Thierry Henry identifies problem Man City have 'never had before' as Gary Neville agrees

The latest Manchester City news as Thierry Henry gives his verdict after Pep Guardiola's team recorded their lowest possession against Arsenal in the Premier League

Thierry Henry has pointed out a problem that Manchester City had during their Premier League match with Arsenal last weekend.

City were held to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates, with Gabriel Martinelli cancelling out Erling Haaland's opener in stoppage-time. Yet Pep Guardiola's side managed just 32.8 percent possession - the lowest figure his team has ever recorded in a league match.

In the game, they attempted more long passes and won a larger share of aerial duels. Even though it's still early in the season, there's been a clear drop in their build-up play and passing sequences.

Their high-turnover numbers have also fallen significantly, suggesting less focus on both high pressing and building from the back with short passes.

"If you look since the beginning of the season, they're having an issue that they never used to have before – they struggle to stop transitions," Henry told Betway Insider.

"If you play Arsenal and you’re too open when you attack them, you’re dead. People have been saying that Pep never wants to adapt to a situation. He did, and people kill him. It’s easy to talk after things happen.

"Maybe he’s trying to find his best team with two new coaches alongside him. They played on Thursday night, and I know it bothered a lot of people, but it does matter. Maybe he thought, 'let’s try to surprise them, play a game that we never did before.' And, by the way, he can do whatever he wants. He surprised us all."

Meanwhile, Gary Neville also offered his insights on Sky Sports. He said: "For the last six, seven, eight years, we've just seen them dominate possession. When they were at their absolute best, you knew they'd be 1-0 up but they'd have 70, 80 per cent of the ball and the other team would be chasing shadows.

"This is a completely different Manchester City; it's a complete turnaround. It's a 180 to see him do that in the final parts of the game. There are a lot of questions asked of managers. Do they adapt? Are they agile enough to change things in games?

"Guardiola never really changed his way of playing before. It was almost as if to say everyone has to adapt to what I'm doing, and everybody copied him for years and years, playing out from the back, but he's moved on beyond that now. They are certainly a lot more physical, a lot more direct, and less football than they used to be."

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