Arsenal have a prime chance to narrow the gap on Manchester City to a mere six points. Here are the five players needed to accomplish that goal.
Arsenal are coming off a comprehensive win against Chelsea and a shaky, but still conclusive win against Cardiff City. They are narrowing the gap, thanks to some help from the rest of the clubs in the Top Five, and could narrow the distance between them and City to six points if they can take the win in this crucial match.
Of course, the big question is how this defense will stand up in the face of the injury crisis and the slew of attacking options that Manchester City have at their disposal, being the top scoring team in the league, and the Gunners, having the porous defense that they do.
Chances are, this is not going to be a defensive struggle, but that doesn’t mean that some semblance of a resistance isn’t needed to keep this match within reach.
Still, so much is going to come down to the Gunners ability to match City’s attacking prowess. Hopefully, the arrival of Denis Suarez can kick some added life into an already potent attacking force.
And with that in mind, let’s get into the five key players to pulling three points out of this one.
5. Iwobi… er Ramsey… er Ozil… er Suarez… er…
Go figure that the creative midfield has been such a mess of inconsistency this year, because it was supposed to be a strong suit of the club. With Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Aaron Ramsey and the up-and-coming Alex Iwobi, it looked like such an easy position to rely on, but lo and behold, it has failed to the point that Denis Suarez had to be brought in.
I have no *bleep*-ing clue who will start as the “mind” behind this attack, whether it be a No. 10 or an attempt at a winger but whoever it is, the weight of creating chances will fall on them, and in a match that will be dominated by two supercharged attacks, it will be up to Ozil, or Ramsey, or Iwobi, or maybe even Suarez, to match what is happening on the other side of the pitch.
4. Lucas Torreira
With City relying so much on the build up, Lucas Torreira can be a true hero if he can ravage the middle of the pitch and be the disruptor stopping City from getting comfortable. They have a lot of ways that they can score, but if you start picking off those different ways one by one, you have a better chance of limiting the damage.
Torreira has been a big time performer in big matches this year – at least most of them – and while he needs some ideal parameters around him, he’s definitely capable of upholding his end of the bargain if those parameters are met.
He doesn’t need to do much more than be an absolute nuisance to the city build up. From there, he can give the ball to those more capable of leading the charge, which leads us perfectly into key player No. 3.
3. Granit Xhaka
Xhaka will be needed to provide the foundation for winning the battle in the midfield. City traditionally play with a three-man midfield full of attacking prowess, but they can’t attack if they don’t have the ball, and Xhaka is the only midfielder that the Gunners have that I have confidence in with regards to holding onto the ball.
Plus, when all else fails, he can be a chance creator too, with his line-braking and cross-pitch passes. If we are finding opportunity in the attack hard to come by, Xhaka can change it in a second.
2. Shkodran Mustafi
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again – when a lot is riding on Mustafi’s shoulders, he has a tendency to step up. Maybe not reliably, but he seems to have a better chance of showing up in a big match than in a “regular” one.
I think of all the times he pocketed various Chelsea strikers. He had a stellar outing against Tottenham too, not that long ago.
This is another one of those matches that can remind us that, believe it or not, Mustafi is immensely capable, just not immensely consistent.
Still, he has athleticism, he can match the pace of City’s attack, and if he stays mentally keyed in, well, then you never know what could happen.
1. Alexandre Lacazette
The last few matches have had one similar theme – they have all been dominated by Alexandre Lacazette. He has been the best player by far, and he’s finally getting more and more people to own up to the fact that some of us have known for awhile now – that Lacazette is our best player. I don’t think there can be any denying that anymore.
Lacazette’s utilities are doubly seen when he is put in a strike partnership with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is apparently twice as deadly, but about a third as useful.
The Gunners need players that can be relied upon to play more than one part in this production, and Lacazette plays so many. When the going gets tough, just feed Lacazette, he can drive, dribble, pass, link, turn, shoot, whatever you want. Then, of course, there is the matter of Aubameyang being so, so much better with Lacazette than by himself.
Lacazette is our biggest weapon in the attack, and in a match that is almost inevitably going to come down to who can take their chances best, Lacazette is going to take center stage.