da doce： The Premier League returns with a bang this weekend and the largest reverberations will be created by its final fixture – Arsenal vs Manchester City – in a battle between last season’s champions and a huge club embarking on a new era after so many years of disappointing mediocrity. Both will be determined to start the new campaign as strongly as possible.
da dobrowin： It looks set to be an entertaining encounter between two sides who only know how to attack, albeit to varying degrees of success in recent seasons, so who will come out on top in this one? This week’s experts, Ric Turner from Bluemoon and Football FanCast’s latest recruit Will Jones, share their thoughts and predictions ahead of Sunday’s 4pm kickoff.
As is the case with any Premier League season opener, the Emirates Stadium affair is shrouded in curiosities and question marks. While Arsenal’s are perhaps more obvious, welcoming a new manager for the first time in two decades in Unai Emery, there are doubts about City too – both of their previous Premier League title defences were over almost as soon as they started.
Are you convinced we’ll see City put in a much stronger title defence this time around?
Ric: “Our last two title defences were characterised by a degree of complacency, both at board level and amongst the players. We failed to strengthen the squad adequately each time, adding the likes of Jack Rodwell, Javi Garcia, Wilfried Bony and Fernando, when we really should have pushed on to assert our dominance. This time around the squad only needed relatively minor tweaking.
“The addition of Riyad Mahrez gives us another attacking option, allowing Bernardo Silva to play in a more central position and also meaning we can rotate Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane with a bit more frequency. A defensive midfielder was needed, in my opinion, but presumably the club are waiting for the right player after missing out on Jorginho, rather than buying for the sake of it.
“As for the players, Vincent Kompany has already spoken about how he can sense that the desire and attitude is different this time around and I don’t think Guardiola will allow complacency to creep in amongst the squad. We’re well placed to become the first team to retain the title for a decade.”
Do you think Emery will be a success at Arsenal?
Will: “Emery can be a success at Arsenal, if he is given time to be. His preferred system – involving operating a high press and playing very vertically – could definitely work well in the Premier League, as Jurgen Klopp has demonstrated. It is a huge shift from what these Arsenal players are used to though, and it’s unfair to expect them to grasp the intricacies of it all immediately.
“Emery has enjoyed a long pre-season with the bulk of his squad in place, so evidence of progress should be clear from the off.”
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Ric: “I think Emery will do well at The Emirates. Obviously it will take time for him to mould a team in his image, and Sunday’s game is something of a baptism of fire, but change was long overdue at Arsenal. It will be interesting to see how they cope as a club in the post-Wenger era though. As United showed, it can be difficult to adapt when a long-serving manager departs.”
Much of that pre-match anticipation centres around the fact we don’t actually know how Emery will set his side up, or for that matter how many of Manchester City’s World Cup stars will be available after featuring in the latter stages of the tournament in Russia. While Phil Foden and Mahrez impressed in the respective absences of Kevin De Bruyne and Sterling during the Community Shield win over Chelsea, testing the use of Arsenal’s two top-class attackers in the same starting XI has been a recurring theme of Arsenal’s pre-season.
Would you start Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette together on Sunday?
Will: “It’s a good sign that Lacazette and Aubameyang are clearly firm friends off of the pitch. For whatever that’s worth, it can only be a positive for their on-field partnership. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely given what we’ve seen in pre-season that they will be played as a pair up front. Though they’ll both start, Emery’s preference for a three-man midfield will likely force Aubameyang to the left flank. Wenger deployed the former Dortmund man in that role at the end of last season too, but it didn’t stop him from being prolific, which bodes well.”
And do you think it’s worth risking De Bruyne and Sterling in an away game against a big six rival?
Ric: “I don’t think either player will start, having had less than a full week of training. I imagine they will gradually be fazed back into action but, as shown in the Community Shield on Sunday, we have the strength in depth to cope without them. The likes of Bernardo Silva, Foden and Mahrez provide more than adequate cover.”
Another recurring theme of Arsenal’s pre-season has been the involvement of young players. Emile Smith-Rowe earned himself a new contract with a glorious goal against Atletico Madrid, while Joe Willock has been around the first-team squad and summer signing Matteo Guendouzi – who was initially seen as an acquisition for the future – has probably been Arsenal’s best-performing midfielder over the course of the summer.
Are there any youngsters from pre-season you’d like to see involved on Sunday?
Will: “Guendouzi and striker Eddie Nketiah, both only 19, have caught the eye in pre-season. The Gunners already knew they had a clinical finisher in Nketiah, but Guendouzi’s maturity on the ball and impressive passing range has been a nice surprise. That being said, with several senior figures ahead of each of them in the pecking order, don’t expect either to start on Sunday.
“Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who enjoyed a breakout campaign last time out, could well fill in at left-back given Sean Kolasinac’s injury and Nacho Monreal’s lack of match fitness.”
This match no doubt represents a rude awakening for Emery in English football. Not only are Manchester City reigning Premier League champions, but they’re also record breaking champions lead by a manager who Emery failed to beat from ten attempts during their many years together in La Liga. But it would be wrong to think City are completely invincible – they showed some key weaknesses at times last season, when opponents like Liverpool and Bristol City really took the game to them.
Tactically, what do Arsenal need to do to win on Sunday?
Will: “Arsenal have to kick off the campaign as they mean to go on. Emery’s men need to press relentlessly and effectively. Arsenal have to work as a cohesive unit and hunt in packs. At this early stage, there are likely to be flaws in the system, which City obviously have the equality to exploit.
“At the other end though, in Aubameyang, Lacazette and Mesut Ozil, Arsenal have enough to hurt the men in sky blue. The midfield and defence have to provide a solid, hard-working platform to build from, and need to be alert enough to move the ball quickly up the pitch to take advantage of any counter-attacking opportunities.”
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And finally lads, what are your score predictions?
Ric: “I think it will be a close game, but hopefully City will have too much for them. I’ll go for 2-1 to the Blues.”
Will: “Arsenal 2 – 2 Man City. The Gunners have the home advantage, and their record at the Emirates Stadium is magnificent. The opening day buzz around Emery could also sustain the kind of effort that these Arsenal players are going to have to put in to get a result here.”