In the higher echelons of the English Premier League, teams and managers often have to think outside the box for any little edge they can get, and if the opposition is leaders Arsenal who are on a 11-match winning streak, any little advantage is of value.
Hence, ahead of Saturday’s home game against the Gunners, Sunderland decided to move the advertising boards around the edge of the playing area at the Stadium of Light closer to the touchline so that it became difficult for the visiting team to launch long throws. Arsenal’s set-play prowess is the talk of football circles, and apart from free-kicks and corners, they also do a lot of drills on long throws.
This, and attention and implementation of other details, worked to an extent as Sunderland ended Arsenal’s winning streak by getting a 2-2 draw after an 94th-minute equaliser, and staying among the top teams in the league so far.
Bringing the advertisement boards closer to the touchline to limit the amount of space Arsenal players had when looking to launch the ball. Long throws into the penalty area often cause mayhem with the attacking team primed to profit from the situation.
“We tried to find the details to win the game,” Sunderland manager Regis le Bris said. “They (Arsenal) are really strong on set-pieces, we are good as well, and this threat was really important for this game and in the end it was balanced.”
The object of the exercise was to disrupt Arsenal’s rhythm and style of play, and there were other ways the Black Cats managed to do that, with ex-Gunner Granit Xhaka almost always at the centre of the action. It was not a coincidence that the visitors were limited to just two corners in the game.
The combative Swiss was quick on the tackle and led by example as the home team, backed by a vociferous crowd, never gave up, finishing the day at an unprecedented league position for a promoted side.
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Even Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta lauded Sunderland’s never-say-die spirit and their disrupting prowess. Saturday’s late equaliser was the fifth goal they had scored after the 90th minute this season – the most by any team.
“There are a lot of games like this in the Premier League right now,” the Spaniard said. “We conceded a goal in a manner we knew was one of their biggest strengths. They do that really well. After that, I think we reacted well. We scored the first goal, then the second and the game was dominated. But at any moment, they just need a foul or a long throw, a direct ball to create that chaos.”
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