General· Premier League
Arteta v Alonso, part one: a desire for control and the theory behind the chaos | Jonathan Wilson
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Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso prepare for an intriguing tactical battle in the first Premier League meeting between old friendsControl v chaos. On the one hand, the forces of order, regimented, playing in precise patterns and, on the other, something darker, more visceral, a method that acknowledges the imperfection of the human soul, the unknowability of football in all its randomness; better, that second way says, to attempt to ride the fury than to believe it might be harnessed.When it began, a decade ago, that’s how the Pep Guardiola v…
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