MY ACCOUNT
Former colleagues Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta go up against one another in a crucial Premier League title clash tonight.
Table-topping Arsenal are five points clear of Manchester City but the second-placed Citizens have two games in hand and are now in control of their own destiny, as they look to retain the title.
Arteta was appointed as Guardiola’s assistant coach at City in 2016, before leaving to take charge of the Gunners in 2019.
Ahead of tonight’s potential title decider, we turn the spotlight on the battle between managerial master and an apprentice who has been leading the way this season.
Bogey side
Arteta’s Arsenal have lost all six of their previous league games against City.
They are the only side that the 41-year-old’s team have failed to beat in the competition since he became manager of the North Londoners.
Of the six defeats, three have come at City’s Etihad Stadium, with the hosts keeping a clean sheet on every occasion.
In the reverse fixture at the Emirates this season, Guardiola’s side took charge in the second half, overpowering their rivals in a 3-1 victory.
In addition, the two teams have met three times in cups. The first occasion was the one match in which Arteta’s Arsenal have triumphed over City, beating them 2-0 in the 2019-20 FA Cup semi-finals.
The Gunners have lost the two subsequent cup ties. They were defeated 4-1 at home in the 2020-21 Carabao Cup quarter-finals and were knocked out of the FA Cup this season, in a 1-0 away loss.
Contrasting form
With only one win and eight defeats against his former boss, the pressure is on Arteta to change the pattern tonight.
The trouble is, the fixture comes at the worst possible time for the Basque coach, with his side having lost form, just when City have found theirs.
Arsenal have drawn each of their last three games, conceding seven goals along the way.
Last Friday night, they had to fight back from being 3-1 down at home to scrape a draw against the Premier League’s bottom club Southampton.
Since William Saliba picked up a back injury in the Europa League tie against Sporting, the Gunners have played five league games and conceded in all of them.
That is bad news against a City side that are unbeaten in 16 matches. Guardiola’s team have won each of their last 11 at home, averaging 3.63 goals-per-game.
Saliba absence
Saliba will miss tonight’s tussle and it has been reported that he could even be out for the rest of the season.
With Ben White being the only fit player able to play at right-back, Rob Holding has been deputising for the French defender.
Without Saliba’s pace, the back four have been unable to push as high up the field as they would normally do. A once secure defensive unit, now looks like a weakness.
It will be interesting to see if Arteta keeps faith in the 4-3-3 formation that has served him so well all season, or if he might be tempted to switch to a back three in an effort to stem the flow of goals conceded.
If it were Guardiola’s side that had dropped points in three successive games, then you could bet that he would be looking to make a tactical change.
This is perhaps Arteta’s biggest test as Arsenal manager. We will discover tonight if he makes revisions, or whether he feels that he is already well prepared.
