I’m counting down to Sunday’s huge game between Manchester City and Arsenal — two teams with few obvious weaknesses and two managers who know how to get the best from their players.
Mikel Arteta will be upbeat this week. He doesn’t yet have Pep Guardiola’s decades of experience or trophy collection, but he must remind his squad why they’ve been top of the league for so long. He’ll be positive in training, back his players individually and repeat the message: you’re here because you’ve earned it. That conviction helps when belief is tested.
Pep, by contrast, looks refreshed. He seemed a little worn at the end of last season and early this one, which is understandable, but City have regained the cutting edge since January. They don’t need extra motivation — plenty of pundits had written them off and the players will want to prove those doubters wrong. Being champions brings its own burden, and right now that weight feels heavier on Arsenal. City would love to take back the initiative.
What’s returned to City recently isn’t a change of philosophy — they’ll still dominate possession — but the genuine one-on-one threat from wide, explosive attackers. I call those players ‘leg-beaters’: quick, direct wide men who run at defenders constantly and create match-defining moments. Previously Mahrez filled that role; now City have several dangerous options.
Antoine Semenyo, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki offer pace, skill and the ability to get past opponents. Any of them can win a game from a single situation. Semenyo brings power and a real goal threat; Doku has blistering speed; Cherki can take defenders out of games with his feet. Whoever Arsenal pick to cover the full-back positions must be ready for long spells of intense one-on-one duels.
Because of that threat, City should try to get the ball into those wide attackers quickly. Fast delivery stretches a defence and creates the isolation opportunities these players need. If City play slowly and allow Arsenal to sit deeper, the spaces for those threats will be harder to find.
The context matters. Arsenal lead by six points with a slightly better goal difference heading into the weekend — a position Arteta and the fans would have gladly accepted with six games left. But Arsenal’s recent form has dipped and they’ve coped with injuries to key men such as Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice. They strengthened their squad in the summer but didn’t add in January, which leaves their depth more exposed now.
City, on the other hand, were written off months ago but have gained momentum after January signings and by beating Arsenal to lift the Carabao Cup last month. If their run continues they could be in contention for the league, the FA Cup and possibly more — April has traditionally been Pep’s best month and Arteta’s most difficult since 2019-20.
So the stakes are clear: an Arsenal win would put the title firmly in their hands; a City victory shifts momentum back to Manchester and makes them favourites. A draw helps Arsenal more than City, but it wouldn’t decide the race.
Fixture rhythm and recovery will also play a part. City have the home advantage and a week to recover after their Champions League exit to Real Madrid. Arsenal had a midweek tie with Sporting but progressed, which should give a psychological lift even though they had less rest.
Tactics will be finely tuned. If either team wants to build from the goalkeeper, I’d encourage a high press to disrupt the rhythm — risky, yes, because both sides have defenders comfortable on the ball, but turnovers high up the pitch create scoring chances. City will likely dominate possession regardless and spend time in Arsenal’s final third. When Arsenal are forced back, they must hurt City with the quality of their transitions.
City often push their entire team forward and leave only two centre-backs at the back. Rodri shields them, but that structure opens channels and wide areas behind the centre-halves. Arsenal must aim passes and runners into those zones when they win possession deep — play up, back and through — but do it intelligently. City’s centre-backs are quick and they’ll try to win the ball back fast, so Arsenal can’t rely on simple foot races; they need movement that creates false runs and tempo changes.
Arsenal are capable of that. They have shown they can play under pressure and will have to do so again. Set-pieces will be important for both sides: quality from corners, free-kicks and throw-ins and the desire to win first and second balls could swing the game.
I’ve been asked over the years to name the greatest sides I’ve admired or faced. I can’t pick a single best team, but some stick out: Don Revie’s Leeds, Sir Matt Busby’s United, Ferguson’s United, Liverpool in the 1980s, Mourinho’s Chelsea and the Chelsea teams that followed, Arsenal in the early 1970s and the 2003-04 Invincibles, and of course Manchester City in the last decade.
I don’t think the current Arsenal or City are quite at the very highest ‘greatest ever’ level yet, but both are capable of reaching that sort of status if they maintain this level of performance.
Who would you pick as the greatest team you’ve seen for a club, and how do you think Arsenal and City rank alongside them?
