Manchester City have had a curious start to the season. After thrashing Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, City turned around and lost to Stoke City on the same field a week later. Arsenal have been mediocre at best, taking five points from two easy fixtures and an away trip to Everton.
Similar in table position, Manchester City and Arsenal did not have similar summers. Since the deadline-day purchase of Mesut Ozil just over a year ago, Arsenal have put the rest of Europe on alert as a club willing to part ways with loads of money.
In the latest edition of the transfer window, 35 million pound man Alexis along with Mathieu Debuchy, David Ospina, Danny Welbeck, and Calum Chambers have joined for considerable amounts of money.
Dissimilarly, Manchester City had a quiet summer in the transfer window. Bacary Sagna and Frank Lampard, former servants of Arsenal and Chelsea respectively, joined on frees, while prolific front-man Alvaro Negredo left the club for 27 million euros.
Eliaquim Mangala rounds out the summer recruits, but for the most part the usually trigger-happy Citizens holstered their guns for once. This is an interesting matchup of two clubs moving in different directions, but the right directions.
Arsenal are joining the party of clubs which part ways with large sums of cash, while City are coming down to earth from a spending point of view. Thus, it should be a tight contest between two top teams who have endured mixed results so far.
One thing Arsenal bring to the pitch that they didn’t necessarily have for all of last season is pace. His pace was one of many reasons Alexis was signed, Danny Welbeck brings a new dimension to the Arsenal forwards, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain impressed for England with his speed and driving runs.
It would be a surprise to see new boy Mangala make his debut in such a big game on the road, so Vincent Kompany will likely line up next to Martin Demichelis. Sagna has never been the quickest fullback, but he is always reliable to put in a good shift.
Again however, pace is where Arsenal can expose Manchester City the most effectively. The few days in training that Danny Welbeck has had to gel with his new teammates are crucial to the Gunners success, as will be Mesut Ozil’s attempts to crack the Manchester City defensive midfield.
Aaron Ramsey may not be fit for the contest, and Mathieu Flamini’s combative style of play should earn him a spot in the holding role. In big games, Flamini is disciplined in his positioning, and often the midfield leader without the ball.
That leaves Jack Wilshere to line up in the center as well. Wilshere’s habit to holding the ball on his boot and drawing in tackles is something that still hurts his game fitness. In order for him to play in a more sustainable style, he needs to be confident in his long passing and keep his head on a swivel when he makes his driving runs.
Coming off a very disappointing loss at home to Stoke City, Manchester City will line up with two of Fernando, Fernandinho, and Yaya Toure. A crowded midfield with Arsenal is always a must in order to win, but the pace Arsenal can field in the absence of Giroud could throw a wrench in that strategy.
If Arsenal can utilize their pace and try to be move through the wing and be direct in the final third with Alexis, Chamberlain, and Welbeck, they can beat City. If City can stay organized defensively and do what they do best, which is turning defense into lightning quick offense, they can spoil the Gunners return to the Emirates.
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