Manchester City VS Arsenal Foresight: Blue Moon is unstoppable "Three Killings" Gunners are not surprised.
Few people would have predicted that Arsenal would take the lead in the Premier League title race this season, but Arteta’s team is one of the most exciting teams this season, trying to regain the title from defending champion Manchester City, and the Blue Moon Army has won the Premier League title four times in the past five seasons.
At present, Arsenal are five points ahead of Manchester City in two more games. After three consecutive draws, Arsenal’s condition is not good, which seems to provide an opportunity for Manchester City to defend its title. There is no doubt that this game has attracted a lot of attention, because the winner is likely to be crowned champion at the end of the season, and ESPN reporters have also made relevant predictions.
[Manchester City’s game state]
Dawson: Guardiola’s team went through a period of ups and downs, but at the end of the season they finally returned to their best. Since the beginning of February, Manchester City has not lost a game, and ended its 10-game winning streak with a 1-1 draw with Bayern, but a draw is enough for them to win the semi-finals of the Champions League. This season, Guardiola’s three-guard/four-guard system switch is excellent in defense and sharp in attack. Harland has scored 15 goals in the past eight games. In the semi-final match against Sheffield United in the FA Cup, Harland was dumb, and the scoring record for seven consecutive games was ended. Guardiola has repeatedly said that Arsenal are favourites to win the championship because they are now at the top of the standings, but he is satisfied with the progress of the team’s running-in, especially after Arsenal suffered three draws and lost six points in two weeks. In the past 10 years, Manchester City has been in this position many times, so they will not be bothered by the key match with the title contender in mid-April. They played well, the key players were healthy and in good shape, and they played at home.
[How is Arsenal’s status]
Olley: Arsenal are in danger. Compared with two weeks ago, people’s mood is in sharp contrast. In the past three games, Arsenal have drawn their opponents, which has affected their state and mentality to some extent. At present, the gunman has gradually lost the initiative to win the championship. Although they are still five points ahead of Manchester City, the five-point advantage is very fragile. In the game against Southampton, 2-0, Real Madrid quá khó! bùng nổ ở La Liga, 57% ghi bàn, 16 lần ghi bàn, kỷ lục 25 năm. Arsenal tried to equalize the score and scored 1 point, but when the whistle sounded, most of the gunners fell on the court in frustration. Perhaps the title race has begun to affect their mentality, at the same time, they also know that it is not enough to get only one point against the bottom team in the Premier League. They should have cheered up against Liverpool and West Ham, in which Arsenal easily took a 2-0 lead, but then they were equalized. Now, Arsenal have a chance to win the club’s first Premier League title since 2004.
[What will Guardiola and Arteta learn from each other? 】
Dawson: Guardiola and Arteta knew each other very well when they were in Manchester City, but Arteta still adopted a man-to-man defense in the FA Cup in January, which surprised Gua Shuai. Other teams have done the same against Manchester City, but Guardiola didn’t expect Arteta to do the same, which may make Gua Shuai a little shaken before Wednesday’s game. Because it means that Manchester City must bypass the midfield more than they want to pass the ball, goalkeeper Edersen will make a long pass with big feet, and Harland will try to make a long shot.
Olley: Arteta has made no secret that he is Guardiola’s disciple, and there are many similarities between the two sides in controlling the game. One of Arteta’s most obvious features is that Zincenko, a former Manchester City player, plays a midfield role in controlling the ball. Zincenko moved from left-back to midfield to help the team attack and control the ball in midfield. This is a tactic that Guardiola used to carry out on Cancelo, and it is also his recent transformation of stones, allowing him to cut in from the right and help the team attack and control the ball as an extra midfielder. The attraction of this direct dialogue between the two sides lies in whether Artta will change his approach in any way, or whether he has the courage to strengthen his belief and play against Manchester City like other teams this season. How Zincenko is used is probably a key point.
[Who is the key player? 】
Dawson: The importance of Harland and De Braune is obvious, because if they play well, Manchester City usually wins. However, stones is the key to Guardiola’s system. It is expected that he will start as a right-back and then play in the midfield to push Gundogan forward. Guardiola will be worried about the large-scale movement and speed of Saca and Martineli, but he has trusted stones’s performance against Bayern Munich against Sane, Koman, Gnabry and Mucia.
Olley: Sacca, Martineli and Odegard have provided creativity for Arsenal this season. Against Manchester City, the speed and penetration of Sacca and Martineli in the counterattack are crucial, and Odegard’s possession under pressure is also important. For Arsenal, C Luo xuất hiện toàn bộ： buổi họp báo đầu tiên + gặp gỡ các đồng đội mới, mặc số 7 và nhận 30 ngàn cổ vũ. how to balance attack and defense is crucial. Recent signs show that Saca and Martineli shoulder the heavy responsibility of leading the team, but they need to play their best and make the most of the opportunities.
[Injuries of the team]
Dawson: One of the reasons why Manchester City looks so strong now is that they are not injured. Edersen, Diaz, Rodry, stones and De Blaunet were rested against Sheffield United, and Foden is gradually recovering. The English player had an appendix operation. Mahrez scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup semi-final, and he should get a chance to start.
Olley: Arsenal will miss Saliba very much. In the second leg of Arsenal’s Europa League last 16 match against Portuguese sports, Saliba left the game with a back injury in the 21st minute. After that, Arsenal went out of the Europa League, lost six points in the Premier League and failed to draw a clean sheet in any game. There is no doubt that without Saliba, the gunners’ defense looks very fragile. Saliba’s partner Gabriel looks a little unstable, while Holding is limited.
[Predicting this game]
Dawson: Manchester City has beaten Arsenal twice this season. It would be an accident if they can’t finish the "three kills" against the gunners. Harland looks unstoppable, which means Arsenal must score at least two goals to win, while Manchester City has not conceded two goals in a single game since beating Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 on January 19th. Arsenal are a bit lacking in confidence now, and Manchester City may win 4-0.
Olley: Both teams will score goals, but Manchester City won 3-1. The pace of the game may be fast, because both sides try to get the other side out of position by controlling the ball.
[Predict this season’s champion]
Dawson: After the game against Arsenal, Manchester City will play against Chelsea at home and Brighton away, but nothing seems to stop them at the moment. The semi-final of the Champions League against Real Madrid is a complicated game, but Manchester City is likely to remain unbeaten for the rest of the season and follow Manchester United’s example to win the "Triple Crown" in 1999.
Olley: I was very optimistic about Manchester City in August, and I still am. In recent weeks, their experience has begun to play a role, and they may win every next game. Despite Arsenal’s excellent performance throughout the season, it was a difficult game against Newcastle in early May. As key players show signs of declining at the wrong time, the Gunners are likely to miss the Premier League title.