From ecstasy to agony, or will the high carry on? Fresh off the back of the biggest win under Mikel Arteta’s reign and the highest scoring away victory since 2001, Arsenal are suddenly in far higher spirits than they were but a few hours ago.
Putting West Brom to the sword with a resounding 6-0 victory, it may be a somewhat lazy description to make but everything about Wednesday night was near perfect.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ended his goal drought in spectacular fashion with a hat-trick; Aaron Ramsdale and Martin Odegaard impressed on their debuts; the defence kept a sorely needed clean sheet; and Arteta actually smiled post-match.
Is that all about to come crashing down before our very eyes on Saturday? Without being overly pessimistic, probably.
The players at the Hawthorns did what senior players worth large amounts of money playing for a club of Arsenal’s stature were expected to do against a Championship side’s second string. Enjoying the moment as we all should (not just an actual goal, but six actual goals!) reality does need setting in as the Premier League champions loom on their imperious home turf.
After defeats to Brentford and Chelsea the result, collective performance and individual escapades do, however, place Arsenal in their best possible frame of mind to journey to the Etihad and leave with a favourable scoreline. One would be foolish not to take a point were it offered, mind.
Have the headlines been pre-written? The chants of ridicule already permeated through the Emptyhad terraces? Have all the troll accounts on Twitter started punching away at their banter?
Not yet. They may have already saved a few drafts, practised their songs in the shower and thought about their headlines.
Man City vs Arsenal Team News – Saka Suffers a Worrying Knock
Arteta was able to call upon some of his senior stars against West Brom, fielding a very strong side in the midlands as his desire for a moral-boosting victory came to fruition.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is now fit and firing after playing 76 minutes, while there was also a good run out for Alexandre Lacazette as he made his own return from COVID-19. Only one is likely to feature this weekend, and you’d confidently assume it’s the former.
Bukayo Saka also somewhat surprisingly played the full 90 minutes after looking leggy against Chelsea, and he’s clearly up to speed, while Albert Sambi Lokonga’s absence was merely for rotational purposes. Arteta did confirm Saka suffered a knock against the Baggies though, and will be assessed pre-Saturday.
Hector Bellerin and Cedric Soares were joined by Kieran Tierney in being left out of the squad entirely, although all three are thought to be in contention for Saturday.
Other absentees remain in similar positions, with Ben White (asymptomatic and a possibility), Gabriel, Thomas Partey and Eddie Nketiah all still missing. Willian, meanwhile, might be gone by then.
As for the hosts, some good news for Arsenal is that Kevin De Bruyne won’t make it in time to be fit having missed the Norwich win, while Phil Foden is also not due back until after the international break.
Still, not like they just spent £100m on Jack Grealish and left out Rahem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez from the starting lineup last time out. No. Not at all.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup to Face Premier League Champions Man City
Arsenal: Leno; Chambers, Holding, Mari, Tierney; Sambi, Xhaka; Pepe, Odegaard, Saka; Aubameyang
Man City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; Rodri, Gundogan, Bernardo; Grealish, Sterling, Mahrez
Manchester City vs Arsenal Score Prediction
Wednesday night was fun. Really good fun.
So what if the opposition weren’t Premier League calibre? Should we care? No. We’ve needed a bit of cheer, wherever it would come from. What one mustn’t do, however, is let that win cloud judgement: Manchester City are excellent and Arsenal are not.
While Harry Kane was sat weeping over his faux gentleman’s agreement with Tottenham, this fixture usually plays out as if one has been pre-signed between both managers. Generally, City and Arsenal get to play a fair bit of football with the condition that those in sky blue take the three points and don’t embarrass their opponents.
Will there be any resting sentiment for Arteta’s men on Saturday? Absolutely not.
Having fallen to defeat at Tottenham before hitting Norwich for five, another resounding win on home soil will be on the City agenda.
This is a fixture where Thomas Partey’s absence will be keenly felt. Having Aubameyang look like Aubameyang again and Saka (who is hopefully fit) back at his best is hugely beneficial, but the Ghanaian’s spatial awareness is something Sambi hasn’t quite mastered yet. He still needs to get up to the speed with Premier League midfield runners.
It’s going to be tough. But the season won’t be decided on these matches. It could be defined, though.
Lunar Gaze is where you find news about current affairs, reviews of dramas, Science and Tech news and people opinions about different aspects of life.
No comments
Post a Comment