Manchester City v Arsenal the tactical battles that could decide title clash Jonathan Wilson
over 2 years in The guardian
We pick out five important areas, including how Mikel Arteta’s team may be able to wound the Premier League championsMikel Arteta is not a clone of Pep Guardiola but they do have a similar outlook on football. Both came through the Barcelona academy, Arteta spent three years as Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City and both favour a 4-3-3 with a hard press. When shapes and philosophies match, gaining a tactical advantage to outweigh City’s advantages in terms of personnel and form will be tough for Arteta. At the moment, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gündogan or Bernardo Silva are simply a better unit than Arsenal’s three, with Thomas Partey and Martin Ødegaard suffering dips in form and Granit Xhaka struggling with illness. Continue reading...