WEDNESDAY’s Premier League title clash has been months in the making. Despite being over halfway into the 2022/23 season, this will be the first time Arsenal and Manchester City have met in the league and there could hardly be more riding on the outcome of the match. The Gunners’ stuttering recent form has done even more to raise the stakes.
Victory for City at the Emirates Stadium would put Pep Guardiola’s top of the table for the first time this season. Despite being labelled champions-elect by many not so long ago, Arsenal could soon be chasers in a title race they were once leading by eight points. A shift in the dynamic of the Premier League season might be about to happen.
Manchester City, however, are the perfect opponents for Arsenal to face right now. The challenge posed by Guardiola’s team on Wednesday could allow the Gunners to play their natural game more than was the case against Everton and Brentford. In a strange way, Arsenal might be more comfortable facing an opponent of City’s calibre.
Everton and Brentford sat deep and asked Arsenal to break them down. Their low defensive blocks denied the Gunners space through the centre of the pitch and created opportunities on the rapid counter-attack. It was a ploy that worked as Everton claimed a 1-0 and Brentford left North London with a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
City won’t do this on Wednesday night. Guardiola will almost certainly set up his team to control possession and push high up the pitch which will open up more space for the likes of Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka to operate in. In theory, the circumstances will be better for Arsenal to play a quicker, more dynamic game.
Arteta has faced calls to change his starting lineup following Arsenal’s recent slump with Leandro Trossard one player who could come into the team to face Manchester City. The Belgian has settled in quickly since joining the Gunners from Brighton in January, scoring his first goal for his new club in Saturday’s draw against Brentford.
The consistency of Arteta’s team selections this season has helped Arsenal build chemistry across the pitch, but there is a growing sense the Spaniard will have to continue to evolve his side to keep them at the top of the Premier League. Whether or not Arsenal have the squad depth to do this is another matter.
STATS TIME: Arsenal haven’t defeated Manchester City in the Premier league in over 7 years. December 2015 was the last victory, with Arsenal winning 2-1 courtesy goals from Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud.
Time to change this on Wednesday. Game of the season. pic.twitter.com/LtIgs9G0VY
— Sash ~ (@ltarsenal) February 13, 2023
“It can be a perception,” Arteta replied when asked if he saw his team as title favourites. “I know my team so well, I know where we are, I know why we are here and I know where we want to be and we are far from that. I know the levels of the other teams and one especially that has won in the last five or six years [City] and we are not there yet.”
No matter which way the match swings, Wednesday’s clash with City looks set to be a watershed in Arsenal’s season. Win it and they might look back at the game as the defining point in a glorious, title-winning campaign. Lose it, however, and it could be used to demonstrate how far Arsenal have still to develop under Arteta.
A run of six league fixtures in the next month presents Arsenal with a critical stretch in their season and their attempt to win a first Premier League title since 2004. A win over Manchester City, their closest rivals and the opponent that could stop them from such an achievement, would set them up and restore the confidence that has been lost in recent performances.
