The Gunners shocked the Premier League champions to win 2-0 last weekend.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has spoken about his decision to change tactics to a more pragmatic and defensive system for the win at Manchester City last weekend, with the Mail reporting that the Frenchman has admitted that it was pressure from his players that forced the change in approach from recent big games.
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The performance of defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin, who has been a revelation since returning from a loan spell at Championship outfit Charlton Athletic earlier in the season, typified a solid and organised approach at the Etihad Stadium that was a far cry from the thumping defeats at Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City last season.
Wenger has often been roundly criticised for his tactical approach to these games – and the Frenchman has admitted that it was in a bid to make his players more comfortable and happy with his system that he decided to change approach for the trip to Manchester last Sunday.
“At some stage you cannot go against the feelings of the team because it’s detrimental to the result,” he said.
“The team sometimes needs to be reassured and reassurance comes first from feeling solid and strong and then you can express your talent and our confidence in the big games had been damaged by these big results.”
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