This is the fourteenth piece in our season-long survey of the big games this season in European football. Check out the FoxSoccer.com archive for past installments, and stay with the Fox family all season long for in-depth introductions to the clubs, the players, and the history of the European game for American readers.
Both teams are legit title contenders in what has developed into at least a five-team scramble for the 2010-11 Premier League crown. With Chelsea descending into crisis, Arsenal, Tottenham and both Manchester teams have seized the advantage to open up daylight, as the hopes for a top-four finish slip away from the likes of Bolton, Newcastle and woeful Liverpool.
Both clubs have had to battle brutal winter weather and an over-stuffed English schedule. Arsenal is playing its fourth game in ten days, while City had an extra day of rest. City has enough players to field four complete first teams on their books, but Arsenal showed its lack of depth last Wednesday in a 2-2 draw at Wigan when Arsene Wenger made eight changes and came up two points short.
Manchester City approaches the last holiday hurdle tied on points with Manchester United but trailing its neighbor on goal difference. If United beats Stoke Tuesday, City would be under pressure to keep pace, as United holds two games in hand on them. Arsenal, lying third, is just two points behind both teams. A win would see the Gunners leap over City into second, while retaining a game in hand on their visitors.
It has been a strange Arsenal season -- one when fans were wondering if this would be the sixth straight season without a piece of silverware. The Gunners have been gutted by injuries, noticeably on defense, where aging Sebastien Squillaci has shown he is no replacement for Thomas Vermaelen. Moreover, the frustration seemed have reached a tipping point when Arsenal played a timid game against Manchester United, leading captain Cesc Fabregas to admit his side were “scared.”
Now, optimists will say a corner has been turned. What changed?
That said, Arsenal depth still remains a question mark and its defense can be exploited by direct and speedy attacks. Furthermore, while the Gunners have improved their set-piece defense, nearly half the goals they have conceded this season still have come from those corners or free kicks. But many failings seen last season seem to have been addressed.
Lukasz Fabianski has been steady in the nets and a revelation on distribution out of the back. And, against both Chelsea and Birmingham, the Gunners showed they can take big hits and keep on playing.
Since a bad loss to Everton in late December, Manchester City has righted the ship, dispatching Newcastle, Aston Villa and Blackpool. None of those sides are legit hopefuls, but the fact is that City has been steadily improving since a bellwether 0-0 draw with United in November. There, City signaled that it had to be taken seriously as more than just a high-priced collection of talent.
But the turning point of the season may well have been City’s humbling 3-1 loss to Polish stragglers Lech Poznan in the Europa League on November 4. At that time, the calls for manager Roberto Mancini’s head were ringing out across the Northwest, and the team could have spiraled out of control. Instead, Mancini used the defeat to shock City out of its lethargy and has since put a lid on some of the soap operas surrounding the club.
City will surely try to press the attack down the center of the field, attempting to find Tevez by splitting Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny, and staying away from the faster Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy on the wings. At the other end, expect Theo Walcott to get another run out with Nasri and Cesc trying to compress Aleksandar Kolarov and Joleon Lescott. Arsenal know Gareth Barry can be exploited in midfield, and de Jong’s combustible nature may also make him a target.
City also wants to avenge its October loss to the Gunners, a 3-0 drubbing that also saw the sending off of Dedryk Boyata after five minutes. Because the title race is so tight, this one isn't a make-or-break contest for either side. But, having already won at Eastlands, the Gunners will want to complete the double over City and serve notice that they are -- really -- back in title contention.
Jamie Trecker is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering the UEFA Champions League and European football.
