I can't wait for this game! After an international break it always feels like it's been way too long since the last Arsenal game, and what a game to come back to. We've had tests and chances to show that we've improved this season, but this is the biggest yet. Beating Man City 3-0 in the Community Shield was really satisfying, and yet there still remained some doubts. Yes, we played well, but the impression I was left with was that Man City either weren't quite ready yet, or didn't really take the game very seriously. That will not be the case this time.
As usual, there's a mixture of excitement and despair among Arsenal fans at the moment. There is hope that Welbeck might be the missing link; the player that can be a physical presence up front, offering good link up play, while also providing the pace to get behind defences and offer a threat on the counter attack. Yet there also remains some doubts, mainly about whether Wenger will put his trust in Welbeck given that this may 'kill' Sanogo, a player that Wenger has demonstrated a fair amount of belief in. But then why sign Welbeck at all? If indeed it was actually Wenger that signed Welbeck, and not Gazidis... I can't say I'm too interested in such lines of speculation, but I'm eager to find out how Welbeck will be used, and if he'll make the team tomorrow.
Whatever team we field, they will have to be at their very best for us to beat Man City, as they have shown themselves capable of brushing aside a decent Liverpool outfit already this season, and they're bound to be up for this game after our recent Community Shield victory. Having said that, Man City's form this season has been quite polarised; having beaten Liverpool 3-1 they then went on to lose 1-0 to Stoke, and while they beat Newcastle in the first league game, they were well beaten by us in the Community Shield. At the very least, we need to show more defensive stability, and more attacking threat, than we did in the big games last year.
A key aspect of our recent victory over Man City was that, with them playing 4-4-2, our three central midfielders of Arteta, Ramsey and Wilshere were able to overrun their pair of Toure and Fernando. Yet Pellegrini seems intent on staying with a 4-4-2 formation which is rapidly going out of fashion in the Premier League. While many expect us to switch back to our 4-2-3-1 of last season to allow Ozil his favoured 'number 10' position, there have been no hints of this in the games leading up to this. I fully expect to see Arteta just behind Wilshere and Ramsey in 4-1-4-1, with the aim of dominating central midfield again. While this pushes Ozil out wide, it gives him less defensive responsibility, and therefore more freedom to attack and use his creativity. 4-4-2 vs 4-1-4-1 may be the key to this game, more so than any individual match up of players.
Key questions:
- Is Ramsey match fit? If not, expect Cazorla to take his place alongside Wilshere.
- Is Ozil match fit? If so, will he play through the centre in 4-2-3-1, or wide left in 4-1-4-1? If not, expect Cazorla to take his place.
- Will Welbeck start his first Arsenal game? If not, I imagine Wenger would play Alexis as the striker. He can then accommodate Ozil, Cazorla, Ramsey and Wilshere in midfield.
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