{"id":1437020,"date":"2026-03-07T14:20:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T14:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&p=1437020"},"modified":"2026-03-07T14:20:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T14:20:18","slug":"post-match-analysis-mansfield-vs-arsenal-07-03-26","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/post-match-analysis-mansfield-vs-arsenal-07-03-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Mansfield vs Arsenal stats and analysis: How Mikel Arteta adapted his side to get the win"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Arsenal went to Mansfield in the FA Cup fifth round and advanced despite struggling early on with an alternate lineup and formation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two brilliant strikes from Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze unlocked what was an even and entertaining affair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mikel Arteta rested most of his usual starters and went with an alternate lineup. It was actually the first time he started with a back-three rather than the preferred back-four this season. But it was a short experiment – more on that later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mansfield did have their moments, looking to attack Arsenal’s wide centre-backs down the wings – especially Christian Mosquera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nigel Clough must have watched a lot of the Brighton players (Yankuba Minteh in particular) have success pulling the Spanish defender out of position and tried to do the same with his forwards.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    The Gunners’ preference from playing down the middle also made it easier for the home side to recover possession quickly. A lot of those recoveries actually became chances of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Whenever Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz or Max Dowman offered support and received the ball with their backs to the goal, there was always a Mansfield defender giving them no room to breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The hosts also managed to hurt Arsenal in a number of different ways: open play, fast breaks, set pieces. But ultimately, despite their good performance, it wasn’t enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What adjustments did Arsenal make in order to beat Mansfield?<\/h2>