This weekend, Arsenal will play arguably the most important fixture of their entire season. The Gunners welcome current league leaders Leicester City to the Emirates Stadium in a game that could potentially decide whether the Foxes go on to win the league title following their impressive victory over Manchester City last week. This game will be of the utmost importance for Arsenal, who remain in search of their first league title in over a decade.
Claudio Ranieri’s side have defied all expectations this season and that is in part down to two main figures: Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. The dynamic pair are strong candidates for the Team of the Season and may well top that with success in the Barclays Premier League and as such, it goes without saying that stopping these two will be vital to for the Gunners if they hope to claim points this weekend.
It is obviously no easy task to stop Vardy this season as his goals have seen Leicester become genuine title contenders. The majority of the Englishman’s goals have come from inside the penalty area and this presents the Gunners with an opportunity. As was seen a couple of seasons ago when Arsene Wenger’s men beat Bayern Munich 2-0 away from home, if the Gunners can restrict a side to potshots and half-chances, then they should have no trouble overcoming their opposition in the end. The same can be said for Leicester. Manchester City went up against them last week with an air of superiority as if they still weren’t taking Leicester seriously; this cost them dearly. If Arsenal go out against Leicester with a rigid defensive shape and committed efforts from every player, then there is no reason why Vardy can be limited to long shots.
Mahrez is another issue altogether. Many people compare the winger to Mesut Ozil in terms of his assist and chance creation. Yet, it’s clear that the Algerian is far more similar to Santi Cazorla. Obviously, he is quicker than the Spaniard and is able to find the back of the net far more easily, yet their ball control and dribbling styles are very similar. Due to this, the best way to deal with Mahrez is to close him down quickly. Cazorla – and Mahrez by extension – seems to perform worse when he has big, physical players closing him down quickly and stealing the ball from him. In this sense, it is vital that Francis Coquelin returns to the Arsenal mix so that he can act as the combatant in the midfield; the player that harasses Mahrez and dictates where he can and can’t play and not the other way round. If the Gunners can keep Mahrez quiet this weekend, then they will certainly be one step closer to a vital victory in the league.
In essence, this game is a must-win for the Gunners if they are to catch Leicester and remain realistic title contenders. Despite scoring twice in as many minutes against Bournemouth last week, the Gunners have still remained goal-shy in recent weeks and so must make sure that when chances present themselves, they are taken effectively. Leicester will make the game very difficult for the north London side but every team is prone to a slip-up, and with so much at stake for Wenger’s men, they may just take all three points.
