Four lessons Arsenal must learn from last Man City encounter to maintain Premier League title advantage
Arsenal and Manchester City are set to play on Wednesday, and it could determine the Gunners’ chances of winning the title.
If they win and also win their game in hand against Everton, they could extend their lead by nine points.
However, if they lose, Man City will take the lead. Last year, Arsenal almost won against Man City, but some mistakes cost them the game.
SportsDias discusses the four lessons Arsenal should learn from that loss.
Don’t rely on VAR
This season, Arsenal and VAR have not been a good combination. Last weekend, the referee, Lee Mason, missed an offside call in the build-up to a goal by Ivan Toney, which should not have been allowed.
In their previous game against Man City, Martin Odegaard was brought down in the box by Ederson, but the referee did not review the incident on the VAR monitor.
The game was being managed by Albert Stuivenberg, as Mikel Arteta was absent due to COVID-19.
Stuivenberg believed that the referee should have been instructed to review the incident.
He said: “The moment with Odegaard, I think it is a clear penalty but at least a moment for the referee to check [on the monitor], it happened in the second half with their penalty which is not really consistent and then, of course, the sending off was an important moment after that.”
Composure defending in the box
During the previous game, in the 53rd minute, Granit Xhaka was judged to have brought down Bernardo Silva in the box, resulting in a penalty for Man City.
Although the decision was controversial, Xhaka was holding Silva’s shirt, leading the referee to award the penalty. In the upcoming match, Arsenal’s defense will be different, with William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko joining Ben White and Gabriel Magalhães.
Saliba has not been in top form lately, but Gabriel has been solid. They will face Erling Haaland, who successfully trained yesterday. Mikel Arteta will be hoping for a defensively sound performance to avoid any unnecessary drama.
Rash red cards
During the last game, Gabriel Magalhães was sent off for a second yellow card after he collided with Gabriel Jesus, who is now his teammate, following a previous booking for dissent.
The upcoming match is likely to be intense due to the two teams’ positions in the league.
Arsenal has had instances of aggression in their recent matches against Everton and Brentford, and Mikel Arteta will be keen to ensure that his team keeps their cool during this game.
Be clinical
During the last game, Arsenal had eight shots, five of which were in the first half, and Bukayo Saka scored the only goal.
Gabriel Martinelli missed three significant chances, including an open goal miss in the second half.
In the upcoming game, Arsenal may have plenty of opportunities, but they must be efficient in the box and avoid squandering chances.
It will be interesting to see Eddie Nketiah leading the line instead of Alexandre Lacazette, given that Nketiah has a history of scoring in big games, having already scored against Chelsea and Manchester United.
Four lessons Arsenal must learn from last Man City encounter to maintain Premier League title advantage
