As Sunday approaches, the football world keenly anticipates the clash between Manchester City and Arsenal in the Premier League, set to take place at the Manchester City Stadium, viewable live on Sky Sports at 4.30pm. The Premier League is renowned for its flair and drama, often captivating audiences by showcasing the talents of football’s heroes and villains – this spectacle epitomised by the consistent excellence demonstrated by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Remarkably, it has been a decade since the power league last witnessed a title race as competitive as this season’s. The laser-thin margin separating the top contenders this year suggests that soccer fans may be in for a spectacular climax.
Hence, the growing anticipation circling around Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City’s close competition and consequent leaderboard rankings. Every match offers a chance for storyline progression, the possibility of a conclusive victory in an adrenaline-rush game, akin to the last act of a nail-biting film.
The last title-defining encounter, which saw Liverpool and Manchester City draw 1-1 at Anfield just three weeks prior, seems to have been overshadowed by the upcoming Arsenal and Manchester City duel. This fixture promises a sharper contest and feels more like the set up for a thrilling denouement, an untying of the last plot knots.
While Manchester City, seasoned in the art of last-minute title victories, would likely meet this challenge head-on, the pressure is perhaps more palpable for Arsenal. The team, who have recently struggled to clinch major victories, seem primed to seize this opportunity. Having consistently performed better in key areas – goals, points, defence – this season, Arsenal might see this match as a critical moment to exploit.
Additionally, the remaining matches in the season seem to favour Manchester City. Seven of their next ten games coordinate with teams traditionally seen as easier opponents including the likes of West Ham, Wolves, Luton, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Crystal Palace.
Arsenal is heading into a more challenging show-down, including a match at Manchester United’s home ground and the heightened stakes of the north London derby. To disrupt Manchester City’s bid for a fourth consecutive championship, someone will need to snatch points from them. Leading the charge appears to be Arsenal themselves. Holding their ground for a draw would be acceptable, but they must make a strong case for victory this Sunday.
This prospect poses the thrilling possibility of a fresh achievement for Arsenal, which boasts an impressive record for away matches. However, they lack well-known “away” victories. Their greatest away outcomes for the current season include a win in Seville and a draw at Anfield, with their last significant Premier League away victory having been against Newcastle last May.
Arteta aims to fill this gap, particularly emphasising his own unfortunate history at his previous workplace. His tenure as Arsenal’s manager has seen five losses at Etihad (with scores of 3-0, 1-0, 5-0, 1-0 and 4-1). Presently, none of Arsenal’s team members have scored at the Etihad. This presents the perfect opportunity to overhaul the prevailing trend.
The critical factor lies in executing their strategy with unwavering intensity rather than employing any surprise tactical adjustments. Their game strategy at its finest involves amplifying their typical style, believing that their movement and pressing both in and out of possession will eventually pay off. Their victory over City at Emirates in October, when they dominated the rhythm of the game, is a strong testament to this approach.
As the season progresses, Arteta has emphasised the necessity of this strong, consistent gameplay every three days from the team, even in the face of possible injury. Arsenal hasn’t played a match in 17 days, taking out international inconsequential games. Compared to City, Arsenal is a younger team with key players such as William Saliba, Ben White, Gabriel, Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice all 26 years old and under. This youthful group now has an excellent opportunity to leverage their individual talents.
Erling Haaland’s performance has paramount importance for both teams. Recent games suggest that it’s crucial to disable City’s sharp play in order to manage this version of their team. Excellent individual defenders have succeeded in limiting Haaland’s movement within the goal scoring areas, that in effect eliminates one of City’s players from the game due to the restricted scope of Haaland’s skills.
Recently, Haaland’s performance hasn’t been up to his usual superb standards, with him scoring in just three of his last 10 games in the Premier League. However, despite the eye-opening general statistics, he still has aspects to work on. Haaland’s image is deeply associated with scoring immense goals during critical moments. Last season though, he was unable to score a game-changing goal against a major opponent in the season’s climax.
The idea that he is a fair-weather player is quite ridiculous given his significant contribution to a treble-winning season at the young age of 22. More challenging matches are naturally just that – harder. Nevertheless, this is the perfect opportunity for him to put his worth on display once again, or alternatively for Arsenal to continue their streak.
Furthermore, while the deciding games rarely are the ultimate deciders with another eight games remaining until Super Sunday concludes, this certainly feels like a crucial turning point for this season. It may well be a more significant moment for Arsenal, in their bid to cultivate their own heroic persona.