Why Man City's 'leg-beaters' Can Make The Difference Against Arsenal

Like everyone else, I cannot hold for Sunday's monolithic crippled betwixt Manchester City and Arsenal.

From a manager's perspective, some teams person galore strengths and very fewer weaknesses. The aforesaid applies to nan 2 men who are successful complaint of them.

Mikel Arteta mightiness not person nan aforesaid acquisition aliases trophy grounds arsenic Pep Guardiola but past very fewer managers do. He must punctual his Arsenal squad that they are wherever they are because, up until now, they person been nan champion squad successful nan Premier League this season.

He's been highly affirmative erstwhile he's spoken to nan media recently, contempt Arsenal's mediocre form. I'd ideate he will person been nan aforesaid connected nan training transportation and successful nan dressing room this week - being very pro-active, giving galore of his individual players affirmative vibes and besides pinch nan team, reminding them of nan above.

At City, Pep appears to person been revitalised, without a doubt. At nan extremity of past play location were times he seemed tired, and moreover early connected this play he did not look aliases sound his accustomed self.

This happens to each america managers - and immoderate much than others!

Pep almost looked human, aliases arsenic quality arsenic a worried head could look, yet since his signings successful nan January transportation window, erstwhile Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi arrived from Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, his squad person regained that 'X-factor' which City had developed complete their years of achievement.

He will request nary thief getting his players up for this game, either. City had been written disconnected by each nan experts successful nan media and I americium judge they would, collectively, emotion to propulsion that backmost astatine them.

In football, nan crown sometimes lies dense connected nan squad who carries it. At nan moment, that seems to beryllium nan lawsuit pinch nan Gunners, but make nary correction City would beryllium desperately up for taking complete their clasp connected nan title. Given their caller success, they would beryllium very comfortable arsenic front-runners.

Pep won't ever alteration his measurement of playing possession football, but what has travel backmost successful vogue astatine City successful caller weeks is their players successful wide positions, what I ever called 'leg-beaters'.

By that, I mean nan benignant of accelerated and skilful players who continuously activity nan guidance defenders for 90 minutes by moving astatine them, aliases past them. They springiness you nan value you request to return group retired of nan crippled and break nan guidance down.

In nan past, Riyad Mahrez was ever specified a awesome outlet to supply that for Pep's City teams but now they person 2 awesome players successful those positions, which I judge has changed their fortunes.

With Semenyo and Jeremy Doku successful nan team, alongside Rayan Cherki, who besides has nan expertise to return opponents retired of games, City are frightening teams again.

They person ever been possession-based nether Pep but, if it was my squad facing them past nan past point I would want is to person those 3 successful possession and precocious up nan pitch, alternatively of nan goalkeeper and nan 2 centre-halves connected nan ball.

I judge this is wherever City will effort to expose Arsenal. All 3 players are specified a threat erstwhile they get 1 connected 1 successful wide areas, and whoever plays full-back for nan Gunners will request to bring their 'A game' pinch them.

Semenyo is specified a game-changer because he does not conscionable bring powerfulness and gait and nan expertise to hit players successful those one-on-one situations, he is simply a extremity threat too.

Whether it is him aliases Cherki connected nan correct side, aliases Doku connected nan left, 1 point is for judge - they are each tin of being match-winners for City connected Sunday.

Because of that, I deliberation City should get nan shot to them arsenic quickly arsenic possible, because passes to their beforehand players will thief them find those one-on-one situations.

If, instead, City are slow erstwhile they get retired past Arsenal will driblet heavy and make it really difficult for them to expose nan spaces that those 3 players need.

It is Arsenal who clasp nan six-point lead and marginal advantage successful extremity quality going into Sunday's game.

If, astatine nan commencement of nan season, you had offered this position to Arteta and each Arsenal supporters pinch six games to go, past they would person snapped your fingers off.

The rumor they person is that they are connected their worst tally of results of nan play but, contempt that, nan double of Premier League and Champions League is still on.

They person played only 1 much crippled than City truthful acold this play - 54 successful each competitions compared to 53 - but besides person much injuries to contend with.

Key players for illustration Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice person missed games precocious and, while they strengthened their squad extent importantly successful nan summer, they did not adhd immoderate players successful January who mightiness person made a quality now.

City, successful contrast, had their title hopes written disconnected months agone but, since that recruitment successful January, person improved week in, week retired - culminating successful winning nan first awesome trophy of nan play erstwhile they hit Arsenal successful nan Carabao Cup last past month.

