Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta are two typical faces for the generation of coaches influenced by Pep Guardiola's philosophy. However, the way Chelsea and Arsenal operate shows that Guardiola's influence is no longer continued according to a single formula.
Chelsea under Alonso impressed in the early matches of the season not only with 7 goals, but also with the ability to win despite not controlling the ball much. In the 4-3 win over Brighton, Chelsea only held the ball 25.6%, while Brighton controlled 74.4% - the highest level of a team against Chelsea in the Premier League since the 2003-2004 season. However, Chelsea still created 2.93 expected goals.
This playing style partly stems from personnel issues. The Blues do not have many true central midfielders after Andrey Santos and Enzo Fernandez left, and Moises Caicedo left the field early due to injury in the match against Brighton.
The Lamine Camara deal from Monaco also broke down, while Romeo Lavia has a history of injuries. Therefore, Alonso may have to use Jordan Henderson, Reece James or Malo Gusto in the midfield in the near future.
However, it would be inaccurate to assume that Alonso's football only relies on counter-attacks. Chelsea is using a variant of the 3-4-3 system that helped Alonso bring Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga championship 2023-2024 unbeaten. Leverkusen that season still controlled the ball on average 58%, ranking second in the league in this index, with Granit Xhaka playing a coordinating role.
The trend of winning without overwhelming ball control is also appearing in the Premier League. In 16 matches that have determined the winner this season, only 6 matches where the team that won 3 points controlled the ball more.
However, these numbers are greatly influenced by the diễn biến of the match. Brentford's early goal against Tottenham or Chelsea's goal after only 31 seconds in the match against Fulham both forced the opponent to change their playing style.
Arteta's Arsenal often have an advantage in ball possession time, especially in the two victories against Coventry City and Aston Villa. But Arteta's team is increasingly showing the ability to adapt when there is no ball. When leading, the "Gunners" can go deep in formation, maintain a defensive structure and wait for the right time to counter-attack.
This approach has appeared in important victories against Brighton and Newcastle United last season, as well as the journey in the Champions League. Arsenal even only made an average of 396.7 successful passes per game last season, the lowest among Premier League champions since Leicester City in the 2015-2016 season.
That reflects a major change in the way top Premier League teams approach the match. Teams may want to control the ball like Man City at Guardiola's peak, but opponents increasingly do not allow them to do that easily.
Current teams also use high-pressing and more aggressive marking. They are ready to push up the squad to put pressure right from the opponent's half.
Guardiola once admitted this change when he said that Man City could have controlled the match with millions of passes before. However, the opponent switching to marking makes that playing style more difficult.
In the upcoming match between Arsenal and Chelsea, The Gunners are expected to control the ball more. However, players like Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro or Morgan Rogers can make a difference with decisive touches.
Arsenal possesses the best defense in the league, but their strength is not only in ball control ability. Arteta is showing the ability to change approaches depending on each opponent.
In a Premier League environment that values directness, that adaptability can be as important as the ball control philosophy that made Guardiola's mark.
