Arsenal are on fire. After picking up maximum points from their last eight games, scoring an astonishing 33 goals and conceding just four along the way, Mikel Arteta’s side are by far the most in-form side in the Premier League.
The Gunners will therefore travel to Manchester City on Sunday full of confidence as they chase down a first top-flight crown since 2004, which was certainly not the case the last time the two teams met at the Etihad Stadium. After a run of three successive draws, Arsenal were put to the sword in a humiliating 4-1 away defeat to Pep Guardiola’s side last season – a psychological blow from which they would never recover.
City’s experience and strength in depth ultimately gave them the edge as they went on to secure their fifth title under Guardiola. Arsenal have bounced back admirably, though, and sit top of the table once again heading into the business end of the campaign, with Liverpool in second on goal difference and City just one point behind in the third.
The stakes couldn’t be higher, and this time around, Arteta won’t have any valid excuses if Arsenal fall short, especially after a turbulent international break that has significantly weakened the champions.
Pep’s worst fears realised
“I will not watch the games,” Guardiola told reporters before seeing a large portion of his squad join up with their countries for March internationals. “I will rest and when they arrive on the Thursday we will see which players survive and not survive. It’s a wish [that everyone is okay].”
Unfortunately, the Catalan coach saw his worst fears realised. During England’s 1-0 defeat to Brazil, Kyle Walker limped off the Wembley pitch with a hamstring injury after just 20 minutes, and is reportedly now a major doubt for the Arsenal game.
John Stones, meanwhile, played the full 90 minutes against Brazil, and was selected to start the Three Lions’ next game against Belgium just three days later, only to be forced off in the early stages with an adductor issue. It was the latest in a string of fitness setbacks for Stones, who has only been available to start 11 games for City so far in 2023-24, and it remains to be seen if he will recover in time for Sunday.
City will also be sweating on the condition of Manuel Akanji after he withdrew from the Switzerland squad due to a knock. Akanji has been one of Guardiola’s unsung heroes this term, producing consistently brilliant displays in the heart of the defence and when filling in at right-back, which would make him a huge loss.
Guardiola is facing a serious selection headache at the back, with No.1 goalkeeper Ederson still a concern after pulling out of Brazil’s camp with a thigh issue. Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish were also unable to fulfil international duties, while Matheus Nunes is carrying a foot injury, which might leave City short at the other end of the pitch heading into their most crucial game of the season so far.
Mental barrier at the Etihad?
Arsenal have their own fitness concerns, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Magalhaes having left their respective national teams early, but the England forward’s knock has been described as “minor” while Brazil are said to have merely taken a “precaution” with their star defender. Both players will still be expected to feature against City, along with Gabriel Martinelli, who has now had the best part of a month to recover from the nasty cut on his foot he sustained during Arsenal’s 6-0 romp at Sheffield United.
The Gunners have scored 17 goals across their last three away games, and will be smelling blood against a depleted City. There is, however, still a chance that the thrashing they suffered at the Etihad last April will still be in the back of the players’ minds.
A hard-fought 1-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium in the first half of the season went some way towards banishing those demons, but a mental barrier might go up again given Arsenal’s miserable recent record in the blue half of Manchester.
You’d have to rewind back all the way to January 2015 for Arsenal’s last win at City, as they’ve posted seven losses and one draw in their last eight trips to the Etihad. As usual, the home crowd will be on their backs right from the first second, with taunts likely to centre around the Gunners potentially ‘bottling’ the title for a second straight year, and Arteta’s men will be in for another long afternoon if they’re unable to block out that noise and execute their gameplan.
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‘Arsenal need to have courage’
The big temptation for Arteta will be to try and hit City on the break, with very few teams having managed to go toe-to-toe with Guardiola’s pass masters over the past decade. They’ve been as strong as ever on home soil this season, unbeaten in 20 games across all competitions, and Arsenal would probably snap your hand off if offered a draw before kick-off.
But City have generally not been quite as dominant as usual. They were genuinely outplayed during a 1-0 loss at Aston Villa in December, and extremely fortunate to leave Anfield with a point after giving up countless chances to Jurgen Klopp’s relentless Liverpool in their most recent Premier League outing.
Cracks have shown at the Etihad, too, with Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Chelsea giving City real scares, and Arsenal have the tools to seriously unsettle them. There will also never be a better opportunity for Arteta to complete a league double over Guardiola, or for the Gunners to finally prove they do have what it takes to go all the way.
Former Arsenal full-back Gael Clichy had laid out what he feels will be a winning blueprint for Arteta, telling Super 6: “Arsenal need to have the courage to go to their place and say, ‘we are going to be in your face’. I think it would be a terrible mistake for Mikel to try and play on the counter and leave the ball to Manchester City. You must play your own game. Arsenal cannot lose on Sunday. A draw will still keep them ahead of City in the table, but I am not sure a point is enough against a team like City.
“They need to win the title to validate the work they have been doing. The weakness in the Man City team is when they are in possession, they often lose the second ball and can be hurt on transition. Players like Saka and Martinelli can hurt City on the transition. Keeping the ball and using the space in behind could be the key. If there is one team that is capable of going there and getting the points, it is Arsenal.”
Two biggest weapons
Arsenal have two huge weapons at their disposal that they didn’t have at the same stage last season. William Saliba’s injury-enforced absence was undoubtedly the main reason behind the Gunners dramatic collapse, but now he’s fully fit for the run-in, and much of the credit for their status as the best defensive side in the Premier League must go to him.
The Frenchman has been the Gunners’ answer to Ruben Dias at City and Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool: a strong, powerful and composed centre-back who very rarely comes out second best in one-on-one duels while possessing the technical quality to push his team forward at every opportunity. If he wins his battle with Erling Haaland, Arsenal have a great chance of edging out City on Sunday.
The only man more important than Saliba will be Arsenal’s £105 million ($132m) record signing Declan Rice, who has added an extra layer of steel to the team. Rice has made more interceptions and tackles in the Premier League than any other Arsenal player since his arrival from West Ham, while also chipping in with six goals.
Right now, Rodri is perhaps the only holding midfielder in the world who can claim to be better than Rice, and it will be the Arsenal enforcer’s job to shut him down. Rodri is City’s orchestrator, the driving force behind their success, and also has a knack for popping up with important goals.
Incredibly, Rodri has gone 62 games without experiencing defeat in a City shirt, but Rice is just as influential, and Arsenal will be able to take control if he can keep his Spanish counterpart under wraps. Rice’s delivery from dead balls could also prove decisive, with the England international now up to six assists for the campaign after being shifted from set-piece target to taker at the start of 2024.
