Manchester City vs. Arsenal, Sunday October 24th, 4pm.
A monumental weight of expectation has been bearing down on Manchester City in recent years, with world-class players and facilities in place, intense scrutiny from the media and the hunger from fans for a return to the glory days developing into a starvation. Despite this, few reasonable onlookers would have predicted a start quite as strong as this- sitting prettily in 2nd place, in the knowledge that three points will steer them six points clear of one of three definite title contenders, Arsenal, who visit Eastlands this Sunday.
It has been a start characterised by solidity, with only five goals conceded thus far, thanks to the efforts of a rejuvenated Kolo Touré, the steady rise of Vincent Kompany, and the continued determination of ball-winner Nigel de Jong, whose media-led vilification in recent weeks was brushed off unceremoniously with a towering display on Thursday evening. Of course, defensive solidity alone can’t propel you to 2nd in the table. Talismanic terrace hero Carlos Tevez has once again weighed in with goals galore and the usual fighting spirit that won him so many admirers. With 7 to his name so far, the Argentinian currently leads the Premier League scoring charts. Add David Silva, whose mesmerising displays against Blackpool and Lech Poznan in the past week have served only to confirm his class, and blossoming winger Adam Johnson, to the mix and the cause for excitement at City becomes clear. That’s without mentioning another dozen international stars that make up a squad that is the envy of just about every club in world football.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have offered Jekyll and Hyde displays so far this term. The merciless slayings of Blackpool, Braga and most recently Shakhtar Donetsk, measured against a humiliating home defeat to newly promoted West Brom, and far from convincing performances against Chelsea and Sunderland, conclude that it may be another year of brilliance and frustration for Arsene Wenger’s young side. Question marks have been raised over the capabilities of the defenders- Laurent Koscielny has struggled badly at times since arriving from Lorient, Thomas Vermaelen is prone to disasterous positioning and tackling, and the most recent recruit, Sebastian Squillaci, has had a nightmare start to life in England, to put it kindly. That leaves only Johan Djourou, who has failed to make the desired impression in several years at the club.
In captain Cesc Fabregas’ absence, though, many will have wondered where the match-winning figures would come from. Arise Jack Wilshere, who at 18 has shown a staggering class and maturity that belies his years. The youngster has been aided by abetted by Frenchman Samir Nasri, whose moments of Zidane-esque brilliance have set hearts racing at the Emirates in recent weeks. And of course, no Arsenal side would be complete without an obscure, cut price success story, and that is where Marouane Chamakh fits in. Signed as a free transfer from Bordeaux, the Moroccan hitman has slotted home six goals already this season to ease the sting of Robin van Persie’s long injury layoff.
One man yet to be mentioned is perhaps the one with the most to prove. Emmanuel Adebayor became a hate figure towards the end of his tenure at Arsenal due to an apparent lack of effort and disrespect to the club, and the Togolese striker only served to intensity that hatred last September, when he memorably ran the length of the Eastlands pitch after scoring, to goad the away support who’d taunted and abused him throughout the game. Fresh from a classy hat-trick in midweek, Adebayor will be a man possessed on Sunday and desperate to be unleashed by Roberto Mancini.
The game will be an intriguing one tactically, of course- City’s cautious, patient approach is contrasted by an instinctively attacking Arsenal side that play without fear. The Blues have defended exceptionally well so far and passed their first big test of the season, against Chelsea, with flying colours. Tevez aside, though, goals haven’t flowed quite so freely. For Arsenal, appalling defending was capitalised upon by West Brom and a lack of steel enabled Chelsea to pick them off with relative ease. The Gunners are likely to line-up with a 4-3-3 formation, with Fabregas and Nasri offering an attacking verve, with the safety net of a more defensively minded Alex Song behind them. Andrey Arshavin and Theo Walcott, who returns from injury, will support Chamakh. In defence, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy will offer width from the full-back positions with Squillaci and Djourou the only central options for Wenger in the absence of both Koscielny and Vermaelen through injury.
Given City’s talent-crammed squad, it is decidedly harder to second guess their line-up, although knowing Roberto Mancini’s stubbornness, he will more than likely leave Adebayor on the bench to start with in spite of his midweek scoring exploits. Instead, a 4-2-3-1 shape will probably be adopted- Nigel de Jong and Gareth Barry in the more defensive midfield positions, with Yaya Touré further upfield. David Silva and James Milner will line up as wingers although expect endless switching of positions, drifting inside and out time and again. It is a tactic prefered by Mancini, that casts doubt in the minds of opposition defenders. In defence, Kolo Touré’s absence through injury means Joleon Lescott will probably continue alongside Vincent Kompany, with Jerome and Boateng and Pablo Zabaleta either side.
A cutting edge for City, of course, is the power of the bench. While Arsenal have plenty of attacking talent in their starting XI, there’s not much scope for change should City take the upper-hand. Exciting young Italian Mario Balotelli is in contention for a place on the bench as he recovers from knee trouble, while Adebayor, if not selected, will be dying to make an impression from the bench. Adam Johnson has shown his ability to change a game with his guile and trickery, while Shaun Wright-Phillips always seems to enjoy his outings against Arsenal, who, in contrast can only really call upon inconsistent Carlos Vela or Nicklas Bendtner should they need goals.
The Gunners will have more than just the title race on their minds, though. Wenger will be seeking vengeance for a trio of Eastlands humiliations- two 3-0’s and a 4-2 defeat are all he has to show for his last three trips and he will be determined to send his squad out to prove a point and silence the critics that bemoan his side’s apparently soft underbelly. Mancini, of course, will point out that such an underbelly is very much existent and that through hard work and defensive solidity, Arsenal can be cracked with ease on the counter-attack. Given the respective form and options available to each side, I’d have to think Mancini will be the one celebrating at the full-time whistle.
Thanks go to Colin the King of ManCityFans.Net for writing this preview.