Premier League analysis: Five key battles in Manchester City vs Arsenal clash

The big game this weekend is a mouthwatering one as four-time defending champions Man City welcome title pretenders Arsenal to Manchester on Sunday.

In their customary way, City have made a perfect start to the Premier League season, registering four wins in four to sit top of the table on 12 points.

Arsenal are close behind on 10 points, the only blemish on their record being a disappointing 1-1 draw against Brighton on matchday 3.

This fixture last season saw the Gunners manage to hold City to a 0-0 draw after a late Gabriel Martinelli winner had squeaked a 1-0 victory at the Emirates earlier in the campaign.

Here, Sports News Blitz’s Michael Davey considers five key battles in the upcoming heavyweight clash at the Etihad.

Pep Guardiola vs Mikel Arteta

It is yet another case of Pep Guardiola up against a protege, with Mikel Arteta the latest understudy to attempt to get the better of the Catalan.

Guardiola is now in his ninth season at the Citizens having enjoyed Premier League and UEFA Champions League success alongside many other trophies during his time in charge.

The face of the Abu Dhabi United Group’s football operations, he has largely continued the success that characterised his management at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

An acclaimed exponent of the famed tiki-taka philosophy earlier in his career, Guardiola has gone on to perfect a positional system in Manchester.

Low build-ups together with the inversion of defenders and even wingers serve to create a central overload, allowing for City’s players to gain a numerical advantage and attack the half-spaces to great effect.

Formerly Guardiola’s assistant at City, Arteta has taken it upon himself to knock the Manchester side off their perch.

In the Emirates dugout since 2019, he has crafted the team into a title-challenging outfit over the last two years after a decidedly tricky start to his tenure.

Very much in the mould of Guardiola, Arteta’s style also seeks to overload the midfield and exploit the pockets of space as they appear. This is usually founded on a strong possessional game and controlled defensive line.

With Guardiola having already got the best of another protege in Enzo Maresca, it is sure to be a fascinating battle with Arteta on Sunday.

Due to the similarities in their set-ups, City and Arsenal will likely go toe to toe and attempt to outsmart each other at the margins.

Individual performances will be key as will the manner in which the players handle the pressure.

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Declan Rice & Thomas Partey vs Bernardo Silva & Ilkay Gundogan

With talismans Martin Odegaard and Kevin De Bruyne sidelined, it is up to Declan Rice and Thomas Partey to compete for midfield dominance with Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan.

Along with captain Odegaard, Rice and Partey have formed two parts of a productive and indeed fearsome triumvirate in the middle of the park for Arteta’s Arsenal.

With the Norwegian sidelined due to injury, his partners will have to carry the weight of dictating the play.

Both Rice and Partey are primarily ball-winners and often work to protect the defence from opposition attackers.

Combative and energetic in the face of a high press, they will have their work cut out in making up for the lack of Odegaard’s guile and playmaking abilities.

De Bruyne’s absence will be felt less keenly by City as his likely replacements, Silva and Gundogan, are already proven performers on the biggest stage.

With the Belgian possibly on his way out at City, Guardiola is well-stocked and prepared to offset the loss of such a player.

Silva, three years De Bruyne’s junior, should still have plenty to offer at the Etihad in light of his technical and creative brilliance.

And while Gundogan is the same age as De Bruyne, he is a recent returnee to Manchester after a complicated year at Barcelona and clearly still has a desire to compete in as demanding an environment as a Guardiola team.

Therefore, on Sunday, City’s midfield will tick over without much trouble, such is the tactical rigor of their system.

It then falls to Rice and Partey to disrupt the Citizens’ famed pressing and passing rhythms in order to gain any sort of ascendancy against the reigning champions.

Rico Lewis vs Jurrien Timber

A slightly understated battle is set to take place down the right-hand touchline for City where Rico Lewis continues his breakout season against the flourishing Jurrien Timber.

Lewis has started all four of City’s Premier League matches this term with Guardiola showing increased trust in the 19-year-old.

Although he has racked up 50 appearances over the last two seasons, this is shaping up to be the year where Lewis firmly cements himself in the line-up.

A versatile player, he has been deployed in various positions on the right of the City defence and midfield.

Disciplined and an astute passer of the ball, Lewis has conducted the right-hand transitional play with maturity, ably masking the absences of Kyle Walker and Rodri.

Timber is similarly new to the Gunners line-up, although this is on the back of an ACL injury-disrupted first campaign in London.

The former Ajax man fulfils the left-back role for Arteta and has become a mainstay this season as he looks to get his career back on track.

Confident and anticipatory in possession, Timber is also adept at switching the play with precision and often at distance. He further provides the backline with much-needed bite.

With Lewis’ star very much on the rise and Timber back in the frame after long-term injury, both players have an extra dose of motivation this weekend.

Lewis must continue to perform in Guardiola’s meticulous system while Timber needs to start rewarding Arteta’s faith.

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Savinho vs Gabriel Martinelli

The same side of the pitch will see a Brazilian battle take place when City new boy Savinho goes up against fellow countryman Gabriel Martinelli.

Signed in the off-season for £31million as City’s biggest acquisition of the summer, Savinho made his way through various clubs in the City Football Group network to arrive in Manchester.

After three appearances in the league so far and one in Europe, he is now beginning to bed himself into Guardiola’s set-up.

Equal parts goalscorer and assist-maker, Savinho brings a sense of joy and flair to the game.

He is particularly known for his astute dribbling and is regularly lauded for his professionalism.

His compatriot, Martinelli, has been at Arsenal for five years, scoring 41 goals in 178 appearances.

In that time, he has picked up a solitary FA Cup winner’s medal, but Martinelli has nevertheless endeared himself to Gunners fans through his relentless running and dedication to the cause.

Dynamic and agile, Martinelli is a capable dribbler and is especially dangerous on account of his speed.

Likewise a dual scoring and assisting threat, he is perhaps yet to truly find his best position, but on his day Martinelli is able to provide the necessary spark to open up a defence.

After a productive start to the season for both men, it will be interesting to see what they do with the continued faith shown in them by their managers.

Savinho has the added pressure of winning over a new fanbase, but he has the talent and backing to produce something special.

Arsenal’s title hopes vs Manchester City’s momentum

In the background, behind all the player battles, is a mental clash as Guardiola’s winning machine stands in the way yet again of Arteta and Arsenal’s claims to the throne.

When he was appointed Arsenal manager in 2019, Arteta had to overhaul the club’s personnel, tactics, philosophy, and culture. It was not an easy task, and there were frequent calls for the Spaniard to be sacked.

Now, after being given the time and funds to build something in London, Arteta is firmly established as the man to take the Gunners back to the big time.

The last two Premier League seasons have been close. From a late-season collapse in 2022/23 to a two-point difference last time out, Arteta has been slowly inching Arsenal towards landing the title.

This is by all accounts no mean feat considering the exceptional and historical job Guardiola has done in the blue half of Manchester.

Indeed, Guardiola and his team have put together title-winning campaigns in six of the last seven seasons, including an unprecedented four on the trot.

Even the great Jurgen Klopp made a fist of competing with Liverpool yet could only manage one title in nine years on Merseyside.

One of City’s defining traits under Guardiola has been their utter relentlessness.

In the second half of the season, City tend to embark on prolonged winning runs, picking up crucial momentum on their way, more often than not, to picking up the Premier League crown.

Considering City are looking like their typical near-invincible self, Arsenal have very little margin for error.

And with points already dropped at home to Brighton, the Gunners simply cannot afford any more setbacks.

To be fair though, if any team has what it takes to challenge this incredible City outfit, it is Arteta’s Arsenal. Roll on Sunday.

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