Key facts
Pep Guardiola’s pre-match thoughts
We talked a little bit about quick transitions and attacking spaces. Last season we didn’t do that, so we’ll see. Today we have another opportunity to do better.
The first Premier League match was a thrillerwith four goals and both managers sent off at the Amex Stadium.
Read Pep Guardiola on Arsenal and these other cases
If you press (and you do), they win second balls. In the final third, they have the ability to make 1,000 million passes and find the pockets and the right spaces. If they can run, they can run. Martinelli, Saka, Ødegaard and so on.
They are a top team because all the departments that a team needs are strong, they do it. They are good at it. But we are good too.
Barney Ronay on City charges
It is still difficult to see an outcome that is truly beneficial to the Premier League. Three things can happen from here. First, City are found guilty and severely punished. That would be a potential disaster for the Premier League, with its entire recent history discredited, its broadcast rights undermined and its integrity called into question. It would also leave a championship club, the richest in the world, in a state of open and vengeful war with its own fellow members. Hello? Is this the Super League? Yeah. Are we still connected?
Irresistible force, encounter with an immobile object
Here’s Mikel Arteta’s take on today’s game
We all know that we have to put in a big performance to beat them… We want to improve in some areas, but for that it is important that we are much better. We have been very open about that. But we have to create chances, because the process has to be good.
Jonathan Wilson looks back on that 0-0 draw in March
There is of course no definitive answer. If Arsenal had opened the scoring, it could have given City a chance, lifted them above Arsenal and led everyone to condemn Arteta for his arrogance. It is not a question of right or wrong, but with hindsight, and given that at the time of the Arsenal game City had not won any of the eight games against teams who would finish in the top six, could it have been a missed opportunity?
“Hello and hello from California,” “Yes, it’s far too early to tell, but from a confidence point of view, isn’t it a necessity for Arsenal to win to show they’re on the same level as City?” writes Mary Waltz.
Um, wouldn’t a draw do that? I don’t think it’s a necessity for either team, although it’s probably more important for Arsenal that they don’t lose.
Pep Guardiola on Rico Lewis (who he left out today)
You ask any player, ‘What position do you play?’ And they say, ‘I play defensive midfield. I play winger. I play that position.’ Rico plays football. If you put him in a position, he knows exactly what to do. He’s so smart… I’ve been coaching for 14, 15 years, coaching some incredible players. To find a player like him in the pocket, he’s one of the best I’ve ever coached.
Team News: Calafiori Starts
Both coaches have made some adjustments. Pep Guardiola brings in Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan and Jeremy Doku in place of Rico Lewis, the injured Kevin De Bruyne and the injured Jack Grealish.
Riccardo Calafiori will make his Arsenal debut, likely at left-back, with Ben White on the bench. White’s absence is a big surprise, although some suggest he is suffering from a minor injury. Jurrien Timber will be moved to right-back. Leandro Trossard will replace Gabriel Jesus in attack.
Manchester City (possible 4-1-2-3) Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri; Bernardo, Gundogan; Savinho, Haaland, Doku.
Substitutes: Ortega Moreno, Carson, Stones, Kovacic, Grealish, Nunes, Foden, Lewis, McAtee.
Arsenal (possibly 4-2-4-0) Raya; Wood, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Partey, rice; Saka, Havertz, Trossard, Martinelli.
Subs: Neto, White, Lewis-Skelly, Kiwior, Kacurri, Jorginho, Nwaneri, Sterling, Jesus.
Arbitrator Michel Olivier.
Preamble
You can usually judge the health of a league by its biggest rivalry. Think AC Milan v Napoli in the late 1980s, Manchester United v Arsenal at the turn of the century, and Barcelona v Real Madrid when Pep and Jose were in charge. Manchester City v Arsenal doesn’t quite fall into that category, and probably never will, but it would make a decent Champions League final and is a very good starting point for any football-based ding-dong.
This is the third season of a rivalry that began when Arsenal dethroned Liverpool from the perch reserved for City’s biggest challengers. City have given Arsenal a brutal introduction to life at the top level, thrashing them home and away in 2022-23, but last season the only City player to score against Arsenal was Cole Palmer in the Community Shield.
Both league games were quiet and relatively uneventful. Gabriel Martinelli’s late goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 win at the Emirates; the return match in March ended in a 0-0 draw, so much so that I had to check whether I had live-bloged it or not.
History has taught us that Arsenal should have won this game, even though they were ahead of City in the table at the time. Ironically, most people think a draw would be acceptable today, even though they are behind City. Another stage of the season, another context, another Erling Haaland.
One thing hasn’t changed. City v Arsenal is the most important game in the biggest league in the world. And that’s why it’s really, really important.
To start up 4:30 p.m.
