ESPN FC’s Tommy Smyth gives his picks for the weekend Premier League action, and it appears as though it may be safe to say Manchester City have the upper hand against Arsenal in his eyes.
Last September’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City was a strange one from an Arsenal perspective. Leading 2-1 with seven minutes to go, it’s a game they should have won but with the visitors hitting the post and creating other chances after their late equaliser, it was also a game they could have lost.
On Sunday the two teams meet again and despite Arsenal’s up-and-down campaign, it’s not difficult to see how they can cause problems for Manuel Pellegrini’s team. Like Arsenal, City’s defence is their weakest area and Alexis Sanchez is the Premier League’s most exhilarating and effective player this season.
Manchester City
Arsenal
4:00 PM GMT
His energy, enthusiasm and quality has seen his 30 million pounds transfer fee look like one of the great bargains of the last few years. With 18 goals to his name and nine assists, it’s little wonder people are dressing this game up as a head-to-head between the Chilean and the outstanding Sergio Aguero.
To back Alexis up, Arsenal have Olivier Giroud with three goals in his last four games, as well as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the in-form Santi Cazorla, the returning Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil to call upon from the bench if they need to change things.
Yet you feel that the result will hinge on the defensive side of Wenger’s team. The loss of Mathieu Debuchy for three months as a result of the sly foul by Stoke’s Marko Arnautovic is a big setback. The possible replacements, Hector Bellerin and Calum Chambers, are both youngsters with real potential but their inexperience is something City will be well aware of and look to exploit.
That Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker are likely to start together is good news. They are an extremely effective partnership and the German has struggled without his French colleague around him this season. They didn’t have their finest day in the 2-0 loss at Southampton but that’s very much the exception rather than the rule and Arsene Wenger’s chances of getting a good result are improved by their presence.
ESPN FC’s Shaka Hislop and Steve Nicol are in agreement that Arsenal face a tough task as they face Manchester City, and there doesn’t seem to be much praise for Arsene Wenger’s men.
It’s also going to be a big test for Francis Coquelin, who deserves to keep his place after good performances in recent weeks. It’s true that he was only recalled to the club from a loan spell at Charlton due to the midfield injury crisis but to his credit, he’s grasped the chance with both hands. He’s a quick, aggressive footballer who adds some of the bite Arsenal require.
However, the good performances need to put in context. The calibre of the Stoke or Hull midfield doesn’t compare to what he’ll be up against on Sunday. There’s a reason City are the defending champions and it’s because they have players of the highest quality whose movement, intelligence and quality ask questions of the very best. Coquelin needs to be at the top of his game.
The return of Aaron Ramsey, whose midfield engine is second to none, should help him in that crucial area of the pitch. The Welshman is most effective when playing closer to a deep-lying midfielder and that should be his instruction. His goalscoring ability is impressive but it needs to be something that’s an addition to his overall game and perhaps there were times this season when that balance was not right.
Overall it’s been too long since Arsenal got a result at one of their big rivals. They should have taken three points at Liverpool last month but for a late defensive lapse and while Sunday’s test is bigger again, with Alexis in the side they know they can hurt their opponents.
Whether the can stop them is the big question.