Rice, Timber and Havertz: Is Arteta trying to rip off Guardiola?

Stuart Telford

• 15 Jul 2023 13:21 BST
• 4 min read

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta plans to take a leaf out of Pep Guardiola's tactical playbook at the Emirates next season, with the transfers of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz effectively confirming that theory.

Arsenal led the Premier League for 248 days last season before being beaten to the title by Guardiola's Manchester City, who finished five points clear of the Gunners before completing a continental treble.

Arteta has been busy trying to reinforce his squad since. Havertz's arrival from Chelsea was confirmed at the start of July, while Timber and Rice joined within 24 hours of each other in the middle of the month before the club's US tour.

MORE: Rice, Havertz and Timber: How will Arsenal line up next season?

Those three players, and the profiles they bring, suggest that Arteta will attempt to ape Man City's tactics next season as they aim to win a first Premier League title since 2004.

Arsenal playing Pep's 3-2-4-1?

Arteta worked under Guardiola as his assistant manager at City for three years between 2016 and 2019 before taking up the top job at the Emirates, and last summer two of his former players followed him in Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, to the tune of £77m.

Both Arsenal and Man City tweaked their formations midway through the season, the Gunners from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3, and City from a 4-3-3 to a hitherto unseen 3-2-4-1. The latter is the one that has made tactical waves that are set to ripple through the rest of football.

MORE: Timber will be a BETTER Arsenal signing than Rice and Havertz

With the width provided further forward, wing-backs were surplus to requirements - hence Joao Cancelo's loan to Bayern Munich. John Stones was repurposed as a No.6 in midfield, with the wide defenders behind him, normally Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji, just as happy at centre-back as full-back. A treble at the end of the season suggests it worked.

So where does that leave Arsenal?

Arsenal's signing of Havertz has left some scratching their heads. Once regarded as one of the brightest young players in the game when a teenager at Leverkusen, he only managed seven Premier League goals last season when leading the line for Chelsea.

Havertz, an attacking midfielder by trade, isn't a natural fit in Arsenal's 4-3-3, but having invested so heavily in him, the suspicion is that Arteta will tweak his tactics to accommodate him.

Guardiola's tactics allowed City to play two No.10s in Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan, and now Arsenal can follow suit with Havertz and Martin Odegaard.

Rice, meanwhile, is likely seen as the player to copy Rodri's role, sitting in front of the defence. Granit Xhaka has gone and Thomas Partey could follow, leaving the club-record signing to play that vital role.

And the aforementioned Zinchenko could make a similar journey to Stones in playing alongside him. The former City man plays in midfield for his country, and has the technique to do so at club level.

Kieran Tierney has also reportedly been told that he will see more minutes at the Emirates next season, with rumours of a move to Newcastle or indeed Man City cooling in recent weeks.

Yes, Arsenal have the added pressure of playing Champions League football this season compared to last, but Tierney plays on the left of a back three for a nascent Scotland, and Timber does likewise on the right for the Netherlands.

Clearly Arsenal have the personnel to play more than one system as the season wears on, but in Havertz, Rice and Timber, all signs point to a Guardiola homage next term.