Morning all.
Today’s game is massive. It’s a game very few other than Arsenal fans think we can win. Actually, scrap that as I don’t think many Arsenal fans think we can win later, I know I don’t. No, that’s not me being negative it’s me not having had my head in the sand for the last few months because our football has mostly be pretty drab. However, if more drab football secures at least a point at The Etihad Stadium later today then I’ll take it.
Arsenal and City have played each other enough times to know what each is about. City will knock the ball around like a training session before trying to find that one killer pass into the box. They might lump the ball over our midfield to Haaland, hoping his power and pace will outdo William Saliba or Gabriel. Their wingers will be busy, as will the ghastly little player Silva.
Arsenal’s Adrian Clarke:
Guardiola’s decision to switch from 4-1-3-2 to 4-2-3-1 in the Carabao Cup final was a smart call that unlocked City’s attacking excellence. Deploying Jeremy Doku wide on the left, with Antoine Semenyo hugging the opposite touchline, there has been greater width to their play, freeing up central pockets of space for No.10 Rayan Cherki and allowing full-backs Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes to underlap.
Cherki is the man in form, and given freedom to roam, the France international is almost impossible to man-mark, so we must close down his space as a collective. If you give Cherki space to look up and play a pass, he will hurt you, while he has also made six assists from ball carries.
Guardiola’s four-man defensive screen when we tried to play out from the back at Wembley was a ploy we never really got to grips with, so faster restarts, playing through the first line of defence, or clipping passes over them could be fruitful. Passes over the top and counters tend to be the most effective ways to open City up, who squeeze up and commit bodies forward, so we need to be fast and efficient on transitions.
We cannot go gung-ho, but sharp, progressive passes will cause them issues. Out of possession, we must track runners with the utmost concentration, and where possible, disrupt City’s flow by getting tight to them inside our half.
At Wembley, we started well but sadly, fizzled away rather rapidly. The second half was awful. Toothless, unimaginative and quite frankly, underwhelming. Pretty much sums up the second half of our season really, domestically anyway.
As Clarke said, we never got to grips with Guardiola’s change of approach. I wonder if today it’ll be Mikel Arteta who tries something different, something which will bamboozle City in similar fashion. I’m not holding my breath.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Christian Norgaard start today with his role being to just sit in front of the back four, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi ahead of him with Ebe Eze and two of Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres or Noni Madueke either side of him. Oh, or Gabriel Jesus. Yes, similar to what City did at Wembley against us.
Press from the front every time and they will pass their way through and round us, quickly too so our players could get caught out so why not drop off of them for a change. Let them try and find a way through a front bank of four.
But of course, it’s easy to make suggestions from the comfort of my settee, it’s what Arteta does which matters and he said we’re going for the win… As if he’d say anything else.
Whatever his approach, I hope it works.
Equally as important as Arteta’s tactics is the attitude of the players. I want to see all of them, not just a select few, fight for every ball, be clinical with the passing, no faffing around at the back and if chances come, be ruthless.
Catch up in the comments.
Good morning Rico.
Ninety odd minutes between two quite evenly matched sides means a game that could go either way. The old cliche “the team that want it most will be the deciding factor” should be utterly meaningless, what side wouldn’t give everything for the win in such a vital game.
Hand brake off and go for it? Why not?
Morning Cicero, all.
I’m not sure we know how to “go for it” these days. I think we need to be pragmatic, and try and hit them on the break.
Without sounding pedantic, I don’t think the two sides are equally matched either, not while we have Timber, Odegaard, Saka and Merino out. We miss Merino and is it a coincidence that since his injury, we’ve had struggles?
Great preview, Rico.
“Underwhelming” is the adjective that sums up best, not our results, but our displays this season, and on this site at least everyone knows your use of it comes from a place of love, not from some uncurable negativity-bitterness.
I agree with your suggestion of adding one more body (Nørgaard’s or … Myles’s!) in midfield in particular. There, opponents have been outnumbering Zubi and Declan for quite some time, both lads have had too much to think about defensively to bring as much quality as they could/should whenever we gain possession … not to mention the toll it’s taken on their fitness, as the season went by …
Anyway, this won’t happen; Mick will pick a very Artetesque XI, with two guys on either wing (even though Tross has been given more freedom to wander in some kind of N°10 position lately, or so it has seemed to me anyway).
Well, back to trying to calm down now; c’mon you Red Machine!
Thanks Lg. Myles is probably in better shape as he’s played more but I wouldn’t mind seeing either. If we can nullify their creative players, we might have a chance. Their wingers too.
But yep, you’re probably right, we’ll see same old, same old, hoping things will improve. Isn’t that one of the first signs of madness? 😜
The last time we played Man City we had an in form Eze injured, Calafiori, Madueke, Martinelli, Dowman Raya, Mosquera and Jesus was on the bench, a half-fit Havertz started in midfield and a quarter-fit Saka started on the right flank. We had Kepa in goal, we had an off-form White at right-back, we had a half-fit Trossard on the left-flank and Hincapie got booked early that reduced his effectiveness.
