Premier League title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City will face off early on in the season in a match that could well set the tone for the coming months.
By Neel Shelat
Manchester City must prove their title credentials
Liverpool emerged as convincing champions at the end of last season’s Premier League title race, with Arsenal falling well short while Manchester City were surprisingly not even involved for the most part. All three teams have invested heavily in this transfer window in a bid to go again, building up hopes of an incredibly exciting three-way title race.
However, Pep Guardiola’s side do not seem to have solved all of their issues from last season. They definitely are not short of attacking quality, but their midfield remains very reliant on Rodri to provide balance, while the defence has not always looked solid. There seem to be some tactical issues in the way they press in particular, which have cost them two league defeats already this term. The ten-time English champions need to put together a convincing performance here if they are to be considered serious contenders.
Arsenal’s impressive head-to-head run
Arsenal have managed to avoid defeat in their last five meetings with Manchester City, marking their longest unbeaten head-to-head streak against these opponents since the twilight of Arsène Wenger’s tenure in 2016.
This is a particularly impressive run given the fact that the Gunners were beaten in each of their eight previous meetings between 2020 and the end of the 2022/23 season.
Both sides missing injured stars
Both teams’ attacks will be in a somewhat reconfigured state due to the absences of a number of stars.
Arsenal will likely have to make do without both Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard, who picked up injuries in the opening rounds of the season. Of course, they have been without Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus for longer, but their summer spending has ensured that they now have ample depth. The likes of Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyökeres should get a great opportunity to shine in a headline clash.
Manchester City, meanwhile, will miss summer signings Rayan Cherki and Rayan Aït-Nouri as well as Omar Marmoush. They too have enough quality up front, with the likes of Phil Foden and Jérémy Doku looking lively in recent games in support of the inevitable Erling Haaland.
A unique tactical dynamic for Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has overseen his fair share of big games and then some in his illustrious career. His desire to establish as much control as possible has led him to make many big and extremely scrutinised decisions, which have yielded the full variety of outcomes. Now, though, his side seems to be the one looking to engage in more open games, while his former assistant Mikel Arteta has taken up the mantle of trying to contain proceedings as far as possible on such occasions. This new dynamic should make for a fascinating fixture.
Prediction
Many have called on Arsenal to show more attacking intent in big games, but they are unlikely to do so against a team with as much firepower as Manchester City. So, a more cagey game should be expected, perhaps decided by the lone goal.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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