This Monday in the Barclays Premier League, Arsene Wenger’s side take on Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City. Both teams are looking to claim the top spot from Leicester City and will argue that they can pull off a win to claim the three points that could see them reach the peak of the league table. The two go into the game in similar form, having each won two of their last three league fixtures.
The major team news ahead of the game is that Sergio Aguero looks set to make his return from injury against Wenger’s side and so is certainly the key figure that the north London side need to be wary of. Ideally, he will still be some way off his best form, but with a player of his calibre there is no certainty and the Arsenal defence must remain vigilant. The Argentinian possesses every attribute that a goal scorer could need. He is quick, an excellent dribbler of the ball, can head and is certainly not afraid to run at defenders. As such, it goes without question that he will need to be tracked by either the central midfielder or one of the two centre backs in the Arsenal team. However, the most important thing in dealing with Aguero is cutting off his supply of the ball. If the Gunners can limit the amount of passes reaching him, then his impact will be massively reduced.
The other player that Arsene Wenger’s men need to be wary of is Kevin De Bruyne. The former Chelsea midfielder has been a revelation since his big money move from Wolfsburg in the summer, having scored nine goals already this season. The Belgian has been instrumental in most of Manchester City’s success this campaign and so will be a vital component to their attacking system on Monday. The best way to deal with him is to close him down quickly. If the Gunners can commit a man every time De Bruyne gets close to the ball and in order to press and hound him then his creative flair will be replaced with a desire to simply retain the ball, and that is much easier to deal with.
In terms of going forward, Arsenal must be clinical with their passing and shooting. They must not allow themselves the luxury of wasting easy chances and against a side as good as Manchester City, they must make sure that they hold their shape more rigidly than they would against lesser opposition. Mesut Ozil will be vital to the Gunners if they hope to beat Manuel Pellegrini’s side and so it is crucial that he is given the ball when he wants it because he is Arsenal’s brightest attacking player.
Overall, this game is very open; the result could go both ways. The two teams will be up for the fight and neither want to leave the game as the loser so ultimately, this match will be decided on either team’s confidence and self-belief.
