Heading into this Premier League weekend, Manchester Town had been manage of the desk and Arsenal had been in 2nd park.
All of it feels extraordinarily regular.
In 2022-23, Arsenal misplaced house and away to Town, and completed 5 issues in the back of them. Latter season, Arsenal beat Town in London however drew with them in Manchester and ended up two issues adrift of them within the ultimate standings. When the margins isolating the winners and losers in identify races are negligible, successful away for your competitors for the trophy is noteceable. However does the reality we’re so early into the unused season heartless any other stalemate on the Etihad Stadium as of late (Sunday) would go well with Mikel Arteta’s guests?
Each side recorded goalless attracts of their Champions League openers in midweek, however Pep Guardiola’s facet head into this sport with an too much 24 hours of residue of their legs and with Erling Haaland one clear of turning into the primary participant to succeed in double figures for targets in his first 5 appearances of a Premier League season. On the other hand, he’s going through a defence who’ve conceded simply 3 times in 9 Premier League away video games around the calendar past up to now.
We requested our Town scribbler (Sam Lee), considered one of our Arsenal writers (Artwork de Roche) and considered one of our records and techniques mavens (Thom Harris) to contemplate some key questions forward of the fixture.
Will Arsenal’s mindset be that successful is very important this date?
That will surely were the case if that they had no longer gained at Tottenham Hotspur endmost weekend, however that end result adjustments issues ever so relatively. 3 issues as of late would see Arsenal leapfrog Town, however going back on north London with a draw shouldn’t be horrendous. Moment many assumed they settled for some degree on their endmost consult with to Town, Arsenal’s manner was once related to their two earlier wins over them and that north London derby win endmost weekend. Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard squandering possibilities was once the extra. This date, they’ll glance to be simply as aggressive however will want to be extra scientific in the ones key offensive moments.
Artwork de Roche
(Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside by the use of Getty Pictures)
I consider Artwork — day it could no longer really feel find it irresistible on the age, Town will let fall issues someplace alongside the sequence, and it’s undoubtedly beneficial to concentrate on staying inside touching distance in lieu than going all out for a victory right here and chance falling 5 issues in the back of and having to play games catch-up at this early level. Some extent can be a treasured one, and if Arsenal can accumulation it as tight as they did towards Tottenham, they are going to smartly get a prospect or two to nick all 3 anyway.
Thom Harris
Will Town have the ability to deal with Arsenal’s set-piece blackmail?
Clearly, Arsenal are robust in that branch however it’s not as though Town are specifically vulnerable. Of the six first-team defenders prone to be decided on, handiest 5ft 6in (169cm) Rico Lewis is mini for a defender. The residue are Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, John Stones and Josko Gvardiol. Top isn’t the one figuring out issue, after all, and Town are lovely tenacious when difficult for balls into the field, and it will have to no longer be underestimated that they know a factor or two about screening themselves; they’ve even benefited from NBA techniques by the use of the Boston Celtics. Town may also be stuck out from all set items every now and then — who doesn’t? — however as a result of they know that many groups visiting the Etihad might be taken with nicking a bonus from useless balls, they’ve to place in a minimum of equivalent quantities of labor to cancel that from taking place.
Sam Lee
Eager performs are extremely situational; a lapse in focus, a misplaced particular person competition or a specifically just right pass can undo hours of parched paintings throughout the year. Nonetheless, the overall dead-ball tendencies are revealing — day Arsenal were extraordinarily unhealthy in relation to attacking set-pieces because the get started of endmost season, Town were by means of a long way and away the most efficient at protecting them. The beneath spill chart tells us that Guardiola’s facet have conceded simply 1.6 targets in step with 100 all set items, no longer together with consequences — that equates to a few within the endmost 186 they’ve confronted – the most efficient defensive fee some of the 17 Premier League ever-presents in that date.
Information are there to be damaged, although, and Town haven’t appeared utterly infallible; Ethan Pinnock abandoned had 3 possibilities from corners on the Etihad endmost weekend, day fellow Brentford defender Nathan Collins was once handiest denied by means of an instinctive Ederson save early within the first part. Having mentioned that, the wary, data-led advice can be that those two groups oppose each and every alternative out as soon as once more.
