City have timed their run perfectly to pip an Arsenal side that took on too much.
Seconds out for the Epic at the Etihad!
Sunday night’s clash between Manchester City and Arsenal doesn’t really need any hype: it is a genuine heavyweight title decider. Well, almost.
But as Mikel Arteta has already begun the boxing analogies, it is sure to be billed as both a “Rumble” and a “Thrilla”. At a venue midway between a jungle and Manila.
“A punch in the face” is how the Arsenal boss described the Gunners’ shock loss to Bournemouth last weekend.
It won’t just be his face that Manchester City targets when he leads his side into the ring before the watching world.
Even though the midweek draw with Sporting Lisbon healed a few wounds, Pep Guardiola’s boys can smell blood.
Having finally hunted down the Londoners and got them where they wanted, they are many people’s favourites to deliver a knockout blow.
But just because the Gunners have been misfiring of late, they are not on the ropes.
We should not forget that they are still in contention for the Double.
In the Champions League, they have the “easier” semi-final, if a clash with Diego Simeone’s Atletico side can be given such a term, while in the EPL, their run-in is kinder than City’s.
City has to win and Arsenal has the best defence in the league, possibly in Europe, so this is not a foregone conclusion. And no trophy will be handed out, whatever the result.
If Arsenal wins, it will be as good as over, but a City win would leave them with work still to do.
The assumption is that, with the wind in their sails, they’ll blow everyone over. And Arsenal may not be able to recover psychologically.
The hounds finally catching up with the hare is just one aspect that makes this clash so intriguing.
Others include Master v Apprentice, Catalan v Basque, Serial winner v serial Nearly Man, Swashbuckling v Tentative.
Throw in a clash of styles, personalities, recent histories, and latest health reports.
Not to mention thrilling attackers against doughty defenders and, dare it be said, timid attackers against dodgy defenders.
One team is knackered from its midweek exertions, the other refreshed from a week without a game.
There is so much contrariness that it’s hard to believe Arteta was once Guardiola’s protégé, learned at his knee, and got his thesis in Manchester.
Both are passionate micro-managers, and both have an eye for a player, but have also benefited from big budgets.
They remain friends, but will be mortal enemies for 90-plus minutes.
That’s another reason this game doesn’t need Don King to persuade us to watch it.
To recap the situation at the top of the table, Arsenal has a six-point lead, but has played a game more than City.
If City beats Arsenal and wins its game in hand (against relegation-bound Burnley), it will be level on points, but top on goal difference.
The race will not be over, but from chasing the Quad to getting nothing is haunting Gooners.
Strangely, playing away from their own nervous fans may even be an advantage for Arsenal.
What is exciting for neutrals is that this dramatic climax was unexpected.
The season had been written off as a procession by almost everyone. It was just a question of how many points Arsenal would win by. And how many other trophies they might pick up along the way.
But City kept plugging away. Twice, they looked like they were mounting a charge but stumbled.
Only after Real Madrid knocked them out of the Champions League, did they look like the City of old.
They crushed Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, Liverpool in the FA Cup and then Chelsea in the league to move within striking distance.
Meanwhile, Arsenal were wobbling. Despite having a deep squad, injuries took a toll.
Skipper Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, in particular, have been sorely missed. And Mikel Merino has been a long-term absentee.
They have unearthed an absolute gem in Max Dowman, but they can’t hang their title hopes on a 16-year-old.
The consensus is that Arsenal are their own worst enemies. They want it too much and Arteta’s irksome behaviour doesn’t help.
The last time they won the league was in 2004 under Arsene Wenger and, of all the fans, Arsenal’s seem to have the greatest sense of entitlement.
Comparing the squads, City’s has the edge and it is also younger. Nico O’Reilly is 21, Rayan Cherki 22, Abdukodir Kuhsanov 22, the currently injured Josko Gvardiol 24, while Erling Haaland is only 25.
January signings made a difference: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi arrived as if to the manor born and are key players in this late push.
Whereas Viktor Gyokeres, the supposed final piece of the jigsaw for Arsenal, is showing his limitations.
You sense that City will be better next year, whereas Arsenal must become champions this time or failure could haunt them.
From this vantage point, I can see a City masterclass on Sunday and Pep going on to land a fifth title in six years.
The free week will give City an advantage, but they have much more firepower anyway.
Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku will take some stopping.
And their absence from Europe will help them over the coming weeks too.
Despite Arsenal’s set-piece skills, I’ll go for a win from the blue corner. - FMT
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.