According to various pundits, Manchester City looked destined to win the quadruple before their shocking defeat to Wigan in the FA Cup. Such is their form and flair at the moment, but everyone will have off days like City’s midweek defeat and Arsenal’s biggest task if they are to beat the odds and win the Carabao Cup, is to stifle the flair in midfield.
De Bruyne is the key, without question the best player in the Premier League at the moment and he is the one that makes the City goal machine one of the most attractive we have seen for many years.
The Belgium star isn’t going to be easy to phase out of the game, players with his type of vision and ability to find space never are, but if the Gunners are going to get anything out of the game, they need to find a way of shackling him and preventing him from playing his normal game.
Arsenal will get chances but they will need to take them as the opportunities arise. They can ill afford to squander half chances or hope that they will be plentiful in a game of this magnitude. The North London club will no doubt relyOzil,il , Mkhitaryan and Wilshere’s creative skills but it may be a chance for the likes of Monreal or Bellerin to provide the killer blow.
These games are notoriously tight, let’s hope so and the team that grabs the first goal will find it hard to to pull back the deficit. The Gunners will certainly have to be fired up and hit the ground running. There have been problems with the team in the early stages of a game(like the Europa tie) and performing to a lower, disjointed standard, could open the floodgates for a City side that are brutally clinical.
Arsenal will have to defend in numbers, break up the play and strike with blistering speed to make any dent in the game but like City, the Emirates club love to attack but are less capable in defence. Who Wenger picks on the day may indicate the intended game plan but sitting back and absorbing City’s waves of attacks is unlikely. Yet, the first mistake may prove crucial.
City’s defence isn’t perfect, nor is it the finished article but it is superior to the North London clubs, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be breached. The Manchester side are about possession and attack, if that were to change in the cup final, we may be in for a treat. If City were to lose, it wouldn’t be the end of the World, they have more irons in other fires but Arsenal are running out of ways to qualify for a Champions League spot and apart from the Europa league, no other chance of bagging silverware.
So both teams are under pressure for different reasons, expectations are high for City and for Arsenal, it’s the fear of failure and another disappointing season in terms of the major completions. Arsenal’s creative players will have to show up and be counted, which means relying on Ozil once again. After all the hubbub of contract negotiations, the German is now free to put matters on the pitch first.
This should mean that his clever and incisive touches could be the difference as Arsenal look to upset the odds. Will Wenger go for a pair in defensive cover at the expense of a creative force? it’s likely but that plan has proved to be flooded on occasion because the options aren’t of the required standard. For me it’s a question of mentality, when Arsenal played Chelsea in the FA cup final last season, many saw it as an inevitable win for Conte’s men but they were slow and looked ragged.
If Arsenal can set the tone from the whistle, it could be game on but don’t think that this City side will just roll over. Expect lots of tension, close calls and near misses from these two expansive footballing sides. Let’s hope that it’s a showpiece final to give this cup the credibility it currently lacks. It’s a cup of course but does it make up for the Londoners not being in the fight for the premiership. ? Of course not but it will help fans overlook Arsenal’s failures this term.