If their shape continues, they could adhd nan convention title and nan FA Cup to their trophy haul. What a treble that would be.

The stats show that this is nan clip of nan play when, historically, Pep's City are strongest and Arteta's Arsenal are weakest - in position of triumph percentage, April has been City's champion period since Pep took complaint successful nan summertime of 2016, and Arsenal's worst nether Arteta from nan 2019-20 play onwards.

Still, nan result of Sunday's crippled is beautiful elemental really. If Arsenal win, I judge nan title is theirs. If City win, past momentum swings afloat circle and they would go outright favourites to cod different title nether Pep.

I'd opportunity a tie suits Arsenal more, but does not automatically decorativeness nan title title off.

So, really do some teams hole for specified a large game?

City person nan location advantage and besides person had a week's remainder because they were knocked retired of nan Champions League successful nan past 16 by Real Madrid.

Arsenal look an distant fixture and a shorter abstraction of clip for their players to retrieve aft playing Sporting connected Wednesday, but getting done that necktie was really important for them, and will springiness them a boost successful assurance that they tin return into nan City game.

Both managers cognize each different wrong out, and some sets of players will beryllium afloat alert of nan situation they look - so, connected paper, you would deliberation location are going to beryllium fewer surprises for either team.

This is why Pep and Mikel are paid nan large bucks, however, arsenic managers of our very champion clubs.

They will some beryllium really engaged this week connected definite tactical issues - fundamentally what they want their squad to do, and really they will extremity nan opposition.

If some teams determine nan champion measurement of winning nan crippled is to build up from their goalkeepers, I would personally spell aft them precocious up nan transportation and do my champion to break their hit and passing patterns.

It's a risk, because some teams person defenders who play comfortably nether unit and will, connected occasions, break done moreover nan champion press.

But, while it's precocious risk, it's besides precocious reward. Over nan past 5 seasons, much goals person been conceded by turnovers successful possession successful a team's ain half than ever before.

City will predominate possession contempt that precocious property and will walk a batch of clip successful Arsenal's last third. So, pinch nan Gunners pressed back, really do they past counter-attack pinch capable value to wounded City?

When City are successful possession, they push everyone guardant but time off only 2 centre-backs covering their full backmost statement of defence.

Rodri will expanse successful beforehand of Abdukodir Khusanov and Guehi, but location are spaces to beryllium recovered either retired wide aliases down nan 2 centre-backs - and those are nan areas successful unfastened play that Arsenal person to exploit.

To execute that successful an effective way, erstwhile Arsenal regain possession successful heavy areas, they must get passes and runners past nan City back-line, by playing up, backmost and through.

It sounds easy, but City will effort to regain nan turnover quickly and some of their centre-halves are speedy moreover if Arsenal tin manufacture a ft race.

Mikel's broadside are tin of doing this effectively, though. We cognize they person nan value to play nether unit and they will request it connected Sunday if they are to beryllium successful.

On apical of each this, set-plays will again beryllium captious for them, but besides for City. As ever, nan value of nan corners, free-kicks and throw-ins must beryllium matched by nan desire to triumph that first and 2nd shot - and that applies to whoever is attacking and defending.

I've been asked to sanction nan teams I've watched and faced who I person admired nan astir during my years successful nan game, and to effort to comparison them pinch today's apical sides, Arsenal and City.

I can't determine connected nan champion squad I've seen aliases managed against, but location are a fewer that guidelines retired - immoderate going backmost to erstwhile I was a boy, but besides others much precocious that I came up against.

Growing up, I will ever retrieve Don Revie's Leeds United squad of nan 1960s and 1970s, positive Manchester United successful nan years erstwhile Sir Matt Busby was successful charge. It was nan aforesaid again for galore years nether Sir Alex Ferguson, erstwhile they were nan squad to beat.

Liverpool's teams of nan 1980s were truthful successful, location and abroad, and nan Chelsea teams nether Jose Mourinho and their different celebrated managers who followed him.

Arsenal successful nan early 1970s and besides their 'Invincibles' successful 2003-04 person to beryllium mentioned and truthful do nan Manchester City teams complete nan past decade.

I don't consciousness nan existent Arsenal and City teams are rather up location conscionable yet, but from what we've seen truthful far, they soon could be.

What do you deliberation though? Whoever you support, I'd for illustration to cognize who you would put up arsenic nan champion squad you've seen astatine your ain club, aliases anyplace else, and really Arsenal and City compare.

Tony Pulis was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.