despite Manchester City’s frustration, the match ended in a goalless draw, marking City’s first home game without scoring since October 2021.

Arsenal’s strong defensive performance earned them a valuable point but also sparked controversy over their perceived defensive tactics.

Next up for City is a crucial match against Aston Villa, the last team to defeat them in the league.