My local Sainsbury’s reduced the derv by 2p.
And, Good Morning Gooners
It’s interesting isn’t it, everyone and their dog say that Arsenal are under pressure, well hello, every leading team in the Premier League are under pressure! Aren’t Tottenham under pressure, aren’t WestHam and Forest…
Man City are also under pressure although you’d hardly think it, they have to win, we don’t….
It’s equally interesting how our ever biased and quite appalling media have taken so many sly digs at Arsenal for reaching the CL semi-final but have seemingly ignored the fact that Liverpool lost 4-0 on aggregate, that Man City also lost, 5-1 on aggregate and that the rest of the Premier League’s finest were booted out of the CL.
Doesn’t quite fit the narrative does it?
I wonder if La Liga will cancel both Atletico’s matches before one or both legs vs Arsenal?
The Premier League won’t do this as the Premier League fixtures are too important, but this isn’t the case in the Ligue Un and La Liga which kinda points towards those two competitions as being less important these days – and far less competitive.
Bayern virtually rested an entire team in their Bundesliga games prior to the CL quarter finals – and still won. It’s the kind of tactic many English clubs do before a League Cup tie!
So, does that mean that the League Cup is on a par with the Bundesliga when it comes to importance?
Good points made Kev about who was involved in the last game at Wembley..
I’ve tried the positive approach recently so today I’m expecting little whilst hoping for a great performance.. 😂
Don’t forget Chelsea Kev, they’ll soon need another manager as I very much doubt they will finish top five.
Talking of managers, I reckon Iraola is going to Utd.
Sainsbury’s in Longwater Norwich is 191.9 but thier other branch 5 miles away is 189.9 10 miles for tuppence a litre , doesn’t make sense.
155.9 for unleaded.
Now for football whatever that is . From scanning around what’s app with other north bankers there is an air of doom and despondency over the airways . With many others I am treating today’s effort with trepidation . I think this is the last throw of the dice , we are on a hiding to nothing .
We blew the league a few weeks ago, the confidence went when we lost to Man Utd in January and followed up with draws against Brentford and Wolves . Since then we withdrew into our shells and haven’t had anything else on display apart from “”not losing””.
That attitude today will not be enough against the pressure that we face today , they say a leopard doesn’t change it’s spots but I think Arteta lost his back then .
We have about 5 1/2 hours to find them again but I fear that should they score the heads will go down again.
I am sorry but I have lost faith , we have seen it too many times , freezing in cup finals , semi finals and league chases.
We kick off at 4.30 , I think I may start drinking at about 3.00 hopefully it will soften the blow.
PSG are the pride of Ligue Un, they are the flag wavers for French domestic football, but whilst PSG fly the flag for belle France the rest of that once exciting and competitive league is declining at an alarming rate into a league less competitive that the English Championship, maybe worse.
Marseille, St Etienne, Monaco, Bordeaux, Sochaux, RC Lens, Strasbourg, Metz, Auxerre, Rouen, all these clubs were at a high level and produced some amazing players in a competitive league but now they’re like a supporting cast for one club that has a team that only fully extends itself in the CL thanks to the assistance of the league d’France. A team that was found out during the World Club Cup when they lost 4-0 to Chelsea, yes useless Chelsea!
Keep the faith Rico, even if you keep it inside. 😉
I hope that Chelsea make the CL, then Rosenior will keep his job Rico. 😎
Iraola back to Spain I hope Rico? 🙏
Spanish papers reckon he will be at Real Betis , do a Homer :- Manchester / Seville , Manchester ?
Longwater must be very posh, hence the price hike, my Sainsbury’s is in Basildon and there’s more competition, you’ve gotta love competition…
Kev Longwater is a tarted-up Industrial estate surrounded by new build housing and is right alongside the A 47 route out of Norfolk.
Overmars. Wiltord. Tonight it’s Kai’s turn in Manchester.
I’m off for a few hours of kip before the battle.
Yeh, that role fitted her like the proverbial glove, LG.
For me, “My fathers glory” ,”My mothers castle” and “Amelie” are the sacred trinity of French theatre.
No gunner I know is looking forward to the game. Lose this and City become favourites. I keep hearing people say we should go for it,take the handbrake off. I don’t care how we play if we somehow get a result,a draw would be a great result,a win,dreamland.
We seem to have been stuck on 70 points for ages,it’s 5 weeks since our last league win,OK we’ve only played 1 league game in that time,scheduling is crazy though,Leeds have just played 2 games in 5 days.
COYG
Cicero, it sounds divine…
My cousin many years ago, maybe 30 plus or more, moved from the delights of Dartford in Kent to Haughley Green in Suffolk so as to experience the fresh air and countryside of East Angleland. During the time she’s lived in her 600 year old cottage the surrounding fields have gradually filled up, much to her chagrin, with ‘new builds’… I’ve been to Srowmarket and Ipswich and it’s like visiting Basildon.