Thom Harris
(Michael Regan/Getty Pictures)
Is Haaland vs Arsenal’s centre-backs the important thing fight?
It is going to be considered one of a couple of key battles. Arsenal close out Haaland in all 3 conferences endmost season (together with the Population Safeguard), with the striker failing to actually have a shot on course in any of the ones suits. Key to that was once how William Saliba and fellow centre-back Gabriel took turns in getting tight and bodily with him. They didn’t permit him to get any momentum, whether or not it was once when working in in the back of or just in getting a really feel for the sport. Replicating that might be noteceable, as will how Arsenal make a decision to manner protecting sure areas. Their wingers had been very important to maintaining Spurs peace endmost Sunday, and related paintings may aid in Manchester.
Artwork de Roche
Haaland is clearly Town’s major scoring blackmail, however day we have now all taken with his 9 league targets in 4 video games, together with the ones back-to-back hat-tricks, it has almost definitely long gone omitted that there aren’t many targets coming from their alternative gamers. In that sense, if he can’t get provider, or if he does however misses his possibilities, it seriously affects Town’s possibilities of successful. At the alternative hand, we all know he incessantly is going via video games with no need many touches, and that that is in large part by means of design — so he can pin centre-backs and develop range in midfield for Town’s alternative forwards.
(Darren Staples/AFP by the use of Getty Pictures)
In that sense, it’s conceivable that he may win the fight by means of getting 4 touches and doing not anything of notice all afternoon, so long as he assists in keeping Saliba and Gabriel i’m busy and we could his colleagues get on with it. Whether or not Haaland rankings or no longer can have a large say within the fresh end result, however it’s only one facet of this sport — Town must be just right plethora to get during the Arsenal press to attempt to develop possibilities for him anyway.
Sam Lee
I very a lot consider Sam right here; the 2 centre-backs may nullify Haaland for 99 in step with cent of the sport, handiest to be undone by means of a age of constituent — similar to they had been in Town’s 3-1 win on the Emirates Stadium in February 2023, when he scored with just about his first vision of purpose with not up to 10 mins of the 90 to advance.
Unstoppable
Erling Haaland scored his twenty sixth Premier League purpose of the season towards Arsenal #PLonPrime pic.twitter.com/uy2aXK91Lm
— Amazon High Video Recreation (@primevideosport) February 16, 2023
The indicators are encouraging for Arsenal, although — this is Haaland’s handiest purpose in 359 mins towards the Saliba and Gabriel partnership throughout all competitions, racking up simply 0.58 xG in related to 4 complete video games. His handiest in reality dominant efficiency towards Arteta’s facet got here when Rob Maintaining stepped in for an injured Saliba next that very same season. I’ll proceed to sit down at the fence — maintaining Haaland peace is almost definitely vital for an Arsenal win, but it surely gained’t agreement one both.
Thom Harris
Will have to we predict a vintage between the league’s supreme two groups?
Moment it might be great, I’m really not anticipating an all-timer of a sport. Upcoming the 3 suits between the edges endmost season, and Arsenal’s contemporary suits towards Spurs and Atalanta, it seems like any other 90 mins of hysteria is at the horizon. Arteta attempted to advance blow-for-blow towards Town in his first identify problem in 2022-23, however particular person errors crept in and allowed Guardiola’s facet to with the fit. His transfer to extra of a ‘Plan B’ for larger video games was once a welcome alternate endmost season and has stored Arsenal in those encounters. If the Spaniard had the midfield 3 he envisaged in the summertime (Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino) to be had later issues could have been other, however he doesn’t — so be expecting extra of the similar.
