Sport
Manchester City are showing Arsenal the power of peaking at the right time of the season
Arsenal’s six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table currently feels like the least secure six-point lead in English football history. Part of that is due to the fact Manchester City have a game in-hand over their North London rivals. There is, however, much more to the growing sense that City will catch Mikel Arteta’s team.
Nervousness was apparent all the way around the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. From the fans in the stands to the players on the pitch, there was an edginess to Arsenal’s performance against Bournemouth which ultimately culminated in an extremely damaging 2-1 home defeat.
24 hours later, Manchester City produced arguably their most complete display of the entire season as they dismantled Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge. It was proof of the power of peaking at the right time and Pep Guardiola’s team appear to be doing a much better job of this than the table-toppers whose lead is being quickly whittled away.
City might have been fresher than Arsenal due to their early elimination from the Champions League. While the Gunners were in Lisbon for a quarter-final first leg during the week, Guardiola and his players were able to rest in the days leading up to Sunday’s trip to London to face Chelsea.
It will be the same scenario this weekend when Manchester City will host Arsenal fresh from a week of rest and recuperation. The Gunners, on the other hand, will take on Sporting CP in the second leg of their Champions League knockout tie. With the scoreline poised at 1-0, there’s no scope for Arteta to rotate. He can’t take that chance.
Most concerning to Arsenal fans is that their team has failed to evolve over the course of the campaign. They’re still as reliant as ever on set pieces to find the back of the net. In open play, the North London outfit have struggled to demonstrate much in the way of creativity on a consistent basis.
Manchester City, on the other hand, have added more to their game as the months have progressed. Rayan Cherki, for example, has been brought back into the team recently to offer some much-needed invention in the final third. The January addition of Antoine Semenyo has also given Guardiola another adaptable forward to utilise.
Marc Guehi arrived from Crystal Palace to bolster the backline while Gianluigi Donnarumma was signed when it quickly became apparent James Trafford wasn’t ready to be City’s first-choice goalkeeper. They have reacted to certain situations in a way Arsenal have so far failed to do.
“Arsenal is a final,” said Guardiola ahead of Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash. “We are going to play against a team [Arsenal] that in 49 games lost three games, in Champions League didn’t lose once. In the Carabao Cup final, we were complete underdogs – there is not one person in this country that would bet £1 that we would be much better. Maybe now it’s a bit different.
“The respect I have for Arsenal, what they have done the last few years. I know the manager, the players, the quality, how they compete in every circumstance, that’s the biggest job we have. They have been the best team in this country, in Europe, so far. Beating Arsenal once is so difficult – imagine beating them twice in a few weeks.”
Guardiola is right to highlight the advantage Arsenal still hold. Victory for the visitors this weekend could be the defining moment in the Gunners’ season, in that it would all but clinch the Premier League title for Arteta’s side. Arsenal remain a top-quality side who won’t give up so easily with the title race on the line.
Nonetheless, City once again have the air of a team to be feared. They have the scent of another Premier League title in their nostrils and Sunday’s dominant performance away to Chelsea shows they have found their best form at the most opportune time. This could yet be a title race for the ages.