Artwork de Roche
I be mindful something very obviously from next the goalless draw on the Etihad in March: I didn’t need the 2 golf equipment to fulfill once more within the Champions League semi-finals, which was once conceivable on the date. I were anticipating a just right sport earlier than kick-off that Sunday, as a result of maximum of Town’s contemporary identify deciders, house or away, were lovely dramatic, with magnificient soccer on display — and we clearly were given nowhere similar that. It will simply be that was once what Jurgen Klopp delivered to the birthday celebration when his Liverpool workforce had been Town’s major challengers, and Arteta has a distinct means of going through those large video games.
That mentioned, it’s not like Guardiola by no means chooses a defensive manner. Town’s sport plan on the Emirates endmost past was once to departure with a 0-0, given he was once involved concerning the a lack of a suspended Rodri from his midfield. And Town weren’t at their supreme within the go back sport, both. It’s not debatable to mention that if Arteta desires his workforce to dig in, later it’s tougher to believe a vintage, simply by the character of the stumble upon. It might nonetheless be a just right sport if each groups pull their possibilities, after all, however who says Arsenal are getting to advance with the similar sport plan anyway?
Sam Lee
More than happy to be mistaken in this one, however I believe like an early-ish purpose is the one factor that can relieve us from any other stressful fight of attrition.
Thom Harris
This fixture ended 6-3 in 2013 however as of late’s sport is not likely to have 9 targets (Martin Rickett/PA Pictures by the use of Getty Pictures)
Who would be the larger leave out, Kevin De Bruyne (if he doesn’t get well) or Odegaard?
Even though De Bruyne is likely one of the Premier League’s best-ever midfielders, Town’s energy intensive makes his absences more uncomplicated to trade in with. Arsenal have lacked any actual pace with out Odegaard, as he’s instrumental to what they do at the ball in all thirds of the sound. Bearing in mind there was this kind of stark stylistic extra with out him within the facet, it does no longer really feel too rogue to indicate that Arsenal’s captain will be the larger leave out. Excluding purpose contributions, Odegaard is nearly all the time the participant who units the pitch for Arsenal with and with out the ball, and he’s going to be a immense leave out throughout this ongoing trauma lay-off.
For an instance of the way influential he’s, endmost season he was once considered one of simply two Arsenal gamers to be fascinated with a minimum of two movements that had been both build-up, prospect settingup or a shot in step with 90 mins. The alternative was once Bukayo Saka, with Odegaard understandably registering upper numbers in build-up and prospect settingup.
Artwork de Roche
I consider Artwork. Town have proved they are able to get by means of with out De Bruyne principally each date he has been injured, going again years. Given his constituent, this is reasonably an fulfillment. He overlooked a quantity of 2018-19, reasonably slightly of 2020-21 and part of endmost season, and Town gained the identify in all 3 years anyway. They’ve all the time had the gamers, or tactical tweaks, that heartless they are able to greater than form up for De Bruyne’s absence. In 2018-19, it was once Bernardo Silva running from the center, two years next they embraced the false-nine machine which concerned Bernardo and Ilkay Gundogan pinging the ball round for amusing, and endmost past they simply more or less were given by means of in quite a lot of tactics, and not using a explicit stand-out substitute. At the alternative hand, Odegaard is considered one of Arsenal’s (and the Premier League’s) supreme gamers, and they don’t have similar squad intensity.
Sam Lee
(Michael Regan/Getty Pictures)
I’ll play games satan’s suggest. Town have scored 17 targets towards Arteta’s Arsenal within the Premier League; De Bruyne has had a hand in six of them, regardless of taking part in round 54 in step with cent of the entire mins. His have an effect on in this incessantly title-tilting fixture is remarkable, and Town will obviously leave out his scientific edge in video games reminiscent of this. He has began the season in dominant mode too, 2nd handiest to Dwight McNeil of Everton for possibilities created, day his 162 passes within the attacking 3rd places him 65 sunny of any alternative participant within the section.
The argument that Town are extra provided to trade in with De Bruyne’s absence is honest, however there may be no person reasonably just like the Belgian for blowing video games like this broad evident, and given Arsenal’s contemporary solidity, the protecting champions may leave out that spark.
Thom Harris
(Lead pictures: Getty Pictures)
